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Chrisk
USA
87 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 6:49:27 PM
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During yoga asanas session should we be in deep meditative state, or just relax, think whatever we want?
Thank you.
Chris
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Buffle37
Switzerland
79 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2011 : 07:21:51 AM
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For me the practice of asana is a meditation with the body as a mantra. I try to be aware of my body and my breath without any thoughts. Of course it is very difficult; I try and try again without expectations, without any blame if I find myself lost in my thoughts which happen all the time…
In my opinion, if Hatha Yoga is not a meditation it is just a kind of gymnastic…
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Chrisk
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2011 : 2:02:59 PM
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Precicely my point, if i meditate on the body I may be meditating on the chakras which Sri Yogani says is somewhat wrong. Also, if my yoga time counts towards my deep meditation, then if i do lets say 2 hours of yoga per week, then I will be doing more deep meditation than Sri Yogani recommends which might cause overloading symptoms.
Thus, my initial question still holds, at what mental state should we be during yoga, especially if we do extensive yoga + tai chi, or kung fu/ qi kong like I do.
Perhaps it may be better we just do yoga without meditating, i.e. as a gymanstic?
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Chris.
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2011 : 2:09:04 PM
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Hi Chrisk and All 
My two cents:
When using asana as a regular part of your AYPractice, I would suggest just keeping your attention/focus/awareness on the sensations in the body (sensations of stretching, sensations of energy moving in the body, sensations of breathing, etc). Just remember that increasing bodily awareness/connection through asana can be a powerful practice in and of itself and that you will be wise to always be watching for overload symptoms (which IME can be significantly delayed when it is asana that is pushing us over the edge). Just my two cents
Love!
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Chrisk
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2011 : 5:03:13 PM
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If I do yoga class for 2 hours per week, then do kung fu/ qi gong school for another 3 hours per week (1.5hrs*2), plus additional tai chi practice for another 2 hours per week, as well as practice on my own at home for some more hours especially the kung fu and yoga since I am an overzealous student, would all of this practice generate any problems if i keep concentrating on the body and bodily sensations during all this time? Is there any risk, I open the chakras, or raise kundalini prematurely, if I do so without adequate deep meditation, because my deep meditation is only 40mins daily per Sri Yogani' s recommendation.
I' d appreciate an answer and thank you very much.
Chris. |
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jamuna
Australia
104 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2011 : 7:07:24 PM
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I think you will have to experiment with yourself Chrisk. Everybodies neurobiology is different and has a different matrix of obstructions. I personally do quite a bit of asana practice during the week. It is a vinyasa style and I meditate on the breath. I am aware through trial and error about what symptoms to look for during asana, meditation and daily life that might suggest an overload is on the horizon, then I can scale back practices (self pace) and avoid any nasty overload symptoms.
I would recommend introducing anything new to your life style that could affect practices in a step by step manner, that way you can gauge what affect it is having on your inner energies taking into account possible delayed symptoms.
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skater1287
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2011 : 3:12:04 PM
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I think, asana is a dynamic form of meditation. So I try to pay attention to ujjiya breath, bandhas/subtle energy, the physical alignment of posture and finally the pace.
I think its meant to be a part of bhakti too because its practice.
And What do you guys mean by overload symptoms with asana?
Is that like when K flares up during an asana session...because I had an awakening some months ago and I get those mini flares within a pose and in savasana sometimes but I usually end up enjoying them! |
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markern
Norway
171 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2011 : 12:05:10 PM
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When you practice yoga, kung fu, tai chi and qigong you are not only purifying your body risking overload but you are also strengthening it so it can handle more energy. Someone with your level of physical health can handle A LOT more energy than a couch potato. Also because your alignment should be great and because these practices aim at harmonizing the flow of energy you are less likely to experience whacky energy flows. That said they also do contribute to the purification thus adding overload risk, my point is just that it works both ways. In addition several of your practices are grounding which helps with a reducing the risk of a lot of the problems commonly experienced.
What makes sense to me would be to keep all the training you are doing and just build up your ayp practice slowly.
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mimirom
Czech Republic
368 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2011 : 09:07:52 AM
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Hi all,
last week I experienced a new way of doing asanas and it was very satisfying. Also my body seemed to respond positively. During the asana session (I mean regular yoga class, not before sbp) I kept my mind occupied with thoughts and images of devotion and I dedicated in my imagination the standing warrior poses to Nataraja, and other ones, like lotus or fish pose to mother Lakshmi, and still others, like Tadasana to Buddha maybe, and so on. It developed so beautifully during the session and the body was full joy and I was very happy and equanimous after the class. |
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Asanas mental state
