Note: For the complete lessons, with additions, see the AYP Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living Books.

Lesson 210 - Q&A – Handling automatic yoga and siddhis

From: Yogani
Date: Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:18pm

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the web archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"

Q: I need a small clarification. While doing deep meditation I automatically go into Jalandhara (chin lock). If I try correcting the posture the feeling of "being-in" which gets built since I start meditation goes away. If I don't come out of Jalandhara I don't get distracted but I am concerned that I will not stick to the "just meditation" routine while meditating. Please advise.

A: Automatic yoga of the physical variety is common during meditation, and also in samyama. The reason is because we are deep into our pure bliss consciousness and then the nervous system gets urges to facilitate the purification process. You have the right approach favoring your meditation practice with your attention. If our body is going in a certain direction, we don't fight against it, nor do we cling to it. It is the same way that we treat thoughts or anything thing else that comes up in our meditation. So, we don't have to be concerned about the jalandhara (chin lock) being there or not. It will take care of itself as we take care of our meditation.

I can tell you with certainty that the automatic yoga will change as we continue our practices day in and day out. We just are easy with whatever is happening. It is purification. The jalandhara will give way to some other energy event. Others have written in about the head going back, the torso going forward, shakes, fast breathing (automatic bastrika), sobbing, and you name it.

With samyama it can get even more dramatic -- like hopping around on the bed, or roaring like a lion. We always treat it the same, just easily favoring the practice we are doing. Early stage siddhis (powers), which are inevitable with samyama practice, should be handled in the same way -- when they come up we just easily go back to the practice we are doing. It's purification happening in the nervous system.

Automatic yoga is a symptom of practice, not the practice itself. We will do best to stick with the primary causes, which are our meditation, pranayama, samyama, and other practices. Automatic yoga is an indicator of progress on the road to enlightenment, and will ease up as our nervous system becomes increasingly purified. The less friction (obstruction) there is in the nervous system, the fewer the physical movements will be, and the more pleasurable it will be inside.

Eventually we will be sitting there looking pretty ordinary, filled with oceanic waves of ecstatic bliss. Only the glow of divine love will give us away.

The guru is in you.

Note: For detailed instructions on building a balanced daily practice routine with self-pacing, see the Eight Limbs of Yoga Book.
For detailed instructions on samyama practice and the implications of siddhis, see the AYP Samyama book.

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