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RamRam
Spain
7 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 09 2014 : 2:24:37 PM
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Om Namo Shivaya
Dear friends,
I'm new to this forums and the AYP site. I'm really impressed on the wealth of knowledge one can find here. I have been locked on reading page after page in the last couple days, but here is the thing: while I'm reading I'm not practicing and I need more the latter than the former.
After many years of erratic on and off asana practice I went to India earlier this year and studied in a Sivananda ashram for a little more than a month. This propelled my practice and knowledge to realms I was not expecting before joining (if I came in these forums before that I wouldn't even have a clue what people are on about here). All in all the best for me was the direct guiding into the practice, whether asana, pranayama, khriya or meditation, the satsang and the kharma yoga. The study of scriptures was then well balanced out.
However later on in my trip I got acquainted with the with the way of power and studied a small week introduction in a school in Rishikesh that gave me a number of clues but wasn't all that great.
I'm now looking for a school that has a tantric rather than a vedantic approach in which to immerse myself for a period of time. Does somebody know of one they consider worth mentioning?
I found a post similar to this I'm writing from last march, but the answers didn't clear my doubts at all. I have done a fair bit of research in the past months but so far the best option I find is the Shri Kali Ashram, one of the first to come in a goggle search, which has very good and scary bad reviews (??? very confusing). Also some branch of the Thailand based Agama, a somewhat westernized, obviously money driven school, very proficient at blowing their own trumpet comes first in the search, other than that it seems like looking for a needle in the haze. So far no leads.
If anyone know of a serious ashram or school where to spend time I would be grateful no end for any leads I might receive.
Pranams
Ramdas |
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Anima
484 Posts |
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RamRam
Spain
7 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2014 : 3:20:33 PM
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Dear Anima,
Many thanks for your reply. This could be interesting and I might get onto it once I swim long enough in the waters of AYP which still have a wealth in store for me. However, my point is that I want to look for a school or even better an ashram for actual practice of tantric sadhana, rather than read about it, of which I'm already doing plenty.
Anybody else with ideas?
Pranams
Ramdas |
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Will Power
Spain
415 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2014 : 06:23:18 AM
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Hi Ramdas,
perhaps you may find the info that you are looking for regarding Tantra (Vajra) in the book of the Tibetan master Lama Jey Tsongkhapa (1357-1419)-A Book of Three Inspirations: A Treatise on the Stages of Training in the Profound Path of Naropa's Six Yogas.
Perhaps you may find in this book some info on Tibetan monasteries. http://www.shambhala.com/books/budd...fulness.html
May be also on the book The practice of the six yogas of Naropa, by Glenn H. Mullin
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2014 : 08:00:35 AM
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Welcome to the forum Ramdas!
I hope you will find the ashram you are looking for.
Reading your post raised one question in my mind.
quote:
Originally posted by RamRam
while I'm reading I'm not practicing and I need more the latter than the former.
You are prepared to put in the effort to travel to India and spend time in an ashram, but - if I understand correctly - you are not putting in the time to practice these days? You must have learnt a meditation technique at the Sivananda ashram. There are a couple of meditation methods in AYP. Whether you go for tantric yoga or whatever other type, you will need to establish a solid meditation practice first. Looking for the path ahead is a good thing, but you could also be making progress today .
Just wondering... |
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Will Power
Spain
415 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2014 : 07:18:20 AM
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| Very well said BlueRaincoat |
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RamRam
Spain
7 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2014 : 3:11:44 PM
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Dear Will Power (it actually feels great to start a post writing that :-) , thanks for your tip. I will have a look at that although I still have a big pile of books from Tibetan masters to go through!
Dear BlueRainCoat, I thank you for your wishes and your concern. I'm not sure how I expressed myself in the original post that you got to think I'm not putting in the time for practice these days. Although not very intensively whilst doing the city life routine, I am in different days practicing a different mix and match of asana, pranayama, bandhas, krillas, reading of literature and other sources of information like this website for instance. While at the Sivanada ashram they put clear to us that the whole point of the asanas (the reason why most sadhakas start there is to improve them) is to 'clear the path' to help meditation, the tuition on technics wasn't much to speak of. But this is not a problem. One of the swamis there did initiate me to a mantra for the practice of japa and aside of that I am reasonably well trained in vipassana. On top of this, my life style is changing as well since my stay in the ashram. You could certainly call me a sadhaka, albeit not the most strong-willed one.
Whichever way I find helping to be immersed in the ashram life for a focused in depth practice, all day long for a sustained amount of time, away from the polluted city. I will soon go back there for this reason, to do kharma yoga, to teach and to study.
And still the reason why I started this threat was to find another ashram where the teachings are based in Tantric rather than Vedic philosophy. Even in the Sivananda ashram philosophy lessons some stress was put on the differences but they were not disclosed in depth and when I continued my trip and got introduced to school of tantra in Rishikesh I experienced the approach to asanas, bandhas and other aspects of the practices being adapted in response to the different goals in the practice (or at least the different paths to reach those goals?).
All in all, I do have a practice but I want to delve into Tantric practice - rather than reading about it - and for this I wish to immerse myself in the environment where I am being led for a while till I feel more independent in my view of the less know (to me) approach.
Pranams
Ramdas |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2014 : 07:17:03 AM
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Hi Ramdas
I understand - your concern was about progressing your practice, not about the lack of it. I made an assumption there and I was wrong.
Again, I wish you good luck in finding your path. I wish I could help you there, but – like many other people on this forum - I do not believe I need to go anywhere to progress spiritually. Yogani's lessons contain everything I need to that end, so I have no reliable knowledge of any ashrams that I could pass on to you.
If it should take you a while to find that ashram, may I give you one piece of advice? Do not delay too much adding meditation to your practice. It is the centerpiece of yoga. Yogani makes a point somewhere about starting meditation before pranayama and I believe that to be spot on, although not every teacher recognises it.
Best wishes   |
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RamRam
Spain
7 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2014 : 1:04:10 PM
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Thanks again BuleRaincoat! As I mention in my last post I practice viapassana (meditation) and since I have been to the ashram in India japa has been added to my habits and practice.
Pranams |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2014 : 2:11:00 PM
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Then you are doing great.
Practising regularly the techniques you already know - quite a few already - that's good progress. You are reading the AYP lessons and picking up a few tips from there too. Even if you learn more techniques in a new ashram, there is only so much you can add in one year of practice. It seems to me you're going pretty fast already.
So why not relax and enjoy?  Plenty of time for you to look for that ashram that ticks all the right boxes. |
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Tantra School in India
