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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 7:19:32 PM
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I started AYP about 2 weeks ago. I am doing 10 mins of SB and 20 mins of DM twice a day. I added mulabandha into the mix a few days ago.
It seems to create a lot of tightness in the abdominal area while breathing. When not using mulabandha, I can easily expand/contract my stomach when breathing in/out. But when mulabandha is used during SB, my stomach becomes tight and I can't easily expand it when breathing in/out.
Is that some kind of blockage perhaps? It doesn't really bother me, I'm just wondering if it will sort itself out if I continue practicing mulabandha. Should I continue using it or drop it for now? |
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LittleTurtle
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 8:57:51 PM
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| It will sort itself out. After a while it seems to happen on its own. If the tightness is really bugging you then you could try just applying the bandha at the top of the in-breath for a few seconds and then release with the downbreath. Also uddhiyana bandha sometimes happens spontaneously. That's probably not what is happening in your case but just to be aware. The most important thing is to get the breaths going easily. Add the mudras and bandhas when they feel right. |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 9:03:19 PM
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Hey, John, welcome to AYP 
It sounds to me it's just a bit "clunky" (Yogani's word choice), and you are not used to it. Muladbanda was natural for me as I had learned it years before in asana class. I would keep at it for now, in light of you saying it is not bothering you. If it truly becomes a distraction, one that keeps knocking you off of the mantra (or breath) then put it aside for a few weeks and try it later. No harm no foul.
Muladbanda is a useful tool in directing energy upward, so it is worthwhile to see if it becomes natural for you. Good luck and good practice! |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 10:57:17 PM
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| Ok great, thanks so much. |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2015 : 04:40:41 AM
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Hi John, welcome!
Two weeks of AYP and already doing SBP and DM, now even wanting more.
I suggest to be careful and read the lessons again.
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2015 : 06:31:20 AM
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Hi John
Welcome to the AYP forum!
You say you've started AYP two weeks ago. Have you also started yoga for the first time two weeks ago? If so, then you are taking up practices very very fast. What you are describing can be a sign of overload and a reminder to self-pace. Ecdyonurus is right. Make sure you understand the AYP lessons thoroughly (I think it's worth reading them more than once), especially the ones on self-pacing.
Enjoy your practice! |
Edited by - BlueRaincoat on Feb 08 2015 11:27:40 AM |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4379 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2015 : 11:09:40 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnWL
I started AYP about 2 weeks ago. I am doing 10 mins of SB and 20 mins of DM twice a day. I added mulabandha into the mix a few days ago.
It seems to create a lot of tightness in the abdominal area while breathing. When not using mulabandha, I can easily expand/contract my stomach when breathing in/out. But when mulabandha is used during SB, my stomach becomes tight and I can't easily expand it when breathing in/out.
Is that some kind of blockage perhaps? It doesn't really bother me, I'm just wondering if it will sort itself out if I continue practicing mulabandha. Should I continue using it or drop it for now?
Hi John,
Good advice from others already.
I would just add that what you are experiencing is called automatic uddiyana bandha. It is the next lock up out of the three main locks and is the "stomach" or "abdominal" lock. What happens is that when you apply the root lock (mulabandha) it will create a small current of prana rising up through the body. This in turn can cause the stomach lock (uddiyana bandha) to come on of it's own accord making the stomach tight.
It is no bad thing in itself. If it bothers you, I would say leave out mulabandha for a few weeks and then come back to it and see how things are then. If it does not bother you, then let things happen as they happen.
Christi |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2015 : 07:26:41 AM
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Hiya John
Just wondering how you're getting on with mulabandha. Have you kept at it or saved it for later?
Enjoy your practice! |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2015 : 08:37:56 AM
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Hey BlueRaincoat, still doing it! And also added sambhavi.
The tightness is still there, but not quite as bothersome. |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2015 : 06:25:48 AM
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Sounds like you're getting the hang of it. 
I wonder if the tightness might go away if you try to ease the contraction. Yogani says somewhere that it doesn't need to be strong - "barely beyond intent" I think is the expression he uses (quoting from memory, so the wording might not be exact). |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2015 : 3:08:12 PM
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Yeah that might be part of it now that you mention it, because I am nearly always contracting with full force. I'll ease off it a bit and see how it goes!
Also wanted to tell you, I noticed your post in another thread that mentioned you've always had that "free movement" shakti/kriyas thing:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....PIC_ID=14891
Well, I have it too. It started about 6 years ago with my first spiritual practices. I never found out what it was or heard of anyone else doing it until I saw that thread! If I let it start, it would literally run all day long. And because of that, I stopped doing any spiritual practices again until I started AYP in January (so 5 years of doing nothing). And it's actually settled down for the first time because of DM. Although during SB it really starts to act up.
Just thought it was interesting to finally meet someone that has had the same experience! |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2015 : 4:48:35 PM
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Yes, a had a long gap in my yoga practice too (because of lack of guidance or a good teacher, in my case). Stopping meditation was not a good thing to do. I believe we need to cultivate the inner silence to balance the energy. Otherwise the things it does... well I'm still fixing some of the problems I accumulated in those years. I will never be without a meditation practice again, of that I am sure.
So have your kryas subsided?
You're moving pretty fast with your practice if you got to mulabandha & sambhavi in two months. |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2015 : 8:39:17 PM
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Well I may be moving too fast. I was going to make a thread, because some very disturbing sexual urges are starting to come up. It's kind of worrying; I'm feeling the need to get into BDSM and stuff that I never really was attracted to beforehand. Like violent master/slave relationship deviancy. I was never into that stuff, and never understood the appeal of it. Any idea what's going on?
When I first started meditating in January, I lost almost all sexual urges. But now suddenly they're coming on pretty strong. Any advice? |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 09:55:56 AM
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Since meditation and pranayama are kind of like dredging a canal, there is naturally going to be sludge to be purified, hence the catch phrase "purification and opening". That is the crux of these practices.
The trick with self-pacing is to back off (incrementally, or even completely if need be) if the sludge becomes overwhelming. There has to be enough silence and groundedness to transform the raw material into something more refined.
Sexuality is one of the muddiest areas of our karma, but if we have a strong ideal, we can clarify and elevate the seed desire. For instance, I used to watch pornography and do drugs and alcohol. Now I've been sober for about 5 years and also free of the porn because I have a desire for something more meaningful and substantial. The desire for pleasure doesn't dissappear; it gets sublimated and re-focused to the divine ishta.
Check out Autumn Skye Morrison. She is a visionary artist that paints the divine feminine in a pretty amazing way. For me, when I admire her work, that is an example of shifting from low-level lust to higher consciousness.
Godspeed.  |
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sunyata
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 10:39:50 AM
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quote:
quote:Originally posted by JohnWL
I started AYP about 2 weeks ago. I am doing 10 mins of SB and 20 mins of DM twice a day. I added mulabandha into the mix a few days ago.
It seems to create a lot of tightness in the abdominal area while breathing. When not using mulabandha, I can easily expand/contract my stomach when breathing in/out. But when mulabandha is used during SB, my stomach becomes tight and I can't easily expand it when breathing in/out.
Is that some kind of blockage perhaps? It doesn't really bother me, I'm just wondering if it will sort itself out if I continue practicing mulabandha. Should I continue using it or drop it for now?
Hi John,
Good advice from others already.
I would just add that what you are experiencing is called automatic uddiyana bandha. It is the next lock up out of the three main locks and is the "stomach" or "abdominal" lock. What happens is that when you apply the root lock (mulabandha) it will create a small current of prana rising up through the body. This in turn can cause the stomach lock (uddiyana bandha) to come on of it's own accord making the stomach tight.
It is no bad thing in itself. If it bothers you, I would say leave out mulabandha for a few weeks and then come back to it and see how things are then. If it does not bother you, then let things happen as they happen.
Christi
I hadn't notice this thread until today. I've had the tightness in stomach since very beginning and didn't know it was automatic uddiyana bandha. Thanks, Christi :). I assumed it was a blockage. These days there is a tightness in stomach and then a movement to the heart- which is very ecstatic and happens through out the day. Thank You for reviving this thread, Blue Raincoat.
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Edited by - sunyata on Mar 20 2015 10:41:02 AM |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 10:57:31 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnWL
Well I may be moving too fast.
When I first started meditating in January, I lost almost all sexual urges. But now suddenly they're coming on pretty strong. Any advice?
Hi JohnWL,
It might be an idea to read the first Tantra Lessons. You are moving fast but remember self-pacing, reading the lessons is one, and doesn't take much time but take your yoga path step by step. Only when the first step feels completely comfortable take the next step 
Edit; spelling
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Edited by - Charliedog on Mar 20 2015 11:25:20 AM |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 1:42:54 PM
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| Thanks so much for the replies. I may stop the SB completely for a while to see if the sexual urges subside. At this point I wouldn't say I have experienced any silence during DM. |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 3:21:22 PM
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You've been at DM a short time, so yes John, cut back on SBP for now. This silence will come as you make DM a routine. Sexual urges and energy are part of the process of rewiring your neural pathways; the lower chakras are related to sexuality and so no wonder muladbana is stirring things up. I am not suggesting not to practice it; sooner or later you, and over time, you will have to come to terms with whatever is jarred loose in the process, and you, my friend, have had some strong issues making themselves known! My advice is not to be too distracted or become attached to any of the debris. When your silence develops you can bring it there, and inner guru will help you sort it out.
You are doing fine, keep going slow and steady. Yoga won't always be about confronting issues. Everything changes as we move along |
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JohnWL
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 4:13:43 PM
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Ok thanks Dogboy.
My question though is since I WILL have to deal with these issues at some point, should I not go ahead and stir them up and deal with them until they pass? I'm not afraid of it really; I'm not afraid of being uncomfortable (for now at least). I understand one should self-pace if something becomes completely overwhelming, but I wouldn't say I'm overwhelmed yet. I enjoy all the strange things happening to me, it's actually fun and exciting.
Do we self-pace to get through problematic issues in a more comfortable and slower period of time? Or are we just delaying the inevitable reckoning? |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2015 : 4:27:25 PM
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Fun, exciting, unafraid...good things are happening! Self pacing to reduce discomfort and irritability; otherwise keep up your daily practice and add to it slowly as things stabilize over weeks and months. When issues arise allow them to seep like a tea bag in hot water. Those gritty bits of tea leaves eventually make a drink that's easier to swallow.  Micro-managing issues or indulging in urges could derail you; best to observe them and your responses outside of your sitting practice and see how your relationship with them develops. This is what I mean when advising you to take them into Silence.
Edit: PS: DM is setting the framework for all of your yoga practice, and Silence doesn't always show up proclaiming "here I am!". It builds up sit after sit, and much like that tea, deepens in flavor.
Edit: "outside of your sitting practice" |
Edited by - Dogboy on Mar 21 2015 06:09:36 AM |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2015 : 12:59:58 PM
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John, you're the best judge when it comes to self-pacing and how much discomfort you can take.
If you do consider doing a little less, perhaps spinal breathing without the add-ons would be a good option. Then you'll get more of the energy balancing effect of SPB with less Kundalini stimulation.
It's in your hands. All the best. |
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Mulabandha Stomach Tightness
