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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 20 2009 :  10:54:36 PM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Message
How long did it take you to be able to clearly percieve energy? I get very frustrated sometimes when after 2 years of practice I still can't really percieve energy. This was amplified when yesterday in my Massage Therapy class we did Reiki practices and other people who are not spiritually inclined at all were able to feel it. Also, people on here who feel things after a couple of months. I keep with my pranayama practices nonetheless...but sometimes I really think I'm doing something totally wrong. The only times I can say I ever felt energy was when I would use LSD or marijuana, neither of which I use anymore.

Is it normal to be practicing for 2 years and not really feel anything? I can only say for myself that I am becoming more and more aware of how my mind gets in the way of it. I pacify myself by thinking that inner silence is more important, really. And that it is necessary for me in order to percieve subtle energy.

Sorry if this is such a newb question. I feel a bit ashamed for asking it and I know I've done it before...but sometimes it really gets to me. I feel like there is something straight-up wrong with me sometimes...like everyone has this cool gift and I don't!

My practice now is 10 mins of asanas (I used to do more, but now I just like doing Yogani's lite-asanas), 10 mins SBP, and 20 mins DM. I've experimented with bastrika and samyama. I liked samyama but found i couldnt fit the rest time i would need afterwards and bastrika didnt really do anything for me.

Edited by - anthony574 on Feb 20 2009 10:56:23 PM

karl

United Kingdom
1812 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  05:16:14 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
I have no idea if all this meditation and Yoga practise does anything at all. The reason I do it is that I enjoy the hour during the day. What results from that hour of practise is interesting.

The strange thing with Yoga is that it has no defined goal and I think you have to start with that. There are no milestones to count or measure by. No defined time. We cannot know what is achievable. By all normal measures it fails. This failure to deliver produces frustration.

The trick (if you can call it that) is to accept that there is no goal. Just as in life we have no idea why we are really here, in Yoga we also have no idea why we are doing it. Just as in life some people seem to be achieving things that you have not, so there are people looking at your achievements and wondering at there lack of progress.

Imagine goldfish swimming around a bowl, one seems to lead shoal, yet that is only a perceived viewpoint because the fish at the front is also closer to the back.......in essence all the fish are at the back and the front at the same time, no winners or losers.

I was talking to an Olympic coach a few weeks ago and he was telling me how he went about helping an athlete prepare for a competitive event. What he said made perfect sense. He stripped the athlete back down to why he did what he did. It's not about winning or losing it is about your personal motivation. Why you started doing what you do. For instance a swimmer does not start swimming to be in the Olympics, he starts because he enjoys swimming. The Olympics comes and goes, some gain medals, some dont and every year it produces a new crop of athletes. Just like the Goldfish bowl, winners become losers, loses become winners, but despite all that there is simply the love of swimming

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riptiz

United Kingdom
741 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  05:28:51 AM  Show Profile  Visit riptiz's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hi Anthony,
The answer to your 'problem' is energy practice.After 30 yrs of Karate I walked into a Tai Chi class and found I coudn't feel the chi ball but my wife who had never practiced anything could 'get it' instantly.When I started Reiki I 'played' with the energy everday as much as possible for 2 years.I suggest you practice self healng daily(placing hands while sat at TV on your legs etc), sending energy distanly even if it's back to yourself.Try breathing in visualising taking in the energy down to the Tantien like an energy ball rolling down the oesophagus and breathe out visualising the energy rolling back up and then travelling down the arms and out of the hands.
Chi Gung is also good as visualisation is used with the movements and eventually you will feel the energy moving.
In my experience energy during yogic practices are much more subtle because the practice is not energy focused in the way that Tai Chi etc is.Even now that I don't practice Tai Chi I find the energy is more subtle in yogic practice.
Also forget symbols, simply use your intent and experiment with energy using your inner guidance.I learnt so much this way that some who have been working for many years more than I, still don't know or accept.
L&L
Dave
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RO0o

Argentina
40 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  06:51:41 AM  Show Profile  Visit RO0o's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
...
37. It is desire, it is anger born of the quality of Rajas, all-sinful and all-devouring; know this
as the foe here (in this world).
38. As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and as an embryo by the amnion, so is
this enveloped by that.
39. O Arjuna, wisdom is enveloped by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire,
which is unappeasable as fire!
40. The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its seat; through these it deludes the
embodied by veiling his wisdom.
41. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas (Arjuna), controlling the senses first, do thou kill this
sinful thing (desire), the destroyer of knowledge and realisation!
...
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snatha

India
23 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  07:39:28 AM  Show Profile  Visit snatha's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hari Om

Hi Anthony

I was also in the same stage last year I had done nearly 2 yrs of meditation,pranayam,and almost i had done my whole life in seraching god.but i could not progress much in it.but the others who din't have much intrest in god where better than me.and i had a major problem that i could not sleep early and getup early.and so many problems and all nonsense.i use to enjoy the pranayama and rekhi whenever i do but i didnt actually feel nor musch about it.so i decided to getup early & do.but still i couldnot do.

but few months back i came to know about brahmacharya.So i felt this was my actual mistake and tried to do it but failed to do so.than i came to know about Kechari & tantric views .it greatly help in maintaining my energy levels.but i have still not started any type of meditation.but i have enjoyed a lot in this year but i will start within few days.and also i have changed some things which makes me sleep very easily.so i am confident that i would sleep early and wakeup early.

just wanted to know if u have the same problem.checkout see u r degree of brahamacharya.check the ferquency of the fliud flow.dont let it flow outside tomuch.know the essense of it nad preserve and let it flow upwards.this is definetly going to help.

Jai shri Krishna
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Parallax

USA
347 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  08:05:02 AM  Show Profile  Visit Parallax's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hey Anthony!

I understand your frustration! I've been meditating for ~7yr; started doing Kriya Yoga 2yrs ago and was blessed to find AYP about 6 months ago. After doing Kriya pranayama for over a year, I still wasn't feeling much in the way of energy. Not the "jet plane to enlightenment" that I thought it might be. So I still feel like a newbie as well...

But a few things that have helped me. First, I have found the AYP practices have just about everything you need to get the energy going. If not doing so already, adding siddhasana, sambhavi and mulahbandha to your SBP can really help to jump start your energy--without adding any extra time to your sitting practices. Taking 2 minutes and adding Yoni Mudra Kumbhaka is also a strong stimulator of energy, again without much extra practice time. But remember to add all of these elements slowly as they really have a way of raising the energy.

If all of this isn't doing it for you, you can take a look at your diet as well. As a person who naturally gravitates toward a "heavy diet" I can attest that eating lighter throughout the day (and making sure you wait ~2yrs after a meal to do your practices) can also be a big help.

Within the past 2 months, I can feel the energy in my body dramatically more, to the point that I am having to "self-pace" for the first time on my journey (6 months ago I never thought I'd be saying that!!).

The other thing that I remind myself when I get frustrated with the pace of progress is the fact that I went to 8yrs of grade school, 4yrs of high school, 4 yrs of college, 3yrs for an MBA and additional course work--just to be doing the "worldly" job I'm doing now!! So the investment of a couple of years to gain proficiency in the spiritual realms doesn't seem so bad to me when I look at it like that. I know people spend many lifetimes on their spiritual path, and all the investment time in practices, will pay MASSIVE dividends in the future!! I know when I started to feel the impact of the AYP practices it was literally like a light switch being turned out...I bet you are just around the corner

All I can say is diligently keep up with practices, look for additional AYP "add-ons" to help stimulate your energy without increasing your practice time, and take a deep breath and try to let go of the expectations and it will all come together

Hope this helps in some way!! Keep us posted on how your progressing!!

Peace & Namaste
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Parallax

USA
347 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  09:08:04 AM  Show Profile  Visit Parallax's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Actually, I meant to say "like a light switch being turned ON"

Also I have found Samyama (particularly the Inner Sensuality sutra) has helped with being aware of the energy inside of me. But Samayama will need a few months of consistent practice before it kicks in with full intensity...
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Ananda

3115 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  09:23:21 AM  Show Profile  Visit Ananda's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
hi anthony, if you have taken all the pranayama add ons (mudras and bandhas) then i think it's time for you to add on "yoni mudra kumbhaka" in case you aren't experiencing any uncomfortable symptoms in your body.

it's the best practice for awakening mother kundalini inside the body but it would be wise not to overdo it.

namaste,

Ananda

Edited by - Ananda on Feb 21 2009 09:26:44 AM
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themysticseeker

USA
342 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  09:32:46 AM  Show Profile  Visit themysticseeker's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
It is not important to "perceive energy." Don't look it meditation in this way. You are coming to recognize your natural state, an energy awareness comes around on its own, without your trying to notice it. What you should try to notice is your mind itself. When you are angry doesn't an energy arise in your chest or in your head? When you are scared doesn't an energy arise in your stomach? When you are lustful doesn't an energy arise in your privates? When you think angry, scared or lustful thoughts, doesn't an energy arise in your mind? When these thoughts leave the mind, doesn't the mind still have energy to receive more thoughts? What is the state of your breath while thinking these thoughts? Then the same energy is present when doing visualization and pranayam...

Love,

TMS

Edited by - themysticseeker on Feb 21 2009 09:35:56 AM
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gumpi

United Kingdom
546 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  09:42:53 AM  Show Profile  Visit gumpi's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
2 years isn't very long. Especially if you aren't practising much by way of 30 minutes a day only. Yoga is a life long project. it is worth bearing that in mind.

Didn't you say you had a hard time with your thought processes getting in the way? Perhaps you need to learn to relax fully before you start practising concentration. The mind cannot be forced into anything, it needs gentle friendly coaxing in a relaxed detached way.

Also, when you do SP do you try to physically feel the sensations moving up and down your spine or do you just use visualisation? Visualisation is just a means to concentrate the mind. it is putting the whole feeling and attention on the spine that counts. From my limited experience i can say that doing that plus adding the root lock greatly enhances the experience. I don't feel energy in my body either but sometimes i get spontaneous sensations in my back and spine that come from nowhere and feel very nice.

Expectation is a killer. When there are no experiences from practice and you keep on expecting there to be it just ends up in frustration. You either have to have only one desire in the mind only to the exclusion of absolutely everything else or you have to give up expectation.

Karma yoga and bhakti yoga work together. The whole idea is to work without expectation of results even when you don't seem to get anything in exchange. You jsut work or do things for the sake of doing them. I am not a parent, but i suspect that having a child would teach a perfect lesson in having no expectations because the child cannot really do anything for you. It is completely unselfish love and dedication to that child. You wouldn't change its nappy and then expect it to clean out the trash, for example, in exchange for your efforts.

Last but not least, i believe that bhakti or longing for the Divine is the most powerful practice. If you feel no devotion then perhaps not. However, i'm sure you can picture in your mind some kind of ideal that you can devote yourself to. Whatever it is, if you relate it to God your devotion can grow and grow and grow and things can start to happen. Don't make it an abstract concept because the mind needs form. Make it a very concrete picture and then build devotion to it slowly, in a relaxed way, without expecting to get anything from it. Lots of famous yogis have said things like they don't care, desire or want anything from God except Gods love and even if that doesn't come they continue on. It might seem pointless and unfruitful but eventually something has to happen if you persevere. You can't plant a seed in good soil, water it, give it sunshine and so on and expect it not to eventually flower. One day that seed will sprout, no matter how long it takes, and produce an effect.

Isn't it true that the more you want something the more it seems to get further away from you? Kind of like when you are told not to think about something in particular and the mind cannot help but perversely think about that very thing. Sods law. It sounds to me like you have planted a seed and you keep on digging at the soil to see if anything is happening instead of leaving it to grow by itself. It will never grow if you do that. Just forget about experiencing energy and keep on practising. If your practices aren't even giving you relaxation to any degree, then i would say forget about yoga completely and do something else.

One last thing. In my experience over the last 8 years or so when i first learnt about yoga and meditation, i had been a very heavy pot smoker before. As soon as i heard about the wonderful experiences that people had with meditation i tried to meditate, thinking that it would be better than my drug experiences. I was totally wrong with that approach. With a drug it is so easy - you just take it and get high and you can do that any time, it takes no effort. With meditation it takes effort and is not a quick fix, it is a life long practice. So comparing the experiences you had with drugs to your first attempts at meditation is completely futile and can only end up in frustration.

Sorry for the long boring post.
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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  10:03:17 AM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
quote:
Originally posted by karl

I have no idea if all this meditation and Yoga practise does anything at all. The reason I do it is that I enjoy the hour during the day. What results from that hour of practise is interesting.

The strange thing with Yoga is that it has no defined goal and I think you have to start with that. There are no milestones to count or measure by. No defined time. We cannot know what is achievable. By all normal measures it fails. This failure to deliver produces frustration.




Karl, your post was brilliant and very inspiring. I tend to have the same view. I am not very admitting sometimes of my skepticism of yoga because it puts me in an awkward place to be spending an hour every single day, plus diet and sexual conduct, on something that I'm not so sure I believe in. The skeptic in my mind is something that I see as a product of the mind - the unwillingness of it to percieve things outside of its preconceptions. Perhaps others don't have such a strong complex against metaphysical phenonema - due to how they were raised or who knows? And it's so funny because I have had VERY dramatic spiritual experiences via LSD and marijuana in the past...I mean, there is just no doubt about it! Yet, it wears off and after a couple of days I had the memory and its inspiring...yet doesn't pack the same motivational punch anymore. The mind resumes its censoring. It's amazing that everynight I have dreams - arguably the trippiest metaphysical expeirence available to everyone by default - and the skeptic still remains!

I resolve myself to just keep on keepin on with my practices and the true nature of them will show themselves. When I was trying to feel the energy ball I kept thinking "come on, anthony. quantum physics proves there is no distinction between the empty space between your hands and your hands so its gotta be true. don't doubt it...".

Giving up on the goal is a fantastic notion. That is the main reason I do yoga - almost hedonistically in that I like feeling peaceful and still on the inside. Occasionally blissful if I'm lucky and it's a sunny day. I ask myself why I do yoga quite often, and I really don't know. To me, there seems to be no other way then to continue "seeking". It's silly because I don;t know what I'm seeking, really. I was writing in my journal the other night and after spilling some thoughts I realized that my main motive it seems in yoga is to pierce through what I percieve and conceptualize as a "membrane" that keeps me from experiencing life directly - and the idea that I could percieve life in this way is both intuitive and based on my experiences with psychadelics. And this membrane is mostly composed of the usual fears, doubts, ect. I think Buddha had it most clearly right when he sold Dharmic practices as being The End of Pain. I think I can pretty safely say that;s my real goal. If I were to achieve kundalini, but still felt petty greed and insecurities, what good would it be? I doubt active kundalini is a quick fix for the pains of the ego.


quote:
Originally posted by riptiz

Hi Anthony,
The answer to your 'problem' is energy practice.


I have considered taking up Qi Gong or something like that. I don't have enough time to really take up a new practice regularly so I will have to wait until I graduate from school next month to consider it. Sometimes I try to play around with energy and sometimes I can feel it (I think), mostly if I am sitting in the sun or after a deep sadhana. But, the problem is that it carries for me a risk of frustrating me further. I can't explain it and I know it's silly, but I really do get quite frustrated when I cant percieve these things and I think it has a lot to do with the very unstructured and unscientific way it is proposed. "You just have to feel it", "Just sense the energy"...I mean, what the hell does that mean? I know its something that perhaps can't be explained through words, but there has to be a system out there that would work for people like me whose minds are so quick to attack.

At the end of asanas I have taken to trying to feel the energy ball for a few minutes and I have been able to feel what feels like two magnets repelling eachother and it feels pretty strong. But then if I try to do it, say, further down it's gone. Or I try to switch my hands and it's gone. At this point my mind says "ha, I knew I was right. There's no energy between your hands! You were feeling your own body-heat you new-age spacecase! It was your mind convicing your hands that there is something between them." Pretty frustrating having that dude in your head, don't you think?

quote:
Originally posted by snatha

Hari Om

Hi Anthony

just wanted to know if u have the same problem.checkout see u r degree of brahamacharya.check the ferquency of the fliud flow.dont let it flow outside tomuch.know the essense of it nad preserve and let it flow upwards.this is definetly going to help.

Jai shri Krishna




I do practice my version of Bramacharya in that I don't ejaculate, or try not to. I maybe ejaculate once a week but lately I think I'm getting even better at resisting. When I masturbate and get close to orgasm I recently have been able to clench the Perineum, suck in my stomach, and visualize energy going to my head instead of out of penis. This is done "past the point of no return", but it does not feel the same as "blocking" because the force of ejauclation is not very strong and I don't feel it going into my bladder. But, I don't really feel any energy afterwards, just a very trance-like state where I just want to lay down and close my eyes. More like a coma.

quote:
Originally posted by Parallax

Hey Anthony!

But a few things that have helped me. First, I have found the AYP practices have just about everything you need to get the energy going. If not doing so already, adding siddhasana, sambhavi and mulahbandha to your SBP can really help to jump start your energy--without adding any extra time to your sitting practices. Taking 2 minutes and adding Yoni Mudra Kumbhaka is also a strong stimulator of energy, again without much extra practice time. But remember to add all of these elements slowly as they really have a way of raising the energy.

If all of this isn't doing it for you, you can take a look at your diet as well. As a person who naturally gravitates toward a "heavy diet" I can attest that eating lighter throughout the day (and making sure you wait ~2yrs after a meal to do your practices) can also be a big help.

Within the past 2 months, I can feel the energy in my body dramatically more, to the point that I am having to "self-pace" for the first time on my journey (6 months ago I never thought I'd be saying that!!).

The other thing that I remind myself when I get frustrated with the pace of progress is the fact that I went to 8yrs of grade school, 4yrs of high school, 4 yrs of college, 3yrs for an MBA and additional course work--just to be doing the "worldly" job I'm doing now!! So the investment of a couple of years to gain proficiency in the spiritual realms doesn't seem so bad to me when I look at it like that. I know people spend many lifetimes on their spiritual path, and all the investment time in practices, will pay MASSIVE dividends in the future!! I know when I started to feel the impact of the AYP practices it was literally like a light switch being turned out...I bet you are just around the corner

All I can say is diligently keep up with practices, look for additional AYP "add-ons" to help stimulate your energy without increasing your practice time, and take a deep breath and try to let go of the expectations and it will all come together

Hope this helps in some way!! Keep us posted on how your progressing!!

Peace & Namaste



Lately, with pranayama sometimes I feel that I am making progress. Let me explain how. Visualizing the shushumna for me is a technique wrought with hazards because even after 2 years my mind still overanalyzes and constantly tries to screw with my visualization. So, lately I guess because my meditation is better, sometimes I am able to realize that my perception of the shushumna is based on my eyeballs. I realize that I tend to view it relative to my eyes, which for me is my main conciousness. So, SOMETIMES, I am able to just tune in to the shushumna, but not so much with visualizing which tends to engage my eyes and head. When I can do this I feel a sense of empty space and it turns very enjoyable. Not really ecstatic, just calming and peaceful. It is that idea of "just tuning in" that I feel is necessary for energy work, but it is something I can't do very reliably. As far as mudras and bhandas, I have felt that when I do sense it a bit that if I add on a mudra or bhanda willingly, the feeling tends to dissapear - almost as if the oppposite is happening. If I do them it is mostly because they engage themselves so I tend not to decide to do them, they just do themselves either because of energy or muscle memory.

I will look into Yoni Mudra Kumbaka. It;s not something I can do reglarly, however, because four days out of the week I have to do sadhana in a public setting and I don't wanna draw that much attention to myself.

Diet...eh, well that's a big one for me. Lately, I have been fruatrated because I like going to the gym and working out with weights. I used to be 127lbs (I'm 6ft) but after working out for a while I weight 146, feel healthier, and look more muscular. I'm 21, single, summers coming up...and as non-yogic as it may be, I don't wanna look like ghandi again. So, I'm afraid to take that step towards eating like a Sadhu. I eat a vegetarian diet and except for my sweet tooth I wouldnt say I have any bad habits. I really eat very well. There is something to be said of times where I ate little to nothing when I was sick and felt spiritually high...but I dont know if I would want to carry that over into everyday. I work out with weights in phases so dyuring the week or two that I am I will eat more, make sure I get enough proteins carbs ans fats. Nothing ridiculous, just a bit more. And I'll take some protein supplement. The last time I was doing this I felt "uncentered", but I wonder if it was all in my mind because eating for me carries a lot of spiritual guilt. I feel like everytime I indulge I am cutting myself off from enlightenment. It's stupid, I know, and I tend to do it anyway. I am seeing more and more how what I eat affects my conciousness, but I also feel like it would be a real strain for me to barely eat cooked foods (no Indian cuisine!) and things like that. I never know how extreme I'm supposed to be with diet. Many would consider me pretty over-the-top as it is.

Many thanks for everyone above for your help. I appreciate so much having this online community.

Much love.
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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  10:05:56 AM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
quote:
Originally posted by themysticseeker

It is not important to "perceive energy." Don't look it meditation in this way. You are coming to recognize your natural state, an energy awareness comes around on its own, without your trying to notice it. What you should try to notice is your mind itself. When you are angry doesn't an energy arise in your chest or in your head? When you are scared doesn't an energy arise in your stomach? When you are lustful doesn't an energy arise in your privates? When you think angry, scared or lustful thoughts, doesn't an energy arise in your mind? When these thoughts leave the mind, doesn't the mind still have energy to receive more thoughts? What is the state of your breath while thinking these thoughts? Then the same energy is present when doing visualization and pranayam...

Love,

TMS



Good point TMS. I am aware of the energy arising in those areas, especially the heart when I am angry or frustrated. At the end of my bouts of dissapointment with energy practice I always decide that inner-stillness is the core of AYP for a reason. That it is most important and should be highest priority and it is very clear how it affects energy practice.
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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  1:01:03 PM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Gumpi,

On the contrary, it was a very interesting and wise post. I'm glad to know that despite your kindred skepticism you are experiencing wonderful things

I resonate with everything you said. Bhakti for me is something that comes and goes in a way. I don't really try to force it. I feel that whatever abstraction keeps me doing twice a day practice and daily mindfulness is my Ishta...not sure what to call it.

And yes, it is quite a conundrum to have had your peak experiences as the result of a substance. It is always lingering as the Big Reference Point, and like you said, it is futile to compare AYP practice with a substance. I have not used MJ in a month and a half and finally feel like I don't need to use it anymore. I find it really doesn't do wonders for innner stillness.

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Holy

796 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  6:01:32 PM  Show Profile  Visit Holy's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
I didn't read all of the posts, but already in the beginning two of them pointed it out. Bring in some Mulabandha and then after some days or weeks you can already start to think about self pacing =P It's one of the big kundalini primer. Another one is kumbhakka in general, or better said, no movement on all levels. That's the forceful way into silence, why even some minutes per day do so much ( not as a standalone practice, but within a routine of pranayama and meditation ).
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ThisIsTruth

41 Posts

Posted - Feb 21 2009 :  7:13:22 PM  Show Profile  Visit ThisIsTruth's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hi Anthony,
By my opinion all Your emotions You must send to Your I6ta.
There are 8 limbs of Yoga and if we don't work with first 2 limbs
{yama&niyama} - here will not be the desired success. When You
exercise for 50-60 minutes - this is limbs 3 to may be 8.
Limbs 1&2 we exercise at the days, not at the sitting practice - if
we wish to do this (bhakti).

Guru in You.
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jillatay

USA
206 Posts

Posted - Feb 22 2009 :  01:38:27 AM  Show Profile  Visit jillatay's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Dear Anthony,

Don't want to disappoint you in your search but even when you do feel energy you can still get frustrated, like when it is there sometimes and not there others. Sometimes I feel so much flowing and then some days may pass where I feel nothing. I must admit it is hard once you have tasted these things. You just want to join with it and merge into it. But frustration seems to be part of the longing. Not having expectations is easier said than done.

Love,
Jill
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CarsonZi

Canada
3189 Posts

Posted - Feb 22 2009 :  03:05:23 AM  Show Profile  Visit CarsonZi's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hi Anthony......I have been following this thread from the sidelines. I just want to ask you one question....I hope it's ok......

Why is it so important to you to "feel energy'?

Forgive me if this seems a stupid question.

Love,
Carson
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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 22 2009 :  12:00:15 PM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Quick answer, and maybe later a new one will come:

It seems to be very pleasurable and a real boon to practice, I think it would help to alleviate suffering, and not being able to feel it makes me feel like there is something wrong with me.
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CarsonZi

Canada
3189 Posts

Posted - Feb 22 2009 :  2:51:27 PM  Show Profile  Visit CarsonZi's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Take those statements to "The Work" my friend.

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wigswest

USA
115 Posts

Posted - Feb 22 2009 :  10:25:44 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
If I may, I'd like to recommend a book that I had been doing energy work with before I was blessed to find AYP. It's Robert Bruce's Energy Work: http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Work-H...59321&sr=8-1 .

Helped me greatly in getting energy moving. Hope it's a help to others here as well.

Edited by - wigswest on Feb 23 2009 02:23:42 AM
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sushman

India
86 Posts

Posted - Feb 28 2009 :  11:59:27 AM  Show Profile  Visit sushman's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
I don't think bramhacharya enhances energy flow...i am speaking from my own experience.
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jillatay

USA
206 Posts

Posted - Feb 28 2009 :  12:53:25 PM  Show Profile  Visit jillatay's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
quote:
Originally posted by wigswest

If I may, I'd like to recommend a book that I had been doing energy work with before I was blessed to find AYP. It's Robert Bruce's Energy Work: http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Work-H...59321&sr=8-1.


Dear wigwest,

Thank you for this recommendation. My library had a copy of the book, lucky me. I learned something very important. I learned that I have been making it all too complicated. It's like I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Energy is everywhere! My biggest problem I think is I hold myself so rigid, probably due to childhood issues, so I don't feel this ever present energy. I simply have to let myself relax and let in a whole flood of it. Also, feeling anything is feeling the energy body and that stimulates our inner wisdom to notice we are finally paying attention and then it can't wait to give us more. By the way, I saw some of Bruce's videos on YouTube too. I have had lots of powerful dreams ever since. Thanks again, so much.

Love,
Jill
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cosmic_troll

USA
229 Posts

Posted - Feb 28 2009 :  4:51:50 PM  Show Profile  Visit cosmic_troll's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
quote:
Originally posted by wigswest

If I may, I'd like to recommend a book that I had been doing energy work with before I was blessed to find AYP. It's Robert Bruce's Energy Work: http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Work-H...59321&sr=8-1 .


Agreed, this book is great for feeling energy in a rather short period of time.

However, a word of caution to anyone considering using the "full body" energy running methods in conjunction with AYP. Running energy through my whole body stimulated my crown too much, and I experienced overload symptoms. It wasn't pleasant, so I discontinued with Bruce's methods.

Not to scare anyone. I may be overly sensitive.

Peace
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cosmic_troll

USA
229 Posts

Posted - Feb 28 2009 :  5:20:01 PM  Show Profile  Visit cosmic_troll's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Oh I almost forgot...

Anthony, some of us (like myself) have a LOT of crap to clear out before our practice really takes off. I've been doing AYP on/off since 2004, but only really committed to it about 2 years ago. My progress was slow and sometimes frustrating, until about a month ago when I had a huge breakthrough in some lifelong emotional issues (long story).

Take heart, bro. Your practice is laying the groundwork for bigger and better things in Life. It is definitely worth it, once it hits you

With Love
cosmic
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anthony574

USA
549 Posts

Posted - Feb 28 2009 :  10:10:24 PM  Show Profile  Visit anthony574's Homepage  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks everyone :-) I love you guys.
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yogibear

409 Posts

Posted - Mar 01 2009 :  10:20:45 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote  Get a Link to this Reply
Hi Anthony,

The simplest and easist way, to me, is spinal breathing.

Yoga and Health by Yesudian and Haich. An excellent book for developing energy perception:

"One who makes a conscious act out of his breathing and follows the path of the air in the lungs will, step by step, become more receptive and capable of perception. Little by little he will be able to to feel the fine current of prana. Afterwards,he will get acquainted with the main bundle of nerves which conduct prana into the storage and distributing centres, the chakras."

Don't you feel anything when you do spinal breathing? What do you experience when you do it? If you don't, you will sooner or later.

Best, yb.

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