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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 19 2010 : 6:20:19 PM
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Namaste AYP Brothers and Sisters 
Not sure if this is the best place to stick this thread, but I figured this topic could be considered in reference to "personal habits". If one of the Mods thinks there is a better place for this topic, please feel free to move it 
Anyways, I just had a thought pop into my head as I was preparing myself for my afternoon sadhana and figured rather then spending too much time (aka any  ) reflecting on this, I would "put it to paper" and see if anyone has any thoughts to share.
As I walked into my bedroom to disrobe for my afternoon asana session, I remembered someone saying to me once (I think it was someone instructing me in Kriya Yoga previous to my finding of AYP) that I should always meditate in the same spot and on the same cushion. Something to do with a buildup of energy, or a vibration or something. Then I briefly reflected on my own personal habits in regards to where, and on what, I do my practices and wondered if my choice of location was having some kind of effect (however subtle) that perhaps I have not picked up on before.
My personal habit is as follows:
1. In the mornings I only do sitting practices, and I do them on the couch in my living room 90% of the time.
2. I do my afternoon asana practice in my "yoga room". In the room is my yoga mat, and a couple of wall hanging decorations that increase the bhakti in me.
3. I do my afternoon sitting practices on the bed that my wife and I (and often our 2 month old daughter) sleep on.
I won't bore you with the logistics of why these are my habits, but I would be interested to hear if you think there could be any benefit to changing these habits, and if so, how.
Love!
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Edited by - CarsonZi on Jul 19 2010 6:20:51 PM |
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tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2010 : 12:18:28 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by CarsonZi
Namaste AYP Brothers and Sisters
Not sure if this is the best place to stick this thread, but I figured this topic could be considered in reference to "personal habits". If one of the Mods thinks there is a better place for this topic, please feel free to move it
Anyways, I just had a thought pop into my head as I was preparing myself for my afternoon sadhana and figured rather then spending too much time (aka any ) reflecting on this, I would "put it to paper" and see if anyone has any thoughts to share.
As I walked into my bedroom to disrobe for my afternoon asana session, I remembered someone saying to me once (I think it was someone instructing me in Kriya Yoga previous to my finding of AYP) that I should always meditate in the same spot and on the same cushion. Something to do with a buildup of energy, or a vibration or something. Then I briefly reflected on my own personal habits in regards to where, and on what, I do my practices and wondered if my choice of location was having some kind of effect (however subtle) that perhaps I have not picked up on before.
My personal habit is as follows:
1. In the mornings I only do sitting practices, and I do them on the couch in my living room 90% of the time.
2. I do my afternoon asana practice in my "yoga room". In the room is my yoga mat, and a couple of wall hanging decorations that increase the bhakti in me.
3. I do my afternoon sitting practices on the bed that my wife and I (and often our 2 month old daughter) sleep on.
I won't bore you with the logistics of why these are my habits, but I would be interested to hear if you think there could be any benefit to changing these habits, and if so, how.
Love!
Sounds good to me.
Regarding your question about whats best i dont think it really matters in the slightest.
the only important thing is to set time aside each day to be one with god. anything other than that is just regulations. morning and afternoon seem to work well for me too 
if it makes you feel better to have rules then go for it. other than that i think its just a matter of doing the best you can.
in my fantasy i would have a practice room that would be uncluttered, quiet and peaceful with a real yoga mat and maybe even a couple of props  a guy can dream!
just my input
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2010 : 4:01:37 PM
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Hi Tonightsthenight
I guess my real question wasn't very well stated. I was basically wondering about the reason some "masters" suggest meditating in the same spot everytime. And I was wondering if there were possible (mostly energetic) benefits for my family by me meditating on the bed in our bedroom.
Send me your address in an email....I'll send you a yoga mat. An early Christmas gift
Love!
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tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2010 : 6:59:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by CarsonZi
Hi Tonightsthenight
I guess my real question wasn't very well stated. I was basically wondering about the reason some "masters" suggest meditating in the same spot everytime. And I was wondering if there were possible (mostly energetic) benefits for my family by me meditating on the bed in our bedroom.
Send me your address in an email....I'll send you a yoga mat. An early Christmas gift
Love!
Yeah I know what you mean better now Carson.
I suppose my perspective is that most Masters are speaking to students... and while we are all students , it seems to me that you are beyond the stage where you need a Master to tell you the do's and don'ts.
I think the essential importance is that practice should be at the regular time and place in order to cultivate discipline and obedience. Give to god what is god's. I've been in living situations where it was virtually impossible to practice, and others where I had a suitable place to practice. I just try to do the best i can. To me, the essential element is working with what the divine introduces to you, and going from there. I really dont buy into the increased vibration or energy thing... too woowoo for me. Anyway, the pranic energy that you are generating is far more powerful than anything like that.
Thank you very much for the kind offer. I've got a yoga mat ... second hand and slowly disintegrating ... but honestly i'm ok with that. Its part of the Lesson, and i figure that when this mat dies, there will be another one waiting for me! |
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mathurs
United Kingdom
197 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 05:29:20 AM
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In my humble opinion -
I wonder if this is more a practical advice. If you stick to the same spot then you get used to the place - familiar surroundings. However if you changed your meditation spot then more scope for distractions, your mind wandering off - catching a glimpse of a branch moving through the window, the shadow it creates etc. However if that is where you meditate everyday you are used the the branch casting its shadow and so it does not distract you.
There could be energy implications - but it is certainly sound practical advice.
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 11:16:31 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by tonightsthenight
I've got a yoga mat ... second hand and slowly disintegrating ... but honestly i'm ok with that. Its part of the Lesson, and i figure that when this mat dies, there will be another one waiting for me!
Let me know when you are about ready for your next one (yoga mat)....I'll make sure it arrives just as your current one is wearing through to bare floor
@Mathurs....yes, it does seem like the advice from "masters" to meditate in the same spot everyday could just be "practical advice". It does make practical sense.
Does anyone have any experience with "energetic buildup" (for lack of a better term) in the area that they meditate?
Love!
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tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 12:35:35 PM
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Carson i really appreciate you generosity. Hopefully i'll be in a position to buy a new one when this one goes extinct
mathurs, i was trying to get at the same idea, but you said it much more succinctly! sometimes im not very coherent
In regard to "energy buildup", i would love to hear if anyone has experienced this. I certainly haven't.
BUT, i know for sure there is something to the "energy" of a space or a place, so maybe there is something to the idea after all.
For example, around the corner from my apartment is a very desolated corner. Probably the worst corner in the city, and the worst i've ever seen (which is saying quite a lot).
This place is bordered on one side by housing projects, a main thoroughfare, the dirtiest nastiest bodegas and fast food restaurants on another side, and its just got bad bad vibes. Bad bad people always hanging out there. its just terrible, and really you can just feel how bad this corner is, its so negative and hopeless.
However, just a block up or over, and its not so bad... even though this section of the city is considered edgy, its still insanely expensive. there are a lot of projects here though, so half the people pay 3-4k in rent and the other half dont pay anything.
So for whatever reason, this corner just has incredibly horrific energy. Im sure that it is cultivated over time by the people that inhabit the place. So maybe there is something to the "energy buildup"....
my only caveat is that i think it would probably take a long time for one or two people to create so much energy, whereas large amounts of people can create it more quickly.
Going off on a tangent, maybe this is why places like this city have so much energy.... theres just so many damn people! it gives credence to the idea of cities having personalities.
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jinn
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2011 : 6:17:00 PM
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Namaste Carson,
I would like to try to answer your question. Yes the masters do say you should stick to the same place and the same time. Swami Sivananda spoke of having a separate room just for sadhana that has a lock on it. He spoke of not allowing anyone else in there. Here are some of the reasons (from what I remember):
1) Since you will always (or most of the time) be calm during your practice, that special area will have a certain pranic imprint. The energy will be there when you leave and when you come back to practice your next time, the pranic imprint will actually help you get into the same mood again. This is also the same for wearing the same clothes and your mat/cushion.
2) After practicing for a while in the designated space, your mind will become trained to calm down when it enters that area. Your mind will know that once it is in this space, it will calm down. It's like when you enter a religion establishment, it would feel weird if you started to work on your lawn mover there. Or if you made your dinner and went to the garage to eat it.
3) When you are doing your sadhana in your living room one day and then in your bedroom another, your eyes/mind might wonder around at all the changing scenery. After you have been doing your sadhana for some time in the same place, especially if your are practicing in a small room with almost nothing there, your eyes/mind will get bored with the surroundings and not wander.
As a side note, from what I have been taught, is that you should also face east or north when you sit down to practice.
If you don't following these points, you can achieve exactly the same as a person who follows them 100%. These are just very small helpful hints which will help you but what counts 100 times more is your devotion to your practice.
If you are like me, I try to bring in as much devotion as possible to my practice and then add these little hints along, because I know that the path is like walking a razor's edge. Many small little hints add up to accelerate your realization.
This is my understanding about practicing in the same space.
Take care,
Mike |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Nov 23 2011 : 01:43:12 AM
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quote:
As a side note, from what I have been taught, is that you should also face east or north when you sit down to practice.
i find this really helpful....i face north |
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chit-ananda51
India
127 Posts |
Posted - Nov 23 2011 : 10:38:11 PM
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Jinn,
That covered almost everything!
For the same reason, holy places are sanctified by the vibrations of saints and sages who did their Tapas(austerities and yoga) there. Hope this helps. Even when one walks into those places, we can feel a spiritual upliftment. |
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Swan
India
256 Posts |
Posted - Nov 23 2011 : 11:05:31 PM
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I agree with jinn, but that would be the reason why I would not deliberately try and fix a place to meditate (though mostly I use the same place BTW).
Because, in my personal opinion, this idea of looking for the imprint or the vibe also sounds like an attachement. If everything I need is within me (including the Guru ) why should I carry an attachment. Besides, if I consider one particular place is appropriate for me, other side of the coin is I reject other places as inappropriate - and this does not seem to be a very good idea in a path of letting go.
So my idea is ' whenever .... wherever....'
Love. |
Edited by - Swan on Nov 23 2011 11:11:10 PM |
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Mikananda
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2011 : 05:09:45 AM
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Greetings
Well said Jinn and I agree. As this humble yogi understands it, the purpose is like all of the things we do. There are various reasons starting from the practical phyiscal level and accending to the esoteric. The practical benefits are taking advantage of conditioned responses that one develops from doing the samething repeatedly. For example, one of the benefits of only burning incense (or a particular kind) during meditation will build a response where as you do so the smell of the incense will take your mind to the meditative state (or much quicker). Having a separate place where you only do your practice will associate your mind with the deep spiritual significance of that location (the holy of holies). Looking at the energy benefits, there are certain magnetic fields that are being put out by the earth and the heavens. This is why it suggested that one face east or if you can't face east then north is next (note: the spiritual eye is considered the east in the body). Looking at the cosmic level, meditating in the same location everytime makes it much easier for GOD to find you . |
Edited by - Mikananda on Nov 24 2011 06:19:09 AM |
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Mikananda
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2011 : 06:39:50 AM
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Hello tonightsthenight
Thank you for insights and sharing your thoughts. Your statement concerning "it really doesn't matter in slightest" made me think of a verse "it is not possible to pluck a flower without trembling a star." For what is last will be first, for what is least will be greatest. Small things make big things happen. Something to ponder. |
Edited by - Mikananda on Nov 24 2011 06:54:51 AM |
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jamuna
Australia
104 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 06:02:23 AM
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Hey Carson,
Yes I know that Kriyabans are told to meditate in a regular location. Paramahansa Yogananda instructs his students to do this and also recommends that the space for meditation not be used for other activities. I think the ideology is that the location is permeated with spiritual energy and its best to retain that vibration for the benefit of future meditations by not performing other activities in that spot. I feel I notice a difference in the atmosphere when I do that and I know a group of meditators who used the same room for an extended period of time (a decade) for only meditation claimed it had a profound spiritual vibration. My experience is more subtle then that though and it could just be a result of me believing in the concept.
I have the Bhagavad Gita with me now so I am just gonna put a bit down here of something that is partially related and an extract of the commentary by Yogananda.
Verse 11 CH 6
"The yogi's seat, in a clean place, should be firm (not wobbly), neither too high nor too low, and covered, first, with kusha grass, then with a deer or tiger skin, then with a cloth."
Yogananda says the skin and grass are used to insulate the Yogi against the downward pull of earth currents and that wool and silk does a similar job.
Re the vibrations he says "The yogi should meditate on a firm seat, one that is clean from dirt or unspoiled by unspiritual vibrations of others. The thought or life force emanating from an individual saturates the object he uses in his dwelling. Sensitive persons can feel inharmonious vibrations in a house where wickedness has reigned. A devotee who meditates where a sage has meditated even if the sage has long since passed away from this earth- by deep mental attunement can feel his vibrations.....men/women who meditate in a place hallowed by the ecstasy of a master receive definite spiritual benefit."
hope that helps and I am sure it goes the other way and your other activities are uplifted by the good vibes from your meditation spot. Peace yo!
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gatito
United Kingdom
179 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 10:58:43 PM
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Sorry double posted somehow 
See below |
Edited by - gatito on Jan 20 2012 11:20:49 PM |
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gatito
United Kingdom
179 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 10:59:56 PM
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I've noticed that location makes a difference to me personally, but that may be posture related and due to the degree of physical comfort that I can find in different places. I've given up on ever being able to get into traditional cross-legs again and I prefer a comfy well-padded and supportive upright easy chair and have found myself going deeper and more blissfully than I have ever done in my life like that. I'm about to move my chair downstairs, so, now you've mentioned it, it will be interesting to see if the physical location makes a difference that I can notice.
I've also heard (from previous practices) that we "bring down spiritual energy", which purifies not only ourselves but also the environment and those around us. I've a gut-feel, that that's what goes on, so in that respect, wherever you meditate will get cleaned out.
I used to beat myself up years ago for not having perfect posture etc. etc. but now I just go with what feels comfortable regarding location and support. The instructions here are practical and pragmatic. I'm fairly sure that what Jamuna says is probably right but i'm not looking for perfection - just whatever gets the job done.
You've been practicing AYP for a long time and the video interview that you did was one of the main reasons I saw so quickly that this is for real. I don't know why I'm advising you, it should be the other way round!!
BTW Thanks for doing that video - I'm very glad I didn't surf on past (and that's one hell of a understatement!!) |
Edited by - gatito on Jan 20 2012 11:20:49 PM |
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mikkiji
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 2:31:18 PM
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Carson--In my humble opinion (take it or leave it, you know where I come from by now!), all of the prescriptions for this particular place, with this specific cushion, grass, deerskin, etc., are all meant to cause us to make a habit, to make sure we do our practices regularly, period. Once the habit is there and regular practice is a part of life, like brushing our teeth twice a day, then do what you do. Your habit by now is well established, you don't need to worry about any of this nonsense. There is absolutely nothing wrong with meditating sitting up in the bed that you sleep in, as long as you are sitting correctly straight--and I KNOW your meditation posture is just about perfect. Do not worry about it. Your routine sounds just fine to me. Maharishi would tell us, when we were training to teach meditation, that wherever we can think, we can think the mantra, and so there is where we can meditate. Can you think in a noisy bus station? Yes, so there you can also meditate. Can you think in a cave? Yes, so there you can also meditate. Just don't meditate in the car WHILE you are driving! See you next month!
Michael |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Feb 11 2012 : 8:48:07 PM
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Hi Everyone
Thanks for all the great input. It's been a year and a half since I opened this thread and my habits have stayed the same as in the original post (more or less) with no obvious pros or cons.... but it feels right.
Looking forward to seeing you next month too Micheal.
Love!
Carson
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Habits in regards to your practice location
