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GregM
USA
51 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 12:08:15 AM
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Hello,
I have a couple of very simple questions in regards to DM. In lesson 13 on DM, no mention is made of what hand mudra (if any) one should adhere to. I've been connecting the index & ring fingers to the thumb of each hand thus far, but am unclear as to whether or not this is optimal or not. Is this discussed in a later lesson that I may have missed or not yet read?
Also, some people advise connecting the tongue to the palate when doing meditation. What is the AYP stance on this?
Thanks,
Greg |
Edited by - GregM on Feb 27 2014 12:33:20 AM |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1537 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 02:31:25 AM
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In AYP, there is no emphasis on a specific hand mudra. You are to rest your hands comfortably on your lap. However you might find that with time your hands will automatically want to be placed in a specific way, interlaced or one hand on top of the other with thumbs touching. I mostly placed the forefinger against the thumb on the respective knee (in typical meditation posture)but it is only very recently that I really understood "closing the energy circuit" much talked about, when the tip of my forefingers lit up upon touching the thumbs - totally cool. It was like I was holding a candle flame but much brighter between forefinger and thumb. 
And as for placing the tongue up against the roof of the mouth, the urge to do so will happen naturally.
Sey |
Edited by - SeySorciere on Feb 27 2014 02:34:10 AM |
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GregM
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 12:15:33 PM
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Ok, that's helpful. Thank you.
I've heard it stated in some circles that that particular mudra is jokingly referred to as the "no money" mudra (and, consequently, should be used sparingly.) This brings me to my next related question... And I'd like to preface this by saying I mean no disrespect whatsoever, but I'd like to ask if there's a tendency for the AYP practices, if done as directed throughout the site, to un-ground one's self over time. While that head in the clouds feeling can be blissful, it's not of much help when it comes to practical matters. I prefer to remain balanced; to "walk the middle path", you might say.
What AYP practice(s) help to ensure that balance? Or is that left up to the practitioner to discover for themselves depending upon their needs?
Thank-you,
Greg |
Edited by - GregM on Feb 27 2014 12:30:23 PM |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 12:29:31 PM
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Yes it is discussed in lesson 135 found in the first volume of the easy lessons.
I've always done meditation prior to AYP with chin mudra and tongue in a pre-kechari 1 on the hard palate. Changing this routine during deep meditation would in my case be more of a distraction, so I let the extra bit of light tension blend in with the sitting upright. I don't do these because I feel their effects, which I don't, but because they were taught, and they seems intuitively worthwhile elements, though not higher in priority if it is a source of distraction during deep meditation.
Not sure if the mudra requires hands to be perfectly straight, elbow locked or unlocked, shoulders down and back, etc., but I found straight hands does alleviate some weight on the back. This stopped being an issue so I leave them totally relaxed and down with the palm facing up. Lesson 91 in the same book also mentions the specifics of kechari 1. To me that point's still too strained to hold, as if the gradual untethering of quite a bit of the frenum has had no effect, along with constantly holding it in pre-stage 1 during prior practices for many years. The lessons do recognize stage 2 should become easier than stage 1. The headroom is certainly necessary and provided for personal customizations in working with the AYP baseline, a tribute to the lessons in sharing the tools and framework, and not a partial compendium of vagaries shrouded in mist or mysteries.
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 2:05:57 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by GregM
if there's a tendency for the AYP practices, if done as directed throughout the site, to un-ground one's self over time.
I know you're asking a practical, and worthwhile, question in search for a summary answer. It's something I wonder too, along with many other things. It would be strange not to have such questions, even while already doing the very thing that's being questioned.
I'd rather let others answer that for themselves than my own tentative observations, and just take it from there. For starters, a survey can be found on the left, under the heading in red 'More Resources.' The support forums themselves naturally will leave out those who choose not to contribute or who may not have time or access but otherwise still use AYP and/or other practices with positive outcomes. Even if a comprehensive research study was done, it would have to aggregate so many variables, most of which could not be measured much less normalized, that the result would still be an estimate by too wide a margin to be representative or practically significant. The practices are always in the hands of the practitioner, and so it is reasonable to say it is always their responsibility to determine how to proceed with structuring a daily practice and self-pacing at every step along the way.
As I understand it from the lessons, the practices do have balancing elements built-in, though how these manifest depends on the exact situation and point in time. The routines as they build up are also balanced, with the most basic example the pairing of asanas, energy practices, meditation, samyama, rest, and activity. The standard suggested routine is twice a day, leveraging the activities of daily living as opportunity for grounding and integration. On top of that, there are a variety of methods known to be grounding listed throughout the books, and ongoing discussions on the forums as well. Here's two recent examples that come to mind: Is grounding the same as earthing? and "Grounded" -- The Documentary.
My own take with grounding, opening, sensitivity issues is I still have no tangible sense of what they really mean and how they manifest, and it has been more than 3 years now of AYP after many more years of other practices. Could this mean I'm insensitive to ongoing overload, or does it mean I'm undersensitive? I've seen no difference after ceasing practices for two weeks, cutting back, or going on once daily. The simple answer is I feel balanced in that sense, the bhakti is a craving for more, and if sensitivity issues really were so hard to spot with such time frames, it would have been hard to ignore by now. |
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GregM
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2014 : 4:25:07 PM
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Thank you for your detailed reply, AumNaturel. I think I may need to try to hold a certain measure of objectivity when reflecting upon my level of groundedness. Simple as that. And when I use the term "grounded" I'm referring to the spiritual sense of the word, not so much the bio-electrical one (although the two, I suspect, may be intricately connected.)
Thank you for the links as well. I'd read a book a few years ago on grounding titled "Earthing", iirc. Wonderful book! I enjoyed it tremendously and found myself going barefoot wherever I felt I could get away with it. I can see pranic breathing being very complimentary to this practice.
As a point of clarification, I haven't been experiencing any effects that hint at a lack of groundedness thus far. I suppose I was just trying to be proactive and to get some forethought on what I might potentially experience further down the line. That being said, I've been enjoying my practice session so far and will continue as I've been. In fact, I'm planning on purchasing Yogani's collection of AYP books later today and am looking forwarding to diving in deeper. :)
Greg |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1537 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2014 : 03:51:48 AM
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Dear Greg
For grounding Yogani says - "After your sitting practices, go out and live your daily life fully. "
Sey
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2014 : 12:33:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by GregM
when I use the term "grounded" I'm referring to the spiritual sense of the word, not so much the bio-electrical one (although the two, I suspect, may be intricately connected.)
Reflecting on your statement, I tend to see lack of groundedness as being prone to overloading from even the slightest bit of DM, satsang, group practice, or any other bhakti-related activities. Though I suppose it could also mean 'head in the clouds feeling blissful' as you've said, which is a definite symptom here manifesting most strongly as a loss of the sense of time passing by combined with a tendency to slip into contemplation. Causal links are again not easy to trace to spiritual practices, since some form of the witness, a sense of disconnection, or some type of inner change did arise spontaneously early on when first taking on breath meditation, and this tendency to fall out of time and into contemplation was both promoted during school and made use of as a way to cope, while daydreaming is also regarded as a positive 'mechanism' in recent studies (huffingtonpost article on 2010 Harvard study as one example). The lessons bring out other concepts such as one's personal neurobiological matrix, and to transpersonal elements in this day and age ("a sign of the times" in Yogani's words) that make it clear it isn't just the practices, but also what the individual brings in and how they interact with the dynamics of the world at large that determine stability levels.
quote:
Originally posted by GregM
I suppose I was just trying to be proactive and to get some forethought on what I might potentially experience further down the line. That being said, I've been enjoying my practice session so far and will continue as I've been.
I certainly am with you on that one. If the AYP practices inherently led to stability issues, even if indirectly through their approach to ecstatic conductivity, I would certainly adjust my routine with other grounding practices to prevent that well ahead of time. So far I see no indication of that in day to day, despite encountering two symptoms during practice that may be more about physical adjustments to taking on too much too soon than energetic sensitivity issues. 'Under-sensitivity,' if that's what it is, in many ways isn't all that bad, because there seems to be a high tolerance for gradually taking on lots of practices with very few adverse effects.
Enjoy the books and practices, and hope you find them all as informative, inspiring and motivational as I have, and be sure to see some of Yogani's recent (2011-onward) forum posts and replies, especially on DM, and the Support Forum Posts of Yogani ebook. |
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adishivayogi
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2014 : 12:45:42 PM
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| do whatever feels right or whatever comes automatically. i use index to thumb during pranayama and count beads with the other one(with a piece of string to tell me when to switch energtic routes). whenever my not using beads to count my fingers are interlaced on my lap. |
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Questions re: DM
