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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 03:06:23 AM
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I just reread the lesson on advanced Siddhasana and realized that I had failed to notice the instruction to cup the genitals with the hand in the practice. I have been doing my Pranayama and Meditation in formal Siddhasana with one heel pressed under the perineum and the oppsite toes tucked between the shin and thigh. After a little difficulty this has now become quite comfortable and natural and I don't see any trouble with sitting for a half hour on a hard rock in a cave somewhere!
The hand position has varied from palms face down on knees to palms up in lap and most recently palms up on kness but I have never heard of cupping the genitals with the hand for practice before! When I tried it the feeling was very grounding as well as energizing! I can see patterns of energy connections all over the place now! The main focal points for touch and sensitivity and energy contact in the body are certainly the tongue, genitals, hands and feet with the tongue and genitals being most intense and utilised with kechari and siddhasana and now the hands come into play by making that very familiar connection with the genitals.
What feels right to me is to cup my genitals with the same hand as that of the top or outer foot so that the hand and foot don't interfere and then switch sides every day for balance. The other hand feels comfortable resting on its own side knee unless there might be another suggested mudra for it. It all feels like it is fitting beautifully together and I would welcome Yogani (or any advanced practitioner) to comment on how best to do the practice of siddhasana with the hand cupping. Is it appropriate only for pranayama or only meditation or both? Any advice is welcome. Only down side I can see is that it looks a bit odd to strangers if I choose to sit this way for practice in a public park as I sometimes do in the evening as I am not often home at that time. |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 10:34:37 AM
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Hello Victor:
That is fine, with the following clarifications:
1. Cupping the genitals is an add-on, not to be confused with the main practice of siddhasana. The add-on may be too much distraction for beginners who are not established in siddhasana proper with spinal breathing, meditation, etc. The add-on may also become unnecessary for advanced practitioners later on when the processes of ecstatic conductivity have been almost entirely internalized. Keep in mind that ecstatic conductivity eventually becomes a resident feature of our neuro-biology, requiring little or no external stimulation. At that point, we are in the "doing nothing stage" that David speaks about in another topic, here - http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....TOPIC_ID=314
Even so, we will still be wise to be doing something to be doing nothing. At that stage, we will know what to do according to our bhakti and long-established skills in self-pacing.
2. Holding the genitals in public is not recommended. We can leave that to the rock stars. Of course, it is up to you. Discretion is the greater part of valor in many things, including yoga. 
3. As for which practices to do this add-on with beyond spinal breathing pranayama, it can be the same as with basic siddhasana, kechari and other mudras and bandhas which we form as habits in spinal breathing pranayama, and may later allow to carry over effortlessly into our other practices. It is matter of effortlessness (no distraction in meditation especially) and personal preference. Our bhakti will let us know.
A man cupping the genitals during siddhasana is an advanced option corresponding with the woman's practice of using the outer heel (or hand) to gently stimulate the clitoris in siddhasana. For details on advanced siddhasana for both women and men, see http://www.aypsite.org/T28.html
The beginning instructions on siddhasana are here - http://www.aypsite.org/75.html
The guru is in you. |
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 1:43:42 PM
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| Thanks Yogani. Makes sense. Also seems like placing the opposite hand over the heart can feel right while cupping the genitals during practice. Now feels like many options are coming up for variations but it does feel good to be able to work directly with sexual energy rather than avoiding or sidestepping it the way some other yoga practices do. |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 3:43:07 PM
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Hi again Victor:
On the hand positions, balancing the limbs and such, I would put that in the same category as hand mudras -- our inner energy will move us according to our unique patterns of purification. No special instructions needed there, except to be easy with it while at the same time avoiding the extremes of automatic yoga (physical movements).
Yes, I think so much more can be gained by working directly with sexual energy in a systematic fashion. Of course, there is always the risk of running off on tangents. But what in life does not carry such risks?
Perhaps the old-line traditions can't afford the risk, so they avoid sex, kundalini and quite a few other things. A lot gets lost in the watering down of yogic wisdom for the sake of "safety." Here in AYP, we try and face it all head on in a practical integrative way, and so far it has worked out pretty well. May it continue to be so.
By the way, the principles we are discussing here apply in both celibate and non-celibate approaches to tantra. We have not spoken much about the former lately. From the standpoint of yoga, the preservation and cultivation of sexual energy (brahmacharya) is of equal importance to both celibates and non-celibates. The methods vary, but the outcome is the same. Enduring ecstatic bliss!
Siddhasana is a practice that both approaches have in common.
The guru is in you. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2005 : 10:31:53 AM
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Hi Yogani,
Just reading your last post and was wondering what you mean by the "extremes" of automatic yoga. Do you mean that automatic yoga in itself is an extreme or that at times, it can become too extreme and be detrimental to the yoga practitioner if not tempered?
Overall, isn't it a good process to go with the flow with automatic yoga if the circumstances are appropriate as it is shakti/ kundalini energy clearing out blockages deep in the nervous system in an accelerated manner? Or is there a concern that it can release too much too fast? |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2005 : 11:46:39 AM
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Hello Anthem:
If automatic yoga (movements) become a distraction to the practice we are doing, or a physical hazard (in rare cases), we should temper them accordingly. We always have the option to choose what is in the best interest of our practice. While automatic yogas are generally a good sign of the interconnectedness of yoga within us, in the end it is our structured practice that will bring us home.
Of course, those who subscribe to the "no path" approach will not agree. Nevertheless, it is structured practice that fosters automatic yogas, not the other way around. The same goes for all experiences that arise when doing effective yoga practices. The experience is not what will transform us -- the practice is. The same goes for automatic yoga, though the line may be a bit blurred in that case. Still, experiences and automatic yogas are both effects of practice, not causes. It is good to keep that in mind, lest we put the cart in front of the horse.
The best approach to automatic yoga is to utilize it during corresponding structured practices we are doing. For example, if we are experiencing a tendency for head movements, we should not favor this excessively during our meditation -- best to favor the mantra. Better to favor the movements during chin pump practice (if we have added it to our routine), which is a good time for utilizing automatic head movements. As always, we should also apply self-pacing as necessary to regulate the build-up of our practices and correct any excesses. In these ways we can use automatic yoga while keeping structured practices in place.
In the case of siddhasana, we may be squirming around a lot during the formative stages of it, with all sorts of movements. These are normal and may represent identifiable automatic yogas or not. As siddhasana settles in, the movements will subside, transforming to an experience of much more refined internal ecstatic currents -- an inner fountain of ecstasy. This is another aspect of automatic yogas -- they settle down once the inner pathways involved have been opened somewhat. In this settling down, the immensity of joy residing deep within us will emerge.
Whenever we are dealing with automatic yogas or other manifestations of purification in the nervous system, it is a fine balance to allow the expression of our awakening inner energies, and at the same time maintain good forward progress through structured practices. It is like driving a fast car. We'd like to go as fast as possible, while operating within our present abilities so we can stay on the road and reach our destination. Varooom!
The guru is in you.
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Advanced Siddhasana
