Yoni Mudra questions and discussions

[Alvin Chan]

Hi all,

Yogani said that Yoni Mudra is the granddaddy of kundalini stimulators, yet it's seldom discussed here. (compared to the kechari thread.....) I've Just started Yoni Mudra for a few days. Here are a few questions:

1. How long should we wait between each round of Kumbhaka? Or how many breath? Is it better to take a few breath as to re-oxygenize myself before I go for another round?

2. A stupid question related to the first one....Where should I put my hands between each round? (haha, really stupid, probably it doesn't matter.....)

3. Can I do the practice outside my 2 sitting practices? I'm sometimes a bit rush in my morning practice to include the Yoni Mudra (especially if I want to reserve more time for meditation), I find it better, in terms of time management, to do Yoni Mudra before lunch.

Even if I did it in the morning, I may want to do more in between if this is effective. I think I was born with a very small amount of prana that I never have any energy problem. So I think I need to stimulate more energy.

4.
Yogani wrote:

quote:In a few extra minutes during our twice-daily sittings, we can add a big boost to all of our practices

Including meditation?? So is it true that Yoni mudra will help me establishing my inner silence? Or is it just stimulating kundalini energy?

Alvin

[Manipura]

Hi Alvin - I'm glad that you bring this subject up, as I'm curious how others will respond.  Here are my responses, not to be confused with Yogani's responses!    In other words, I'm not sure that mine are correct, but here goes:

1)  I just take one deep exhale/inhale and then continue with the next round.

2)  The index fingers stay at the eyes, pushing in at the corners throughout.  So they stay in place, the only movement being the middle finger, which pushes in to close off the nostrils.  Which in part answers the next question....

3)  I wouldn't do it where others could see.  [8)]  It's an awkward practice, with elbows jabbing and chin bobbing, not to mention the odd configuration of fingers.  But besides that, I don't know why you wouldn't just do it with your regular practices, as it only takes a couple of minutes.*  My intuition is that it's good to do it with everything else.  And I'd hesitate to do it more than twice a day, as these practices can have a delayed reaction, and you might easily overdo.

4)  Good question!  I thought it was specifically for energy, so I'll be curious to hear what others have to say.

* except if you're breathing more between rounds, which'll take longer.

[trip1]

Hey guys,

1) I'm with Meg on this one.  Just one exhale/inhale.

2) I personally completely take my hands off my face for a moment in between rounds, but this is something I have been wondering about.  Maybe I am pressing too hard on my eyes, but leaving them there the entire time gets a bit uncomfortable.  

3) I'd stick with it during sitting practices.  If you don't have the time for it one day, just skip over it and get it in your next session.

4) I noticed a major boost to my sitting practices once I was able to attain longer breath retentions (more on this below).

And while we are on the topic, I have a question as well :
I've been doing five minutes of Yoni Mudra for quite a while now. When I started, I would get 4-5 rounds during this time, but since getting better with placing my awareness elsewhere during kumbhaka, I only get about 2.5 rounds in the five minutes.  So I'm wondering if I should extend the time in order to get mre rounds in, or should it be ok since I am still doing the same amount of time?  In the original lesson, it is said to start out with three rounds, so I've now found myself with less than the starting point!  Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.  

[Shanti]

1-Inhale  and follow your awareness from the root to the third eye.. hold your breath (kumbhaka) and keep your awareness at your third eye.. exhale and follow your awareness down the spine to the root... then do it again.. Adding kechari and uddiyana will increase the effects.. My lung capacity is very small too.. and I cannot hold my breath for long. Yogani says hold your breath 30 secs or more.. When I started this off I could hardly hold it for 10 second.. now it is upto 40 seconds.. so I think as you continue with this practice you will be able to hold your breath longer.. like Brett.. wow.. 2.5 times in 5 mins.. you must be holding your breath for a real long time there.. If you focus more on your awareness moving up and down and less on how long you are holding your breath.. or how long it takes to inhale or exhale.. the smoother the mudra goes.

2-Between Kumbhaka.. "let our middle fingers go from the nostrils, but not the index fingers from our eyes or our raised tongue. "
So your hands stay where they were.

3-With Meg on this, it does not take too long to do it.. so keep it with your practice..
Extra sets between practices.. hey if you are starting of.. don't do it.. remember delayed reactions, self pace..  and all that good stuff..

4- I thought they were all finally connected.. and all roads lead to better meditation.. Maybe Yogani can tell us more..

Couple of other threads I found taht have discussion on Yoni Mudra.. if any one is interested..
The first one has some good input by David.
http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=260

http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=579

[yogani]

Hi All:

The AYP lessons attempt go straight down the middle with practices, with the simplest most effective applications possible. I am forever getting tons of questions on the endless variations. It is impossible to answer them all.

Keep in mind that we are applying techniques to take advantage of the basic principles of human spiritual transformation that exist within us. It is always about that, and managing it in ways to promote good progress with reasonable comfort (self-pacing).

In the case of yoni mudra kumbhaka, it is breath retention and mudras/bandhas combined, which are primarily for raising ecstatic conductivity (kundalini). As that progresses, deep meditation and all other practices are affected as the ongoing blending of ecstatic conductivity and inner silence occurs.

So, whatever your approach to yoni mudra is, take it easy, and work toward a practice you can sustain on a daily basis. Consider the AYP lessons to be a guideline. Less is often more, especially with this practice, and there are no aggressive targets to be met. Gentle persuasion over time will yield the best results. It is like that in all of yoga...

The guru is in you.

[Alvin Chan]

Thanks for the reply. They are all very supportive.

Now as I resume Brahmacharya (with tantric masturbation) and add Yoni Mudra, I find that I have some tension building up in my forehead. (like I was when keep Brahmacharya for 1-2 months) Sometimes I find the tension rather annoying during my meditation and my sleep. What can I do about it? Will extending the spinal breathing time (I do only 10 mins now) help??

I need more experiments, but everytime after I have orgasm, the tension in the forehead will be released (for 1-2 days and then build up again)and subjectively I have a calmer meditation. But I don't think I should have more orgasms because of this. So I wonder what I can do about this tension. Thanks for any input.

Trip:
Just my thought: if you are not experiencing any negative effects, why don't you try keeping the same number of rounds (and thus extending the time)?

Alvin

[Anthem]

Hi Alvin,

This sounds like a classic case of over-doing it. Tantric masturbation is like adding gasoline to the fire. If you are doing it everyday, you might want to consider doing it every 2 or 3 days instead and reducing your time accordingly until you feel things balance out.

Increasing spinal breathing is about the last thing I would do. Look at reducing your tantric time and if you are doing many mudras that focus on the head and neck like yoni mudra kumbakha, dynamic jalandra, etc. reduce those substantially as well until you find balance.

Good luck,

A

[trip1]

quote:Originally posted by Alvin ChanTrip:
Just my thought: if you are not experiencing any negative effects, why don't you try keeping the same number of rounds (and thus extending the time)?

Hi Alvin,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  I ended up adding another minute to my Yoni Mudra time which has been working out great so far.

Brett

[Alvin Chan]

I over-did on Sunday and get an even great pressure on my forehead, and stopped Yoni mudra and Navi kriya on Monday after Anthem's advice. I concentrate more on spinal breathing instead, and the pressure ease off again today---so I resumed full practices again this morning.

And in my first Kumbhaka this morning, the lights appeared vividly. It's moving and changing color. Finally it settled into the circle-like thing in the third eye position. My attention was captured. But I wonder why that the star, which is supposed to be in the middle of the circle, is missing.

And even more puzzling for me: from the third kumbhaka onward, the light is not there anymore.

[bliss_]

I have a problem with yoni mudra: I don't really understand what we are trying to do. I understand slightly pushing the eyes towards the mid brow can do something to the third eye, but why close the nostrils or even the ears?

[Richard]

Have a look at this lesson

http://www.aypsite.com/91.html

You block the nostrils to put pressure on the nasal cavity stimulating the seat of the pituitary gland

Richard

[Shanti]

quote:Originally posted by bliss_

I have a problem with yoni mudra: I don't really understand what we are trying to do. I understand slightly pushing the eyes towards the mid brow can do something to the third eye, but why close the nostrils or even the ears?

Hi Bliss
Maybe some pictures will help.. look here for front view and side view and a guy view[]



Remember though.. we just hold our eyes with the index finger and our nose with the middle finger.. the rest of the finger positions we don't use in AYP... as Yogani puts it
" Lesson #91
Finally, it should be mentioned that this is an optimized version of
yoni mudra, aimed at promoting a broad range of openings in the
nervous system. Formal yoni mudra involves using more fingers to seal
the ears (thumbs) and mouth (ring and pinky fingers), and fewer of
the bandhas and mudras given here. What we are learning here is a
hybrid practice for the sake of efficiency"

So...

 

quote: Lesson#91
we will begin by placing the tips of our two index fingers close to  the outer corners of ourclosed eyes against the lower lids. Then we gently push the eyes up and to the center in the direction of the point between the eyebrows.This should not be done with any strain or discomfort. Just a gentle nudge of the eyes toward the point between the eyebrows.

Now, with our closed eyes in third eye nudged mode, we go up inside
the spinal nerve with our inhalation from the perineum to the point
between the eyebrows. When our lungs are full and our attention is at
the top of the spinal nerve at the point between the eyebrows, we
close our nostrils on the outside with our two middle fingers
pressing from either side of the nose. At the same time we keep the
index fingers in place pressing the eyes gently toward the point
between the eyebrows. Also, at the same time, we lift our tongue to
the roof of our mouth, sealing off the mouth inside so no air can
escape through there. Now we are holding our breath. But we are not
holding it with the epiglottis in our throat, as we normally would.
Instead, we allow the air pressure from our expanded lungs to come up
easily into our nasal passages and sinuses. This is not a big
pressure, only a small one. We don't push it up there. We just let
the natural pressure of our filled lungs be up there. Our middle
fingers and tongue block our nose and mouth, so no air can escape.

What we do now is hold our breath for a comfortable duration – not
too long, not too short. Depending on your capacity it could be
thirty seconds, a minute, or maybe longer. If you are a professional
sponge diver, it could be several minutes. It doesn't matter exactly
how long it is. What matters is that we hold our breath inside for a
time that is both comfortable and going a bit toward the edge of our
capacity. Not to the point of straining. Not to the point of gasping
for air when we are done. When we are done and ready to exhale, we
let our middle fingers go from the nostrils, but not the index
fingers from our eyes or our raised tongue. We should have enough
composure left to do a nice smooth exhalation through our nose going
back down the spinal nerve with our attention to the perineum. When
we exhale we should not be desperate for air. We can go a little
faster than in normal spinal breathing, both on inhalation and
exhalation, but if we are in a big rush to get air, we have held our
breath too long. Find a balance. It will be a bit clunky at first, as
all of these advanced yoga practices are. But it will smooth out
quickly to a comfortable practice. The idea is to spend quality time
with the breath suspended inside. It should not be an exercise in
heroics.

Starting out, we will do only three of these yoni mudra kumbhakas
between pranayama and meditation.

As to what happens during Yoni mudra.

quote: Lesson #91
We've talked about how to do yoni mudra kumbhaka, but not much about
what yoni mudra kumbhaka does inside us. Put simply, it works to open
every nook and cranny of our nervous system and draws kundalini
(sexual energy) up at the same time. It produces a huge amount of
purification in the body. It also cultivates the subtle habits of
ecstatic biological functioning in us.

The multiple angles we take on the third eye produce a purging effect
at the upper end of the sushumna and throughout the entire head. So,
yoni mudra is a third eye cleanser for sure. The entire spinal nerve
is stretched and permeated with prana coming up from the pelvic
region. Also, kumbhaka, by creating an extra demand for life force in
the body, pulls a large amount of sexual energy (kundalini) up from
the vast storehouse of prana located in the pelvis. Siddhasana,
mulabandha, and uddiyana promote this drawing up going on in the
lower part of the body.

This is a broad overview of what happens. Many other things go on in
the biology and nervous system as a result of yoni mudra kumbhaka.
Way more than can be discussed in these few paragraphs. We will fill
in the details in future lessons as experiences come up.

There is a lot more info in the lesson Richard has talked about lesson#91 Please do read it.
I hope this helps.

[Alvin Chan]

One more thing. I enjoyed the quietness of blocking the ear as well. So I tried putting my hands the traditional way, but I found that it's not possible to do so with the chin lock. So I insert a earplug to avoid putting too pressure on my ear and to enjoy the quietness

[x.j.]

Can yoni mudra cause retinal tears if too much pressure is applied on eyeball?

[x.j.]

No comment from anyone about the risk of retinal tear/detachments from putting pressure on the eyeball during yoni mudra?  What do you think?
Is this totally a non-issue fpr you practi ing yogis in AYP land?