managing the practice of spinal breathing

[Alvin Chan]

Hi all,

A few questions here which I need help:

1. I've read here that we can do spinal breathing while driving and having sex. So can I do it (or I should ask whether it's good to do it) in other daily activities? e.g. listening to a boring seminar, waiting for someone, standing in a train, walking....

2. What do spinal breathing during hatha yoga practices, esp when holding a posture like headstand? If yes, how effective is it when compared with doing it cross-legged and with closed eyes?

3. Can I do meditation like some hours after spinal breathing instead of immediately? I know it's beneficial to meditate right after. But in some situations (like when listening to a boring and useless lecture in which I can't close my eyes), I can only do spinal breathing but not meditation afterwards. Will some "weeds" grow inside? Or is it okay as long as I have a regular, daily practice of meditation, Instead of having to care too much about the meditation right after spinal breathing?

Thanks for any sharings. I hope the questions are helpful for others as well.

Alvin

[Anthem]

Hi Alvin,

At least part of your question was just covered in the below forum post, have a look.

http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=646

[yogani]

Hi Alvin:

Ditto on what Anthem said. Also, note that the suggestion on doing spinal breathing "in the car" was for time management in a busy schedule (http://www.aypsite.com/50.html) -- on the way home to sit for meditation. Not ideal, nor recommended for any odd time during the day. Splitting up spinal breathing and deep meditation in time on a regular basis is not recommended.

Spinal breathing during sex is not a strongly recommended practice -- I was commenting on an inquiry received on that subject (http://www.aypsite.com/T33.html). The answer: Try it if inclined, and see if it works, and don't forget to self-pace. If we are being aggressive in practices within or outside our regular sittings, we always keep self-pacing close at hand.  

The guru is in you.

[Alvin Chan]

Thanks. Still two questions:

1.
Spinal breath during the "strokes" are difficult for me, since the attention on spinal breath tends to cut down my sexual urge. So I do it mainly during my holdback rest. I specifically pay attention to feel and "suck up" the strong sensual feeling down there. After repeating a number of times, the sexual urge and sensual feelings fades away; the stimulations are no longer that stimulating. (such change in a single session is unusual for me)

I tried for a few times during these days, and the same thing occurs. I am not at the peak of my sexual drive on these few days, so that could be one reason. But still, ending a masturbation without ejaculation has never been that easy for me. (Now I even consider the spinal breath to be a way to preserve sexual energy) Is this ceasation of sexual urge common? I mean in a tantra sex session with spinal breath.

2. Since no meditation is recommended after sex, I guess I don't have to meditation after sex with spinal breathing? (I keep doing the regular sitting practices. The spinal breathing during sex is something additional)

[yogani]

Hi Alvin:

I'd leave the spinal breathing out of tantric sex until much later. It is enough to develop the habit of preorgasmic sex. Once you do, then breathing response will become automatic. That is not 100% preorgasmic -- just gradually developing more natural ability than now. It is not an edict, just a favoring with normal sexual activity (whatever ours may be) over months and years.

Spinal breathing is not necessarily for preserving sexual energy -- it is for awakening and balancing ascending and descending pranas in the sushumna between root and brow -- a much broader function than only preserving sexual energy. Once sexual energy is being cultivated via tantric methods, then spinal breathing can do more with it. It comes after certain basics are occurring...  

As for losing desire, that may be a shift to inner ecstatic, but it sounds like maybe not. Not sure what is happening there. The spiritual transformation is to more desire, refining to never-ending gentleness of love, becoming divine and going inward and upward feeding into the processes of spiritual biology higher up. All of this requires development of the spiritual biology via the means in sitting practices -- deep meditation, spinal breathing (in sitting practices, not sex), mudras, bandhas, samyama, etc. All this is built up step-by-step over a long time, as we discussed in other topics. Rome was not built in a day.

The AYP lessons provide a recommended sequence and methodology for doing all this.

So, sex is only one aspect, and putting spinal breathing into it in the beginning is premature in my opinion, with so many other important aspects to be addressed first. Just learning gradually to be more preorgasmic via the means in the tantra lessons is plenty for now.

And, no, meditation is not for doing right after sexual activity, tantric or not. Twice per day before morning and evening meal and activities is the formula for meditation.

All the best on your path.

And happy holidays, everyone!

The guru is in you.

[Katrine]

Hi all

Today I experienced the unity of the third eye and the root during Pranayama. Since I took up Pranayama som weeks back, I have gone from breathing my way up and down the spine in meditation (with ecstacy), to feeling the ecstacy in the thread/chord of the spine outside meditation time too.The chord has changed into .....more like a broad column, like it .....fills... all of my body.

I have noticed that when my attention hit the third eye, the root would respond with ecstacy, and the other way around: looking at the root would stimulate the third eye. Sometimes,  this would be accompanied by glimpses of a shiny...point. But today is the first time I feel that the third eye and the root is the same point. At the same time I also feel that my third eye has become....a hole; that it opens outwards.

I still have a lot of activity in my crown; but I am careful on the self-pacing routine so I think my body handles it well.

I have just read what Yogani says about "The star"
(here): http://www.aypsite.com/plus/92.html
 (which I think must be what I have glimpses of) and I understand that this is just yet another experience not to focus on at the expence of inner silence.

This reminded me of something I often see during meditation: A violet....swirl....(as when you move a candle across the table and the flame can't quite catch up) that comes and goes when I feel the clarity strongly. I don't focus on it; I simply let it be there.

Are there any other issues I should look into concerning the merging of the root and the third eye?

May all your Nows be Here

[yogani]

Hi Katrine:

It all sounds very good. You might check Victor's topic over here which looks at the relationship of eyes and prana movements, including tie-in of the root. It leads to what I call the "whole body mudra," (see "Micro Movements" in the Topic Index) where all the mudras and bandhas come together automatically in subtle form to advance the ecstatic response in us. Then it all becomes one. It is a stepping stone to merging all that ecstatic activity with inner silence. Then it pours out into our life energetically and in acts of divine love.

The thread to rope to column to whole body consumed spinal nerve/sushumna progression is a parallel process in all of this development. As it advances, the contrasting experiences of energy flow in and around the spinal nerve decrease as there is more purification and less friction. At the same time the energy flow will be 1000 times more, and we will barely notice in our stillness. It is stillness in action! We become a channel of that vast divine flow into the world.

All the best!

The guru is in you.