Self pacing the self pacing

[Ananda]

Namaste friends,

i have been into so much overloads during the last months that i've hurt myself while self pacing from sports (thus the title[])

Anyways it looks like i've reached a place where i can't even meditate for a few minutes no matter what form of meditation or mantra i undertake thus i decided today to drop the practice for a month or two (even though i know i will miss it) and come back to it later.

Of course all other energetic practices including kechari have been dropped also a while back... Thus nothing more but jnana yoga for Ananda; I will keep on practicing Self inquiry as usual...

Love,

Ananda

[Anthem]

Hi Ananda,

I reached this point not too long ago myself. Over the last 2 or 3 years the sitting practice times were slowly diminishing as a result of overloads felt with my usual practice times. About a month ago, I had reached the point where I had self-paced myself down to breath meditation and experienced substantial overload with that too, so I knew it was time to take a break from all sitting practices.

I ended up taking 8 days off, it wasn't planned, I just felt good for the first seven and then on the 8th day, I started to notice the effects of practice begin to diminish, and recognized that the excesses had cleared, so it felt right to start again.

The first day or two back, it wasn't overly smooth, but since then, practices (and in between feel good again) []and any signs of instability and over-sensitivity have long gone.

I am the type that hardly ever missed a sitting session and I see now that an accumulating excess had occurred. The break certainly did wonders and I won't hesitate again if it is required.

Best of luck![]

Anthem

[Ananda]

Hi Anthem, sorry for the late reply but i honestly don't know how i skipped seeing this post of yours until now even though i checked on this topic more then once...

It's been 14 days without practices (except for Self Inquiry and Bhakti for Sri Ramana) up till today and i feel better with lesser overloading symptoms but they are still here non the less and my kundalini still needs to be controlled through the ajna.

Where i am at now and even though i miss my meditation sessions, i might not come back to them.

I want to do what always felt most right here and first attracted me to the world of Yoga in the first place. Taking on the pure Direct approach again... I know i might hit my head into a few walls but this is where the flow is taking me these days and it feels what's best for me.

Namaste brother(F)

love,

Ananda

[Anthem]

Hi Ananda,[]

What do you mean by: "my kundalini still needs to be controlled through the ajna" ?

The illusion of control I occasionally call it. Sometimes the practice that we think is helping is actually causing or contributing to the problem in the first place. It can feel helpful in the moment but inadvertently be compounding the problem later on.

I know if I put any attention on crown or ajna I would certainly pay the price.  Though for sure less so with just ajna. I would still however avoid it entirely if I was experiencing symptoms of overload.

Just a suggestion.

Best of luck![]

[Ananda]

Hi Anthem[], the problem in this body of mine is that kundalini energy still goes toward the crown without me intending to and that is happening more now maybe because i am not practicing and this is why i said the word control which is redirecting the energy toward the ajna because if i let go of things i am afraid of one big hellish explosion... even being around certain people i teach or people who are spiritual takes me into waves of light and ecstacy. (which has a price for it later[B)])

I honestly wish i could get back to practices, but even without them the intensity of the presence of shakti is very high and meditation which is supposed to bring up inner silence and spinal breathing which is supposed to balance stuff are both cause too much energy upsurge...

guess i'll have to wait until things settle down...

namaste brother and thank you for your input and a big thank you as well to Yoganiji who has been a good support behind the scenes on this topic as well[]

Love,

Ananda

[Anthem]

Hi Ananda,

Thanks for clarifying.

I have gone through periods of lots of crown activity as well and what I notice about the crown is that it can be a habit for attention to go there even unintentionally, especially if there is fear involved of the potential outcome of that.

Over the years I have used with success the method of bringing my attention to the bottom of my feet every time I sensed the crown activity (when it was in excess). It is usually difficult at first and takes time to correct, but with consistent redirection of my attention each time the crown inclination came along, it helped things to get back on track.

Just sharing what has worked here, best of luck to you![]

[Ananda]

Hello again Anthem[], i try to practice mindfulness in every step but as i said before when the crown is active i redirect the energy toward the ajna...

Your advise seems very well worth trying, so will give it a shot starting now... now i have shakti flaring up down my feet[]

namaste dear Anthem and again thank you(f)

[Ananda]

Dear Anthem, the redirecting of attention towards the feet seems like a great practice up till now on both ways, concerning being aware and mindful and concerning the redirection of the crown energy.

I will keep on at it and maybe start meditation again on sunday or monday.

When you got back into meditation, did you go back into using the breath or the mantra (enhanced?) as the object of your meditation.

Love,

Ananda

[Anthem]

Hi Ananda,

Glad to hear it is working so far. It is a great and grounding practice, I have used it for years now, from time to time when needed, with success.

In my case, I went back to the basic mantra "i am" which is what I had reduced my daily practices to about 2 months prior to the 8 day break I took. I introduced 1 spinal breath up and down on about day 3 of the comeback. There was a little turbulence in the first couple of days, but I have enjoyed stability with this modest practice (45 seconds of SBP and 6 minutes DM) ever since and this had previously put me over during the extended period of "saturation" mentioned above. Despite the short duration, the results have been peacefully sublime.

[Ananda]

Hi Anthem[], and thanks you've given me hope. just one last question, are you using the solar enhancement also?

[Anthem]

Had to give that one up a long time back![]

[Ananda]

ok so on sunday morning will try out the i am mantra without any enhancement for 6 minutes.

in your gratitude bro(f)

Love,
A

[Ananda]

Dear Anthem[], thank you for the inspiration and the advice you've helped a ton. Things have been going smoothly since last Sunday with 6 minutes of DM and the attention on the feet is one great tool[].

It feels really good to be back on track...

Love,

Ananda

[Katrine]

Hi Ananda and Anthem

Thanks for this topic.
My experience is much the same as yours, and I too have to stop the formal sitting practices when no other self-pacing works.

I think it is important to stress that "stopping practices" when needed is about taking full responsibility for what is actually happening - and as such this is very much still staying in the practice of "thy will be done"; of surrender to inner silence; of doing all that we can to stay stable so that a smooth unfolding and deepening/integration can continue to happen as it must.

It has been very, very helpful each time I have stopped the mantra for a while.
And also very, very helpful to start it up again.
After all - the practice is for peace and freedom - the practice is not for the practice itself.


I have shared this before, but I'll say it again:

When I rest after meditation (and sometimes this is all the formal practice I do) I lie flat on my stomach and face on the floor; arms stretched out like in a diving position........come to think of it......I guess it is like a prostration. And that is what it feels like in heart too. Bodying "thy will be done"...and "I love thee" into one expression.  I reccomend it Ananda.......relax properly...give yourself to the ground/floor and feel how all the energy releases itself. I can prostrate as much as I want - it never causes overload, only balance.

I also started eating meat again now and then  after staying away from it for 14 years. It feels great.

The nervous system continues to be transformed by the Shakti. Here this results in more and more clairaudience, clairvoyance and outpouring of a very healing energy. I am such a stubborn viking....maybe that is why letting go has always involved pain for me. When higher frequences of light comes into the body, I pay for it with physical pain for days afterwards. But I am used to it and know that it will pass and it always does.

It took a long time for me to differenciate between what was overload from practices and what was a result of the unfolding towards opening up all of me to be the healer I was ment to be from the very beginning. My only job is to bring myself back to God/Silence. In whatever way it is necessary.

So much has been made clear regarding this just over the past 4 months. This too helps with the balance. More people started calling for sessions, and so where I thought I would start teaching music again, I am instead receiving more and more clients for healing. So be it. And so the energy flows in the right direction and that too makes all the difference regarding the balance. I keep up the Sunday meditation group, but have opened it up to attract people from all systems. When somebody wants to learn meditation I give them AYP; if they are already established in a practice I encourage sharing from where they are. We all learn from it.

Ananda and Anthem - thanks so much for sharing

May peace, love and joy grace your lives in equal measure

[Ananda]

Got back into just doing 3 to 4\\5 minutes only in the morning for a few days now and things seem quieter. Hope i won't have to let go of DM entirely again.

Love,
Ananda