A Question about Visualizing the Sushumna

[schtroumpsolis]

hi emil
what's the point to have cultivate bliss if we can have a good sense of humor and laugh.

[x.j.]

I would like to respond to this discussion too. In my experience, spinal breathing usually is a "felt" experience and has never been a visual experience. There is a pronounced experience of prana flowing from root up to the head on inhaling, and a flow of energy back down from head to root on exhalation. In fact, I have concluded that this flow occur continually with each breath, but we just don't usually notice it.  Because, it is often present in awareness whether in formal meditation or just any old time. It is quite nice. It is associated with movement at the heart center which will throb, and crown activity also of a throbbing enjoyable sensation. It is enhanced by ancient mantra practices, and by pranayama.
Whether some people experience some vision of sushumna is beyond me to say, but definitely not my experience which is more a felt sensation. Just one yogi's experience to report, that's all.

[CarsonZi]

Hello X.J.

What you describe is how it started for me as well.  But at a certain point it changed to me being able to "see" the sushumna in my mind's eye.  What really helped me make the transition from just feeling it to actually seeing it, was visualizing myself while doing SBP as an all black outline.  Basically visualize myself as having no substance just a shape of pure blackness.  Then as I traced my breath up and down the "spine" of my silouette (sp?) I got a "flash" of the sushumna.  It was a golden colored tube that I could actually SEE within my black, outlined body.  It was at first just a visualization "technique" which really helped me to stay focussed on the sushumna, but soon it turned itself into a palpable part of me.  I no longer have to use the "black body" technique, and can see my sushumna normally now.  I don't know if anyone else has tried this, or if it would even work for someone else if they did, but it worked for me and really helped to push me right through that "clunky" stage we all have to go through when starting SBP.  Hope this helps!

In Love,
CarsonZi

[Jo-self]

CarsonZi:

Interesting experience.  My son says he actually sees his body in a cocoon of light and the spinal tube in it.   I wonder if there would be any advantages to some members posting some images or drawings, to give us future visualizers some idea of what they see.  My practice so far is more of a feeling of energy between top and bottom, also lighting bolts in the sky of mind.

Jo-Self

[CarsonZi]

Hi Jo-Self, (nice name by the way[] I dig)

I personally think that the way it (seeing the sushumna) happens for one person, will be different for most practitioners (at least up to a certain level of yogic attainment anyways) and I doubt that anyone else's experiences would be able to truely influence another's.  But having said that, I also think that we stumble across certain things or ideas or drawings or whatever for certain reasons.  Fate as some would say.  For me, I actually "came across" the idea of the "shadow-body" through another person on the forum's posting, but not stated as such.  Their posting pushed me to think about things in a different way and the idea of trying the "shadow body" technique just popped into my head.  And when I tried it in my next meditation it was like I had made a huge breakthrough.  And it has stayed with me up to this day.  BUT what created a breakthrough for me, I doubt will create a breakthrough for another.  We all have to find our own paths, and breakthroughs will happen because of different things for different people.  The idea of creating drawings is nice, but I think Alex Gray has done about as good of a job as anyone could ever hope to do there.  And they may help one person and not help another.  We all have to find our own way.  Just have to be open to everything around us and let go and let God.  Don't worry about it being an energy thing only either....I don't think visualizing the sushumna is a prerequisite for Self/God realization[]

In Love,
CarsonZi[^]

[Jo-self]

CarsonZi:

Yup, I think you have a very correct view on this topic.  Thanks.  I will continue my current practice until something says otherwise.

---
jo-self