Ajna activated during the day?

[The_seeker]

Hi,

I've been practicing only basic SBP, DM. However, during my SBP the brow region seems to get activated quite easly (tingling, pleasurable feelings in the mentioned area,etc.)and that, without doing mulabandha or Sambhavi.
These symptoms seem to be present even in my meditation (of course, I enjoy them, but I easily go back to my mantra. Relaxing everything by easly favoring my mantra seems to enhance my pleasure in the brow area).
Anyway, my question is in relation to the period after practices.
Hours after my practice, this brow region keeps being activated, a flow of pleasurable feelings being present in my being, but especially in this brow area.
I don't know, should I force myself come out of this euphoria, eventually by doing physical exercices or should I just let myself go and simply enjoy the feelings?

Thank you

[CarsonZi]

Hi The Seeker[]

Ever since I started with the AYP system my experience seems to be pretty similar to yours....I would recommend trying "Solar Enhancement" with your Deep Meditation....The lesson for this enhancement is here:  http://www.aypsite.com/plus/368.html

For myself, ever since adding Solar Enhancement things have seemed to "level out" a bit in the brow region....I would suspect that you perhaps unconsciously have the mantra located at the Third Eye chakra, as I did, and that by lowering the mantra to the Manipura chakra (solar plexus) things will smooth out.

No need to try and "force" anything, (especially not force trying to end your euphoria) but I would suggest trying the Solar Enhancement which may help to bring the ecstatic feelings down into the lower chakras, balancing things out a bit....it did for me anyways.

Hope this helps a bit.

Love.

[The_seeker]

Thank you CarsonZi,

Probably you are right, it would be a good thing to try locating the mantra to solar plexus. The only thing I'm afraid of is that, while trying physically to locate the mantra somewhere I'll probably divide the mind as well, braking/blocking the natural flow of consciousness towards deeper levels.
I don't know, lately ajna started to get activated during the day. Without mantra or anything, just trying to relax during the day (let my thoughts come and go without trying to analize them)and the brow region becomes active, waves of pleasurable sensations being felt in my whole being.
What is interesting is that I have no thoughts at that time, only pleasurable feelings, even if I try to focus on something (e.g. lecture, etc.) it is difficult because my being wants just to let go, seeking to deepen that euphoric experience (it is very addictive:)
If Yogani or other knowledgeable people could give me an advice, it would be greatly appreciated, because I really think to cut the sbp out of my sadhana.

Thank you one more time CarsonZi for your advice, I'll probably try the solar enhancement as well...we'll see

[CarsonZi]

Hi The Seeker[]

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

Probably you are right, it would be a good thing to try locating the mantra to solar plexus. The only thing I'm afraid of is that, while trying physically to locate the mantra somewhere I'll probably divide the mind as well, braking/blocking the natural flow of consciousness towards deeper levels.

At first, as with any new practice, the solar enhancement may feel a little "clunky" and you may feel like you are dividing the focus of the mind.  But with time and practice, locating the mantra at the solar plexus will become second nature....it will happen automatically.

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

I don't know, lately ajna started to get activated during the day. Without mantra or anything, just trying to relax during the day (let my thoughts come and go without trying to analize them)and the brow region becomes active, waves of pleasurable sensations being felt in my whole being.

Yup.  Wasn't trying to indicate before that this would only happen during your meditation period.  This happens to me all the time (ajna activation during the day with no mantra).  I'll often have the "spinning air tunnel through the head" sensation at the Third Eye even when just reading the forum, or eating some lunch, or during any activity.  I really think that adding the solar enhancement will help to smooth things out for you...it really did for me, and your experiences sound very similar to mine.

Can I ask if you are practicing Sambhavi mudra during your practices?  If so, you may want to consider leaving this out for a bit.  The extra ajna stimulation occuring with sambhavi can intensify these feelings IME.  Once I became stable with the solar enhancement I was able to add sambhavi back into my rountine, but for a while before this I had to cut it out due to the constant (and even borderline uncomfortable at times) sensations.  I was having periods where it felt like my forehead was burning and I was often checking in the mirror to see if I had red marks on my forehead (which on occassion there were).

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

What is interesting is that I have no thoughts at that time, only pleasurable feelings, even if I try to focus on something (e.g. lecture, etc.) it is difficult because my being wants just to let go, seeking to deepen that euphoric experience (it is very addictive:)

This indicates some imbalance IMO.  There needs to be a balance between spiritual practice and daily activity.  If your spiritual practice is pulling you out of/away from daily activity, then you need to back off on some spiritual practice and spend some extra time grounding yourself in daily activity (again, IMO).

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

If Yogani or other knowledgeable people could give me an advice, it would be greatly appreciated, because I really think to cut the sbp out of my sadhana.

I wouldn't suggest cutting out Spinal Breathing Pranayama.  I think that SBP will help to balance you, especially if you are unconsciously locating the mantra at the third eye during meditation.  Cutting it out may even make things worse.  I wouldn't engage in yoni mudra kumbhaka or sambhavi mudra (if you are) for a while (nothing that is directly stimulating the ajna), and I would try adding in the solar enhancement to try and pull some of the upper chakra energy down into the lower chakras.  And again, I think spending at least a few minutes doing SBP is probably a good thing, not a bad thing.

Just one man's advice....some food for thought.

Love.

[The_seeker]

Hi CarsonZi and thank you for your prompt response.
It's funny, this sounds very familiar to me : "sensation at the Third Eye even when just reading the forum, or eating some lunch, or during any activity, etc.")
As I mentioned in my previous message, my ajna region gets stimulated without doing any effort, it's like, without any intention my attention is being sucked in the third eye (it is not an uncomfortable sensation, on the contrary, it is very pleasant )
To answer your question, no, I don't practice Sambhavi mudra.
I've tried it a couple of times after learning sbp, but I stopped it because, quite sortly after, my third eye started to get stimulated pretty intensely. Actually I think that was the trigger in all this ajna matter.
Probably I'm too dramatic without any reason, because, actually it's nothing uncomfortable. It's just... I think, being, continuously in such a state it is not the best thing/balance.
I've been practicing nadi sodhana, transcendental meditation (the technique is the same as the one from ayp)and samyama for several years and I'm thinking probably that's the reason of my sensitivity...who knows.
When I mentioned that I'd probably cut out my sbp, I was actually thinking that in all these years of meditation (tm), samyama and the simple nadi sodhana I've never experienced unbalance (such strong sensations located in a very specific area).
It's clear for me that sbp is a very powerful technique, I just don't know if I'm ready for it[]
I'm gonna start by doing solar enhacement as advised, because I really started to love this pranayama technique (sbp)
Thank you Carson Zi for your kind advice.

P.S.
I can't believe how lucky we are having this ayp site.

[Emil]

Hi Seeker,
Having meditated and practiced Samyama for couple of years says very loudly, you are ready for sbp. What is probably happening here is, the depth of your meditation/Samyama is supercharging your SBP as Yogani says these two practices (in particular and all yoga practices in general) intensify the effect of one another. Which means if you're meditation is very deep your 10 min pranayama is gonna be more effective. I'd suggest you to keep practicing SBP with moderation. If you can do 2 minutes without symptoms that's the right amount for you right now.

Just remember that when you add SBP to Nadi Sodhana the effects add up. Let's say you were doing 10 mins of Nadi Sodhana (I think that's what TM movmenet recommends) Now if you add 10 mins of SBP to that, it will be huge. I personally try to keep the total time spend on all Pranayama practices under/on 10 minutes because more than that is just not required (for me and for most people)

[CarsonZi]

Hi The Seeker[]

Are you actively partaking of some grounding activities during the day?  Are you taking some time everyday to walk or do other activities that will help pull the energy out of the upper chakras and into the lower ones?  If not, this will likely help things somewhat.  Walking is the best (IMO), but swimming, cycling, sports etc could all help as well.  Anything that requires some physical activity and is connecting you with the Earth is likely going to help you.  Grounding, solar enhancement and a couple minutes per session of SBP will likely be a great help to you.  

Also, I totally agree with Emil....if you are combining Nadi Shodhana and SBP in the same session you need to be careful that you aren't overdoing it.  10 minutes max for pranayam total and nothing that puts undo focus on the Third Eye (would be my suggestion).  Acupuncture might help too.

Love.

[The_seeker]

Thank you Emil and Carson Zi,

Probably you are right Emil, moderation in pranayama practices would be a very good advice to follow. I'll try to keep my Nadi Sodhana & SBP within 5-10 min.
CarsonZi, with respect to your advice regarding the solar enhancement I came to a conclusion.  It is interesting, during the meditation when my ajna is less present, when it doesn't "magnetize" my attention to much to the brow, my mantra flows naturally towards deeper levels, somewhere to the center of my being (this center is subjective, it's like the core of myself...physically? I don't know, maby solar plexus, heart, navel area, but deep inside, like into a great abyss without an end. It's quite intense, because the deeper you go everyting becomes quieter and more appealing)... and this happens without focusing on a specific physical area in the body.
CarsonZi, when I read your comment about sports/grounding, I realized something. I've been a very active person for my whole life, cardio, martial arts, etc. Lately, because of an injury to my right knee (and probably the growing interest in spiritual practices[]), I've kinda left behind my usual physical training.
It surely could be a reason for the unbalance. Conclusion : the balance is everyting, even in beautiful things, like trying to know God.

Thank you guys

P.S.
CarsonZi, what does "IMO" mean? Forget my ignorance[]

[CarsonZi]

Hi The Seeker....

IMO is an acronym for "in my opinion".

Love.

[Emil]

Hi Seeker,
I was just reading Carson's comment and something came to my mind. This is just a guess but might be worthwhile checking it with Yogani and other guys if your symptoms become more serious. Given that the energy comes from Kundalini which is supposed to be closer to lower chakras, if you have too much energy in upper chakras to me that could only mean your Sushumna is more open upwards than downwards. I think up to a certain time on the journey, the upward and downward paths are separate. I would check it with Yogani to see if it's worth following the sushumna downwards on exhale without following it upwards on inhale (for some time) or at least put more emphasis on the downwards movement to clear the downwards path. Then when things sattle down you can do the full cycle again. These are all just my guess work.

The other option of course would be to continue doing full SBP as much as you can for a few minutes everyday until your body/consciousness naturally creates the balance

[The_seeker]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I did some dynamic workout and during my sadhana I skipped SBP. I did only 2 ninutes of Nadi Sodhana, DM and Samyama.
It made a difference, I feel more grounded and no sign of my "omnipresent ajna"[]
However, I don't intend to renounce to SBP which has proved how powerful can be. I'm gonna start introducing it in my today's practice for 1-2 minutes.
I'll let you know how it works.
Carson, you were suggestioning in your post "trying pulling the energy out of the upper chakras and into the lower ones".
Why that ? I thought, the purpose is to bring the energy (kundalini) to the upper chakras.
Second question : I know it's not funny to be in your third eye 24/24, but how it will open if we don't allow it to play with the energy freely.
I don't understand where is the danger in letting the energy up there. I'm just trying to understand how things work, excuse my ignorance.
Emil, your suggestion : "to continue doing full SBP as much as I can for a few minutes everyday until my body/consciousness naturally creates the balance" is very tempting, I'm just not enough brave to challange Shakti at this point

[CarsonZi]

Hi The Seeker

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

Carson, you were suggestioning in your post "trying pulling the energy out of the upper chakras and into the lower ones".
Why that ? I thought, the purpose is to bring the energy (kundalini) to the upper chakras.

I wasn't suggesting that you "try" to pull the energy out of the upper chakras, I was saying that by using the Solar Enhancement procedure this will occur.  And the reason for doing this is to create balance.  Kundalini will go where it goes....the best thing you can do is cleanse the nervous system and create an open pathway for the kundalini to take.  If the lower chakras are not purified enough you may get some pretty crazy kundalini symptoms as it bounces off obstructions in the lower chakras as it heads towards the upper ones.

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

Second question : I know it's not funny to be in your third eye 24/24, but how it will open if we don't allow it to play with the energy freely.

It sounds like your third eye is already open or opening.  In my experience, extra focus on the third eye (when you are having symptoms like what you are describing) will not help you stay balanced.  
 

quote:Originally posted by The_seeker

I don't understand where is the danger in letting the energy up there. I'm just trying to understand how things work, excuse my ignorance.

There may not be any danger.  But in my experience, excessive energy in the head can be/become uncomfortable in several ways.  I went through a two week migraine at one point as symptoms progressively got stronger, I couldn't use sambhavi at all or "the visions" would start making it very difficult to meditate, and there were several other symptoms as well.  This may not happen for you, or it may...only time will tell.  Just figured that if your experience is anything like mine, you may want to consider trying to locate the mantra in the Solar Plexus and find some good grounding exercises to potentially save yourself some uncomfortable symptoms.

Love.

[The_seeker]

Thank you Carson