Advanced Yoga Practices

[Guest guest]

Summary of principles, abilities, and practices

by " yogani99 " <yogani99

 

(4 June 2004)

 

We have covered a large amount of information over the past six

months, and now we have come to the point where all of the main

advanced yoga practices have been shared. Does this mean there is

nothing else to add in the way of practices? I don't think we could

ever get to that stage, because yoga is a vast subject with

innumerable details that we could discuss indefinitely. There are

many supporting and incidental practices we can get into. Maybe we

will as the discussion continues. But the primary ones have been

covered already here in the main lessons and in the tantra group.

Using the advanced yoga practices given so far, so much purification

and opening deep in the nervous system can be achieved that

everything else that is necessary for enlightenment will come

automatically through the connectedness of yoga.

 

That is the goal in these lessons -- to provide the essential means

to stimulate the nervous system to purify and open itself, which it

is very inclined to do when given the opportunity. Once the ball gets

rolling, many aspects of our natural inclination toward human

spiritual transformation will kick in. The goal here is to assist you

in becoming self-sufficient in yoga like that.

 

Way back in the beginning of the lessons, we talked about natural

abilities contained within all of us that only need some stimulation

to move us toward conscious inner openings to the infinite. These

abilities are rooted in several fundamental principles that are

inherent in our nervous system. We are all designed and built to

experience unending divine ecstatic bliss!

 

In this lesson we will review the fundamental principles, the natural

abilities that stem from them, and the practices that have been given

that stimulate these natural abilities. The essence of yoga science

is discovering and applying the simplest and most powerful means for

leveraging the natural abilities we have to hasten our spiritual

transformation. That is what these lessons have been aiming to do.

 

The fundamental principles of human spiritual transformation are

simple enough, and we have touched on them often in the lessons,

discussing from many different angles. There are five of them:

 

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

 

1. Attraction - To truth and/or God, expressed as desire - It is Love.

 

2. Purification and opening - A process every human nervous system is

naturally inclined to go through.

 

3. Inner silence - Pure bliss consciousness, our native state that

shines though our nervous system as purification and opening occur.

 

4. Ecstasy - Experienced when our nervous system is stimulated by the

awakening our inner life-force.

 

5. Union - our transformation to a permanent state of compassionate

unity, the fruition of the merging of our inner silence and ecstasy -

It is Love.

 

These fundamental principles of enlightenment begin with love and end

with love. It is love that leads us through human spiritual

transformation involving the purification and opening of our nervous

system, which reveals the principles of inner silence and ecstatic

conductivity in us, and their merging. To accomplish this, love

employs the methods of yoga, which take advantage of natural

abilities we all have that are associated with the five fundamental

principles. Let's list those abilities now:

 

NATURAL ABILITIES

 

1. The ability that desire, consistently applied toward an objective,

has to move our inner and outer expressions of energy (life-force) in

ways that fundamentally change our experience of life.

 

2. The ability our mind has to move naturally toward stillness. This

is awareness without any objects - also called inner silence, or pure

bliss consciousness.

 

3. The ability of the mind to effortlessly refine the thought of a

sound, naturally bringing the mind to stillness over and over again.

Certain sounds resonate with certain aspects of our nervous system.

These sounds can be used selectively to stimulate the nervous system

toward an orderly transformation.

 

4. The mind-body connection that enables naturally cultivated

stillness of mind to induce stillness of our body, metabolism, and

breath. This is the connectedness of yoga, experienced in many ways

through our opening nervous system.

 

5. The ability of our nervous system to naturally sustain the quality

of stillness, our silent blissful inner consciousness, even when it

is not being cultivated. This is called a state of " silent

witnessing, " among other things.

 

6. The ability of restraint and regulation of breath to influence the

flow of life-force in the nervous system, producing a sensation of

relaxation and, ultimately, feelings of ecstasy in the body.

 

7. The ability of inner silence and the flow of life-force in the

body to remove obstructions lodged deep in our nervous system,

purifying and opening our awareness gradually to an expanding

experience of inner peace, creative energy, happiness, and love.

 

8. The ability of restraint and regulation of breath to " awaken " the

vast storehouse of life-force located in our pelvic region -- sexual

energy that is drawn upward in our nervous system to compensate for a

reduced intake of oxygen when the breath is gently restrained.

 

9. The ability of attention to influence the flow of the life-force

in the body, especially when combined with restraint and regulation

of breath.

 

10. The ability of certain nerves and nerve plexuses to be stimulated

physically to enhance and direct the flow of life-force in the body.

 

11. The ability of the neuro-biology in the center and front of the

head (the third eye) to connect with and direct (control) the neuro-

biology near the base of the spine and the vast storehouse of life-

force (sexual energy) in that region.

 

12. The ability of the nerve in the center of the spine to conduct

the life-force and ecstatic energy between the pelvic region and the

third eye. This is called the spinal nerve.

 

13. The ability of the spinal nerve to radiate life-force and

ecstatic energy throughout the entire body, enlivening every aspect

of the higher neuro-biology within us in a smooth and orderly way.

This is the rise of permanent ecstatic conductivity.

 

14. The ability of the nervous system to amplify the power of a

thought when the thought is initiated deep in inner silence, yielding

great purifying effects in the body and surrounding environment.

 

15. The ability of inner silence and ecstatic energy to merge and be

sustained as one self-conscious presence in our nervous system. This

is experienced as ecstatic bliss. This we come to know as the

expression of our Self.

 

16. The ability of ecstatic bliss to flow out from us to our

surroundings as divine love. Then we find our Self in the form of all

we encounter. This is the natural flowering of divine love in service

to all beings.

 

All of these abilities exist in us, and only need some nudging to

begin to manifest changes in how our nervous system is functioning.

With the full range of advanced yoga practices, we can do a lot of

nudging, stimulating every natural ability we have that can move us

along the path of human spiritual transformation.

 

Everyone reacts a little differently to the processes of stimulation

through yoga practices, due to the differences we each have in the

structure of inner obstructions that are to be steadily and safely

dissolved. We all can make the journey of transformation through

yoga. It is only a matter of managing the conduct of our practices.

This we call, " self-pacing. "

 

We have built up an integrated system of practices that stimulate the

activation of the abilities listed above, bringing to our conscious

experience the fulfillment of the five fundamental principles.

 

Let's now list the practices for review.

 

PRACTICES

 

1. Cultivation of desire for practices - bhakti (love of truth and/or

God in the heart). Bhakti/desire is the engine that drives all yoga

practices. We accomplish it by favoring a chosen high ideal (ishta)

with all of our desires and emotions, whether they are positive or

negative. In this way, a huge momentum driving us toward

enlightenment is created within us and around us. Then everything we

need to progress on our journey is drawn to us magnetically,

including the willpower to engage in daily advanced yoga practices

for as long as it takes to complete our journey.

 

2. Deep meditation with the mantra " I AM " (plus two mantra

enhancements along the way). Meditation involves easily favoring the

mantra to bring the mind (and body) to stillness over and over again

twice daily, stimulating deep purification in our nervous system, and

yielding permanent inner blissful silence.

 

3. Spinal breathing pranayama - the primary practice for awakening

and balancing the life-force in the spinal nerve between the third

eye and root. The life-force is also called kundalini.

 

4. Enhancements to spinal breathing using throat opening on

inhalation, restricted epiglottis during exhalation, and tracing

ascending cool currents and descending warm currents in the spinal

nerve during inhalation and exhalation. These enhancements increase

stimulation of the life-force in the spinal nerve.

 

5. Mulabandha/asvini - manipulations using the anal sphincter muscle

to awaken the life-force (kundalini) at the root.

 

6. Sambhavi - a means for producing direct physical stimulation of

the neurological mechanisms of the third eye in the head, involving

raising and centering of the eyes toward the point between the

eyebrows, and slightly furrowing the brow. Controlled and stable

stimulation of kundalini at the root and throughout the nervous

system is achieved in this way.

 

7. Asanas (postures) - systematic bending and stretching of the body

that is a natural complement to spinal breathing pranayama and deep

meditation. Asanas help cultivate and purify the nervous system.

 

8. Siddhasana - a powerful way of sitting during practices for

awakening kundalini at the root. The heel is placed firmly at the

perineum, and constant stimulation of sexual energy is achieved. Over

time, the entire nervous system is illuminated by this procedure,

performed effortlessly during all sitting advanced yoga practices.

 

9. Yoni mudra kumbhaka - a practice that helps open the third eye

with air pressure in the nasal passages and sinuses, and awakens the

life-force/kundalini in the entire nervous system through kumbhaka

(breath retention) and associated mudras and bandhas.

 

10. Tantric sexual relations (the holdback method) - similar to the

dynamics of siddhasana and used during sexual relations with or

without a partner. Tantric sex is a powerful way to enliven and

distribute the life-force (kundalini) throughout the body.

 

11. Kechari mudra (four stages) - raising the tongue upward in stages

to (1) the roof of the mouth, (2) above the soft palate to the

spiritually erogenous edge of the nasal septum, (3) to the top of the

nasal pharynx cavity, and (4) to the point between the eyebrows

through the spiritually sensitive nasal passages. Entering stage 2

kechari is one of the most dramatic transitions in all advanced yoga

practices. It is a primary stimulator of kundalini, and a major cause

of the rise of permanent ecstatic conductivity in the nervous

system.

 

12. Uddiyana bandha and nauli - stimulating the upward movement of

kundalini using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. Nauli involves

twirling the abdominal muscles, and is highly stimulating to

kundalini.

 

13. Dynamic jalandhara (chin pump), with or without kumbhaka (breath

retention). This is rotating the head while systematically dropping

it toward the chest with each rotation, stimulating ecstatic energies

between the heart and head, and throughout the body.

 

14. Samyama - the process of initiating and releasing particular

thoughts (sutras) deep within our inner silence, producing powerful

purifying effects throughout the nervous system. The effects can

manifest as so-called supernormal powers, which are called siddhis.

Samyama is done for spiritual purification.

 

15. Spinal bastrika - rapid breathing in the spinal nerve between the

third eye and root, which dramatically accelerates the purification

of the spinal nerve, and the entire nervous system.

 

16. Targeted bastrika - for the third eye, throat, heart, abdomen, or

pelvic/root area. This rapid breathing method is for focusing on and

clearing out stubborn karmic obstructions lodged in particular areas

of our spiritual anatomy, as needed.

 

17. Crown to root bastrika - This is also rapid breathing in the

spinal nerve, going between the crown flower cup and root. It is best

undertaken only after extensive purification of the nervous system

has been achieved through third eye to root spinal breathing, deep

meditation, and other methods that cleanse the nervous system of

karmic obstructions in a smooth and progressive manner. Premature

opening of the crown can lead to much difficulty, discomfort, and

distraction on the path, so this advanced practice is best undertaken

only when tests of stability have been succesfully conducted at the

crown.

 

18. Loving service to others - a conscious practice, and a natural

result of the increasing outward flow of divine love resulting from

the purification and opening of the nervous system produced by

advanced yoga practices. This is our natural state of being - an

endless overflowing of ecstatic bliss and divine love. Nothing on

this earth, or beyond, is more real or more powerful than this great

truth that is inherent in every one of us. The reality of divine love

is the ultimate truth in us. As we become advanced in yoga, this

becomes crystal clear. For some it is known right from the very first

sitting in deep meditation.

 

This lesson has been to summarize all that we have covered so far,

including the fundamental principles of human spiritual

transformation, the natural abilities we have within us that bring

about our transformation, and the key advanced yoga practices that

stimulate our natural abilities into action.

 

With a twice-daily routine of practices, we place ourselves on

a " fast track " to enlightenment. It is potentially so fast that it is

essential that we develop skill in regulating the practices we are

doing each day, measuring each practice by the clock. We adjust

practice times as necessary to maintain smooth and steady progress

without incurring excessive discomfort due to too many obstructions

being released in our nervous system.

 

This regulation of practices is called " self-pacing, " and it too is a

practice - one of the most important practices. For, without good

self-pacing, we are not likely to get very far on the road to

enlightenment.

 

Another aspect of advanced yoga practices is the prudent handing of

experiences, whether they are mundane or extreme. This is a path of

enjoyment, and we are entitled to enjoy the " scenery " we encounter on

our journey to enlightenment. However, the scenery is not what will

advance us on our path, It is our practices that will move us ahead.

So, after an admiring look at the passing scenery, no matter how

beautiful or attention-grabbing it may be, we easily go back to the

practice we are doing. If spiritual experiences come while we are in

our daily activities, as they certainly shall, we then can continue

to enjoy the experiences, or go back to whatever it is we are doing.

 

We always have a choice. Spiritual life is not something that must be

hijacking us from ordinary life. If it is, we have probably engaged

in some kind of excess in the past, and a stable routine of practices

can correct this. Spiritual life is something that can be cultivated

to fulfill our daily activities in everyday life, whatever they may

be. We are free to live our rising spiritual experiences in a way

that is compatible with our needs. It is our life, our journey, and

our enlightenment. We have no one to become but our Self.

 

Enjoy!

 

The guru is in you.