Hello guys, i'm glad to have found you and the clear criticism on the AYP system. It always felt something was missing. Recently I experienced a kundalini overload as result of storing too much energy in my brain during a tantric intercourse practice, it left full with energy but very very grumpy. Luckily there were a view qi-gong books in the bookshelf and doing the microcosmic breathing in a tree pose helped a lot. From this moment I stepped away from AYP and found you and i'm very happy to have found a forum were open discussions can be held without personal resentment . Please allow me to introduce myself and ask you for advice on finding a simple practice system. My name is Pieter-Bas Prins since the age of 12 I have been introduced to spiritual practices through the book "The Wisdom of the Enneagram" and experienced for the first time myself and the world through the "Witness state". After a while it felt like i could turn on/off the "Witness state" like a switch. However after half a year i totally forgot about spiritual practices again until much later. My mother introduced me to the lovely poetry of Rumi and the Sufi movement in The Netherlands which summer retreats will always hold dear memories in my heart as well as Vilayat Inayat Khan and the name he gave to me Chadash. After lower school I was not sure what to do in live after finally going to University to study Clinical Psychology and the master Developmental Psychology. It the moment there are four passions in my life: (1) the lovely 3 year relationship with my current girlfriend. (2) helping others achieve psychological autonomy, a passionate life and joy. (3) Promoting self-sustainable living, in the sense of generating ones own food, energy and reducing ones ecological food print, for reasons of living an autonomous life in every sense and to be aware of the whole cycle of life and the consequences of ones actions. (4) Bringing healing and joy to the people around me, currently taken the form of preparing tea ceremonies combined with delicacies and mindfulness practices. For the past 4 years I have been practicing according to the AYP system, with slight adjustments. I engaged in 3 hours of deep meditation and spinal breathing a day. I focused heavily on having a mindful state of mind throughout the whole day as to observe all occurring vibrations, emotions and thoughts objectively and to reformulate the opinions i have given them. Starting with the enjoyment of cold showers and enjoying the rain (very necessary in The Netherlands ). This led to the most profound experiences I have ever had in my life. Taking cold showers and walking in the rain became blissful experiences, it became very easy and natural to communicate with others through the hearth with love and empathy, i became filled with tremendous amounts of energy and loving feelings radiating from my hearth trough my whole body and finally I was able to enter "The witness state" again like turning a switch on/off. My live was filled with bliss and unrequited love for all things... Until I could not relate to the problems of my flat mates anymore. All struggles they complained about seemed meaningless, illusions that led to procrastination or barriers to prevent themselves from opening up to others. I could not enjoy playing video games, watching cinematic movies and only some tv-shows (without American drama). It all felt so unnatural and unrelatable, barriers and excuses that stop us from accepting reality, afraid... I stopped practicing (i'm very regretful until this day...). Half a year ago i started practicing again. Back from the start but with a great longing to what i once experienced.. I tremendously enjoyed being filled by love, bliss, perceiving the once negative stimulation in life cold, rain, etc. with joy and to drift away on blissful vibrations in deep meditation. Unrequited love is still there, not overwhelming hearth warming and ever present but a conscious choice. However i would like to learn a lot more about Chi and healing energies. However the Qi-gong books i posses are very complicated with a million different exercises. Do you know of a system with simply and clear instruction building up like the AYP system around a few basic, simple core practices added on with healing practices. That can be combined with concentration meditation to develop stillness, blissful vibrations and a mindfulness state of mind. Simplicity is key as I would like to further research these practices in Clinical and developmental psychology settings. The current mindfulness based therapies are only suitable for a very limited group of people and are plagued with a great number of drop-outs and unwillingness to participate in daily meditation at home for the course of the therapy but however show great benefits for those who do. Thank you so much for the time it took to read this and, in advance, for the advice you have given. Warm regards and bliss to you, Edit: I'll be trying "Cobra Breath, Kundalini practices!" by Seth Ananda for some time. Does anyone know of a sample healing or standing chi manipulation practice I could combine with this?
