Cobra Breath, Kundalini practices!

[Seth Ananda]

Some people have been following this in Alwaysons thread, and seem to be getting something out of it, So I thought I should give Cobra breath and the other great Kundalini processes their own Thread.

 

Its always annoyed me that Cobra breath is not available online [at least anywhere I can find] for free, so here it is, and when I say 'it' I am really saying I have had the pleasure of Learning several versions all with slight variations and only some 'under oath' so to speak so here goes... [my favourite and the version I teach, which is not breaking any Oath or some company's tm sticker lol]

 

 

 

Inhale, ujay or that slight rasping restricted epiglottis, darth vader breath:

 

Mind - at beginning of inhale start at tip of Tail bone, move mind during Inhale up the back of your spine [towards the skin] over the head, [just under the skull on top of the brain] and finish Inhale at Brow centre.

 

Body - at start of Inhale squeez pc [moolabhanda][and hold till exhale], when the energy passes abdomen draw in stomach muscles[udiyanabhanda] {navel toward spine} [hold till exhale], when energy reaches skull, pull chin towards chest [jalnabhanda] put tongue back into soft palate [kechari mudra], point eyes up and in at ajna, and focus there, take an extra sniff of air [to be full] and focus and hold without strain.

 

Exhale, ssss kind of soft serpent noise, so obviously your tongue moves forward.

 

Mind - At start of exhale, it passes from brow, in along the underside of the brain to brainstem, and over the rest of the exhale it passes down the smooth front side of the spine [towards the organs] and ends with the exhale at the tip of the spine.

 

Body - just before you start the exhale, tip your head slightly back opening the throat lock, then as soon as you start the exhale relax all the Bhanda's completly.

towards the end of the exhale, as the energy is sinking down, let your head return to a normal straight position on your shoulders.

 

 

You may notice thats its path is a bit like the MCO's but around the spine and brain instead. The front and back chanel of the spine are a 'secret' version of Ida and Pingala.

 

 

Its a lot to get at once at first.

Try remembering 'Inhale 123'

The 123 are the locks in succession over the course of the Inhale. 1Base, 2stomach, 3neck/tounge

And the whole thing should be done in a gentle way, without tension, or relaxed as possible.

 

 

Saftey is recomended. At least at first do not do more that 20 - 30 breaths a session [unless you really feel you should, lol] while you are getting used to it.

 

Once you are used to it, you can add devotional mantra's or visualisations, especially as you come to a point where your relaxation lets you hold your breath [easily] for a long time.

 

Students usually start with brow center as the focus, but the crown is Introduced later. The 3rd eye gets used to connect to specific deity's or Guru's, or to create worldly events by visualising them strongly.

The Crown gets used to merge with the One.

 

 

Any way I hope you enjoy it

Seth.

[Seth Ananda]

Cobra breath moves in the front and back chanel of the spine, which are more 'secret' versions of Ida and Pingala.

The next part is to move deeper into the spine, Into shushumna, Kundalinis channel.

It goes with OM NAMAH SHIVAYA which some may know is an elemental purifier. This entire process except at the Tip of spine, happens withinin the hollow juicy part of the spine and brain.

It Basicly breaks OM NAMAH SHIVIYA up into its syllables, and mentally sounds them at the chakra points, going up and then down and so on...
Deep full breaths please mentally sounding the mantra for the entire period of focus [the limit of the breath]

OM... - mid brain - exhale

NA... - coccyx - Inhale

MA... - sacrum - exhale

SHI... - behind navel - inhale

VAI... - back of heart - exhale

YA... - throat, mid way between cv7 and atlas - Inhale

OM... - mid brain- Exhale


Just keep going, And so on...



This is amazing, especially if you have a fondness for this mantra. Your spine will begin to glow! Use after some good cobra breaths.

Respek!

Edited March 12, 2013 by Seth Ananda

[Seth Ananda]

Shaking practice. This is the ULTIMATE manager of K when/if things start getting hairy. It also vastly enhances the possibility K will rise, the longer you go.

If possible use awesome inspiring music that travels through many 'terains' or atmosphere's of feeling.

 

My Loose guidelines are:

 

Follow your self. getting puffed means slow down [but not always]

 

Try not to get stuck in movement patterns. If you notice that you are moving in a pattern test the edges by introducing a new movement, but be aware as the pattern may be what you really want or need to do, and if so just go back to it. Follow yourself.

 

You do not need to be extreme, [unless you really need to] as mad flailing may pull muscles if you are not sufficiently warmed up and will probably tire you quickly. Often gentler shaking over much longer will penetrate far deeper than one short massive burst.

 

Keep it fun but stay authentic. Occasionally it may not be fun, so enjoy as much as you can. It keeps you motivated to do it again.

 

It is not all literally shaking, its also wobbling, sensuous undulating, wwavverring, pulsing, throbing, sexual, chaotic, still, flowing... Follow yourself.

 

Keep making sound as much as possible, even if its just a mild humming. Sound is like a speaker attached to your feelings. Express the tones of boredom, exhilaration, rage, joy, Insanity... Unless you really feel to be quite. Follow your self.

 

Blessings on your process!

Seth

[Seth Ananda]

Sensual Intergration [my name for it]

 

Lite pelvic rocking or circulating, while focusing on sexual/sensual second chakra region feelings. Yum. The movements can be a bit exaggerated or slow down to barley perceptible, as long as you move in a way that 'connects' to, or activates 'those' feelings.

Sounding any pleasurable sensation is crucial, even if it is only sub-audible. "mmm, ooh, aaah, gurgle!" lol!

 

As you do this, soften any holding you find, especially noticing the front of the body and keeping it soft.

Let your body Undulate.

This is to Increase your 'pleasure conductivity' and thus melt any body armouring you may have.

 

As always, follow your self with this exersize.

 

I usually do this as the second half of my shaking/spontaneous movement session.

[Seth Ananda]

Another very Important Saftey valve for K, is developing strong Spiritual aspirations.

When you contemplate or meditate upon the Oneness, Divinity, the light... it stimulates the crown centre. When K activates, sometimes just Contemplating divinity is enough keep K 'on track' so to speak. This is where Bhakti Yoga is Incredibly useful. However you like to meditate on The One is good.

Many people who have K problems were atheists or non spiritual, or just religious 'believers' [ooh, disgusting! lol] with no real activation or presence in their Crown chakra. Kundalini wants to go 'up' but an active Crown helps draw it up.

 

 

To me a great meditation set would follow:

 

1. A shaking session, To remove blocks and Liberate energy.

 

2. Sensual integration, [gentle pelvic rocking and body undulations with soft voiced pleasure sounds, to increase pleasure conductivity and activate second chakra.]

 

3. Cobra breath, to start energy circulation and balance Ida & Pingala.

 

4. Om Namah Shivaya syllable/chakra meditation or something similar within shushumna itself

 

5. Sit contemplating Oneness, and surrender in Total, and whole-body/energy/mind let go, into it... Using the mantra 'OM SHIVA SVAHA!' to offer/return/let go, of anything that seems unnecessary or appropriate.

[Seth Ananda]

The practice of Surrender.

 

Once you feel the 'Light' or the 'One' really learn/practice letting go whole bodily into it.

The more you can allow Oneness access to your nervous system the more stresses, holdings and grasping traits, it will just Eliminate.

 

Meditate on the One being, set up rhythmic, deep but relaxed breathing, and just start surrendering everything to it.

If distractions or fears or blocks, on any level come up, then Offer them to the One.

OM SHIVA SVAHA is a tantric way of doing this. Its an Offering mantra, usually used in Puja ceremony's. Shiva will take your stuckness as you are able to let it go and return it to you as Bliss.

So Feel stuckness, breath in focusing your attention on it, breath out surrendering it, or using OM SHIVA SVAHA if that suits your philosophical outlook.

 

 

 

There, thats the 'essential' core Kundalini practices that I teach.

There are many other beneficial practices, and some which I will not teach online as they really are dangerous, buts that is a good solid Kundalini Sadhana with plenty of saftey valves..

 

Sat Chit Anand!

Seth Ananda.

 

P.S. If anyone is burning to share some cool K practices or insights, please do

and feel free to ask any questions

[Edward M]

Many Thanks Seth!!! great information/knowledge here!!

 

peace

 

Ed

[thelerner]

Great stuff. Its a shame to have it washed down the layers of posts. Perhaps you could get a section in the Personal section and it would be safe and easier to find there.

 

Or combine the posts into one and put it in the article section.

Edited April 6, 2011 by thelerner

[Seth Ananda]

Great stuff. Its a shame to have it washed down the layers of posts. Perhaps you could get a section in the Personal section and it would be safe and easier to find there.

 

Or combine the posts into one and put it in the article section.

thanks, but um, where is the article section?

[thelerner]

thanks, but um, where is the article section?

 

You know on top it says ' The Tao Bums> Tao Lounge> Taoist Discussion> Cobra Breath..

 

Click on 'The Tao Bums' that will take you to the bums 'Home' page. Scroll down, past the lobby, Taoist Discussion, Personal Discussion etc.. on the bottom is 'Contributed Articles'

 

Because its hard to find, threads move slowly there. They are much easier to find and track. I'd love to have teachers on this site have 'articles' there that explain there methods and philosophies.

 

Yours

 

Michael

Edited April 7, 2011 by thelerner

[Seth Ananda]

bumped for mike md

[Mokona]

Practices !

 

Finally, a worthwhile bunch o posts!

[gatito]

There, thats the 'essential' core Kundalini practices that I teach.

There are many other beneficial practices, and some which I will not teach online as they really are dangerous, buts that is a good solid Kundalini Sadhana with plenty of saftey valves..

 

Sat Chit Anand!

Seth Ananda.

 

P.S. If anyone is burning to share some cool K practices or insights, please do

and feel free to ask any questions

 

Namaste

 

A hypothetical question, if I may?

 

If I decided to give this a go I'm assuming that if I ran into any problems, you'd be happy to help me out in person if I was prepared to get on a plane to Oz?

 

gatito

[3bob]

The practice of Surrender.

 

Once you feel the 'Light' or the 'One' really learn/practice letting go whole bodily into it.

The more you can allow Oneness access to your nervous system the more stresses, holdings and grasping traits, it will just Eliminate.

 

Meditate on the One being, set up rhythmic, deep but relaxed breathing, and just start surrendering everything to it.

If distractions or fears or blocks, on any level come up, then Offer them to the One.

OM SHIVA SVAHA is a tantric way of doing this. Its an Offering mantra, usually used in Puja ceremony's. Shiva will take your stuckness as you are able to let it go and return it to you as Bliss.

So Feel stuckness, breath in focusing your attention on it, breath out surrendering it, or using OM SHIVA SVAHA if that suits your philosophical outlook.

 

There, thats the 'essential' core Kundalini practices that I teach.

There are many other beneficial practices, and some which I will not teach online as they really are dangerous, buts that is a good solid Kundalini Sadhana with plenty of saftey valves..

 

Sat Chit Anand!

Seth Ananda.

 

P.S. If anyone is burning to share some cool K practices or insights, please do

and feel free to ask any questions

 

Seth, Please feel free to share some burning yama practices and consider deleting much of the rest. Btw, I see no tilte or empowerment of "Swami" or such in front of your name...(which in itself is no guarantee either) and further proven in part with a string of posts that give particular methods that you in little or no way can be responsible for or make corrections one on one with an often "wannabe" internet audience.

Edited May 23, 2012 by 3bob

[thelerner]

bumped for mike md

I've made a copy of most of this thread in my Best of Tao Bums collection. With your permission I'd throw it into the Article section where it'd be easier to find and readable in a single post.

 

Let me know.

 

Yours

Michael

[Informer]

 

You may notice thats its path is a bit like the MCO's but around the spine and brain instead. The front and back chanel of the spine are a 'secret' version of Ida and Pingala.

 

The first part of MCO is in regards to the spine. (governor channel) Then it switched to the functional channel, which Yoga's call the pingala. Notice the first point (governor channel) in the following circuit is the Sacral pump or the Coccyx. The coccyx is the biological name for the tail bone.

 

The coccyx (play /ˈkɒksɪks/ KOK-siks; plural: coccyges), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in tailless primates. Comprising three to five separate or fused vertebrae (the coccygeal vertebrae) below the sacrum, it is attached to the sacrum by a fibrocartilaginous joint, the sacrococcygeal symphysis, which permits limited movement between the sacrum and the coccyx.

 

 

Thanks for the info and further correlation of ida and pingala.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Informer

[Informer]

I found it easiest to focus at the points until a ball of energy coalesced at the point, the I focus on the next point until a ball of energy was there, all the way to third eye. The hardest point for me was gettin it from the spine to the brain, which the Kundalini Chakra system doesn't describe the point utilized to get from the spine to the brain which is described in MCO as the Jade Pillow or Cranial Pump.

[Birch]

Hey, these are great!

I didn't see the cooling parts though. Did I miss something?

 

---opinion as water person can't get too burned alert--

 

Thanks Seth!

[Seth Ananda]

I've made a copy of most of this thread in my Best of Tao Bums collection. With your permission I'd throw it into the Article section where it'd be easier to find and readable in a single post.

 

Let me know.

 

Yours

Michael

Sure! just send me a link when its done... and i wouldn't mind being able to edit it at some point, to make it a bit easier to read and understand...

[Tibetan_Ice]

Some people have been following this in Alwaysons thread, and seem to be getting something out of it, So I thought I should give Cobra breath and the other great Kundalini processes their own Thread.

 

Its always annoyed me that Cobra breath is not available online [at least anywhere I can find] for free, so here it is, and when I say 'it' I am really saying I have had the pleasure of Learning several versions all with slight variations and only some 'under oath' so to speak so here goes... [my favourite and the version I teach, which is not breaking any Oath or some company's tm sticker lol]

 

 

 

Inhale, ujay or that slight rasping restricted epiglottis, darth vader breath:

 

Mind - at beginning of inhale start at tip of Tail bone, move mind during Inhale up the back of your spine [towards the skin] over the head, [just under the skull on top of the brain] and finish Inhale at Brow centre.

 

Body - at start of Inhale squeez pc [moolabhanda][and hold till exhale], when the energy passes abdomen draw in stomach muscles[udiyanabhanda] {navel toward spine} [hold till exhale], when energy reaches skull, pull chin towards chest [jalnabhanda] put tongue back into soft palate [kechari mudra], point eyes up and in at ajna, and focus there, take an extra sniff of air [to be full] and focus and hold without strain.

 

Exhale, ssss kind of soft serpent noise, so obviously your tongue moves forward.

 

Mind - At start of exhale, it passes from brow, in along the underside of the brain to brainstem, and over the rest of the exhale it passes down the smooth front side of the spine [towards the organs] and ends with the exhale at the tip of the spine.

 

Body - just before you start the exhale, tip your head slightly back opening the throat lock, then as soon as you start the exhale relax all the Bhanda's completly.

towards the end of the exhale, as the energy is sinking down, let your head return to a normal straight position on your shoulders.

 

 

You may notice thats its path is a bit like the MCO's but around the spine and brain instead. The front and back chanel of the spine are a 'secret' version of Ida and Pingala.

 

 

Its a lot to get at once at first.

Try remembering 'Inhale 123'

The 123 are the locks in succession over the course of the Inhale. 1Base, 2stomach, 3neck/tounge

And the whole thing should be done in a gentle way, without tension, or relaxed as possible.

 

 

Saftey is recomended. At least at first do not do more that 20 - 30 breaths a session [unless you really feel you should, lol] while you are getting used to it.

 

Once you are used to it, you can add devotional mantra's or visualisations, especially as you come to a point where your relaxation lets you hold your breath [easily] for a long time.

 

Students usually start with brow center as the focus, but the crown is Introduced later. The 3rd eye gets used to connect to specific deity's or Guru's, or to create worldly events by visualising them strongly.

The Crown gets used to merge with the One.

 

 

Any way I hope you enjoy it

Seth.

 

Hi Seth

How long should one inhale last? And is the exhale the same length? (perhaps you can give us some ranges, like for an athletic healthy 25 yr old, and for a mid 40's person and for a 60 yr old smoker.. )

 

And then, how long to you hold the inhale in? And how long to you hold the exhale out?

 

Why do you start and end at the tip of the spine? I know that the juice comes from the lower tan tien and goes to the perineum (root chakra), then it goes up the spine. Does the Cobra breath try to start and then store the energy/chi/prana in the coccyx instead?

 

Thanks.

TI

[Seth Ananda]

Hi Seth

How long should one inhale last? And is the exhale the same length? (perhaps you can give us some ranges, like for an athletic healthy 25 yr old, and for a mid 40's person and for a 60 yr old smoker.. )

 

And then, how long to you hold the inhale in? And how long to you hold the exhale out?

 

Why do you start and end at the tip of the spine? I know that the juice comes from the lower tan tien and goes to the perineum (root chakra), then it goes up the spine. Does the Cobra breath try to start and then store the energy/chi/prana in the coccyx instead?

 

Thanks.

TI

Just a breath in, which tends to be a little longer than usual, because of the darth Vader rasp, which restricts air flow partially, and held to the edge of discomfort, or a second longer.

Trust yourself with it. If you are used to breath retention practices, hold as long as you feel.

 

And no, this is not a store energy anywhere practice, it is a circulation practice, where the energy is constantly moving around the spine and brain, as if the MCO channel was shrunk down to fit the front and back of the spine, instead of down the front of the body...

After a while you'll feel it passing each vertebrae as it goes, and a host of other sensations... It becomes extremely enlivening to the spine and brain...

[Tibetan_Ice]

Just a breath in, which tends to be a little longer than usual, because of the darth Vader rasp, which restricts air flow partially, and held to the edge of discomfort, or a second longer.

Trust yourself with it. If you are used to breath retention practices, hold as long as you feel.

 

And no, this is not a store energy anywhere practice, it is a circulation practice, where the energy is constantly moving around the spine and brain, as if the MCO channel was shrunk down to fit the front and back of the spine, instead of down the front of the body...

After a while you'll feel it passing each vertebrae as it goes, and a host of other sensations... It becomes extremely enlivening to the spine and brain...

Hi Seth,

Thank you for your responses.

So you hold the breath in to the edge of discomfort, and you hold it out to the edge of discomfort?

Is there any mention of keeping the in-breath and out-breath the same length? In many similar practices they say that the inhale should be the same duration as the out breath to balance ida and pingala..

 

Thanks.

TI

[Seth Ananda]

Hi Seth,

Thank you for your responses.

So you hold the breath in to the edge of discomfort, and you hold it out to the edge of discomfort?

Is there any mention of keeping the in-breath and out-breath the same length? In many similar practices they say that the inhale should be the same duration as the out breath to balance ida and pingala..

 

Thanks.

TI

No the hold is just after the inhale, not after the exhale. One holds and focuses on the 3rd eye. then sssss..

Yes its about the same, but they don't count or anything during it, so it doesnt have to be exactly the same...

Glad you are liking it

Edited June 1, 2012 by Seth Ananda

[MooNiNite]

the shaking is a natural occurrence i think

[MooNiNite]

I found it easiest to focus at the points until a ball of energy coalesced at the point, the I focus on the next point until a ball of energy was there, all the way to third eye. The hardest point for me was gettin it from the spine to the brain, which the Kundalini Chakra system doesn't describe the point utilized to get from the spine to the brain which is described in MCO as the Jade Pillow or Cranial Pump.

yeah i know what u mean. the ball at the top of the head seems to be difficult