Automatic Yoga

[Yonkon]

Since my Kundalini Awakening some years ago i developed something that is described by some as automatic yoga or spontaneous yoga. When i let go, my body begins to move on its own. When i am lying down, my body slowly twists, bends and sometimes shakes. Sometime my body goes into classic hatha positions, but most of the time it's a dynamic blend between different kinds of stretching and yoga.

 

Most of the time this is very pleasurable, sometimes even blissful. But here is something i noticed. When i do this longer than 50 minutes, i go very deep. I am not too experienced, so i get scared when i go to deep. I worry about not doing it "right" and screwing something up. Because i go freestyle, without any guidance or rules, i worry that it could be damaging to me in some way (it definitely feels great and develops without force)  I just let it happen as my body pleases.

 

My question is: should i trust my body completely? Should i just let myself "fall" into the pit, fall so deep as my body wants to? Or should i be cautiousness with these kind of practices? Maybe only follow a teaching and don't go wander on my own? 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Yonkon

[ralis]

40 minutes ago, Yonkon said:

Since my Kundalini Awakening some years ago i developed something that is described by some as automatic yoga or spontaneous yoga. When i let go, my body begins to move on its own. When i am lying down, my body slowly twists, bends and sometimes shakes. Sometime my body goes into classic hatha positions, but most of the time it's a dynamic blend between different kinds of stretching and yoga.

 

Most of the time this is very pleasurable, sometimes even blissful. But here is something i noticed. When i do this longer than 50 minutes, i go very deep. I am not too experienced, so i get scared when i go to deep. I worry about not doing it "right" and screwing something up. Because i go freestyle, without any guidance or rules, i worry that it could be damaging to me in some way (it definitely feels great and develops without force)  I just let it happen as my body pleases.

 

My question is: should i trust my body completely? Should i just let myself "fall" into the pit, fall so deep as my body wants to? Or should i be cautiousness with these kind of practices? Maybe only follow a teaching and don't go wander on my own? 

 

First of all I can suggest that you have your kundalini awakening verified by an experienced teacher. If there are any Sikh groups in your area that would be the place to start.

 

 

[moment]

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record!  But, here goes, caution is okay as long as you don't tense up.  Go a little deeper and withdraw as you feel comfortable.  Never just let yourself  fall deeply all at once.  While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

Edited January 15, 2020 by moment

[ralis]

2 minutes ago, moment said:

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record!  But, here goes, caution is okay as long as you don't tense up.  Go a little deeper and withdraw as you feel comfortable.  Never just let yourself  fall deeply all at once.  While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

 

Well said!

 

In my experience when I was practicing Vipassana my body would involuntarily shake while focusing on my breath. I think this was just relaxing physical conditioning/armoring. I wouldn't call it Kundalini.

[ilumairen]

6 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

Well said!

 

In my experience when I was practicing Vipassana my body would involuntarily shake while focusing on my breath. I think this was just relaxing physical conditioning/armoring. I wouldn't call it Kundalini.

 

I experienced the same with the added luxury of sometimes being aware of what conditioning was being energetically addressed, and shaken out. 

 

Interesting how deep into our physical beings this conditioning can be...

 

19 minutes ago, moment said:

While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

 

Yes!

[Yonkon]

28 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

First of all I can suggest that you have your kundalini awakening verified by an experienced teacher. If there are any Sikh groups in your area that would be the place to start.

 

 

What would be the benefit of doing so?

[ilumairen]

5 minutes ago, Yonkon said:

What would be the benefit of doing so?

 

Verification from a trained master who deeply understands kundalini would set aside potential self delusion. 

 

Which shouldn't be taken as any form of slight, we humans seem adept with our narratives, and some wind and chi disorders are occasionally taken to be signs of awakening when they're actually signs of something having gone amiss.

 

Having it verified may also assist with your described fears, and let you know if they're well founded or not.

[freeform]

There is an attitude that you must take with this that's important. The most advanced teachers I've seen use this powerful process with the following attitude:

 

It's just a natural reaction of your body and mind as it lets go of tension, mental and emotional debris and habitual patterns and traumas. It's similar to a sneeze. What's important is not to indulge in it... not to get too attached to it or to find meaning and importance in it - just as you would not do that with a sneeze.

 

There is an end to this process... eventually, most of the debris that can be gotten to with this process will be cleared out - and you will reach a kind of ease and stillness in yourself. This is the goal - not more movements, not more experiences or anything like that.

 

I have come across schools both here in Asia and in the west that use this process in exactly the opposite way - they indulge in the spontaneous movements in such a way that creates more layers of attachment. They effectively get stuck in this process - just going in circles... Like a continuous sneezing fit They treat it as something special, something desired, something spiritual - they layer it with a sort of self-hypnosis and wishful thinking. And this state is particularly susceptible to that because it opens up (and starts clearing and 'acting out' the debris in) your subconscious mind.

 

Often it's followed by illness and all kinds of issues showing up - which, in a couple of these schools, they treat as negative karmic patterns leaving your body - they are not - they're simply creating illness through over attaching to this practice and doing it constantly and making themselves ill.

[freeform]

Oh, and it's not kundalini - it's just qi moving

[ralis]

1 hour ago, Yonkon said:

What would be the benefit of doing so?

I recommend conducting research into ones that have mapped out these experiences. 
 

Gopi Krishna’s books.

 

Sri Aurobindo/Mira Alfassa AKA The Mother. In particular her “Agenda” and Aurobindo’s “Letters on Yoga.”

[alchemystical]

2 hours ago, moment said:

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record!  But, here goes, caution is okay as long as you don't tense up.  Go a little deeper and withdraw as you feel comfortable.  Never just let yourself  fall deeply all at once.  While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

 

Care to share some of these grounding techniques of which you speak? Thanks

 

3 hours ago, Yonkon said:

My question is: should i trust my body completely? Should i just let myself "fall" into the pit, fall so deep as my body wants to?

 

Yes. The whole point of yoga is letting the pose get into you ie let your body/energy lead and the mind follows instead of the inverse you see in so many studios. The most important part of this is your awareness and the recapitulation that occurs at the end so a prolonged Shiv Asna is essential to absorb the practice and reconfigure the mind body from the nervous system upwards.

 

One thing I do wonder is how do you know its a Kunadalini awakening? What led you to that conclusion because that experience is life changing to say the least and I feel you wouldn't be asking such an elementary question had you already crossed the threshold as you'd be guided from within. I'd be willing to wager you've just taken a tentative step toward awakening your energetic aspects (ie are on the path to Kundalini but not there yet) based on what you've said as it sounds like prana moving its way around the nadis.

[Yonkon]

Thank you for bringing me to the conclusion that i over identify with kundalini and that it is probably not the case. It was the first thing that i found that described my symptoms but i will leave this narrative now. 

 

2 hours ago, freeform said:

 

It's just a natural reaction of your body and mind as it lets go of tension, mental and emotional debris and habitual patterns and traumas. It's similar to a sneeze. What's important is not to indulge in it... not to get too attached to it or to find meaning and importance in it - just as you would not do that with a sneeze.

 

There is an end to this process... eventually, most of the debris that can be gotten to with this process will be cleared out - and you will reach a kind of ease and stillness in yourself. This is the goal - not more movements, not more experiences or anything like that.

 

Thank you, very insightful. I'm sure that i didn't reach the end, my body feels quite restless far from ease and stillness. With what practice should i continue after i reach this stage?

1 hour ago, ralis said:

I recommend conducting research into ones that have mapped out these experiences. 
 

Gopi Krishna’s books.

 

Sri Aurobindo/Mira Alfassa AKA The Mother. In particular her “Agenda” and Aurobindo’s “Letters on Yoga.”

 

If i had to choose between Agenda and Letters on yoga, wich one should i choose? 

[Yonkon]

For everyone who wonders, i described my "kundalini awakening" in my Introduction Thread: 

 

On 17.10.2018 at 7:41 PM, Yonkon said:

well.. as already stated above i had my awakening through the influence of weed while meditating. I saw a light and felt energy moving up my spine. I felt better and better, probably the best i ever felt. Than i hit some sort of a bottle neck, the light stopped and i heard voices. The voices became louder, like i big crowd. They where incredible real, and i never experienced something like this before. Anyway the crowd had a very negative vibe. They booed me, and the more interesting part is they called me a faggot. 

So then i had this huge flashback that my father shamed be for being gay at a very young age (i touched the willy from my best friend in kindergarden). This confused my quite a lot. I learned a few things about me  since then: I am bisexual, i am a homophob and i am deeply afraid of being gay. So this is my gay kundalini story, don't know what to do with this.. any help is appreciated 

 

 

Also after this experience my body changed quite dramatically from being weak and unenergetic to very fit and strong. And girls suddenly where interested in me that was nice too :D

Edited January 15, 2020 by Yonkon

[Yonkon]

8 minutes ago, alchemystical said:

 

Care to share some of these grounding techniques of which you speak? Thanks

 

 

Yes. The whole point of yoga is letting the pose get into you ie let your body/energy lead and the mind follows instead of the inverse you see in so many studios. The most important part of this is your awareness and the recapitulation that occurs at the end so a prolonged Shiv Asna is essential to absorb the practice and reconfigure the mind body from the nervous system upwards.

 

One thing I do wonder is how do you know its a Kunadalini awakening? What led you to that conclusion because that experience is life changing to say the least and I feel you wouldn't be asking such an elementary question had you already crossed the threshold as you'd be guided from within. I'd be willing to wager you've just taken a tentative step toward awakening your energetic aspects (ie are on the path to Kundalini but not there yet) based on what you've said as it sounds like prana moving its way around the nadis.

 

wow this is great! Sounds very intuitive. See my post above for my "awakening".

3 hours ago, moment said:

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record!  But, here goes, caution is okay as long as you don't tense up.  Go a little deeper and withdraw as you feel comfortable.  Never just let yourself  fall deeply all at once.  While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

 

I am also interested in your grounding techniques! 

[ralis]

5 minutes ago, Yonkon said:

Thank you for bringing me to the conclusion that i over identify with kundalini and that it is probably not the case. It was the first thing that i found that described my symptoms but i will leave this narrative now. 

 

 

Thank you, very insightful. I'm sure that i didn't reach the end, my body feels quite restless far from ease and stillness. With what practice should i continue after i reach this stage?

 

If i had to choose between Agenda and Letters on yoga, wich one should i choose? 

Mother’s Agenda is composed of 13 volumes which is online. Letters must be approximately 700 pages. I will post some links. 
 

Their writings are a goldmine!  

[alchemystical]

All good. As you feel (as opposed to think) into the flow you'll notice the "correct" transitions from pose to pose just occur naturally. When I say correct I mean you'll realize that "Oh, thats why this asna lead to that one because this energy was primed here to be used here" and it adds greatly to not only the whole experience but knowledge of self that comes along with it.

 

I think of it like this, in the practice my awareness is a passenger of my energy which runs the show and unfolds as it wishes. After when I'm reflecting my awareness is walking around my vehicle, thinking about the ride its just been on, the sights its seen, what it learned about the machine and how best to use it. Then I get up off the mat, my awareness is behind the wheel and off we roll into the big wide world for another adventure, until the next.

[ralis]

http://www.mirrabliss.com/uploads/1/7/7/9/17790039/agenda.pdf

 

 

https://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/sriaurobindo/writings.php

 

 

[Yonkon]

31 minutes ago, alchemystical said:

The most important part of this is your awareness and the recapitulation that occurs at the end so a prolonged Shiv Asna is essential to absorb the practice and reconfigure the mind body from the nervous system upwards.

 

Can you explain what you mean with Shiv Asna and with the recapitulation?

[Yonkon]

1 minute ago, ralis said:

http://www.mirrabliss.com/uploads/1/7/7/9/17790039/agenda.pdf

 

 

https://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/sriaurobindo/writings.php

 

 

 

Awesome, thanks! Sooo, where to start? The amount of information seems a bit overwhelming. 

[ralis]

1 hour ago, Yonkon said:

 

Awesome, thanks! Sooo, where to start? The amount of information seems a bit overwhelming. 

It is a bit voluminous to say the least. “Letters on Yoga” and the 1st. volume of the “Agenda.” What Aurobindo  did was to lay the groundwork for Mirra to express her will in the world of matter. More on this later. 

Edited January 15, 2020 by ralis

[alchemystical]

3 minutes ago, Yonkon said:

 

Can you explain what you mean with Shiv Asna and with the recapitulation?

 

https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/practice/why-savasana-is-so-important

 

Recapitulation - reporting out loud what you're feeling/sensing as you lie there. This helps to strengthen the mindbody connection from the practice as you ease back into regular consciousness so you may say things like "A wave of energy has just gone through my body" "I'm aware of a tingling sensation in my left hand" "There is sweat on my brow" etc...

 

Saying it out loud make its "real" and creates more of a real world resource as opposed to a temporary dalliance that occurs strictly on the mat and as such you compound your progress with each session.

 

This is the "awareness walking around the vehicle" I mentioned, sans the metaphor.

[moment]

9 hours ago, Yonkon said:

 

wow this is great! Sounds very intuitive. See my post above for my "awakening".

 

I am also interested in your grounding techniques! 

 

I have mentioned many different grounding techniques here in the past. So, some of this will be repeats.

It is necessary that you try a lot of these and start making choices fitted to you.

Explore your own ego resistance and learn what, how and when to start eliminating the many varied aspects of this resistance.

Getting into the soil is always good, make sure that it is dark, rich fertile, earthy soil.

Get out with the trees, epecially old growth, if possible. Feel (not visualize) feel the roots of you extending down into the ground and joining the roots of the trees around you.  Go as far and as deep as feels comfortable.  Stay that way until you feel very calm.

If possible, walking barefoot in fresh mowed grass is always good!  Hold your arms out to the skies and dance around like snoopy!

Hug a friendly dog.

Beekeeping is very powerful grounding.

Remember, we ground with the earth, not the cosmos!

Water is great, being near rivers and creeks good, if possible, being in rivers and creeks is better.

Eating heavier foods, that feel earthy, root vegetables, nuts, stews, soups.

Exercise, but, avoid excessive fatigue.

Sleep whenever you feel the need.

Keep a journal of what you are feeling.  The processing can be very grounding as long as you do not get attached to the feelings involved.

Find essential oils that calm you. Sandalwood tends to be good.

Baking

Be aware of situations that over-stimulate you and avoid them.

You may have temporary psychic experiences or bliss, do not become attached to them! Let them pass.

Avoid big life changes when you are feeling over-stimulated.

Sleep in a stimuli free zone.

 

Do not become discouraged, it is a learning process.  Relax and learn to surf the wave, like all real surfing, it can be exciting, scary, challenging and sometimes--a hell of a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by moment

[moment]

7 hours ago, alchemystical said:

 

Care to share some of these grounding techniques of which you speak? Thanks

 

 

See above. Pardon the editing please.

[moment]

As addendum to the above:  There are a lot of ways to ground (I have probably used most of them at one time or another) some of them were very esoteric and powerful, yet a mix and match lifestyle of those above, promote a grounded lifestyle that is better than any single technique.  

 

"The more advanced you become the more you must root down into the earth"

 

"The more chaos there is around you the more basic you need to be"

 

"You can not maintain the high levels, if you do not maintain the low levels"

 

                                                   -- a common thread among my teachers 

Edited January 16, 2020 by moment

[beingnature]

I am in a similar process.all i can say is take a pause sometimes.looking back... i should have done it. Before "spontaneous qigong" happened to me i did 4 to 6 hours standing and sitting a day so i was accustomed to that amount of practice so i continued like that with spontaneous practice.took a long time to figure out that less is sometimes more.take a break for one day a week i would say.