How strictly should you follow Kriya Pranayama instructions?

[roopepa]

So I've been doing Kriya Pranayama for a few days now. Basic breathing meditation is too frustrating to me because of a super active and chaotic mind. But Kriya Pranayama seems to be working very well. It's super powerful and more fun to do. In fact, it seems to be so potent that I want to be sure I'm not doing anything potentially harmful.

The thing is, I'm not following the instructions very strictly. I'm doing the "classic" version, without the Oms, and I'm doing it for ten minutes rather than a specific number of breaths. Also, I'm letting the energy and visualization go quite intuitively and naturally. For example, sometimes at the root I might feel like letting the energy flow outside the body, rather than staying strictly within the spine. I'm not doing any other yoga or meditation technique along with it.

Do you think going offroad following my intuition can be harmful? Do you have any advice regarding potent meditation/energy visualization?

[Bazooka Jesus]

Can you describe the technique or post a link? You've watered my mouth.

[Leo Gura]

Don't follow it dogmatically. Make it your own. Develop an intuitive understanding of what the technique is meant to do and follow that, rather than the mechanics of the technique itself.

Make it natural and intuitive to you. Later on you can refine things. You will have lots of time for refinement. You can experiment and see what feels most natural and most potent. Do your method in whatever way feels most potent for you.

[roopepa]

@Bazooka Jesus This is how I do it:

Sit with a straight spine. Learn ocean breath (make whizzing a sound using muscles in your throat as if you were Darth Vader). Keep the mouth shut.

Breathing in quite slowly and deeply from the stomach, visualize/feel energy rising up along the center of the spine from the root chakra to the center of the head (third eye). Breathing out, visualize/feel the energy coming down back to the root. The energy should move up and down with the same speed as it takes you to breathe in and out. Remember the ocean breath thing.

I do this for 10 minutes. After you're done, it's good to keep sitting and breathing normally for a while. You wil feel a lot more relaxed, focused and mindful.

More info here: https://realyoga.info/2018/08/kriya-pranayama/

If you want more detail, check out Leo's book list.

Edited August 30, 2021 by roopepa

[Tarzan]

I made the mistake last autumn and started to basically force myself to do kriya sessions with a 'kill-the-ego' Jed McKenna'esque zeal. Did like 1h+ sessions. At first tried to be strict but then started to explore the technique and let intuition guide through it. Then learned some tidbits from SantataGamanas books. Breathing and focusing solely on point between eyebrows (head chakra) and 'knocking' on it with 6 oms every in and out breath. But I freestyled it and started to switch between head and crown chakra which had an orgasmic effect to it, pure bliss, but it was not lasting, and some sessions felt really painful emotionally, like I was going crazy inside before I came to that point. Finished sessions with yoni mudra, also recklessly focusing on crown chakra. I later learned that going too quickly towards crown can have serious negative effects. Throws your energy off balance, basically too much upper chakras focus and not enough lower chakras or something like that.

Then again it produced some natural highs I can compare to peak psych experiences (ego death, 'falling into void or sky' that was very similar to 5meo breakthrough, and also energy focused on abdominal area and a powerful sense that I am the devil and that I had all the power of the world like I'm going to get what I want no matter the consequences - kind of stuff) right after yoni mudra (also done recklessly, I think like 3 yoni mudras in a row focused on crown chakra after having done 1h of pranayama got me those peaks) but more 'clean' so to speak, but still fleeting as I feel kriya can get you to peak states very quickly, but unless you deliberately remain there then it wont have much effect outside sessions. 

Negative side effects started coming, I did a deep dive into experimenting with kriya after 5meo breakthrough. But I started to feel extremely depressed, lots of mood swings, and weird bodily sensations, like a cracked out feeling in my head, etc. But also very profound peace, and ineffable states of pure bliss outside of kriya sessions in daily life aswell. But it was too uncontrolled, very rollercoastery with my emotional state, i started to become disfunctional with work, took a brake from school, made an irrational decision to move cities during covid and leave old study-career plan behind without much financial security, ended up as a bolt delivery driver for a fee months before returning). I went down some really really bad places emotionally, like 10/10 nihilistic depression holes. But they passed when I somehow accepted these places. And finally I stopped kriya sessions because I needed to start recovering from the symptoms which had become so unbearable I was basically suicidal for most of time.

In hindsight I'd say I developed Kundalini syndrome symptoms and aggravated them further by forcing myself to do kriya even when i didnt feel like it. And being too reckless with it.  And I let my daily life go through a rollercoaster, basically 1 year wasted i that regard, but lots of peaks and downs, lots of wisdom gathered. Lots of wisdom about the negatives of spiritual work mostly, and what can happen if you take it too quickly too far without having basic needs met and a healthy ego to begin with (finances, social life, sex, etcetc) but it waa covid and I was sick of life so whatever, guess i needed to smack my head against the wall until I decided to begin actually loving myself. Tbh I now kind of understand what probably Connor Murphy has gone through, I feel similar streaks of manic unhinged creativity but I can always control whether or not I let them amok or not.

Anyways, lessons from me to you - intuitively working on it good, but don't stray from technique too much, mb they just need time and practice. Probably don't abuse yoni mudra and crown chakra, also kriya supreme fire is abuseable if you have heard from it. Heart chakra, good to focus on (read more from books about this). Also don't neglect basic needs etcetc. And probably the best advice from this response of mine - learn to actually enjoy and love kriya sessions (rather than force yourself to do it). But if your practice doesn't do much for you yet then maybe you need more gasoline to feed the flames so-to-speak (experiment with more powerful techniques, variations), just dont overdo it and learn when to stop.

As far as books to have a much better understanding of kriya techniques and stuff read SantataGamanas books on it and def Ennio Nimis' book aswell.

To counterbalance them if you do get some negative symptoms then Tara Springett is your gal to turn to (Enlightenment through the Path of Kundalini, Healing Kundalini Syndrome, Higher Consciousnes Healing books). Basically she's no1 person a jhana junkie crackhead like me needed to get myself out of this.

 

But yeah, TLDR kriya yoga works, and doing it your own way is good, but best to read more, to make sure you arent making mistakes and fucking up your energy body.

 

 

 

[Matt23]

Follow the instructions and listen to your feelings.

[roopepa]

@Tarzan Thanks!!

Yeah I figured that I'm not going to push myself too much. I'll practice when it feels right and good.

[cetus]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Don't follow it dogmatically. Make it your own. Develop an intuitive understanding of what the technique is meant to do and follow that, rather than the mechanics of the technique itself.

Make it natural and intuitive to you. Later on you can refine things. You will have lots of time for refinement. You can experiment and see what feels most natural and most potent. Do your method in whatever way feels most potent for you.

 Quite applicable to all practices.

[The0Self]

As long as there’s stillness, transformation, bright alertness, and bliss, you don’t need to tweak anything you’re currently doing — otherwise, you perhaps could. Researching the jhanas can be useful if you come across any sticking points or profound states that scare you and render you unsure of how to proceed — Daniel Ingram gets into probably the most technical detail of anyone; Rob Burbea provided complete info on it as well. Many other sources for kundalini progression. The gist of it can be found in Culadasa’s TMI. Keep on doing your practice though. Sounds like it’s going very well.

Tailoring and tweaking your practice with increasing subtlety is the name of the game; a very beautiful part of practice.

Perhaps begin with openness, and then develop each of the following: steadiness, sensitivity, patience, and play.

[roopepa]

@The0Self Damn. Thank you!!!

[Bazooka Jesus]

20 hours ago, roopepa said:

@Bazooka Jesus This is how I do it:

Sit with a straight spine. Learn ocean breath (make whizzing a sound using muscles in your throat as if you were Darth Vader). Keep the mouth shut.

Breathing in quite slowly and deeply from the stomach, visualize/feel energy rising up along the center of the spine from the root chakra to the center of the head (third eye). Breathing out, visualize/feel the energy coming down back to the root. The energy should move up and down with the same speed as it takes you to breathe in and out. Remember the ocean breath thing.

I do this for 10 minutes. After you're done, it's good to keep sitting and breathing normally for a while. You wil feel a lot more relaxed, focused and mindful.

More info here: https://realyoga.info/2018/08/kriya-pranayama/

If you want more detail, check out Leo's book list.

Amazing, thx, Imma try it out. 

[StarStruck]

It is not about the techniques. As long as the prana is moving.