root lock

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

After doing each asana K.Y., I know it's important to do the root lock. My

question is in what position do I perform it? In a relaxed position of the

particular asana which I was doing, in the lotus position? Do I hold it as long

as possible, or for a particular length of time?

 

thanks

 

Steven

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Steven:

 

> After doing each asana K.Y., I know it's important to do the root

lock. My question is in what position do I perform it? In a relaxed

 

The position is, generally speaking, the same position that one was

working in (with the breath held, in or out), and one should

generally try to perfect the pose - for example, in bow position, one

would stretch up a little further. In a dynamic exercise like the

torso twist, one would come to the center and straighten the spine.

 

Hold the lock for a reasonable period - say, 5-8 seconds at first,

and you can increase with time. My rule of thumb is to hold as long

as I can comfortably. Pushing too much is not the best way to

improve - pushing enough works better - what "enough" is depends on

you - listen to your body.

 

Love & blessings,

Sadhant

[Guest guest]

I have a question about this too. When I first starting doing KY, my

(wonderful) teacher had us do at least one rootlock after each exercise.

Also, the exercises were not the most physically challenging ones. By the

very second class, I felt enormous awakenings in my energy flow. I continued

to experience great openings, peace, bliss, etc.. I even started to see

different colors of energy associated with the various exercises. (Is that

unusual?)

 

Now I have a different teacher (the first one quit). He has us do more

rigorous exercises, and I still enjoy the practice, but it seems as though

the emphasis on mul bandha is, well, lax. We have even, at times, gone

through a whole class without applying it once. And, without drawing any

relationship, I can tell you that the experience I have in this class is a

lot more physical and a lot less spiritual, and a lot less energy is being

stirred.

 

So, my questions are: are the benefits of KY dependent on doing rootlock?

Am I moving prana through my chakras just by doing the exercises, just less

so without the banha? Could the vast difference in what I get out of this

guy's class (he's a beginning teacher, I think) and my former teacher's be

due to more than just what is actually being taught? That is, could it have

to do with the teacher herself and her own level of "enlightenment" or

experience with KY? Is there any disadvantage to doing KY with a teacher

that does not use or encourage us to apply the rootlock after each (or even

most) pose?

 

Thank you.

Sat Nam.

namaste

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam and Happy Holidays!

 

Every book I have (and teacher training, of course) is very clear on

this point: every exercise (except where otherwise indicated) is to

be concluded with root lock (breath held, in or out).

 

As your experiences attest, using root lock is, indeed, very

important. It is one of the reasons that KY works faster and more

effectively than other forms of yoga.

 

Apana (the eliminative energy) normally moves downward. Root lock

reverses this and brings apana to the navel center, where it can mix

with prana. This creates a pressure, or heat (known as tapas) which

causes the kundalini energy to rise. The regular practice of this

causes the chakras to open, and the K energy to travel upward,

eventually (often quite quickly) bringing energy all the way to the

pineal gland.

 

This is one of the physical manifestations of awakening the

kundalini: normally, the pineal gland shuts down at a very young age

(6-8 years), and when we succeed in moving the energy from the base

of the spine to the crown chakra, we cause the pineal to begin to

secrete again. In fact, YB says that actually moving the energy up

there isn't particularly difficult - most people can achieve this in

20-30 days. The challenge is to maintain this, and keep the channels

open (thus, sadhana

 

If your teacher isn't telling you to use the root lock, do it on your

own - and consider reminding your teacher that this is an important

aspect of KY. None of us is perfect, and I certainly don't mind when

a student points out something helpful.

 

The teacher will certainly effect the energy of the class, but the

goal is to teach (to learn) how to do all of this for ourselves.

 

Yes, doing the exercises does help to open channels and chakras, even

without the mulbhand, but doing the mulbhand(s) adds a great deal to

the effect of each posture as well as the overall effect of the

kriya - not to mention the long-term effect of your yoga practice

itself.

 

Your experience is very telling. Trust it.

 

All love surround you, now and always,

Sadhant

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadhant:

 

Sat Nam and thaks for an interesting comment on

mulabandha. It raised another question in my mind -

two, actually.

 

First of all, is anyone familiar with the so-called

"Five Rites" that Peter Kelder is said to have brought

back from Tibet? These are not actually "rites" at

all, but yoga exercises which combine simple asanas

with movement. They were disclosed 70 or so years ago

in abook called THE EYE OF REVELATION, whuch has ben

reprinted under different titles, I believe, and they

are demonstrated on a video tape I acquired recently.

 

The claim is that these exercise stimulate the chakras

and prevent them from gradually shutting down as one

ages (which we are all doing) and thus slows down or

stops or even reverses the aging provcess. I had a

teacher some years ago who said she thought the five

rites worked, but that Kelder and the others left off

the essential part, which is the mulabandha. This

teacher seemed to me to be aging in a normal manner,

(actually, faster than normal) so I did not see

empirical evidence in her that the exercises did what

they were claimed to do. Have others heard of this,

and has anyone actually stopped or reversed aging

using it?

 

Another question has to do with the pineal gland. I

have heard what you say before - that the pineal shuts

down in youth. And I have also heard that it secretes

melatonin, without which all of us would be unable to

sleep properly. Apparently it is to replenish

melatonin that people take melatonin supplements,

although this is said to be dangerous. Are you saying

that its spiritual functions shut down, or does it

shut down entirely? That is a small point, but it is

one which has always confused me.

 

SS

 

 

 

 

 

Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.

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[Guest guest]

This is so good.... I'm learning so much from this email group that I hadn't

expected... it's so informative.... a lot of concepts are being confirmed and

blanks are being filled in as to terminology and processes!!!

Now, I take it that "sadhana" is the excercise or posture? And "kriya" is

what? the mantra, or meditation, or another word for posture?

 

Julia