Digest Number 1239 - Ida and Pingala Nadis Channel Cleansing / and Part II Breath of Fire

[Guest guest]

Dear Christa,

 

Regarding feeling the ida and pingala, these are energy channels that start at a

point between the eyebrows, then up over each side of the top of the head, then

each side of the vertebra in the neck, then each side of the rest of the spine,

down to the base of the spine. Using certain pranayamas, you can feel these

channels fill up with prana like an electric current.

 

When the mind becomes very still, the senses automatically withdraw and you can

see in your minds eye in the field of consciousness of 3 dimentional space the

nidis throughout the body filling with prana, as your awareness deepens into

brightness. then you will see the energy withdrawing into the ida and pingala

then to the base of the spine and upwards. Your mind will be utterly still, pure

- satvic and filled with the longing for God and abiding in His Name which is

our True Identity (SAT NAM).

 

To begin to feel and become aware of these nadis, you might want to do the

following channnel cleansing KY kriyas. These are just 3, but there are many

others that will do the same thing.

 

Here in BKK we start all the classes with various excersizes using long deep

breathing (LDB) and breath of fire (BF), just so that the entire nervous system

and circulatory system are purified to carry easily the greatest possible

charge. Then ewe begin to include these several channel cleansing kriyas.

 

So after some LDB maybe 10 to 20 breaths completely expandintelungs from the

bottom through the middle and upper part, then contracting all the air out, you

may want to try these pranayama kriyas:

 

1. Sit with the legs crossed, spine straight. Extend the left arm upwards,

straight and reaching, so you feel a pressure in the armpit, with the left arm

close to the ear, palm facing inwards. With the right hand flat with the

fingers together facingstraight upwards like an antena, place the right thumb

against the right nostril and begin a very powerful LDB through the left

nostril, at least 15 to 25 breaths, with each inhalation focusing on the

extending and reaching of the left arm upwards. Then inhale deeply, hold the

breath, pull the root lock, reach the left arm up and hold 30 seconds, exhale,

inhale, exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest

expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of the head.

Then keeping the left arm up slowly exhale, remain still for another 10 seconds,

then slowy lower the arms and hands back to the knees, as you relax the breath.

Then sitting, you may feel the energy all along the ida / moon channel, as

described above, like an electric current. After around a minute (maybe longer)

to let the energy become fully absorbed and assimilated into the ida nadi, begin

the same pranayama with the right are extended up and the thumb of the left hand

covering the left nostril to breath through the right nostril, same as with the

left. Then you will also feel the radiance within the pingala / sun nadi.

 

2. In this next pranayama kriya, you sit on the left heel, so that the heel is

between the buttox pressing against the anal sphinctors to block the downward

flow of energy. Then you place the palm of your right arm on the floor just

behind the side of the body with the elbow pressed against the ribs. Then

extend the left arm up reaching, as in the first pranayama, press the chest

forwards, again begin a powerful LDB, as with the first pranayama. After 15 to

25 powerful and complete breaths, inhale and hold the breath, pull the root

lock, reach the left arm up and hold 30 seconds, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale

hold again 30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest expanded forwards, chin

in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of the head. Then keeping the left arm

up slowly exhale, remain still for another 10 seconds, then slowy lower the arms

and hands back to the knees, as you relax the breath. Then sitting cross

legged, you may feel the energy all along the ida / moon channel, as described

above, like an electric current. After around a minute (maybe longer) to let

the energy become fully absorbed and assimilated into the ida nadi, begin the

same pranayama sittingon the right heel leaning back against the left arm (palm

o the grount), with the right arm extended up, and repeat the breathing and

holding of the breath as with the left side. Then you will also feel the

radiance within the pingala / sun nadi.

 

Breath of fire - preliminary excersize:

 

Apart from stretching the legs to gather circulation, we usually practice BF

before the final pranayama kriya for the ida and pingala.

 

As you know, BF is not the same as kapalabati, where one rythmically and

forcefully pulls the root lock and contracs the navel and lower diaphragm

inwards expelling all the air, then relaxing the ribs to let airflow in without

inhaling. Nor is BF a kind of bellows breath of the abdomen extending inward

and outward ad one expands the lower diaphragm. And it is definitely not the

same as bastrika, where one has an even rythmical shallow and very fast

breathing, as taught by many hatha yogis.

 

Breath of fire uses the full extention of the diaphragm, from the top part of

the chest, through the middle and down to the bottom, like a full length

bellows, where the whole diaphragn expands maybe to 50 or 70% of the lung

capacity and contractst maybe 10% of lung capacity (assuming 20% capacit beinhe

lungs at rest). This is to say that you will feel the suspension of air from

below the navel in the Kandal, through the solar plexus and up through the heart

area, but without the full expansion of the upper part of the rib cage and

raising of the shoulders, as with a long deep breath. (Shati Parwa's book

explains this aspect of how the breath also fills into the chest and heart area

clearly as well.)

 

As a BF excersize, i.e., to get into it and feel it, in class we sit cross

legged, spine straight with the left palm facing inwards around 4 inches from

the abdomen just below the navel (the Kandal area) and the right palm similarly

just above the navel (Solar Plexus area). Then sniffing some air in, you expand

your hands forwards as though pulling the air in throguh the full length of the

lungs without a full inhalation, but just to the point of feeling the sispension

of the air throughout the full length of the diaphragm. Pause for a moment,

just to feel that suspension from the Kandal through the Solar Plexus and

through the heart area. Then contract/sniff the air out, pulling the hands

back in wowards the Kandal and Solar Plexus. Continue this slow rythmical

sniffing of the are in and out with a slight pause to fee the inward and outward

suspension of air. Gradually, increase the rythum and speed and power of the

breath without makint shallow, as with bastrica, with the hands expanding twards

and back. You might visualize the idea of the iron bars that link the wheels of

an old time locomotive, as your hands reach out and pull back with each

expansion and contraction of the diaphragm ad lungs, as though you are buildingp

power and steam, and transformin it energy. Finally you will be at a maximum

full length power and rythm of the breath of fire. Continue for some time, 3 to

5 minutes, then put your hands on your knees, inhale very deeply and fully.

Press the shoulders back, bring the chin in slightly, pull the root lock, press

the soine and chest forwards, rol the eyes to the top of the head and hold the

breath for 30 seconds, then exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds

with the root lock pulled, chest expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes

rolled towards the top of the head. Then exhale, relax the breath and feel the

electromagnetic current running from the Kandal (located between the 4th

vertebra and navel)through the spine and through the top of the head. Just sit

for a while and let the radiance become fully absorbed and assimilated into the

cells of the body and spine and brain, allowing them to build up a charge.

 

3. Now you're ready for the last pranayama kriya for the channel ceansing of

the ida and pingala. Sittingwh the spine straight, bring the left knee to the

chest with foot flat on the ground, heel against the buttox. Then you place the

palm of your right arm on the floor just behind the side of the body with the

elbow pressed against the ribs. Then extend the left arm up reaching, as in the

first pranayama, press the chest forwards, begin a very powerful BF for 1 to 3

minutes or longer. Then inhale powerfully, deeply and completely and hold the

breath, pull the root lock, reach the left arm up, arching the spine, pressing

the chest forwards, and hold the breath for 30 seconds; exhale forcefully,

inhale, exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest

expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of the head.

Then keeping the left arm up slowly exhale, remain still for another 10 seconds,

then slowy lower the arms and hands back to the knees, as you relax the breath.

Then sitting cross legged, you may feel the energy all along the ida / moon

channel, as described above, like an electric current. After around a minute

(maybe longer) to let the energy become fully absorbed and assimilated into the

ida nadi, begin the same pranayama, bringing the right knee to the chest, right

foot flat on the ground, heel close to the buttox, leaning back against the left

arm (palm on the ground), with the right arm extended up, same as with the left

and repeat the breathing and holding of the breath as with the left side. Then

you will also feel the radiance within the pingala / sun nadi.

 

This completes the ida/pingala pranayama set we typically do before our classes,

sometimes with some additional kriyas that open and charge these energy channels

as well, but with different pressures from different positions.

 

If you do tese 3 pranayama kriyas for the ida and pingala with the LBad BF

preparations before each one, and then you do alternate nostril breathing of 10

cycles or more on a regular basis, where you inhale through the left nostril to

the count of 4 watching the flow of prana along the ida nadi, then hold 16,

wathching the prana at the sacral plexis and base of the spine, then exhale to

the count of 8, while watching the flow of prana along the pingala up to the

agna chakra between, behind, slightly above the point between the eyebrows,

holding for 16 counts, then inhaling 4 along the pungala, hold 16 at the sacral

and exhaling 8 along the ida - constituting one complete cycle, then you will

feel the whole body becoming light, loosing all its inertia, the mind becoming

clear, still and expansive.

 

Now you are ready to start a Kundalini Yoga class with Laya meditations and gain

some real benefits from it.

 

Placing the palms together w/ thumbs against the sternum you can begin a second

round of Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo, one breath for each sound, 3 times or more,

then inhale deeply hold the breath pullingtheroot lock for 30 seconds or longer,

then relaxingte breath, the body will be held in an electromagnetic inward

turning space of soundlessness.

 

Then the KY class can begin.

 

Try this and see what happens. There will be an electromagnetic pulling from

within the core of your being. Tas sense of a "yokin will emerge where the mind

becomes still and turns inward as though there was a vortex sucking in

everything, and you will "hear" the Truth resounding soundlessly from within and

abide as single all-pervasive being.

 

Pieter

 

--

 

 

Message: 11

Wed, 21 Aug 2002 14:59:50 -0000

"spatialagent1" <spatialagent1

Ida and Pingala Nadis?

 

Sat Nam everyone!

Well I have a question and a meditation progress update.

 

As I mentioned the other week, I'm extending my 40 day med of the Ganputi Mantra

to 90 days (or at least making a sincere attempt to do so). I had an interesting

sensation occur last night that hadn't happended before. Half way through the

med (I'm doing it for 20 minutes) I began to feel the vibrations resonating

within my body, which has happened before. But when that started, I also began

to feel what I will describe as two 'electrical' streams down either side of the

back of my head and into my neck. I couldn't feel anything lower than my neck

though. So maybe this isn't them. If it's not them does anyone know what that

was? I know that ida and pingala run along the left and right sides of the

spine, and I believe up the back of the head as well. ANd everyone has spoken

about them many times, but I had never 'felt' them before. But I felt completely

'energized', like I had electricity running everywhere in my body. I know it

sounds somewhat contradictory, but the weird thing was that with all of this

energy, I felt completely peaceful and calm. It felt wonderful! After the 20

minutes, I stopped chanting and just sat there and 'soaked' it all in. I didn't

want to move. But after about 5 minutes, my daughter needed me to tuck her into

bed, so I ended the meditation. But I felt great the rest of the night, very

calm and content.

 

Christa

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[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Pieter!

 

I haven't seen you post recently. I must tell you though. I LOVE your

posts. You may not post that often, but when you do, I need to print

them out and read them several times because there's so much to be

gained from them.

 

I'm familiar with some of the breathing kriyas you mentioned. I just

started doing the first breathing kriya you describe below this week.

You had posted that one in the last "Breath Series" post. I think

doing that one was what made me sensitive to the ida/pingala nadis

during my meditation.

 

I will make a confession though. And this is probably out of

ignorance as a novice. I've been a bit hesitant on doing alternate

nostril breathing or really heavy pranayama. From what I've

read/understood, that can 'jump start' kundalini. And while I would

like for that to happen, I don't want to 'force it'. The past 6

months I've been focusing on trying to get my physical and emotional

self in shape through yoga, sort of preparing for the day. I'm

probably being overly cautious. But I didn't want to start something

that I wasn't ready for. Does that make sense? The peacefulness that

I experienced the other night, though, could be quite addictive. So

now I'm reading more about how to do some pranayama so that I can

delve further into myself. The results you describe is one of the

things I've been striving towards. Thank you so much for your support

and encouragement.

 

Christa

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

 

'you will feel the whole body becoming light, loosing all its inertia,

the mind becoming clear, still and expansive.'

 

I just tried these pranayamas that Pieter posted last thrusday. Wow ! I

felt a strong buzzing behind the top of my nose and as he said I felt my

whole body beoming light. I did mess up the alterante nostril breathing

as I had never done the second holding of the breath for 16 counts and

sometimes lost my place, but tomorrow is another day. In fact I can't

wait to try this during the ambroisial hours - I did it in the evening.

It has given me an beautiful sense of peace and detachment. Thank you

Pieter .

 

Love and Blessings,

Avtar

 

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[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Avtar!

 

I too notice the effects of doing this. I had problems as well with

the counts, but mine is my inabality to comfortably hold 16 in and 16

out. I found myself struggling with that. So I reduced it to 2

inhales, hold for 8, 4 exhales and hold for 8. That is more

manageable for me right now. I will work on building it up though.

 

Christa