Sadhana in progress

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

I hope this finds you all in good space. As one of my first posts

I will say that maturing into appropriate Sadhana has been a real

struggle for me.

 

The first place I wanted to go with it was Jnana, I quickly

realized that information/knowledge just made me arrogant. It was as

if my brain would just heat up and voila anger. I've been thinking

more and more about developing Bhakti as a gentle way to open up to

the truth around me. It seems that love is the perfect lubrication

for the ego.

 

Right now I sit regularly, do some asana and read like crazy, as

well as eat a fairly satvic diet(aside from a little caffeine). I am

comfortable with this, but would like more structure.

 

As I explore my learning curve I'm intersted to hear how

other's "jumped" into their practice. I feel like Bill Murray

in "What about Bob"...babysteps...

 

Jai Ma,

 

Justin

[Guest guest]

Hi Satyabhakti,

 

It sounds to me like you're making good progress. I think everyone

struggles with their sadhana. I know I do. In the beginning it was

harder, but still there are obstacles...About the bhakti I cannot

advise you. Though I certainly have devotion, I am not a practicing

bhakti and know little of the formal structure of the practice.

 

You're practicing asana and meditation; that's good. I cannot say

whether you should be doing pujas and homas as the focus of your

practice, but if you wish to add depth to the kind of practice you

are already doing, I would recommend adding pranayama if you are not

already doing so. My meditation practice did not really go anywhere

until I began doing pranayama.

 

What I practice is rather personal, as are my experiences, but

sometimes I share them (a little bit). I have been practicing what is

essentially Raja yoga ie., yama, niyama, asana, pranayama,

pratayahara, dharana, dhiyana, samadhi. Swami Satyananda of Bihar

wrote that this path is essentially Tantra stripped of all its

obviously Tantric overtones to fit a time when Tantra was officially

put down.

 

In any case, there is a reason pranayama comes after asana and before

the various stages of concentration. Pranayama awakens prana shakti,

purifies and strengthens the nadis and chakras. When you meditate,

the prana shakti essentially does the work, withdrawing the senses

and focusing the mind (at least this is my experience). The degree of

effort, the time it takes, and the inner stillness and depth attained

in meditation depend both on the purity of the nadis and the amount

of shakti available. Pranayama does both (though it is not the only

way).

 

Sorry it took so long to respond to you. Yes, devotion is very

important to keep the other practices fresh and to give them meaning.

I have found mantra japa to be helpful. I wish you well. Don't be a

stranger.

 

Chris

 

satyabhakti1976 <Hickananda (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

Namaste, I hope this finds you all in good space. As one of my

first posts I will say that maturing into appropriate Sadhana has

been a real struggle for me. The first place I wanted to go with

it was Jnana, I quickly realized that information/knowledge just made

me arrogant. It was as if my brain would just heat up and voila

anger. I've been thinking more and more about developing Bhakti as a

gentle way to open up to the truth around me. It seems that love is

the perfect lubrication for the ego. Right now I sit regularly,

do some asana and read like crazy, as well as eat a fairly satvic

diet(aside from a little caffeine). I am comfortable with this, but

would like more structure.

As I explore my learning curve I'm intersted to hear how other's

"jumped" into their practice. I feel like Bill Murray in "What about

Bob"...babysteps...Jai Ma,JustinTo from this group, send

an email to:Your use of

Groups is subject to the

 

The New with improved product search