Advice on yoga?

[Aeon418]

Btw,
any ideas on what to visualize during the alternate nostril breathing cycles?

Visualize anything you like. If it helps you focus, great, go with it. A lot of the time I don't visualize anything during meditation. But sometimes I use a very simple visualization of breathing energy in and out. It works for me, and that's all that matters really.

One thing to remember is that many practices are presented in a "bare bones" fashion. This leaves you with loads of room to innovate, personalise, and develop your own style. Have fun!

 

[Craxiette]

I haven't listened to a complete one yet! The only bit I find interesting is David Shoemaker's, Living Thelema segment. Although I did listen to the three part Gnostic Mass series by Lon & Constance DuQuette.

Well, this is all new to me. Maybe I'll be more picky in 20 years

Define normal.

Common. A frequently occuring phenomenon, to be expected.

I think all sorts of reactions are possible depending on the person involved. But as a general rule I think you usually have to go through a "settling in phase" whenever you start a new practice. You need to give yourself time to adjust and should expect unusual feelings to surface for a while. At the moment you're trying to establish a new behaviour pattern in your everyday life. But your existing habituated behaviour patterns can resist your efforts until your practice becomes the new norm.

Yes, there is that too. But I was speaking of something on the opposite end of the scale. An impatience enflamed by the feeling that I'm doing something right, that I'm on my way somewhere where I really want to go. Nevertheless, even this feeling can be used as a trap by the "existing habituated behaviour patterns" (I know this from previous experiences), as it can be turned into an impatience -"So you are not getting anywhere huh? You might as well give it up!". I'm a libra, this kind of balancing back and forth between ambition and inertia is old news to me

Personally I think the secret door (Door = Daleth = 4) relates to the 4 gates leading to one palace in AL I:51. There seems to be lots of Tiphareth/Yesod and path Samekh symbolism in that verse.

Hmm yes. I guess in my head it would make sense that the four gates are the four elements in Malkuth (that somehow also are "reflections" of the four lower sephiroths), yesod is the moat and Tiphareth is the palace. -But they are symbols after all, whatever works, works

 

[Always Wondering]

I
Define normal.

I think all sorts of reactions are possible depending on the person involved. But as a general rule I think you usually have to go through a "settling in phase" whenever you start a new practice. You need to give yourself time to adjust and should expect unusual feelings to surface for a while. At the moment you're trying to establish a new behaviour pattern in your everyday life. But your existing habituated behaviour patterns can resist your efforts until your practice becomes the new norm.

I second what Aeon418 said. For about the first month of practice I found myself bursting into tears during meditation. It was rather confusing for me and I had to take little breaks and find my own tolerance for this.

Tons of good stuff here. I will have to come back and reread when things settle down.

AW

 

[Craxiette]

I second what Aeon418 said. For about the first month of practice I found myself bursting into tears during meditation. It was rather confusing for me and I had to take little breaks and find my own tolerance for this.

Tons of good stuff here. I will have to come back and reread when things settle down.

AW

This is true for so many other things as well; Whenever we get out of our "comfort zones", we tend to react in uncommon ways -negative and positive. Usually first the negative and then the positive when that negativity has played out and been dealt with. When I first started working out regularly there was this machine at the gym called "Lunge". Using it activated some of the muscles in my legs in ways that I was not used to. It turned out I had lots of tensions and knots there, that when activated, triggered a very strong emotional response...hard to explain, it was dreadful and it brought tears to my eyes, even though it was not very painful. Afterwards there would be a surge of endorphins rushing through my body. It took about half a year of pushing myself to do even just a few repetition on that hell-machine, until the reaction slowly faded away. I suppose this reaction in the muscles is similar as when doing deep tissue massage or accupuncture. But out of principle, I tend to avoid such treatments if I can find ways of working through them on my own.

 

[Debra]

Ankles and knees

Just popping in with a suggestion for relieving pressure on knees and ankles in a kneeling position.

The problem usually isn't a matter of flexibility or strength. It has to do with how the bones are structured at the joints, and this varies from person to person.

The fix is to take a a large-ish wad of fabric--a pair of rolled-up socks or a rolled-up face towel are perfect. I prefer the socks. Anyway, take the wad of fabric and tuck it behind the knees--shove it right against the back of the knee, tuck it into the bend. For ankles, put the rolled-up socks under the top of the ankle where it bends, between the ankle and the floor.

This opens a space that allows the joints to bend naturally and without risk.

 

[Craxiette]

Just popping in with a suggestion for relieving pressure on knees and ankles in a kneeling position.

The problem usually isn't a matter of flexibility or strength. It has to do with how the bones are structured at the joints, and this varies from person to person.

The fix is to take a a large-ish wad of fabric--a pair of rolled-up socks or a rolled-up face towel are perfect. I prefer the socks. Anyway, take the wad of fabric and tuck it behind the knees--shove it right against the back of the knee, tuck it into the bend. For ankles, put the rolled-up socks under the top of the ankle where it bends, between the ankle and the floor.

This opens a space that allows the joints to bend naturally and without risk.

Thanks for the advice Debra, I'll try it out when I get home tonight. But my problems are mainly pain in the tendons in the hollow of the foot (I don't know what it is called) as well as pain in my toes from the pressure of sitting on them as well as them being bent backwards in a stretch. My knees are fine since I got my posture-harness and learnt how to sit more straight. I really think in my case this is simply because the muscles are not used to it, and not a matter of bone and joint structure. Also, if it's just a matter of bone structure, how come millions of asians have no problem sitting like this for hours? I'm genetically half-asian, but this isn't helping me at all in this case...

 

[Debra]

Thanks for the advice Debra, I'll try it out when I get home tonight. But my problems are mainly pain in the tendons in the hollow of the foot (I don't know what it is called) as well as pain in my toes from the pressure of sitting on them as well as them being bent backwards in a stretch.

I'm responding to something you wrote a long time ago so I'm glad to hear that your knees are good! It's true, practice does help loosen tight muscles. I only meant to point out that there are limits to movements of the joints that are not always recognized by yoga teachers and practitioners This was really brought home to me by a demonstration by Paul Grilley. He brought in dozens of human bones (from a defunct museum) that clearly illustrate tremendous individual variation in how joints are constructed.

I know that backward toe stretch pain! My personal feeling, after torturing myself is that nothing beneficial is accomplished by sitting on one's toes that way. It doesn't help energy flow, balance, strength or meditation.

Good luck with your continued practice!

 

[Craxiette]

That's ok Debra, I'm sure others reading this thread can be helped from your advice!

I don't know about the effects on the meditation itself, as I'm so new at it...but the stretch and strengthening of the toes is already improving my walking -I no longer only use my heels, but actually use the toes to "step off" the ground, so for me personally, the torture is paying off! If not, I think I would have given it up, in three weeks I have only extended the time I am able to sit like that from three minutes to five...the rest of my meditation I sit with my feet flat on the floor. I find in that position, it helps to make sure the feet are really turned outwards towards the floor in order to get increased blood flow. Luckily my knees have not been complaining about that!

Thanks for the good luck and I wish you the same with your practice!

I'm responding to something you wrote a long time ago so I'm glad to hear that your knees are good! It's true, practice does help loosen tight muscles. I only meant to point out that there are limits to movements of the joints that are not always recognized by yoga teachers and practitioners This was really brought home to me by a demonstration by Paul Grilley. He brought in dozens of human bones (from a defunct museum) that clearly illustrate tremendous individual variation in how joints are constructed.

I know that backward toe stretch pain! My personal feeling, after torturing myself is that nothing beneficial is accomplished by sitting on one's toes that way. It doesn't help energy flow, balance, strength or meditation.

Good luck with your continued practice!

 

[Aeon418]

My personal feeling, after torturing myself is that nothing beneficial is accomplished by sitting on one's toes that way. It doesn't help energy flow, balance, strength or meditation.

Sitting in physically challenging positions for a predetermined time can be used to strengthen the will (not Will ). The more difficult the position, the greater the tempation to give up before the alloted time has elapsed.

I'm not saying this is always the best way to meditate. I'm just pointing out a beneficial aspect that is easy to overlook.

 

[Debra]

Good point!

I wasn't thinking of that--it's not on my priority list