Laya Yoga Magic 31 minutes
Much has happened in this little sadhana.
Today is day 29 since the last 1,000 days before the End Time. Day 40 looks a lot more reachable!
Nabhi Kriya has passed the, “Ooh! I really don’t want to do it!” stage. It still takes a while to get in gear. Once I hit the sheepskin, I’ve been able to get started. One started, well ya can’t just stop.
Mornings can be VERY clog nosed. Pushing the breath is the only way to get those membranes to stop leaking. This may be due to the lovely stream of snowstorms we’ve been getting. Making a “power” pranayam is still a goal. At least this kriya won’t let you sleep through it.
So, after testing my navel point last week, had to add 4 more exercises to the end of Nabhi Kriya. I’m developing a decent navel pulse(!) and it is now easily apparent that it is too high from center. I added the Navel Adjustment Kriya, page 7 of the Meditation Manual. Back to KY101!
In fact, I read every page, from the beginning to the Kriyas, to make sure I’m practicing correctly. Awesome lot to learn! Those “little pains”? Stick your hand into your belly under your ribs and push around a little. In me, there are all these tissues that don’t mind stretching, but they’re going to HURT to let you know about it.
Meanwhile, today we achieved 31 minutes in the Laya Yoga meditation. Now THAT is something.
This has been one of the best lessons. In one session, I’ll go from mechanical, repetitive, LOST in thought, to smooth, chin tucked tight, eyes at the 3rd Eye point, chant from the navel. And, that’s only after 3 repetitions!
The biggest for me has been holding that 3rd Eye focus and keeping Chin Lock, and not peeking at the clock!
If I get the chin in, the ribcage rises automatically almost 2 inches. The throat opens up and the chant comes from the navel. That still only holds for a few rounds at a time.
And that 3rd Eye…when focused there, the chin lock can get easier and the whole thing gets real tight. Any time I’m “checking” my posture, voice, whatever, I find my eyes somewhere wandering away from that one point…OVER and OVER. At least they’re closed.
Mind is quite something.
31 minutes of Laya Yoga was “easy”. You WILL get entranced. You don’t want to stop. Very inviting. By now, Mulh Bandh is getting strong. Hard to separate out the 3 chakras at times. Each IS a distinct muscle group.
And where this meditation takes you? I think even a beginning meditator would benefit very rapidly from the correct practice of Laya Yoga. If you’ve not looked around inside your body/mind, you might want to give it a try.
Physically, there is a nice feeling around the navel. Tighter. I don’t know if it is affecting my focus. The muscle groups are lining up. Walking is lovely when on my toes. Sometimes, I’m a bit wired in the morning. Hence, a walk to ground a bit.
Blessings.
~ SAT NAM ~
Flexible Solidity
Good morning,
Both the yoga and the moving meditation are becoming “smoother”. There is a certain fluidity coming into the motions. Also, I’m noticing less crackling in some of the joints. The breath is picking up easier, but it snowed last night and my nostrils were open from the beginning.
If there is anything to learn from the Laya Yoga…neck lock. Neck Lock.
This brings the only hope of carrying that lovely kundalini energy we are praying to cultivate through the yoga. If Neck Lock is strong, but the muscles are relaxed, as they are actually starting to do(!), the pronunciation comes easy and the strength comes from the navel. And the whole body moves together.
Then the mind gets in the way…
The flexibility of the spin with the slowly strengthening Mulh Bandh is really helping align the spine during the deep meditation. In comes a solidity that even allows me to forget the breath for a few moments. Sometimes, I feel like a meditator!
Have a great day.
~ SAT NAM ~
Meditation, Breath and the Ribcage
Interesting today.
Got started about an hour late.
Nabhi Kriya is getting more fluid in movement. The fine tuning, like CLOSING THE EYES (let alone focusing on the 3rd Eye…), checking the clock after 2 minutes KNOWING there’s 13 minutes to go, and the general babble from all joints and muscles actively participating in the kriya. They love to squeak.
The breath is still catching up. I can flow with the physical movements, but I’m not doing a thunderous pranayam for my breathing. Getting easier to match with the movement.
Where IS that 3rd Eye?
I finally stuck my finger into my forehead and physically looked. Ain’t where I been lookin’.
I got the centered part all right. Most of us can cross our eyes. I just need to roll those eyeballs all the way to the limit of upper vision. Just there, is the beginning of the touch of my finger. I think I’ve been looking somewhere in my clogged nostrils most of the time, when not looking at the clock.
Laya Yoga was very tight. I think I’m finally moving from the ‘jerk yoga’ feeling. Mulh Bandh is a fantastic way to find your inside. Pulling smoothly during the chant, instead of a navel ‘pump’ seems to let the lower spine stay aligned.
Meanwhile, Neck Lock is becoming more of a possibility. If I can keep Neck Lock for more than 2-3 rounds a lovely sound comes up from deep inside and out my mouth. As soon as I forget it, the sound comes from my throat and gets ‘mushy’, for lack of a better word. This is something to work on.
During the approximate 15 minutes of silent meditation, toward the last couple of minutes, I took a deep breath and both my diaphragm and upper ribcage opened up. A LOT!
My diaphragm relaxed and the space below wasn’t blocked by food, so air came in.
At the same time, my shoulders and upper ribcage kind of ‘bloomed’ upward.
The shoulders automatically rolled back.
I was naturally forced to take several large, life giving breaths.
This would be nice to maintain. That hanging skeleton image was much easier for those few minutes. Tight topknot!
Now, about 45 minutes later, I can still fill my lungs with a delightful “over-breath”. We live at just under 7000 ft and that air doesn’t always feel like it is feeding the blood. On the other hand, the PRANA is charged at this altitude. A deep breath is nice.
Have a great Sunday.
~ SAT NAM ~
2 doing Laya Yoga – very nice
Since that last post about 10 days ago…there is alot in the body that is “announcing” their chronic problems.
The little things are intriguing, why does the left ankle crack during laya yoga? Or the knee? I think the chair sitting life has raised the muscles and joints to a certain tenseness; a chiropractor would love to get his hands on it.
Ah, Yoga, the best do-it-yourself healing system there is.
The Nabhi is more rhythmic. The breath still wants to play catch up. The muscles don’t complain anymore. There is an initial stiffness and on we go. I have an interesting tightening vertically along the solar plexus. I think their called ‘muscles’.
But, the fun and strength has been since my wife joined me in the Laya Yoga meditation. We have advanced to 16 minutes as of yesterday and feel a real difference in the support 2 voices give. The rhythm and chant helps me remember to STOP LOOKING AT THE CLOCK. (Isn’t there always a reason to keep the mind working?) Which helps me get back into my body and make the meditative action work for a few more seconds.
2 of us together , definitely helps to go deeper and stay more in the meditation. The sound is not so “self created” and has a sustaining lift.
Seems the natural silent meditation at the end achieves about 11 minutes before the itchy world reappears. This is nice, considering the dramatic insides that seem to accompany so many meditations.
If you’re not hanging from that bolt in the top of your head, you are still trying to hold still. Well, I guess that’s me. Tucking the chin in is a meditation lifesaver. Aligning the spine…
- Chin in!
- Chest out!
- Shoulders back!
- Navel in!
How often was this told to us?
Practice appears to be helping. I really would like to move from this reliance on making the physical more “comfortably still” to the natural strength of balanced muscles supporting the whole structure in “meditative stillness”. Then, that ‘Mind’ may get some attention. Or lack thereof. Kool.
~ SAT NAM ~
meditation and the physical
Good morning,
Am finding the immediacy of Laya Yoga. Because of the small movement, when sitting still, that spine can be all over the place.
Started without the circular movement. Pull that Neck Lock! Pull it right and I know the muscles will learn to keep the rest of the spine in line.
The throat opens up and the sound immediately drops to the navel.
Today, the ribcage lifted too! Now, that was unexpected. This looks good for holding a good meditation posture. Lots of little clicks and pops in the spine.
After the Laya Yoga, I pulled my hair straight up, trying to hang from the top, and aligned what I had. Guru Teg Bahadur tied his hair to the basement ceiling. I’d like to just SIT STILL for a few minutes. At least my tongue wasn’t playing with anything it could find in my mouth. Can’t say it held still, as I’d find my teeth clenching.
Speaking of that most sensitive organ, the tongue…WHEN Neck Lock was tight, IF the over-emphasized pronunciation was carefully enunciated…that’s when the ears could start hearing. I think that lasted about 3 rounds. Mithna, churning. Japa, repetition. Maybe that’s called ‘Focus’…?
Isn’t the Internal Drama quite something? Do this. Assess. Think that. Assess. Straighten spine. Assess. Inhale, Assess. Stop thinking. Assess. Where’s that little, sweet, Sat Nam?
Oh, and breathing? SMILE! (dammit!) Snowy night, lots of wind. Nostrils so swollen, it took almost 2 hours to breathe “normally”. But, that little smile… ;-)>>>
Remember how it opened your nostrils when you were just a young student and the teacher had you up in Bow Pose and all of a sudden yelled ,”Smile!”? Can this be repeated?
Okay, obviously, some part of this mornings yoga and meditation got me wired.
Have a great day.
Thanks for all this.
~ SAT NAM ~
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