Breath-Infusion Validity
Ashtanga yoga has the asana postures and the pranayama breath infusion as the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) processes in an eight tiered system of discipline called yoga. A question arises as to what should be the benefit of each of these systems. How does the student know that these procedures are producing the intended results? What are the results to be garnished from each method?
What is the proof that any of this really works in the short or long term?
There are many spiritual processes advocated by various teachers?
How does the student know if ashtanga yoga is a useful process?
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Ultimately, the responsibility for checking the validity of any part of any spiritual discipline lies with the student. If the student is careless and does not care to check the results then what can anyone do about it.
If the student is self-defeating and becomes satisfied with a system of promises which do not yield the intended results, if the student will rely on the beliefs transmitted confidently by the teacher, then how can there be objective progress?
Teachers may or may not be flawed. They may or may not be conning themselves and their students. But all the same the checking for results should be done by the student. The student must be so interested as to gage if progress is made and should investigate to be sure he or she has the correct method and is making the correct application.
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An example of a student checking practice, is my own review from time to time as to what a particular part of the ashtanga yoga produces which I can check during practice, and gain evidence either to admit progress or to say to myself that it is useless.
Recently during the month of October, 2016, I noticed something which I noticed many times before but which I did not feel the necessity to share with students. On this occasion however I felt that if it was shared, it may give some students confidence in practice. It could indicate to students how their observations during practice would induce more practice and confidence.
Sometimes during breath infusion practice, one finds that without the locks, the energy is going to the right place even without any directive command from the core-self. This is observed especially if initially the student used to always apply locks to bunch, compression, direct, push or pull the energy. If for instance a student spent three years doing breath-infusion, and applying locks, and found that when the locks were not applied, the energy did not behave as intended, then this student develops confidence in the locks that they do work and are necessary.
However the student may not realize that this means that the psyche is out of whack and that is why the looks are necessary. The student may never think about the day when the locks will not be required when the energy of the breath infusion will of itself become bunched, compressed, directed, pushed or pulled without the application of locks and without even the application of will power pressure.
Suppose that same student who practiced for at least three years, once during practice after that time, just did not apply the locks after a session of breaths, and then the student realized that the system bunched, compressed, directed, pushed or pulled the energy on its own. Suppose when he looked down though the trunk of the subtle body, he noticed that the energy behaved as intended without locks and without the application of willpower force, then that student would have confidence that yoga has value, that it is produced the intended results after that three years of practice.
I did a session and notice that the energy behave nicely and as desired without any locks and with will power application. I wrote this post to share how one can develop self-confidence in the practice.
This would mean that pranayama practice could pay off and would not be a waste of time, even though it may take a particular student years of practice to experience definite results. Is this satisfactory?
I feel that it is better than those spiritual processes which promise results after death of the body, that the subtle body would suddenly change or be upgraded then or that one would go to a heaven then. Better to get progress after many years than to maintain the self by a belief which is supposed to manifest after death.
