Student Pranayama video for perusal and evaluation
Meditationtime Forum Post
Date: Posted 5 years before Feb 27, 2018
Alfredo 5 years ago
Video Title: Rapid Breathing.AVI
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN95RcbhbdM&feature=youtu.be
manishsony 5 years ago
Thats great Alfredo ji... too much pumps in different styles.
Alfredo 5 years ago
Thank you Manish Ji...for the encouraging words. I am a neophyte at this, but at least have the desire to progress, so I do a minimum of similar 30 minutes twice a day, followed by meditation. Sometimes I change the postures depending upon which part of the body to affect...have a great day!
MiBeloved 5 years ago
Alfredo 5 years ago
Thank you Acharya, your words are encouraging. I am looking forward to the personal help and I thank you in advance.
On the posture with the knee-bend, I usually focus on the bent knee itself. I focus basically on the stress point of the postures and try to send the air/prana there.
MiBeloved 5 years ago
Alfredo wrote:
On the posture with the knee-bend, I usually focus on the bent knee itself. I focus basically on the stress point of the postures and try to send the air/prana there.
MiBeloved’s Response:
It may be that your knee joint is a bit still. Actually the knee is supposed to be up and around, so that you are not on the knee but if the tendons are very tight then you will only be able to do it as you are at this time.
See this for where the knee should be located:
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Thomer wrote:
After a few breaths I apply all the locks, but in Alfredo video he just holds his breath out and mentally pushes down the groin area. Is there some difference between those?
MiBeloved’s Response:
There are many variations of holding breath in or out, depending on how it feels. Each Student has to sense that out by intuition. However as a general rule breath is held in when one stops and locks are applied pulling in everything.
When I do practice about 85% of the time when I stop I do so on an inhale and apply the locks. I do stop on an exhale but that is infrequent.
Even though there is a pulling up of the locks when the breath is held in on the last draw of the breath in a sequence, still the mental pushing down is done at the same time. So it is like physically you are pulling up the stomach, under chest, sex and anus locks but you are pushing down the energy which is compressed as a result of that.
So that pushing is down the front side of the body. This should result in the energy going to muladhara base chakra and then kundalini will rise up through the back way up the sushumna nadi in the spinal column.
Send a video. You can use a cheap camera. It does not have to be professionally done, and it does not have to be sent by YouTube, you can send it to me by one of those free large file services or see Bernard at Meditation Time and let him advise you on how to get it to us.
Here is a link to a free large file service:
https://www.transferbigfiles.com/
Look at this diagram:
maryada 5 years ago
Thank you for this. These examples are so helpful. On the postures when you are sitting on the bench these can also be done sitting on the floor right? I wish we could all get together at my center and practice this.
MiBeloved 5 years ago
Maryada,
It is a good idea to invite Alfredo to come and give a week course at your center. This is because the way he practices is not too strenuous as I do, and it would be more suitable to persons whose bodies are inflexible. Alfredo is also qualified to introduce kriya yoga practice because he was trained by Swami Hariharananda.
All of the postures can be done on a chair or on the floor but the chair is a great help for those whose limbs are not as flexible.
If you are teaching meditation, it is always a good idea to do some breathing as a preliminary process and then take your students into meditation, because the breathing also helps to shift their minds away from tensions and causes of stress.
In Yogi Bhajan's ashrama, there was always the breath infusion and then immediately after the meditation. This is consistent with Patanjali where there is pranayama, then pratyahara and then advanced meditation which is collectively known as samyama.
Alfredo 5 years ago
Hello Maryada!
Maryada wrote: On the postures when you are sitting on the bench these can also be done sitting on the floor right?
Alfredo's reply:
Yes, as the Acharya wrote above.
The important thing is to keep in mind the purpose of the exercise. Why do this? Why would anyone want to do this? This is the key question.
I am 58 and my limbs are quite inflexible, both knees operated due to years of playing professional racquetball. Add to that I learned and developed this in the last 3 months with one foot out due to surgery (could only step on the heel of the right foot, and tentatively, in the last 2 weeks).
My practice is evolving and what the video showed above will be left behind in a while, for what I hope to accomplish, this video will be child-play.
For Lord Ganesh is on my side!
maryada 5 years ago
Hi Alfredo,
You are a great encouragement, and you are quite amazing considering what you are going through with your surgeries and all. But like you say the end is worth the means.
My big problem would be to make the time to do that complete set at one time since I work with children all day. What I think I will do is brake it up and begin to master portions and when I have time on the weekends I can begin to put it together.
I could divide it into three parts. A third in the morning, a third at lunch time and a third in the evening. Do you think that will be effective?
(font size increased as a courtesy - mb)
Alfredo 5 years ago
Maryada,
Thanks for the encouraging words.
That's a good plan. Of course it will be effective, everything counts in this practice.
Remember that the main reason for this pranayama is to infuse energy into the subtle body and psyche before meditation. It helps greatly to file reports of the practice sometimes so that the Acharya can review them and correct them. A video directly to him later may be even better, for you can notice from the comments above how many things I was doing incorrectly for not knowing better. This practice I developed by watching his videos, which are posted here, and by some literature. On the former, you can review yourself, on the latter, depending on what are your goals, I may be able to help you further.
