Sounds like you are on the right track. Personally I feel that mula bandha is part of pranayama and that you should not confuse it with a grip or clench but more as a way to direct energy as a lift in the pelvis. This is particularly important in pranayama with bretah retention as you don’t want the pressure of the breath to bear down but to rise up and open the ribs instead.Also might wnat to explore kechari mudra. Most of the general techniques offered by AYP are available elsewhere with the exception of kechari which has traditionally been kept much more secret. That said, the ayp “package” of practices is very well balanced and integrated so I encourage you to read the lessons and explore what is offered here.
Hi all,
Jack I was wondering how your abstinence project is coming along? I have recently also begun to practice abstinence from masturbation, for the first time I might add. I’m also male, 26, and do not currently have a sexual partner. Until last week I was viewing porn fairly regularly, and used to masturbate between once and several times a day.
From my original understanding of the AYP tantra teachings, it seemed that masturbation to porn was not damaging and could be used as a method for channelling sexual energy into the higher centres. For most of my yoga career I had not tried manually blocking ejaculation, instead I sought to stay in front of orgasm. This was usually successful, even with porn, but sooner or later I would over stimulate myself and end up ejaculating, around every 2-4 weeks.
In the last few months I’d been experiencing a greater detrimental effect on my practices post-ejaculation, and my resolve to prevent ejaculation had strengthened. So I began to experiment with blocking, and found to my initial satisfaction that I seemed able to orgasm without experiencing much if any energy loss.
HOWEVER, this unfortunately led me to all but abandon my efforts to cultivate sexual energy and stay in front of orgasm, and instead I would masturbate to porn as usual and just block the ejaculation. Not very rewarding and not very helpful. This also seemed to strengthen my compulsion to view porn regularly.
So since I came across yourbrainonporn.com and decided to abstain from masturbation and porn entirely, I have begun to feel better. Better in practices and in life.
My thoughts are;
That online porn is NOT a useful aid to masturbation if one intends to cultivate sexual energy.
The blocking method should not be relied upon to spritualise sexual function. We should endeavour to no longer view orgasm as the goal at all, and practice staying in front of orgasm. Blocking should be a “last resort”.
Don’t assume that because you are engaged in spiritual practices your sexuality will automatically move in the right (spiritual) direction without the need for any willpower or control! At least not in the short term. Maybe in ten years things would have sorted themselves out without the need for intervention, but I’d rather not wait.
Love and good luck to you =)
Well said Wafu,
I never had any over attachment to porn…but as we guys know, the sex drive that comes with being male, the power of lust, attraction to the female form etc is a force unto itself. I think… generally speaking …most women can’t even fathom how much we men are ‘pushed around’ by our own natural sex drives. Some do. Some just chalk it up to men being ‘dogs’…but I sympathize with all who are hooked into porn like that. There, but for the grace of God…
So, I agree with you…abstaining from ejaculation just by force of will alone is folly. It does take the desire and bhakti of spiritual development in league with self-control to manage such a force. All we can do is manage it.
And the blocking method is something I can’t even get my head around. Sounds unpleasant, and unnatural. I’m either going to stay in front of orgasm or let it go, and try again another day.
Good luck Jack. And don’t worry too much…you’re 26 years old and that horse can be hard to tame. You have a spiritual awareness that will serve you well. “Even a little progress is freedom from fear”.
Just replied twice to this, lost message twice.
In my experience,porn hurts.
Rebooting helps… I went 28 days, then had sex and it was amazing. After a few more sessions I lost sensitivity and went more back to fantasy/compulsion. Ended up masturbating a few times and losing some progress.
Thanks for asking, 
So has anyone else noticed that this “Abstaining from Masturbation” thread is right next to “Urge to Release,” where we can all read this wonderful post from Mikijji:
“The marital bed is a place of mutual giving and receiving, which ultimately results in joyousness. Forget about the cultivation or circulation or retention of your sexual energies. Give to your wife whatever it is she desires from you. When I first began my tantric practices about 9 years ago, my late wife, who had been at that point meditating for over 30 years, was not pleased with my withholding from her. It seemed that it was her joyful need to take my seed from me, and when I did not let her finish me, she took it as a slight. She needed me to want her and wanted me to need her, and the completion of us both was her proof positive that all was well with our emotional relationship and our physical abilities to continue to enjoy one another in bed. Since that time, she passed away, and I was with several partners until I remarried 4 years ago. I have managed to reach almost total and complete control of my sexual release, yet seldom do I withhold from ejaculating. I can last for however long she desires, and even after an ejaculatory climax can remain erect with no refractory period whatsoever–and I am nearly 61 years old. This is how I have utilized my many years of tantric practices. By this stage–43 years of regular meditation and 9 years tantric practice–when and if I do ejaculate has no bearing on my emotions or energy any longer. It’s all bliss from beginning to end. No, actually it’s all bliss from BEFORE the beginning to well after the end. I am her tool, her toy, her life energy when we make love. She is my calm, soft, sweet center. Whatever it is we do, however often we do it and for however long we make it last, is no longer is an issue. If you have an emotional or spiritual, rather than physical itch to release, this is a strong sign from your intuition. Go with it, worry less, and enjoy sex more. After all, that’s where we can laugh the loudest, cry the hardest, scream the longest and breathe the deepest, and what could be better for Life?”
I quote Mikijji in full here because I think his point applies here as well: ejaculation is not necessarily the problem. Though I do think porn can be more problematic (based on my own experience), the idea of a 26-year-old abstaining from ejaculation for even 2 weeks strikes me as draconian, and potentially even unhealthy. Recent studies have shown that guys who keep ejaculating regularly are less prone to prostate cancer. We men are designed, biologically, to ejaculate regularly! While abstinence may be beneficial to some, highly skilled spiritual practitioners, I have to say, for the rest of us: enough with the guilt and shaming on our natural bodily processes already! (I’m 45; I’ve practiced semen retention with powerful, at times overwhelming results in terms of kundalini rising; even so I’ve never gone longer than about 20 days. At those times, I’ve released semen to relieve the pressure/intensity of the kundalini energy. I’m no master; that’s just my process thus far.)
Jack, if abstaining from ejaculation is helping you work through the SD, relationship issues, and whatever else is going on for you, then more power to you! I’m glad to read that it’s not the only thing you’re doing; meditation, etc. will be absolutely key as well. I would just encourage you to do some fine discernment of what the issues really are. For example, in one place you say masturbation “usually leads to pornography,” then later you say you’ve only looked at porn 6-7 times in the last 3 years. If both statements are true, then you’ve only masturbated a little more than 6-7 times in the last three years… so you’d already be well advanced in abstaining for long periods of time! But you’re not. So… what gives? It would seem that either you’re using porn more often, so that’s the bigger issue, or you have serious guilt issues around masturbation. So is your SD because you masturbate too much, or because you’re all mentally distraught because you think you masturbate too much?
Forgive me for running on and maybe probing harder than is warranted. I’ll try to summarize quickly: 1) Go easy on yourself. It may be that learning to love and accept your sexual energy, and to let it manifest naturally (ideally with a partner) is the key to your success. 2) Keep doing the spiritual work, and 3) as others have suggested, look into those other possible issues: depression, etc. (2 and 3 could be one and the same, depending on how you do the spiritual work!)
I wish you well, my friend! You are not alone!
I haven’t read the whole topic, just throwing in my two cents…
The withdrawal of porn and masturbation is only one part of what has to be done. Another part is to cultivate our contact with our Higher Power. A third and very important part - that will work against addiction is self-inquiry: Taking a good look at your history, particularly your sexual history, and all your patterns around this. What needs and emotions are you trying to cover with the escape of sexual distraction? In the 12-step program, that’s a crucial part, working with the steps.
I wish you all the best! Way to go, Jack! Progress - not perfection!
You may want to check out http://yourbrainrebalanced.com, there are forums there specifically for guys trying to do what you’re working towards. I’ve read up quite a bit on YBOP.com since discovering it randomly via Twitter. To help clear up some misconceptions in this thread:
- masturbation isn’t the real issue, it’s excessive porn. Particularly the instant, overwhelming availability of it via the Internet.
- unfortunately a lot of guys experience ED for real partners, but not for porn. The theory is that they have “re-wired” the reward systems of the brain to overload levels of dopamine release that is linked to porn. Real partners can’t compete. It leads to a general lowering of pleasure for normally pleasurable activities, and can lead to depression and social withdrawal.
- the idea here is that this is an addiction as real as a cocaine addiction. Hijacked dopamine release, linked in the brain to needing more and more stimulation (new, different, more).
- the goal is to remove the porn from the equation, but for those “hooked”, masturbation without porn isn’t possible. The brain also needs about 60 days before the chemicals that keep you hooked leave the system. Most guys who report success suggest abstaining from masturbation, but also any form of “edging” and even sex. At least for the 60-90 days. The success stories are very positive for the most part.
- most success stories involve meditation, so a lot of the guys take up the practice.
I’d highly recommend reading the YBOP.com site for lots more in-depth info. It’s fascinating, and applies to more than just porn. Facebook, the Internet in general and video games all can cause this hijacking of the dopamine system.
As Jack mentioned, he does have ED, but he suspects its PIED ( porn-induced ED). The 90 days of abstaining are a way to allow the body to rebalance to normal operating conditions, and eliminating masturbation during that time has been reported to help significantly.
What worked here for the last 8 years:
- Remaining preorgasmic + the blocking technique.
- Good amounts of SBP twice daily + DM or equivalent.
SBP opens the channels for the sexual transformation to happen faster.
There were some years with 3-4 masturbations at all without any need or wish for more.
For 2-3 years here ejaculation physically is sometimes not even possible anymore. The whole amount of sexual energy just flows into the whole body and just some dry pumping happens. Only if practice amounts go down the road for some time the sexual energies concentrate more and ejaculation can happen (where the blocking technique works again =P)
Sex with a partner is a little different, her energies are more wild, the mixture is more chaotic and uncontrolled, so dry ejaculation or instant transformation of the huge amounts of sexual energies does not happen like without a partner. But there is also the same tendency of endless durability if you so want.
Therefor the hint in the first post was, add SBP to DM and continue the practices!
Transform the semen friends,
the result is joy radiance.
The primary force in this transformation is the spiritual practice done daily, while holding back and blocking and co are just practical hints for the beginning years of practice.
Surely just watching porn and blocking the semen-outflow will not help in this process if no practices are done at other times in the day. Practicing SBP+DM twice daily and loosing semen will still transform earlier or later into ecstatic bliss radiance with the automatic transformation of the sexual energies even without the hold-back-method or blocking method. After some years to decades this new internal functioning will just be.
Regarding masturbation and behaviours related to it as an addiction is the only problem. It is natural, the body has this tendency. There is no solution in thinking or behaving, just change this tendendy of sexual flow into new pathways within the bodymind (SBP) and offer it to stilness again and again (DM and Co.) and all is good.
An insightful partner would be nice, not all of us have the luck, so some partners want your semen without any good for her or him. For some time this may go ok for the male, but the inner call may change this situation sooner or later. Latest when no semen comes out anymore, no woman can argue
Except for babytime, then the godly grace may grant some godly drops 
Happy practicing and enjoy
Everyone, thank you for questions.
Yogaman, thank you for explaining what I cannot explain so fluently to the others members here. Yes, I have an account on YBR and post there regularly.
Holy - I appreciate your contribution and find it inspiring me towards regular AYP practice. I just have to question whether your methods helped you in overcoming porn-related erectile dysfunction, which seems to require a specific approach to overcome?
EMC - Yes there are other issues as well… anxiety/fear around intimacy… emotional healing needed… etc.
Peace all
@Jack: glad to help. Good luck! Wish I had something more to offer.
I decided to sit for longer than usual today - 5 minutes Spinal Breathing Pranayama, 15 minutes Deep Meditation.
Interesting to note were the orgasmic sensations that came up half-way through the DM - accompanied by rapid abdominal breathing/panting, orgasmic groans and the like - but no external erection/ejaculation… it felt like the sexual energy was finding other forms of expression… NICE.! lol.
Sounds good Jack
Since I began to abstain from all forms of sexual activity earlier at the start of this month, I have experienced some good progress in the results of my practices (SBP,yoni mudra, DM and samyama).
Sexual sensations also seem reduced in practices. Previously I would experience these quite a bit. I have felt more ease and joy in life also, and a stronger connection to fellow beings. Things are good
Thanks for sharing your experience holy. Keep the transformation going 
Still watching porn and masturbating… just occasionally… and quick sessions…
I am tired of this addiction.
I have been working night-shifts as well, I am an insomniac in recent days, which set it all off… lying in bed unable to sleep for five hours can lead to the mind wandering.
Tired…
To sleep well: think in the body:
100
deeper
99
deeper
98
…
if you reach 0, then restart.
Also Maha Mudra helps me to sleep.
If you are in a deep hole, be glad: Now you know the path of your ascent, and the time is now.
Use k9 settings in all your devices to block porn and someone to set a password or set it yourself randomly without looking if you are willing to allow yourself to be free.
This is one of the most epic encouraging scenes of all times for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZmvQ5Qc9Rs
Rise again!
I know how you feel man, Id go at it 3, sometimes even 4or 5 times every single day. I stopped watching porn but I was still addicted to masturbation, that being the orgasm. I’d say just stick to it man, I’ve only masturbated twice in the last 60 days (how healthy this is for an 18 year old boy, I dont know), but with practices the urge is much much less. I’d say even tantric masturbation is fairly dangerous as I used to go too far sometimes
Ak33: there is zero health risk for abstaining of you so choose. At least from the science I’ve read. The body just breaks it down and reabsorbs it. No buildup dangers.
You show considerable willpower for an 18 year old man, kudos!
These are all encouraging posts, thank you.
Will Power - I will re-write the password, this time randomly generate it, write it down on paper, take it work and place it in my file. That means getting it would involve a 50-minute round trip on my bike, and talking to colleagues to explain why I am there at that hour.
This idea came to place after reading your post, so thank you very much.
Good video, don’t believe I ever saw Dark Knight Rises, may be worth checking out.
This sounds like a good idea to me! I wonder how the addiction will respond to this new challenge. Could be tough… But it may make all the difference.
All the best my friend!
Hello I would like to read the book TANTRA
how can I get this book?
Ayamer - http://www.aypsite.org/books.html#tantra
So I created a random password, set that on my k9 web filters, wrote the password down and left it at work. Also practicing SBP and moola bhanda alongside meditation…