Thank you, Ajita 
May all your Nows be Here
Dear Yogani,
You said:
I am aware that other systems work outside the spinal nerve (main highway), directly within other energy pathways as practice. Is that the case in your system? If so, I am sure many here will be interested in how you address it in way that is both simple and globally effective.
Maybe I can try to explain:
Our spinal nerve system is indeed a very important, maybe the most important base of our being as you have understood, but it is still only a partial manifestation of the totality of our being.
Especially when we are mentally and emotionally harmonious, calm (Sattva) our subtle energy is connecting to and filling our nerve system. Then our sensory organs as hearing, sensing, seeing, tasting and smelling (Jnanendriya’s) can occur.
When we are passive (Tamas) our subtle energy condense and feed our gross tissues (sound, gaseous, warmth, liquid and hard matter) resulting in the manifestation of an inactive gross body. This happens mainly during our sleep. At the same time hormones are produced in our endocrine glands, being the cristalization points of our Cakra’s.
When we are active (Rajas) our subtle energy expands and causes excretion, sexual activity, movement of the legs or arms and hands, and speech (Karmendriya’s). Then also the hormones are expelled from the endocrine glands into the blood stream, providing the necessary information to the further regulation of our physical body.
That is simple and globally effective? If so, I can explain more.
Yours friendly,
Shri Yogacharya Ajita
Hi Ajita:
You are describing natural processes in a very clear way. But what is the practice? That is where the simplicity and effectiveness matter the most.
The guru is in you.
Dear Yogani,
The control of the above mentioned energy processes is rather simple.
As explained in my free Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the basic principle is that you only have to guard the two cosmic nostrils (Chandra and Surya Bindu) and regulate inflow, outflow or retention. It is obvious that the whole energy system, lying between those two “nostrils” is then under control. For example, you have a lack of Shiva energy, then you let Shiva in trough Chandra Bindu. Lack of both, Shiva and Shakti? Just command mentally the inflow of both together, Shiva via Chandra Bindu and Shakti via Surya Bindu…
The beauty of the system lies also in the reduced set of exercices. Only eight exercices permit you to control your whole energy system!
Yours friendly,
Shri Yogacharya Ajita
Ajita said:
basic principle is that you only have to guard the two cosmic nostrils (Chandra and Surya Bindu) and regulate inflow, outflow or retention.
Ajita, these are not instructions that people can in general follow, in their current form. In that sense, your practice is not explained there.
That is the difference with Yogani’s methods. By and large they can all be followed by a large number, maybe the majority of people, in the form in which they already exist (of course no set of instructions can be followed by all people).
Hi Ajita:
David is right. On the other hand, no one expects you to change your mode of teaching overnight, which is geared to personal face-to-face instruction, like most teachings traditionally have been. That being the case, the most we can reasonably ask for is an outline of your system, which you have generously given some of, and it is much appreciated. The more you are comfortable sharing on yoga across the board, the better for everyone.
What we are doing here in AYP is a new approach – a grand experiment, you might say, seeing how much can be conveyed in writing. It is not for everyone. At the same time, the ability of many to pick up and go with detailed written instructions alone has been gratifying.
The biggest revelation has been the high level of responsibility in self-pacing that nearly all practitioners have displayed with wide-open availability of advanced practices leading to many new experiences. This puts to rest once and for all the perennial argument that seekers cannot be trusted with practices without a lot of personal handholding by a guru. It just is not true, not in this time and place. The message of AYP is that most aspirants with a mind to, who have good information, can regulate their own practices.
That is a useful data point for teachers everywhere. If the practices are simple enough, effective enough and well-documented, much more can be conveyed much faster and we can get on with it, instead of staying mired in the inertia of the past.
No matter what the mode of instruction may be, I encourage all teachers to take note of the fact that much more can be done to provide access for the millions who are thirsting for knowledge of practices. It is simply a matter of giving the knowledge in a usable form to all who want it, and bypassing the artificial barriers and hierarchies that limit access. Open systems of practice are the wave of the future. This is how the world will be changed, and it is time.
This change will not put yoga teachers out of business. It will vastly increase the number of students, because direct assistance, follow-up and satsang on practices and the resulting experiences are always going to be necessary. This fledgling forum is an online example. It is only a matter of time before the discussion on self-directed practices overflows into the physical world in a big way.
The guru is in you.
Dear David Obsidian and Yogani,
You are right. It is not possible to practice (only) with the statement I made about the basic principle. However the practical explanation I give in the second chapter of my free Hatha Yoga Pradipika on my website www.raja-yoga.org is so clear and easy that it is completely in accordance with your vision of the spreading of knowledge nowadays.
Your doubt can only be removed if you make the download. And your expert view would be of benefit for the masses. The president of the Yoga Federation of India, Shri K.C. Sharma, in each case, was overwhelmed. He said to me that he was very happy to meet me and that my tremendous discovery would profit all Yoga practitioners, but also cause pain to many.
Yours friendly,
Shri Yogacharya Ajita
Dear Yogani and David Obsidian,
You are right. It is not possible to practice with the basic principle I gave. But reading the second chapter of my free Hatha Yoga Pradipika, that you can download from my website www.raja-yoga.org, you will agree that my explanation of Pranayama is as clear and simple as you wish.
Yours friendly,
Shri Yogacharya Ajita
Ajita’s Method of Samyama and –Pranajama:
It is everybody’s, Ajita is not the owner of this method.
Perhaps secrecy is the element that makes individuals untrustworthy, in the eyes of those who would withhold information to protect others.
In the same way, a child can be lead to project gratification onto an item the parents hide away. The child sees it as an adult thing and so plays with it under grandiose ideas. A gun, for example.
On the flip side, the gun shouldn’t be stored in the child’s toybox.
I really enjoyed this thread, as well as the link. The ying/yang image, in alignment with the human body was a breathtaking sight for me.
Yogani, I was delighted when I found this site, and I find more and more support from it as days go by.
I have read Ajita’s version of the HYP (as well as his Subtle Anatomy book), and it’s confusing. For instance, instead of actually performing stomach cleansing, he suggests to imagine that you’re doing it. Instead of physically performing kechari mudra, he suggests the following:
And he also says it’s a trap for people to cut the frenum…that it was intended to keep unworthy people from doing the actual practices. He justifies this by saying that it’s a violent act to cut the frenum, and it would obviously go against the code of non-violence. Yet that gets me thinking: why would Svatmarama go against the code of truthfulness? It doesn’t add up.
There are other things about his interpretations of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika which don’t add up. For instance, he wrote that “during the beginning of pranayama practice, milk and ghee should be taken” translates to mean you should have a balanced diet. In the little experience I have with physiology, it’s obvious that calcium and lipids play a big role in nerve functioning…so why misinterpret the original text? It says milk and ghee for a reason.
I want to believe what Ajita says, but it’s hard when it seems to me that there are clear mistakes he’s made in his understanding of the text.
Also, his book Subtle Anatomy may be true or it may not be true. It’s like someone telling me about unicorns living on Atlantis…I’m not going to believe it til I experience it for myself. I didn’t see the usefulness of the book.
It seems like Ajita is a great guy, though. He teaches what he knows directly to students, and doesn’t charge but rather accepts donations (as far as I can tell). It seems, after overviewing his courses and their content, that you spend a lot of time each day in practice. Hours.
I’d like to talk to someone who has gone through the courses with him.
Namaste! Greetings to All!
I have followed this discussion with interest, and acknowledge valid points made on all sides of the topic at hand. Nonetheless, much of what has been posted has very little to do with the practice of any method of pranayama, IMO, but instead has more to do with intellectual, egoistic attachments to personal preferences and opinions regarding pranayama. Shouldn’t we all be striving for separation from sectarian, personal discriminations and value judgements of this sort? 
Within the yoga community at large, not just here, some say that “the practitioner can only be as good as the method they practice”. Certainly, even the most gifted and naturally talented sadhaka might not attain a high level of spiritual development or skill solely through their own bests efforts, regardless of their teacher or method, so what then are the realistic chances of a high achievement for a less gifted or talented practitioner? 
Although there may be some merit to this kind of thinking, something is missing in such a perspective. It overlooks one very important fact, IMO. 
Namely, that the mere striving for Union with God through earnest Sadhana allows each of us to be led according to our individual capabilities, by the Grace of God, until we reach Samadhi, regardless of our faults or shortcomings, regardless of our talent or intelligence, regardless of the methods we practice, since all things are possible for God!
See you at the top!
Hari Om!
Doc
Doc,
Kechari mudra doesn’t have much to do with pranayama practices. But if that’s what you were referring to…there is a clear difference between putting your tongue up through your nasal pharynx and reaching the hole where the cerebral spinal fluid is, versus imagining your sense of taste extending 15 cm above your head. One has a certain effect, and the other doesn’t have the same effect. Or: there is a big difference between swallowing a cloth versus imagining you are swallowing a cloth. When the Hatha Yoga Pradipika was written, there was one way to go about practicing these things. Who is right…Ajita or AYP? I don’t know. I think that’s up to each person to find out for themselves.
I don’t have anything against Ajita, or what he does…so it wasn’t a sectarian personal discrimination. In fact, I think he seems like a promising teacher. He seems like a great person.
But it’s necessary to make judgements when there are so many things which are just plain wrong, which can be distracting to the yogi. It’s a big claim that Ajita makes when he says he has uncovered the true practices of Hatha Yoga…he is saying that the way a number of techniques are practiced here is false.
Now, that may be true. I’m not sure just yet. But what I’m sure of is that there is a right way to practice these techniques and a wrong way. Doing it Ajita’s way won’t produce the same results as doing it the AYP way. I don’t know what results Ajita’s way produces…it could be all he says it is: perfect. I hope I didn’t make his teaching seem absolutely wrong…because I don’t really know what’s wrong or what’s right.
I see no reason to start a little duel between AYP and his organization…that would obviously go nowhere useful. What I was hoping to do in posting my review was provide somewhat of an overview so people wouldn’t have to read through his books like I did. It takes a long time to read through them. Just like if someone came to the forums and said “I can’t read through all the lessons here” I’d help them out by summarizing it. Contrasting it against different schools of thought.
I don’t think I was being unreasonable. I’ve certainly got a big ego and I’m full of delusions, but I try not to convey that in my reviews of things. 
Hi Doc:
Agreed 100%. If we are dedicated enough, we can build a house with any set of tools. The principles of human spiritual transformation are fairly generous. At the same time, without enough of them being effectively applied in concert, making progress can be a long grind. Even so, bhakti alone will eventually get us there – like the little train engine that could, you know: “I think I can … I think I can … I think I can…”
Bhakti (devotion to our ideal, put into action) is the fuel for all spiritual progress. Beyond that, it boils down to methods, and the more of those we have access to the better, as far as I’m concerned. Not that we can practice everything without a logical plan – that won’t work. Basic understandings of the efficient integration of the various classes of practice (eight limbs, right?) and self-pacing are necessary. Even without these understandings, the intensely determined aspirant will not fail – such is the power of bhakti. In the latter case, there may be a considerable frying along the way, but the heart-on-fire bhakti yogi/yogini will not care much (a la the Secrets of Wilder).
Nevertheless, the rest of us will prefer a more stable and bearable journey, while at the same time not getting bogged down in excessive “safety measures” along the way. So, the trick is to be hot with bhakti, use the best tools we can find, and learn to practice within our comfortable limits over the long term. With that, anyone can do this. And finding ways that can make it possible for anyone to do it is a worthy goal, I think.
AYP is not intended to be a final or complete answer in all of this. Just an open source “best shot” at making it as easy, effective and safe as possible. I’m sure improvements and variations will abound in the future, as they have up until now. Let’s hope so. The last thing we need is another static system of practices. That is why we keep the discussion as open and flexible as possible. Everyone has a valuable point of view. There is much to be learned from all of the dedicated practitioners, teachers and traditions on the planet. So much good work has been done. It is a joint effort.
Yet, in the end, we each must choose what works best for us. Around here, loyalty to a system will go only as far as its effectiveness. That is how it should be in a scientific approach – the door is always open for improvement.
Here’s to progress, by whatever means we can muster and hammer out for best results. It is by reviewing causes and effects and making the necessary adjustments along the way that we can optimize our momentum.
Thank you again for sharing, Ajita … I hope we have not scared you off. 
The guru is in you.
Doc said:
Nonetheless, much of what has been posted has very little to do with the practice of any method of pranayama, IMO, but instead has more to do with intellectual egoistic attachments to personal preferences and opinions regarding pranayama. Shouldn’t we all be striving for separation from sectarian personal discriminations and value judgements of this sort?
I didn’t see much here that could be rightly construed as sectarian (unless Balance’s admitted hastily-worded, and since retracted bit about throwing the book out, though I’d say that wasn’t sectarianism either, just a hasty remark).
Sectarianism is actually mainly about status-and-power-search, whether for personal self, sect, or tradition, often at the expense of other person, sects or traditions.
Being interested in the truth and committed to finding it is not status-search or the ‘attachment’ that the sages would suggest we rid ourselves of; on the contrary, this focus on the truth is highly desirable and should be encouraged.
Sectarianism actually damages people’s ability to enquire and critique properly, because they are heavily attached to their self/sect/tradition/silver-haired-daddy already being right.
I must duck out, felt it was the best thing to do. Again, sorry for making uninformed and hasty remarks. I hope I didn’t cause any hurt. I meant no offense.
Alan
Hello yogani!
These are excellent points. I totally agree with you. The efficacy of any and all methods ultimately comes down to how ‘user friendly’ and duplicatable they are. All authentic, time-tested methods are only seemingly different paths up the same mountain anyway. As such, valuable practice tools and perspectives can be gleaned from many sources, since all authentic systems stem from, and are intended to lead back to, the Original Source of All That Is!
This perspective is the core idea which led Sri Ramakrishna to develop his Universal Yoga System after successfully achieving Nirvikalpa Samadhi by solely practicing the methods of Advaita Vedanta, Islam, and Orthodox Christianity separately.
In my previous post, I addressed my comments to all readers in general, naming no individual in particular. Thus, if anyone feels that I was addressing them specifically, perhaps they should consider my comments further in relation to their own personal sadhana. My sole purpose in posting these views is to encourage everyone to stay focused on the inner, spiritual priorities of yoga training, without getting side-tracked by the variable, external aspects of physical training, or by their intellectual analysis of same. 
I believe that all views are equally valid in discussion, but must be proven at some point through personal demonstration born of a dedicated sadhana! 
http://www.yogaoryam.com/images/Kundalini.jpg
Hari OM!
Doc
Nice, Doc and yogani, and thanks for the advice and guidance!
I’d like to offer my respect and admiration for all paths that lead to God.
A belated welcome to you Doc
Alan
Hello
I feel pretty bad about having jumped into this post and acting like a juvenile delinquent yesterday. I hadn’t even read the beginning of the thread. I will try to be more careful, aware and thoughtful in the future. I also sent Ajita a note of apology in case he was in touch at the time. I’m sorry for the trouble.
Peace, Alan
It’s okay, Alan.
One of the best educations in life can be found at “Foot-in-Mouth University.” We are all in that school, you know.
In relation to that, inner silence and the yama/niyama it naturally brings up will not let us off the hook. You have clearly demonstrated your sensitivity in that … an inspiring lesson for us all.
The guru is in you.