energy and consciousness

07.Discussions on AYP Pranayama, Mudras + Bandhas
1

hi everyone! I haven’t quite understood how energy and consciousness practices fit together. Is pranayama (energy) a complete different thing than meditation (consciousness)? When I sit to meditate and practice focusing on one object or concentrating my awareness in a specific point of the body, or when I do a pranayama such as spinal breathing, what is the goal of each of those things and how do they complement each other?

2

Hi jotagui,
In his last lesson, number 430, Yogani wrote :
"Here in the AYP system of practices, two primary angles of approach are recognized and addressed, leading to a third, which is the unfoldment of freedom.

  • The cultivation of abiding blissful inner silence.
  • The cultivation of ecstatic conductivity and radiance.
  • The joining of these two in an outpouring of ecstatic bliss and unity in daily living.
    One, two, three Very simple."
    When you meditate, you cultivate inner silence. When you practice spinal breathing pranayama, you cultivate ecstatic conductivity. Eventually, when you are ripe for it, the two will merge.
    Here the lesson 430 : https://www.aypsite.com/430.html
    Jac
3

Jotagui, My take on this is (deep) meditation over time settles the mind down and allows for inner silence to develop. The capacity to tolerate and reside in silence within one’s mind has significant benefits in this world filled with anxiety provoking stimuli. Pranayama and all of the energetic practices help move the transmuted pranic life force up from the genital region into the head and heart areas. I experience this as a force which infuses my body with vitality and energy which can be channeled in many directions such as spiritual growth, creativity, and service to others. As Jac has shared the blending of these two ultimately leads to liberation (enlightenment). What I like about Yogani’s framing of this is the focus is on the ultimate destination of “outpouring of divine love” which is very different from the vision of an enlightened being sitting in a temple in Bhutan. It’s more about transforming the individual into a force of love in the world.

4

Thanks Jac and interpaul, I’ll look into that more deeply.