You see sunyata - the thing is that this experience happened spontaneously… and I am trying to fit pieces…what went wrong / right in my practices…and so If I know for sure that it was savikalpa samadhi / then i could look what should be done to reach Nirvikalpa samadhi 
I was reading that once yogis can reach samadhi… they can attain that level with consious activity instead of spontaneous experience that happens on random…
I was practicing so many different sadhanas…and if someone would ask me - hey man how did you reach savikalpa samadhi - i would just say… was practicing all the things that I could get my hands of… but I can’t tell you what lead to this experience…
Some people practice for 20+ years and reach no transedental experience at all… I am trying to grasp…my spiritual path from here…
Hi nothingatall,
It sounds like you had a very nice opening.
To continue along the path is to not grasp at any one experience or to desire to have more experiences. It is that grasping and desire which will keep you from it.
You had that experience because you were able to let go and just be… That is the only thing you need to do… Keep doing what you are doing, continue to let go as things arise and you will find yourself where you want to be.
Remember it is a great experience but with anything good if you go after it, it can also become an attachment just as powerful as the ones that hurt us…
So again, just let go and be… and you will find that which you seek.
This path is not about getting somewhere. It’s of letting go and service.
You had been practicing for 10 years so it’s really not spontaneous. The energy can rise through pranayam/breathing exercises or when the mind is quiet through meditation.
If you want to reach Nirvikalpa samadhi the recommendation is twice daily sitting practices.Lessons start here- http://www.aypsite.org/10.html
Hi Nothingatall
It’s unclear whether my experience is the same as yours but I think it is similar. If it is possible, I would like to share some comfort with you. About a year ago, my feeling was that I had come to the end of my path. I was literally freaking out. 90% of my energy was committed to the path. No path, no life.
I sort of felt quietly dead. I was miserable and didn’t know what to do. The search had been called off because it felt like I finally knew what I was and that was the end of it. I thought I had it all. It also felt like I was going loopy. It might not be enlightenment, I didn’t know what it was. All I knew was that my spiritual path had come to an end and I was devastated. Was this enlightenment? How could one tell if one was enlightened or had simply gone mad?
For a while, I no longer cared about enlightenment. If this was enlightenment, it wasn’t what I thought it was. It seemed like a cruel joke that wasn’t particularly amusing. The whole thing was absurd, ridiculous, and then it became hilarious. I knew I had been a fool and the joke was on me. But I was loosened up enough to laugh at the irony of it all. And for perhaps the first time in my life, I stopped taking myself seriously. The path was a mirage. Was enlightenment a mirage?
Life not only slowed way down, it came to a full stop. My devoted search was over. There was certainly no hurry to get anywhere because there was nowhere to go. I wasn’t at all used to that. If you just sit with that and feel it very deeply, it sort of changes you. But I was terrified to be with it. I thought I was losing my ego and losing my mind. In retrospect this is very funny. Even at the time I could see the humor in it. But I wasn’t really appreciating the experience. Not until others tried to calm me down.
Members here were very helpful in reorienting my perspective. All I can say to you is: This too shall pass. I can practically guarantee you will be happy to know that you have not reached the end. Not really. Enlightenment is both sudden and ongoing. It really only takes a split second to BE what we are. And in that being, when it is fully recognized, the becoming phase of the path is over. But the being part of the path is just beginning. And it is beyond amazing. Best wishes. I think you have found your true self, but that doesn’t mean the path has ended. In a way, it has just begun.
love
parvati
If you want to read about it, the topic is “Ailing Bhakti and Spiritual Apathy” in the Self Pacing subforum.
love
parvati
Thanks for response. You see i have business to run and people rely on me… And I do not care about the business at all… i was also participating in the public speaking contests in my own language…that has no meaning… and basically all my activities completely stopped… and now i have all the time in the world…very weird feeling…
Its completely opposite of what I have been always - i was the pitbull…who would throw 100% energy and effort towards…aim -
And I had a glimpse of what it would be like - when you reach nirvikalpa samadhi…
I was trying to find what exactly i was experiencing…and the closest that I found is either savikalpa samadhi… or asamprajnata samadhi = when in reality - you switch positions of consiousness - but yet you do not remain in that position.
For instance based on my understanding…when Atman realizes that it is Brahman…and goes into pure bliss = the ego should dissolve automatically…
What happened in my case…is that I was looking from both perspectives… Ego perspective (omg i do not exist) / atman (wow I am not this body and ego - I am pure consiousness) and then (hold on 1 sec who is aware now of this = I am above all = 1 omnipresent reality and there is nothing else and I am Brahman… at the same time…The experience was … that i could be there for a long time… and basically I will then never return to the body…like ever…
And then when i regain normal consiousness - first 2 days were the most beautifull…its like I am seeing the world for the 1st time…its so so beautifull, the sounds and everything happening in such a harmony and synchronicity … i was crying and smiling at the same time…
It would just calm me a bit if someone chime in and say - hey I know what you experienced its X…and your way is Y… just relax
Because right now for some reason - it feels like I am dying…and have 0 motivation towards anything…mind is calm…you guys advice to serve… but right now there is not even motivation towards that…
I walk in the street and I see those sorrow n sad faces…and I take all of that into me like a sponge…
Can someone explain where is this sadness coming from? I thought it will be all beautiful / love / joy…
It’s not like negative emotions but at the moment feels like apathy towards everything and anything…
Thanks looking at it now
You got it- Relax! Just go about your day. Keep up your daily routine.
The symptoms you are experiencing is common after an opening you just experienced. Nothing much to do except self pace and ground.
Nothingatall
There was some difficulty with the crown opening here. Looking back to a year ago, I recall quite a few episodes of overload … none of them were crisis level … but the opening, once it commenced, was very rapid. Following that, it took several months to stabilize.
I was in such a big hurry to “get enlightened”. Then crash and burn. Before crashing … the spiritual path was my reason for living. Now, with nothing to seek and nowhere to go, there is only ordinary daily life. Except that life seems more dynamic, sacred, intimate. Surrender happens more frequently. It’s easier to stay close to the divine. Chop wood/ carry water is no longer tedious chore, rather praise to the divine.
This place in consciousness is a relief, it is so welcoming, warm, cozy, peaceful, full of divine grace. It’s an honor to be alive. It’s an honor to appreciate every tiny detail of existence. I love to serve and am happy to let the radiance pour out of my heart. There is gratitude for all the small things that were previously overlooked, ignored or taken for granted.
Just to be present with the moment is sacred, delightful. Life has become simple and pure and there is plenty of time for everything.
Blessings to you dear soul 
love
parvati
edit/ clarity brevity
Refer again to my response earlier in the thread:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16476#140732
hi nothingatall
You have received a lot of good advice.
Just wanted to say that everything will be fine. You have invested in your yoga practice and the results are coming up. Sometimes they can come a little too strong, it can be overwhelming. We then step back from practice, we ground. When we have stabilised we come back to a level of practice that is comfortable.
I shouldn’t worry about pinpointing the exact concepts - what type of Samadhi it was. The experiences ebb and flow. You are making progress - this is what matters. Stay the course. Make sure you’re steady - self-pacing is the word.
Reading some of the lessons on this website may help you. If your guru in not in reach to answer your questions, you can find some answers here. It doesn’t matter that you practice a different type of yoga. The journey to enlightenment is the same, with some individual variations of course. Yogani is explaining it very well. When you feel grounded enough, have a read.
All the best to you
[quote=“nothingatall”]
It would just calm me a bit if someone chime in and say - hey I know what you experienced its X…and your way is Y… just relax
[/quote] OK, maybe you’re right. Let’s see if this helps:
I have had the kind experience you describe, more than once. I haven’t been very concerned with the terminology, but Sunyata has clarified it: it’s called Nirvikalpa samadhi. Thank you Sunyata.
And yes, it can lead to some energetic overload, which you are obviously experiencing in the aftermath.
It does not require to change course with your practice, only to self pace more carefully and ground.
[quote=“nothingatall”]
I walk in the street and I see those sorrow n sad faces…and I take all of that into me like a sponge…
Can someone explain where is this sadness coming from? I thought it will be all beautiful / love / joy…
[/quote]That is normal, it is the consequence of being one with everything. You are not really separate from anyone else, so you feel their emotions, their joy and their pain. Don’t worry, you will grow to integrate this. You will still feel other people’s emotions, but they will not overwhelm you.
You’ll be fine, it will all settle down. Stay off practices for a while, ground, and then do some reading - it always helps to understand what’s going on. You’ll find some lessons on this website and more on AYP Plus.
Good luck!
Was your experience spontaneous both times? Deeper 2nd time?
My teacher said that it’s almost never you get enlightened the 1st time it happens to you and you will need multiple experiences in order to get rid of ego/( I paraphrased so obviously it’s skewed - not his words)
[quote=“BlueRaincoat”]
quote: [/quote] OK, maybe you're right. Let's see if this helps: I have had the kind experience you describe, more than once. I haven't been very concerned with the terminology, but Sunyata has clarified it: it's called Nirvikalpa samadhi. Thank you Sunyata. And yes, it can lead to some energetic overload, which you are obviously experiencing in the aftermath. It does not require to change course with your practice, only to self pace more carefully and ground. [quote="nothingatall"] I walk in the street and I see those sorrow n sad faces....and I take all of that into me like a sponge.... Can someone explain where is this sadness coming from? I thought it will be all beautiful / love / joy..... [/quote]That is normal, it is the consequence of being one with everything. You are not really separate from anyone else, so you feel their emotions, their joy and their pain. Don't worry, you will grow to integrate this. You will still feel other people's emotions, but they will not overwhelm you. You'll be fine, it will all settle down. Stay off practices for a while, ground, and then do some reading - it always helps to understand what's going on. You'll find some lessons on this website and more on AYP Plus. Good luck!
Yes, the experiences were spontaneous in the sense that I didn’t choose the time and the place. However they were brought about by years of practice - in that sense they were not spontaneous.
The second time the unity was more complete. I guess you can call it ‘deeper’.
[quote=“nothingatall”]
My teacher said that it’s almost never you get enlightened the 1st time it happens to you and you will need multiple experiences
[/quote]You don’t get enlightened the second time either . Nor the 3rd, and probably not the 4th … There is a post by Sunyata on the previous page, where she talks about Nirvikalpa samadhi and Sahaja samadhi.
[quote=“sunyata”]
Sahaja samadhi or as we say Unity in AYP is the highest form of Samadhi to function in this world, abiding in it 24/7 and this is where the magic happens.
[/quote] You see, it’s when you’ve stabilised the unity (that state of being one with everything) so that it stays with you permanently and permeates all you words and deeds, then you are enlightened. So, long way to go from your first few experiences of samadhi.
I wish you safe journey there.
Hi Lot of great advice already. Few things to share as I have gone through similar experience about 4 yrs ago. We usually tries to intellectualize too much abt the kind of Smadhi and why it happened. One thing is very certain fruit ripes at the right time so the Key is not to attach to the experience too much. Easier said than done. Letting go and surrendering definitely helps and also gives some of the answers we are looking for. Sometimes just resting and having long walks in nature helps. Since you already experienced the experience it should motivate you to do more the process than the end journey (Smadhi). This is all and over here. So a meditation routine with surrendering definitely helps to go to the answers. It only comes with the practice no one intellectually make it understand. All the answers are within you and will appear at the right time.
All the best.
Thanks I already feel much better, everything stabilized - now i feel peace, calmness, goodness, love and joy of being Everything good as it is…so no worries anymore
At the moment i am watching how fly is enjoying eating banana = so much fun
Hey guys, i just find out how exactly my experience is called = its Kensho / im 99.99% sure this is how it’s called because its started from the sudden insight…
Would appreciate if someone would chime in - who experienced Kensho / and what is the appropriate terminology for Yoga if there is any…
This is what i found about Kensho
Ch’an expressions refer to enlightenment as “seeing your self-nature”. But even this is not enough. After seeing your self-nature, you need to deepen your experience even further and bring it into maturation. You should have enlightenment experience again and again and support them with continuous practice. Even though Ch’an says that at the time of enlightenment, your outlook is the same as of the Buddha, you are not yet a full Buddha
I’ve experienced Kensho 26 times. In fact, I have a Kensho spreadsheet with all my hours logged precisely. Then I meet with fellow members of my extra-special Kensho club, and we turn our Kensho hours into monopoly money, and play the enlightenment board game in which we accumulate more property and money to boost our enlightenment.
If you send me a private email, I can put you on the list to get into the super-elite Kensho club.
P.S. Let me know when you attain full Buddhahood, and I’ll make you privy to an even more exclusive club for the Supreme Tathagatas. But first get some more Kensho under your belt.
Hey Bodhi, my question was serious I am not sure why are you joking in this way
P.S.S. Another option is for you to join the Anti-Ego Club. Those are really extraordinary people who have conquered and gotten rid of their ego and mind. I’m still at the mercy of both ego and mind, so even I can’t join that club, despite my accumulated credits of Kensho. 
