Seeking Feedback

24. Poetry, Art, Stories
1

Hello Yogis!

I have been working on a screenplay for a feature film about the spiritual journey - sort of like The Secrets of Wilder.

I have currently written the first two acts and am working on the third and final act.

It would be helpful at this stage to receive feedback from experts on Yoga - you guys - particularly for act two as there is quite a lot of exposition relating to Yoga. Don’t feel like you need to know anything about writing to contribute feedback, what I’m most interested in is how well the mechanics of Yoga are depicted. Is there anything that can be improved/explained better?

Please note that the screenplay is not properly formatted as this is only a rough draft. There is also a lot of information regarding shots and locations that can safely be ignored.

Any honest feedback will be appreciated.

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Hi George,

I took quick run through and it looks like an exploration/discovery of a number of approaches to spiritual development, arriving at emphasis on mantra meditation, kundalini, tantra and kriya yoga. No obvious inaccuracies with regard to general causes and effects in practice. In other words, a reasonable exposition and not “off the wall” on spiritual matters. But not AYP either. No expectations there. It is your story, and kudos on making the effort to tell it.

The guru is in you.

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Thank you for taking the time, I’d to ask for clarification on one point.

You mentioned somewhere in the lessons that the whole journey can be made through mantra practice/ deep meditation alone. This would clear up the nervous system and that is what brings us to enlightenment, no?

As we know, kundalini accelerates the process, but is it strictly necesary for reaching the second and third AYP milestones of full body ecstasy and the fusion of bliss and ecstasy?

What I’m asking is how would these milestones be reached by someone who practices deep meditation alone. Is it because the nervous system would eventually be pure enough for this to occur? Or is it because deep meditation would eventually awaken the kundalini?

Is this a chicken or the egg question? :joy:

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Hi George,

That’s right. Deep meditation can do it all, though it may take longer than when intentionally bringing in practices that hasten the process. Nevertheless, with deep meditation alone, purification and opening of the subtle neurobiology occurs, which is the rise of abiding inner silence, the foundation of all spiritual progress. This leads to a natural energetic awakening (kundalini), and eventually the awakening of unity (non-duality). The rise of abiding inner silence (witness) also naturally increases bhakti, which can lead us into additional practices, sometimes without any external knowledge source involved. The results of deep meditation practiced like clockwork over time are that progressive and powerful.

This is not to discourage anyone from taking up asanas, spinal breathing pranayama, samyama, tantric methods and all the rest, if moved to do so. However, all of these other practices will be of limited effectiveness if the prerequisite cultivation of abiding inner silence is not occurring. In fact, engaging in energy cultivation practices without a good foundation in deep meditation can be quite hazardous - with “Getting the cart of energy cultivation in front of the horse of abiding inner silence (witness)” being the analogy that has been mentioned in the lessons.

So, one thing at a time, with deep meditation being the one thing that is singularly important. And, yes, it can be the only thing if one is inclined to keep it that simple. With that alone, all the rest will come in due course.

The guru is in you.

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That is very clear, thank you :grinning_face:

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Just to chip in here, my own personal experience is in line with what Yogani is saying.

I wasn’t even doing mantra meditation when my energetic awakening occurred, just passive awareness technique , and only 3 months of it. So, that at least proves from my perspective that meditation seems to encourage the energetic side of things to wake up on its own.

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Interesting topic. It is incredible to think that such a simple practice like deep meditation can have such a transformative effect on people’s lives.

The recommended length for each deep meditation session is usually 20 minutes. But if someone has enough time and sincere bhakti, wouldn’t doing longer sessions—say 30 or even 40 minutes twice a day—lead to faster progress?

Is there a specific reason why 20 minutes is considered optimal?

Also, are there any reports or experiences from practitioners who have successfully extended their sessions without running into issues such as energy overload or instability?

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Hi Cosmos,

Meditation with a mantra is more powerful than many other types of meditation. This is because we are not only bringing our mind to stillness, but the mantra itself has an energetic vibration that purifies the subtle nervous system. For each individual, there is only a certain amount of purification that they can experience each day, without running into issues.

Experienced practitioners could increase the timing for Deep Meditation up to 25 minutes per session, or even 30 minutes. Thirty minutes is considered the maximum amount, even for advanced practitioners. So, that is 30 minutes, twice each day. 20 minutes is considered optimal for most people, because it produces a good amount of purification, without people running into overload issues.

At the weekend, if someone has no work, or care duties, then they can increase the number of sessions that they are practicing each day by doubling-up on the morning practice session. So, the regular morning practice is done once, with a rest period at the end, followed-by a short break, and is then done again. If people have longer off work, say a whole week, they could also double-up on the evening practice sessions, so they would be doing four sessions a day. They would go to three sessions on the first day off, then to four a day, and on the last day off go back to three again.

And yes, there are many experienced practitioners who have done this without running into issues. The key is to only make changes gradually, over time, rather than suddenly changing practice timings.

There is more on this here:

There is also an AYP practice chart which can be downloaded for free from the AYP Academy site, which shows the various AYP practices and the timings that they can be safely increased by for people who are stable with their existing practice. That can be downloaded as a PDF here:

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Is it the case also that with time, practicing for four sessions a day would be more appealing as there is less discomfort and more ecstasy in practice? (For an advanced practitioner)

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Hi Tom and all,

Expanding the number of sessions beyond two sessions a day is something that can be done by anyone who is stable with their regular practice routine, and who has days free without duties such as work, or child care. And yes, experienced practitioners are often drawn to increase the number of sessions each day whenever they can, in order to make faster progress on the path.

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Here’s what I’ve got for Act Three: