As the title says, I am looking for advice on when to start spinal breathing. My situation is a bit unique, and I will describe it in full. I first heard of kriya yoga in 2024 and have had a good practice of kriya pranayama. I have, however, not been able to go past kriya pranayama but have been somewhat practicing kriya pranayama with mahamudra and an attempt at khecari mudra (I learned all these from books). Self-pacing is the single biggest reason I have remained stuck, and I have been limited by a glass ceiling. I stumbled upon this site recently and was immediately convinced that it was what I desperately needed. I know all of the buzzwords, but the structure this site gives to the practice is what got me hooked. I decided to abandon all my practices (since they were not taking me anywhere anyway) and focus on following the Ayp path. Now before I continue, I would like to say that my kriya, pranayama, and mahamudra gave me some little results, so I am technically not a complete beginner. I decided to start the Ayp main path and focus on only deep meditation for at least a month or two, but from my very first session, I experienced involuntary movement, the chief of which was my body automatically bending forward after some time of deep meditation. By the second session, my body bent all the way forward, almost touching the floor (I sit cross-legged). This has continued for 2 more sessions. I looked up similar experiences on the forum, particularly this thread: involuntary movement during meditation . In this thread, @yogani points to lesson 183 on “Automatic Yoga,” which says that the spine stretching itself forward is part of the purification process. Later on in the thread, the original person @will.iam asks whether or not he should start Spinal Breathing, and he is advised to do so. My question is also whether or not these energy movements mean that it is okay to start spinal breathing despite only doing deep meditation for 2 days. The reason I am asking this is because of my past experience. I look forward to your suggestion
Hi Finkle,
It is best to practice Deep Meditation for at least a month, or two, before starting Spinal Breathing Pranayama. This is the case even if you are experiencing automatic yogic movements, or if you have already been involved in other spiritual practices. It is important to allow some time for the meditation practice to settle in and to make sure you are stable with it, before starting anything else.
That is mentioned in this forum post by Yogani:
“In the case of starting the AYP practices, it is not recommended to take on both spinal breathing and deep meditation at the same time. For most, it is best to take on deep meditation first, stabilize a daily routine with it for a month or two, and then add spinal breathing right before Deep Meditation.” [Yogani]
Automatic yoga movements are quite normal and natural and are simply caused by purification taking place in the energetic channels of the body. I recorded a short video about a month ago on the sushumna nadi and in that I mentioned some of these movements (around the 4.5 minute mark). That is here.
What about asanas like mahamudra. Someone mentioned doing mahamudra to pre-empt the stretching of the channel. Would you recommend adding in mahamudra now or waiting until i have a solid foundation in deep meditation?
Hi Finkle,I would still suggest spending some time focussing only on meditation before adding anything else. Deep Meditation stirs things up in the subtle nervous system and can have far-reaching effects throughout the body and mind. When using multiple spiritual practices in one session, it is important to get a sense of which practices are creating which effects. If we add different practices too closely together, this can become confusing, and if we need to scale things back later on, it can be difficult to know which practice needs scaling back. Many asanas are quite gentle on the subtle body, however, some have quite powerful effects. mahamudra is one of those as it includes shambhavi mudra, mulabandha, uddiyana bandha, breath retention and possibly kechari mudra. So, there is a lot going on just with that one asana. Other asanas can also have quite powerful effects on the subtle nervous system such as reclining virasana, anjaneyasana, ustrasana, matsyasana, matsyendrasana and so on.
So, I would say wait a while to settle in with Deep Meditation. There is no need to pre-empt automatic yoga movements. They are not a bad thing and can simply be left to play out as they will. They are a sign of inner purification and will not last forever.
I have a couple of questions about the practice that I need clarification on.
- When my body bends forward and my head touches the floor, what do I do? Do I end the meditation, maintain the position and continue meditating or pull myself back up to the upright position to continue the meditation?
2. Since I mostly sit cross-legged (in the burmese pose) the bending causes undue pressure to be put on my legs which leads me to switching the inner leg. I feel this disrups the meditation. What do i do?
Hi Finkle,
- It is really up to you as to how you deal with automatic yoga movements. In AYP there is no requirement to sit in any particular way, or to have a straight back, or anything like that. If you are comfortable with your head touching the floor, then you can remain that way, or you can sit upright again if you wish.
- It is fine to switch legs if you are uncomfortable, or even to stretch one leg out in front of you. Comfort is the most important thing, so do what you need to do to remain comfortable. These details are covered in the AYP Deep Meditation online video course here. You may find that useful.
Hello Finkle, welcome to AYP. As Tristan outlined go slow with progressing, observe in a curious way what happens while meditating, and simply return to the mantra. If automatic yoga has you in discomfort, pause and adjust your seat and return to the mantra. If your mind begins narrating, observe and return to the mantra. With this routine default of returning to the mantra, you are developing witness, learning surrender, and opening and purifying your neurobiology in which inner silence can thrive and radiate.
If you are stable after a month of DM, you will be well prepared to take on SBP because of your kriya experience . I’ve been at AYP for thirteen years and throughly grateful for the pleasure afforded daily with my AYP and yoga practices.
I have one last question on healing. I have developed a bowel ailment that coincides with the time I started spiritual practices 2 years ago. It has always been there since i was a child but it never really manifested in any significant quality until I started spiritual practices. It is somewhat affecting the quality of my life as it is chronic. I have tried physical remedies but they work for a while and stop. I do not know if I awakened this ailment due to incorrect practices or overpracticing. Will it eventlway and can you recommend ways to deal with it from a spiritual point of view?
Do you mean constipation?
Yes. IBS-C
Sometimes kunsalini overload leads to digestive issues …so yes it is very common and nothing to worry about
You can reduce practices till you feel better
it is chronic. Even when i am not practicing i experience it.
Hi Finkle,
I will second Maha, reduce practices until you feel better. Also, make sure you are engaging in grounding practices throughout the day. This will help to increase apana, which is the downward flowing prana in the body and it aids digestion and elimination.
Basti may help, however if you are suffering from IBS then you may want to check with a medical health professional to make sure that this will not aggravate the condition.
I filmed a short video on managing difficult kundalini symptoms which is here on Youtube. You may find that helpful.
Hi Finkle,
I’ve never done basti but a quick ai google search suggests that doctors do not recommend home enema kits, partially because of risk of perforation of gut tissues and also because you will be washing away lots of ‘good’ bacteria from your gut, which would otherwise help the immune system. You could also get infections .
They advise drinking plenty of water, getting exercise, and eating more fiber.
However some people on here have used home enema kits with no problems, so up to you to experiment or not .
Hi Tom and all,
Home colonic irrigation kits can be used with lubricants for insertion into the anus which greatly reduces any risk of damage to the lining of the colon. And the equipment used can be sterilised before and after use which reduces any risk of infection.
As for healthy guy bacteria, it is true that some healthy bacteria can be lost. However, the overall effect is only temporary, because the gut microbiome is resilient and begins to repopulate from bacteria attached to the large intestinal lining, from the small intestine, and from microbes that survive the procedure.
So, it is a trade-off between not suffering the effects of constipation on the one hand and temporarily losing some healthy gut bacteria on the other hand. In my own case I used a home colonic irrigation kit every day for around a year without any issues. I did eat yogurt every day though which is a good probiotic. I also ate quite a lot of prebiotics such as: Onions, garlic, leeks, bananas, beans and lentils. These help to make sure the gut bacteria are healthy in the first place. This could be one reason I did not have any issues.
Magnesium supplement ( citrate or glycinate types but they can be strong for some people and cause diarrhea)…so better get a chelated Magnesium supplement, i use it also for muscle recovery too…it safely solves the problem of constipation and does not lead to diarrhea
@Christi I watched a youtube video you made on how digestion can change during spiritual practice. You said you suffered the same slowdown in elimination efficiency. Would it be okay to do the basti twice or thrice a week? Also you said it took a year to overcome it. How was the feeling and how did you know it had been overcome?
Hi Finkle,
Yes, it is fine to use basti two or three times a week. It can be used daily if necessary. Just remember to use lubricant and to be consuming plenty of good probiotics and prebiotics to maintain a healthy gut environment.
In my own case I used it every day for about a year. At the time I was very conscious of the flows of prana in my body and I knew when apana was too weak to support healthy digestion and elimination. Occasionally I would test the situation by leaving basti out for a day or two, and that would confirm that my intuition was accurate. Then, after a year I felt the apana current grow stronger and so tested again by leaving basti out for a few days. Then I found that it was no longer necessary, or only needed once a week. I think I went to once a week for the next few years and then stopped all together. This was all around 20 years ago.
I was reading through the spinal breathing lessons and i have some confusion.
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The straight line: In the lesson, Yogani writes of a straight line from the perineum through the center of the spine to the head. Obviously, the perineum and the spine do NOT sit in a straight line. The only way to effect a straight line would be to follow some sort of “J” path where the breathing starts from the perineum and curves a little to the coccyx before rising up through the center to the head. Is this what is meant?
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Assuming that is correct, when the breath reaches the back of the head, at the “Jade Pillow”, it is supposed to be curved inward to the middle of the eyebrow (bhrumadya) like the number “7” and then turned backward towards the back of the head before coming down to the perineum.
Is the way i have described the procedure correct?
Hi Finkle
In Lesson 41 Yogani writes this:
Next, with each rising inhalation of the breath, allow your attention to travel upward inside a tiny thread, or tube, you visualize beginning at your perineum, continuing up through the center of your spine, and up through the stem of your brain to the center of your head. At the center of your head the tiny nerve makes a turn forward to the point between your eyebrows. With one slow, deep inhalation let your attention travel gradually inside the nerve from the perineum all the way to the point between the eyebrows. As you exhale, retrace this path from the point between the eyebrows all the way back down to the perineum. Then, come back up to the point between the eyebrows with the next inhalation, and down to the perineum with the next exhalation, and so on.
So, no mention of a straight line for the basic practice.
You may be confusing things with a later lesson addition on what to do if you find visualisation of the spinal nerve difficult. In that case you can move your attention in a straight line up through the body, turning forward in the centre of the head to end at ajna chakra.
This is from the AYP Plus lesson additions:
Those who can imagine the spinal nerve as a tiny tube or thread, will often ask about following the curve of the spinal, forward and back, and even from side to side in cases where there may be a medical condition affecting the alignment of the spine. Others have asked if spinal injuries involving paralysis will affect spinal breathing. In all of these cases, whether attempting to micro-manage the path of the spinal nerve, or wondering if the condition of the physical anatomy will reduce the effectiveness of our practice, the answer is always the same: Don’t worry about it. Just end up at the brow at the completion of inhalation, and at the root at the end of exhalation. The path in-between can be a straight line without any regard for the actual curvature of the spine, or whether there is any spine at all.
See Lesson Addition 239.1 for more on this topic: