From: Yogani
Date: Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:04pm

Q: I want to first thank you for your teaching!!!! I am finding with your lessons that i am actually feeling the process of yoga, the beauty of all. My question regarding sambhavi is that i am finding my eyes are sore and my third eye feels a dull ache/sore. Am I trying too hard? is this natural kundalini activity(from kundalini post)? I have also been helped along with spinal breathing by utilizing your comments about getting shiva off his butt, and am visualizing shiva going down to meet shakti, and shakti coming up to meet shiva on the inhale. I usually let them stay together for a short pause on inhale and exhale, and mingle. I am also finding i am getting distracted more often now though -is it because my silly little ego senses a little divine romance happening? thank you again for your lessons i look forward to them everyday, and am religious in doing them!! Thank you. PS is it okay if i do the meditation portion longer than the suggested 20 minutes- sometimes i go for 45 minutes or more depending on when i feel like coming out of union-for that is how i picture it-union with my soul, allowing the soul nourishment.

A: You are doing terrific. It’s wonderful.

Discomfort around the third eye (or anywhere) can mean some forcing in practice. It can also be kundalini pressing through there. It can be both at the same time. You know what to do, right? Back off on practice to something more comfortable. If excessive symptoms are still there, then look at the lesson on kundalini imbalances and remedies and explore the many avenues there. Don’t press too much ahead until you have stability. You are a spiritual athlete in training. You should build up gradually. That is the best approach.

Yes, I think you answered your own question about visualizing the romance of shiva and shakti in spinal breathing. It is mixing bhakti too much into what is a very simple procedure of spinal breathing. It divides the attention too. The same goes for doing long meditations for the “experience.” Keep in mind that we do these practices for results outside them in daily life. We are moving mountains of obstructions inside, though we may not notice if we are in an ecstatic reverie. These enthusiastic undertakings of more and more practice can contribute to kundalini imbalances, while at the same time reducing the effectiveness of the practices. So be systematic in your practices. The guidelines are there for good reasons.

Ice cream is very good, but is eating two gallons all at once good?

All of these practices are very powerful, especially when integrated as we are doing, and should be done easily and precisely. If you are inclined to extend the time of your practices, do so very sparingly to see what happens at each step. Limiting yourself to not adding more than five minutes of anything in a month, is a reasonable approach. Even then you could creep yourself into an unstable situation. So use your common sense. If activity outside practices is smooth, you are doing okay. If it isn’t, then chances are you are pressing too hard or too long. Be sure and keep active in your regular daily life. That is as much a part of it as the practices. Activity stabilizes the pure bliss consciousness and divine ecstasy we gain in practices.

You are doing fabulously, like the proverbial kid in the candy store. You are just the kind of person these lessons are designed for. It is very exciting. Please be responsible in applying the knowledge, and then we will both be glad that all this is being revealed.

The guru is in you.