Hello
During a year and half of daily practice (up to two hours of asanas and half hour of pranayama), i have lost 8 kg, being now at 60 kg.
I feel fine, but my body mass ratio (19) is worrying.
Any suggestion?
Thank you.
It sounds to me that your practice is imbalanced. Too much time with asanas and no meditation, chanting or devotional practices. These practices can all help increase kapha and thus weight. The text of Classical Yoga practices, the Yoga Sutras II, 29 recommends the full range of the 8 limbs be practiced not just 2 as in your sadhana. There is a need for practices for energy body, positive thoughts, spiritual insights, and meditation.
also consider your diet see that it is balanced for all doshas. Recommend looking at the 3 Season Diet by John Douillard. namaste mukunda
Hello Mukunda
Thank you for your answer.
I forgot in my last message to mention about i also practice meditation (about 45 minutes every day) and a bit of prayer and karma yoga.
Every yama and most of niyamas are respected.
I also observe a pitta pacifying diet as i suffer classical symptoms of an aggravated pitta (skin reddish rashes, acid stomach, perfectionist-demanding mind…)
Weight loss is also a symptom of an aggravated vata.
Could increasing kapha dosha be the key?
Thank you once again.
Gartxot
For establishing and stabilizing your weight, the key is vata dosha. Increasing kapha dosha will add weight. Better concept than the doshas is the process of refining them to their subtler component. Instead of balancing vata think of increasing and retaining prana; similarly increase and retain ojas the essence of kapha. I am not sure about the mass ratio a concept i do not understand. namaste
Hello Mukunda
Body Mass Index (BMI) signals where your weight should be at its optimal level according to body height.
BMI = Weight (kg) / (Height (m) * Height (m))
20 to 25 is the healthy range. 23 is the best.
What do you mean about increasing and retaining prana? Pranayama?
And about Ojas? Bramacharya?
Thank you.
Balancing prana is through allowing each nostril to become more even. Subtler form of the is to feel the five different functions of the sub pranas doing their proper duty in their home spaces. Adhya prana is moving down into the chest and into tissues during inhale. Samana prana predominates during the pause and circulates enrgies to tissues hence is spreading outward from abdomen. Udana prana is first portion of exhalation moving upward through chest. last portion of exhale is Apana prana moves waste out of pelvis, but should stay in pelvis itself. Vyana prana then is the pause after exhale spreading the sensitivity of the aura throughout the subtlest form of prana. Retaining prana in their homes during relaxation and meditaiton is necessary otherwise one becomes unstable in their spiritual development. Even in health issues this is common reason why problems do not respond to appropriate sound treatment protocols.
Maintaining appropriate sexual life is brahmacharya. When this is done according to your nature then ojas is built. It is the subtle essence of kapha and results from the above mentioned pranic retentions. Otherwise prana going out ojas is depleted. namaste mukundaI understand.
What does exactly ‘appropriate sexual life’ mean?
By that i mean being ethical to your agreements with yourself and your partner. If married or in a comitted monogamous relationship it means to express your love with sexual intercourse. If single then celibacy as non intercourse or continence is the best course of appropriate sexual life. This is a gray area for many; to me i encourage expression of sexual energy as embracing but not physical intercourse. How to increase prana and ojas regardless of your sexual expression or lack of it is detailed in my Tantrik lessons which anyone may receive via signing up on my website email list. namaste mukunda
Dear Mukunda
I have everything understood.
Thank you for your time.
Namaste
One of my students in NY has just been published his book is entitled Peaceful Weight Loss through Yoga - Brandt Bhanu Passalacqua for more details go to www.peacefulweightloss.com It is a wonderful help for maintaining harmonious state (vata balance which elevates prana) while lossing weight. blessings. mukunda
Hi!
Thanks to a diet based on starches, during the last two months i have gained 5 kilograms (in an averaged way) and little by little i’m approaching to my legitimate weight.
But this is not the issue. I would like to talk about the pranayama you suggested me to practice.
I have made an important advance and have arrived to clearly feel prana flow through the abdominal and thoracic regions. It is like vibrating vertical fibres (a vibration similar to the one produced by the mobile phone, but softer).
During kumbaka it is felt in the abdomen. During puraka and rechaka, in the chest. Sometimes at night, i feel it near the sacrum, strongly vibrating.
When a sexual thought comes to mind, it swiftly vibrates with redoubled force. I have also noticed that when i start eating it gets enhanced too. (Could you tell me about both phenomenom?)
But what i haven’t arrived to feel yet is the direction of the prana, it is always of the same kind, it is an homogeneous vertical vibration.
Any recommendation to give me?
Thank you, very much.
Gartxot.
You describe feeling vertical wave of prana but i need to know more clearly. Is it moving vertically up or down - even though you say you cannot feel direction to be able to say it is vertical then it must have a direction look more closely; felt in abdomen during kumbhaka after exhale or inhale; are you breathing physically down or up on inhale; is prana aligned to physical motions or different separate?
It is natural for prana to increase during activities such as eating food that is good and when feeling sexual; and with it chakras will spin more too. These are signs of health. Continue to observe the prana and its sensations, whether or not they are accompanied by emotions. You are doing well. After all this is the subtle body it is not very obvious. This is the foundation for pranayama practice. By discovering this then when techniques are given you will have the grounding necessary to deepen it to spiritual development and/or healing. blessings. mukundaOk, ‘vertical’ wasn’t a suitable adjective.
The area in which prana is felt is vertical, always in the central part of the trunk. But prana therein is felt widespread.
It is felt in abdomen during kumbhaka after inhale. In the chest during inhale and exhale.
Prana isn’t aligned to physical motions.
What do you mean for ‘breathing physically down or up’?
Anyway, i will try to pay closer attention and ascertain the exact motion. I will keep you informed.
Thanks a lot!
Gartxot
some people in basic yoga breathing instructions are taught to breathe from bottom of torso up on inhale others taught in reverse. The wave created by basic breathing often will evolve into pranic motions. Feeling the prana in the abdomen during kumbhaka after inhale is ideal. That is sign of samana prana at home where it should be. Feeling it in the chest during inhale and exhale is also fine. Inhale should move down from head into chest. This is adhya prana. Exhale should move up from chest during exhale that is udana prana. The all pervasiveness of prana is vyana prana. It is the most subtle form. It is feeling the prana location that is the first step in pranayama; feeling the motions within the location is the second step in pranayama. Be persistent and more of the life force will be unveiling Herself. blessings. mukunda
Hello again!
I have started feeling motions of prana during inhale and exhale just as you indicated.
Please Mukunda, tell me about the third step.
Sat Nam!
Gartxot
after feeling step 2 the pranas are coming home to their proper locations and motions. next they will naturally become more subtle and prolonged which is the third step (see my Yoga Sutras of Patanjali II, 49-53). This will evolve into a steady experience of prana. Eventually periods will arise where the prana is felt permeating everywhere not merely a gross prana in the body regions. This is the highest form of pranayama spoken of by Patanjali as the fourth method. FRom here one feels the Divine as all pervasive luminosity. blessings. mukunda
When should i proceed with technics to awaken Devi Kundalini?
proceed now. When desire is natural then action should also be so too. let me know in personal email - yogimukunda@comcast.net - or through Spirits Path public forum if you wish more assistance. blessings. mukunda
A thousand thanks Mukunda.
Gods bless you.
Gartxot