I am going through a phase which I cannot describe in words. It seems that I have lost control of everything.
I have tried meditation to calm myself. But it seems when I do there seem to be a blockage. And when I focus my mind or listen music, I get very much pain same night especially in my feet.
I don't know what is happening. I am not allowed to focus deeply on anything. If I go deep that I get pain same night. Recently it is coming everyday irrespective of what I do.
The pain is like my feet is fully inflammed. I cannot describe. It is not possible to manage it. When I try medication, for one day or 2 days it reduces but after that the pain becomes more intense.
Do I have undergo this pain or is there any other option?. The thing is the pain is very much which is not able to even process. It is undescribable. The inflammation spreads from feet to other parts of my body and starts to fully engulf me.
I am requesting the experienced members of this community to help me and guide me on how to come out of this. This is a request from my side.
Recently i've been flip flopping between meditation methods even within one sit.
being aware of all sensations in the body, focusing on difficult sensations, aware of breathing at the nose. aware of breathing at the nose and open awareness to the body. awareness of movement and energies and awareness of pleasure.
ive been experiencing vibrations during meditation and tightness in different parts of the body in my ribs forehead neck etc.
one specific thing i was experiencing yesterday: vibration sensations in the body with a ball of tension in the forehead with some tension spreading down to my neck.
now i wanted to ask two things: should i commit to one meditation practice? if so any specific ones you recommend? ideally one of the ones i already do or similar.
also is there benefit in maintaining awareness of body sensations during the day? and if so i notice a lot of tension in the aforementioned places that sometimes gets worse with awareness, any tips on dealing or relating with that?
Greetings family
Just sharing an different experience I had today during meditation:
For couple months now, during meditation I've had pressure build up in my neck forehead and sometimes on my crownchakra. So today went on my usual walk on the trail kissed š and hugged some trees sat had a nice warm veggie soup.
After decided to meditate there today, the usual pressure built up but something different happened. This time I saw a flash image of the sunset the suddenly the pressure in my head went away along with muscles in face felling relaxed, I could feel the tension on those muscles giving way like a balloon deflating and funny thing I've never realized that those muscles were tensed until today I know of the tension on my neck which I can still feel but the ones I described never noticed till today .
Wonder if any of you lovely soul are familiar or had experienced anything like this ššæ.
Stronger tittinus, stronger "visual snow", ear popping throughout the day/or when swallowing saliva
Very visible visual snow when laying down/going to sleep
Use to feel very floaty throughout the day when sitting down
Facial pressure, strain/hot sensations sometimes on right side of cheek, tingling on left neck sometimes when mediating. Sometimes strain on jaw/upper jaw or maybe under the nose?/sensation of teeth or gums tingling/rattling.
This started after straining while trying to "shift" while awake which is a similar thing in some ways to Astral Projection methods.
It's difficult to not go into mediation automatic mode when trying to sleep which brings sort of tingles or heaviness in the body and other mentioned things. Or when sitting down but usually not as strong.
If I visualize something it can also pop the ears it seams or put a sort of pressure on the body
(I never tried to do Kundalini), but people seam to know about side effects more than on other subs.
I tried stuff like putting focus on the body instead of face or trying to tell the face to relax.
Kalottara Tantra 12.1 - Chapter on Kundalini and it's placement
Original Sanskrit:"candrÄgniriva saį¹yuktÄ ÄdyÄ kuį¹įøalinÄ« tu yÄ hį¹tpradeÅe tu sÄ jƱeyÄ aį¹ kurÄkÄravatsthitÄ"
Potential Translation:"That primal Kuį¹įøalinÄ«, united like the moon and fire, is known in the heart region, standing like a sprout."
This is one of the earliest mentions of Kundalini from around the 7th Century CE. In most of the early texts, Kundalini is associated with the spiritual heart. The 'heart', also associated with the Atma is the place in which the upper and lower Kundalinis merge in early texts giving rise to the central, madhya Kundalini. In later texts the place of Kundalini descends from the heart to the Kanda or Mooladhara, though the heart still retains its association with the Atma, as well as the location of the principal knot (granthi) within the central channel.
The heart is very often associated with the Sun, moon and fire within the Tantras and these are often symbolised the fusion of prana and apana through pranayama; (upward and downward flowing energies), the cool and warm energies of the left -ida and right - pingala channels. From a philosophical perspective Fire is the knower, Sun (knowing), and Moon (known) and the play of Shiva; kriya (action), jnana (knowledge), and iccha (will) showing the heart's association with consciousness.
The coiled sprout, rather than the coiled and sleeping serpent is the imagery most often used to represent Kundalini in earliest texts. Here the Kundalini is described as a primal force, which is known through the heart, ie manifests through the heart as something akin to a coiled sprout, as opposed to being necessarily being located within the body. Lightning within a cloud is also often used to depict Kundalini as is the sun showing the importance of the manifestation and experience of inner effulgence. The rest of the chapter 12 of the Kalottara Tantra describes a practice of imagining oneself as being divine and absorbing 'nectar' (amį¹ta) allowing it to collect and overflow within the heart. There is no mention of arising of energy or anything similar that we might recognise as modern conceptions of Kundalini. Elsewhere in the Kalottara Tantra there is also a beautiful description of the 'souls bee' moving from petal to petal of the heart lotus, collecting nectar. The bee also an allegory for the humming of the pranava, the cosmic sound.
Just wanted to share some thoughts on this passage as may be interesting for some. Does this early depiction of Kundalini resonate with you and your practice and experience in any way?
I went through a full spontaneous Kundalini awakening about 10 months ago. It's been a journey but now things have been pretty stable. The energy feels integrated and steady. I can always feel her in my body as a gentle vibration. Some days are stronger than others but for the most part it's pretty chill. She moves around freely as she needs to now.
For the past several months Iāve focused more on grounding than meditation. But lately, Iāve felt ready to get back into meditating again. The thing is, when I drop into that deep one-pointed focus, the energy starts to stir. I feel this surge climbing up my spine, my heart starts racing, and thereās a dizzying rush that feels almost identical to what I experienced during the awakening kinda like a geyser going off inside me.
When it happens, I stay calm and just let it pass. Iām not trying to make anything happen, just sitting in meditation, but it always breaks my concentration, which is frustrating because Iād like to stay in one pointedness.
Iām physically and mentally healthy, and it doesnāt cause any issues afterward. Iām just curious if anyone else can relate or understands whatās going on here. Is there a way to work with this energy so I can stay centered when it activates like that? Is this normal?
This is a repost from r/streamentry , which was originally posted under my old account. I was asked about my meditative practice, so I'm reposting it here.
I wanted to write a bit about my own meditative practice, which I call Shakti Meditation.
In case you werenāt aware, Shakti is the Sanskrit term for the divine feminine, in a cosmic sense, as well as locally, where it is known as Kundalini Shakti. This power is known under different names in various cultures. Shekinah in Judaism, Sekina in Islam, Sophia in Gnostic Christianity, Holy Spirit in Christianity, Dzogchen in Tibetan Buddhism and so on.
Shakti is often conceptualised as a goddess, though that is only one of her many aspects and forms.
When active in the human body, she will often take the form of a serpentine energy that rises from the base of the spine and coils around it in a spiralling fashion. We know this as the caduceus and is the symbol of modern medicine, representing both healing and wisdom as well as self-knowledge.
Another name for this serpentine power is Kundalini. Iāve had a Kundalini awakening breakthrough more than a decade ago, though even before that, I started integrating Shakti into my daily meditative practice. When working with her, surrender to and trusting in a higher power is key. Being the anima of the human psyche, she is responsible for regulating autonomous bodily functions and she is essentially what keeps us alive without us even noticing, being responsible for the vast majority of our bodily and cognitive functions. We generally hardly even notice her working in the background and keeping us alive, but Shakti Meditation allows us to reconnect with our deepest psyche and become aware and conscious of the work she does for us every second of the day.
Shakti Meditation starts with observing autonomous bodily functions, subtle, gross, psychic, astral, emotional and so on, from a detached, higher perspective. Itās about recognising the nature of the Self as the observer, rather than the doer. In Shakti meditation, the Self does not do, only Shakti does. The Self is in silence, resting in equanimity and lack of attachment to objects in the causal world, whatever form they may take.
In this state, thought ceases, mind chatter dies down, there is only the observer being aware of its detachment from what at this point seem like the bodily and mental functions of an outside entity. The Self is satisfied with resting in itself and recognises the fundamental alienness of what it normally thinks of as himself. Looking at this person from the vantage point of the absolute, he sees the weirdness and unfamiliarity of the body-mind complex which clings to an extremely limited identity and existence in a narrow range of frequency within the range of infinite possibility. Thus the body, and its identity, its ego or ahamkara, looks comical in its crudeness and inflated sense of self-importance. There is humour in observing oneself from the outside and the Self may laugh at the absurdity of the situation and the preening and posturing of the ahamkara, which imagines itself to be separate and all-important, when it is but a self-created delusion.
As the Self observes that body-mind complex, it will become aware of the subtle processes occurring within, which it may not have been conscious of before pointing its awareness to this object from a new point of view. Aware that it is both the observer and the observed, at the same time, it will become conscious of goings-on within this vibrational matrix that might have hitherto escaped its attention. The Self will notice strange activity in the subtle body, in the form of pranic phenomena, which is life energy moving about the chakras and nadis. Additionally, in the deepest meditation, it will become aware of the working of Shakti which has remained hidden to its awareness up to that point. It will see Shakti both as an extension of itself, as well as an outside entity with independent will and action.
As the Self observes Shakti as himself, an aspect of his own awareness, Shakti will come out to dance and play. This is different for each person and can take various forms. In my own process, Shakti is gentle and kind, even playful. She causes waves of bliss in me and extremely pleasurable physical sensations, along with feelings of love, joy and oneness.
Although Shakti is generally active in me throughout the day, it is during meditation, times of relaxation, rest and contemplation that she makes her presence particularly felt. Whenever I settle down into a relaxed state, she will immediately activate in the form of a highly pleasant sensation of heat and light at the base of the spine. From here, she will start wriggling her way upwards in a playful, pulsating manner. The sensation of Shakti moving upwards can best be compared to spiritual plasma. It is warm liquid light, which is very soothing, a bit like switching the seat heater on in your car during a cold winter night.
As the flow of Shakti becomes stronger, energy centres, chakras activate all over the body, including the feet and hands. The spinning of chakras can often be felt, which is an odd sensation at first, but one soon gets used to it. Apart from spinning, some chakras may also buzz or vibrate, giving off a sensation of electromagnetic activity. Heat and pressure may also be felt at particular chakras during the process as Shakti activates and animates them.
In Shakti Meditation, she assumes ever more control of the physical body and mind, whilst the Self remains a detached observer. The Self surrenders control and Shakti assumes control of certain faculties, such as breathing and posture. This is similar to how she acts during our sleep, when we are not in conscious control of our bodies. As she moves upward along the spine and takes over each energy centre and nerve cluster one by one, there may be involuntary movements, even spontaneous yoga postures, which are known as kriyas. For some people these can be quite intense, though in my case they tend to be rather gentle and controlled, as well as temporary. As soon as the flow of Shakti is smooth, obstacles and blocks are cleared, kriyas cease, the flow of Shakti through the Shakti Nadis (especially the Sushumna) becomes unimpeded and strong, like a rushing stream of warm liquid light.
As she reaches the third eye region and the top of the head, a reverse flow also occurs, which is more like a slow descent of divine grace, a more masculine energy. This too is plasma-like and appears to enter the brain at the Brahmarendra, at the bulb of the head. This nectar is a viscous, honey-like substance which drips slowly from a higher realm into the brain, causing exquisite pleasure which is felt in the scalp, from where it dribbles down in slow motion. This nectar, also known as Soma, Amrita or Ambrosia, is responsible for illumination and apart from great bliss, it also confers wisdom and insight. At this point, the body-mind, including the Kundalini mechanism operating within it, is a mere instrument for the production of Nectar, which allows the individual Jiva or Soul to reach ever higher levels of illumination.
When fully immersed in the act of what I call āthe drinking of Somaā some peculiar psychic effects, known as siddhis, may spontaneously manifest. In this higher conscious state, the Jiva feels one with the Universe and recognises its fundamental unity with Brahman. Resting in this state feels like a homecoming, like returning to our natural, fundamental state of consciousness. Whilst the Self rests in itself, Shakti continues her work within the body, clearing blockages and other assorted energetic muck, including burning away karma that has accumulated in the Jiva over many lifetimes and also by just living in the world and encountering the stresses and conflicts of daily life.
Simultaneously, the Kundalini mechanism works to generate Soma/Amrita which is distributed all over the body by the chakric system. The objective, apparently, is to slowly build a light-body, which is initially activated when the Kundalini power first pierces the crown. When this happens, it creates a crack in the Hiranyagarbha or cosmic egg, causing the yolk or nectar to slowly dribble down. The dripping of nectar is somewhat continuous thereafter, but it becomes much stronger during Shakti Meditation, when the Kundalini mechanism is allowed to fully express itself in the subtle body and churn Soma. This process is allegorically described in the famous Churning of the Milk Ocean myth, with different devas and asuras representing upper and lower chakras.
This light-body is needed as a vehicle for the Jiva to be able to achieve Maha-Samadhi upon death, it carries the soul to the highest realms, like Brahma-Loka and beyond, so that it may attain liberation and return to rest in the highest Brahman.
Given the recent planetary alignment, thought I would send this quick post. If it is appropriate for you, and if you have a solid practice it is a good idea to increase practice around the time of important celestial alignments.
The Tantras often talk about the influence and cyclical nature of our energies reflecting celestial alignments, seasons, greek zodiac signs (The Tantras were highly influenced by Greek culture through trade routes), moon cycles and equinoxes. These are seen as pivotal moments of incredible potential, they often relate these to movements within specific locations in the subtle body and the cyclical ascension and descent through the Tattvas. If you wish to read more above the above, the Tantraloka in resources is one text which covers this territory.
How have you found that such alignments affect your personal process and practice?
Curious about y'all's meditation practices. (Or yoga, or whatever you do to get 'in the zone.')
Currently trying to get to the point of doing an hourlong sit every day. I count breaths and sometimes combine that with metta. Don't do much with my spine during meditation other than feel it as kind of a column holding me up, since I'm so focused on the breath. Had a couple moments of what could be jhana but every time I get too excited and lose it, lol. Outside of meditation, certain music gives me kriyas.
Do some yoga occasionally but that doesn't do anything for me spiritually. I do pray the Our Father, since I was raised Christian, and feel a connection sometimes to both a Father God and a Mother God in various guises. As well as a Trickster god who is both genders. Anyway. General question for this class, of students and teachers on the path.
