More on the Night Technique

[p***@gmail.com]

The 'Night Technique', once taught by MMY, otherwise known as 'Laya Yoga' or 'Kundalini Yoga' which is a synthesis of Hatha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga, first mentioned by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1935 in his book 'Kundalini Yoga'. Swami Sivananda Radha wrote that Kundalini yoga is the yoga of awareness, "it aims "to cultivate the creative spiritual potential of a human to uphold values, speak truth, and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others."

So, Laya Yoga is similar to MMYs Night Technique, apparently no longer taught, but which was one of the main components of MMYs series of 'advanced techniques'. Dream yoga is very popular in Tibetan Buddhism (see my recent post to this forum concerning lucid dreaming).

The purport of the passage is:

By resting your bija at the navel chakra or at the heart chakra, the subtle currents from your istadevata will permeate your entire being. For example, my istadevata is Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. By resting the bija portion of her name, that is, 'sring', at the navel chakra, my intelligence will grow by leaps and bounds, right while I'm sleeping. Then, when I awake in the morning I will feel refreshed and full of knowledge. It's that simple!

Most TMers only repeat the bija portion of their mantra when they are meditating. However, according to Swami Sivananda Radha, a bija mantra may be repeated during the first portions of sleep. For example, when I practice MMYs secret Night Technique I often fall asleep with the bija portion of my mantra still in mind as I fall into asleep. When practicing the Night Technique Satyanand advised me to be aware of the area just above my abdomen, (heart chakra) and to put your attention there and let it rest.

My take on this technique is to be aware of my bija mantra at the heart chakra while in a sitting position and to gently fall into sleep as I form the corpse pose at the end of the day. So, all you have to do is be aware of the chakra of the heart, start the bija just like any other thought, then just babysit your bija for a few minutes, right on at your heart area. You just set it, and then forget it. This technique was confirmed to me by Vaj in a posting to FFL in 2005. It sure beats counting sheep!

Notes:

Yogi Bhajan says that "Kundalini energy is technically explained as being sparked during yogic breathing when prana and apana blends at the 3rd chakra (naval center) at which point it initially drops down to the 1st and 2nd chakras before traveling up to the spine to the higher centers of the brain to activate the golden cord - the connection between the pituitary and pineal glands - and penetrate the 7 chakras." Go figure.

Works cited:

'Kundalini Yoga for the West'
by Swami Sivananda Radha
(1979; 2nd ed. 1996)
pp. 13, 15

'Kundalini Yoga'
by Swami Sivananda
Divine Life Society, 1935
page 32

Kundalini Yoga:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini_yoga

References:

'Realities of the Dreaming Mind: The Practice of Dream Yoga'
by Swami Sivananda Radha
Timeless Books, 2004

'The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga'
by Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon)
Dover, 1974

Read more:

"Yes. That's why I suspect they may be teaching it. If you want to witness deep sleep, rest your awareness in your heart center or feel your mantra there gently and go to sleep."

Subject: Re: The new night technique?
Author: Vaj
Newsgroup: Yahoo! FairfieldLife
Date: Thu Dec 29, 2005 11:10 am
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/83580

[p***@gmail.com]

The first advanced technique was popularly known as the 'night technique' and is one of the most subtle and profound yoga techniques known to adepts. The technique involves a type of siddha yoga to be performed just before sleeping.

An initiation is an empowerment, pure and simple, and comes naturally, based on one's spiritual evolution. Initiation is akin to deja vu, that is, the ability to remember, on a very subtle level, a previous life experience.

This special sense of perception or seeing, called shakti in Sanskrit, involves yet another further subtle perception of an altered state of consciousness, previously experienced, whether in this life or the past.

The sleep technique and wall gazing is best performed in a personal zone of tranquility, one that is built and arranged according to vastu principles. In addition, the orientation of the body is crucial to the success of these types of siddha yoga, an aspect often overlooked by beginners, who unwittingly sometimes sit or sleep with their backs toward the door. Go figure.

When practicing the night technique Satyanand advised me to be aware of the area just above my abdomen, and to put my attention there and let it rest. Then, all you have to do is babysit your atention, right on your navel chakra.

Just set it, and forget it.

By resting your attention at the navel chakra the subtle currents will permeate your entire body and mind. For example, my istadevata is Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. By resting my attention on her chakra, my intelligence will grow by leaps and bounds, right while I'm sleeping!

Then, when I awake in the morning I will feel refreshed and full of knowledge, wisdom, bliss and energy of Sri Vidya. It's that simple!

Post by p***@gmail.com
The 'Night Technique', once taught by MMY, otherwise known as 'Laya Yoga' or 'Kundalini Yoga' which is a synthesis of Hatha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga, first mentioned by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1935 in his book 'Kundalini Yoga'. Swami Sivananda Radha wrote that Kundalini yoga is the yoga of awareness, "it aims "to cultivate the creative spiritual potential of a human to uphold values, speak truth, and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others."
So, Laya Yoga is similar to MMYs Night Technique, apparently no longer taught, but which was one of the main components of MMYs series of 'advanced techniques'. Dream yoga is very popular in Tibetan Buddhism (see my recent post to this forum concerning lucid dreaming).
By resting your bija at the navel chakra or at the heart chakra, the subtle currents from your istadevata will permeate your entire being. For example, my istadevata is Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. By resting the bija portion of her name, that is, 'sring', at the navel chakra, my intelligence will grow by leaps and bounds, right while I'm sleeping. Then, when I awake in the morning I will feel refreshed and full of knowledge. It's that simple!
Most TMers only repeat the bija portion of their mantra when they are meditating. However, according to Swami Sivananda Radha, a bija mantra may be repeated during the first portions of sleep. For example, when I practice MMYs secret Night Technique I often fall asleep with the bija portion of my mantra still in mind as I fall into asleep. When practicing the Night Technique Satyanand advised me to be aware of the area just above my abdomen, (heart chakra) and to put your attention there and let it rest.
My take on this technique is to be aware of my bija mantra at the heart chakra while in a sitting position and to gently fall into sleep as I form the corpse pose at the end of the day. So, all you have to do is be aware of the chakra of the heart, start the bija just like any other thought, then just babysit your bija for a few minutes, right on at your heart area. You just set it, and then forget it. This technique was confirmed to me by Vaj in a posting to FFL in 2005. It sure beats counting sheep!
Yogi Bhajan says that "Kundalini energy is technically explained as being sparked during yogic breathing when prana and apana blends at the 3rd chakra (naval center) at which point it initially drops down to the 1st and 2nd chakras before traveling up to the spine to the higher centers of the brain to activate the golden cord - the connection between the pituitary and pineal glands - and penetrate the 7 chakras." Go figure.
'Kundalini Yoga for the West'
by Swami Sivananda Radha
(1979; 2nd ed. 1996)
pp. 13, 15
'Kundalini Yoga'
by Swami Sivananda
Divine Life Society, 1935
page 32
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini_yoga
'Realities of the Dreaming Mind: The Practice of Dream Yoga'
by Swami Sivananda Radha
Timeless Books, 2004
'The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga'
by Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon)
Dover, 1974
"Yes. That's why I suspect they may be teaching it. If you want to witness deep sleep, rest your awareness in your heart center or feel your mantra there gently and go to sleep."
Subject: Re: The new night technique?
Author: Vaj
Newsgroup: Yahoo! FairfieldLife
Date: Thu Dec 29, 2005 11:10 am
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/83580

[P.N.]

What is your opinion on the claim that TM is a form of Tantra.

[Bhairitu]

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[P.N.]

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[p***@gmail.com]

Post by Bhairitu

Post by P.N.
What is your opinion on the claim that TM is a form of Tantra.

Tantra is a much maligned term. Westerners thing it is about sex while
Indians about black magic. It is a set of techniques which includes
teaching meditation. TM is sorta "yoga lite" when it comes to the first
technique. Most yogis and tantrics will tell you anyone can use or even
teach meditation using just the beej aksharas. This is commonly done by
vedic astrologers and ayurvedic practitioners.
The longer mantras like the advanced techniques generally require some
training. Usually those are given using shaktipat though TM does do that
but uses a puja instead to activate shakti.
One could say that TM is a form of tantra but given the maligned
reputation probably not something one would advertise.

The prefix "tan" in Sanskrit means "to elaborate" and "tra" which means "a tool". So, tantra is a set of tools for the attainment of self-realization. Tantra is whatever is used in the pursuit of the attainment of spiritual reality, for example" mantra, yantra, puja, pradakshina, etc. Tantra is thus a toolbox that provides the means for spirtiual practice.

So, tantra is called tantra because it elaborates on esoteric and profound practices, especially relating to the principles of spiritual realization (tattva) by the use of sacred mantras and because it provides the tools for human liberation.

In fact, Rama was probably one of the most intelligent tantra teachers that we know about, based on his education and on his writings. Likewise, MMY was probably one of the most insightful tantra teachers in the last 100 years. Go figure.

According to White, "Tantra is that Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways."

Based on this definition, all TMers are tantrics, because they depend on the use of secret mantras as tools for realizing an enlightened state. Anyone that uses a systematic program of spiritual practice should be called a "tantrik".

Works cited:

'Tantra in Practice'
by David Gordon White
Princeton University Press
p. 9