Ether12

@bobbyward sorry for the late reply. No I have not tried anything else from Isha, although I do plan on taking the Yogasanas program soon, and in time Shoonya and all the other programs leading to Samyama. I don't know when that will happen but for now I want to focus on taking a program and really devoting my whole being into it by consistently maintaining the practice day in day out. "Do you think shambhavi and surya kriya are effective practices for spiritual advancement rather than just for well being" I don't know to be honest. Both of these practices make me feel very good so I do them, it's as simple as that. I avoid trying to think about spiritual advancement/enlightenment or any other kind of progress. Heck, I don't even know what progress is to be entirely honest! I've been down this road and my mind just plays all sorts of games on me, so I do the practice, feel great and that's that. All this enlightenment talk, I haven't a clue. I think @Guru Fat Bastard and @Phrenic have both done a phenomenal job explaining some of the Isha programs, not to forget @Tetcher as well! One aspect that most people often overlook (myself included!) is devotion or being a devotee. You should YouTube some of Sadhguru's videos on the topic, because I lack the understanding to explain to you what it is exactly. However, the days when I've been like a devotee, or less of myself, those days were truly something else! I think that's something all of us should strive towards, because I feel it's where the real growth is instead of being fixated on just doing practices. Although, the practices are explosive by themselves! If someone on this forum can share some more about this, maybe it will be good.

@soularlight the intent is there but not as concentrated/intense as it could be. Thanks for sharing that, I will attempt to bring this more and more into my awareness. @Bojan V I'm not sure that consecrated means to make sacred. Consecration is more so a space/object or person that has been energized/concentrated with life energy. Dhyanalinga is an example of what is supposedly a consecrated space. If you sit and experience this, the energy will blow you away, the vibrancy of it is such. I know this from experience. I also agree with you that people need to question and not blindly follow any guru. I think there are many people in Isha who follow and believe everything that is said to them. I feel such people are missing out because they are concluding something they can't prove by experience. Sadhguru himself says you should not blindly believe what he says, nor should you disbelieve. If people don't listen, you can't really blame him. @Husseinisdoingfine Which techniques did you try specifically?

@soularlight what you’re saying sounds very nice to the ear but it’s not something that most can realize. This is why we seek a guru: because he/she has charted that territory and can dispel darkness. For someone with a natural ability to meditate, what you’re saying makes sense.

Similar to @Tetcher, I have done IE and been initiated into Shambhavi and I've also done Surya Kriya. Since my initiation into the practices which was about 2 years ago, I've not missed a single day. Not saying this out of pride, but more so because of how much it has benefited me. Does that mean I'm always "blissed" out? No to be honest 9 times out of 10 I'm not. It's just that doing the practices makes me feel good, makes me feel at ease especially when the outside situations aren't going my way. Difficult situations which would've previously had me going crazy now don't impact me the same way. It's not that I don't stress or get anxious, it's that I can deal with it so much better than before! If you have any specific questions for me, let me know. All the best!

@Bodhitree, LOL trust me it has nothing to do with nuts and bolts! Have you done the program? If you haven't then how would you know what it's all about?

@Tetcher @vladorion Nice to meet you both! @Tetcher You've done all the programs at Isha except the Hatha programs? If that is so, man you're missing out! Surya Kriya is an amazing program and I find it does really well to complement Shambhavi. You should try it out if it's available in your area. @vladorion I disagree. These yogic practices are intended to ignite a spark within you. Once you're well enough ignited and your intelligence has evolved, you will want nothing other than to seek truth. Everything else recedes in the background. Yes it is a slow process because many people are only willing to dedicate 1 hour (maybe 2 max) a day doing these practices. I went from doing about an hour 15 mins a day to about 3 hours a day, and I can tell you that the difference is massive. It's not like I'm blissful or more ecstatic, but there's more of a single pointed focus about my life now than there was previously. Previously it was easier to fall back into compulsive behaviors, but there's a lot more stability now. Eventually I'd like to take more programs and go from 3 hours to 4.

@PureRogueQ @kray Good day fellas, I am somewhat new to this blog even though I joined a while back. Interesting to hear some of your experiences with Sadhguru and Isha. @kray, I used to feel exactly like you in that I also thought that Sadhguru would sneak in what I would consider as religious dogmas/beliefs, but I still left myself open minded enough to try out whatever was being offered. More recently it was the MahaShivRatri night (last week) and there was a strong resistance within me about why Sadhguru kept saying this was a non-religious festival. Because I've come to a point of not taking my logic too seriously, I decided to anyways tune into the program (streamed live on YouTube), and ended up staying awake till around 3:20 in the morning. I'll admit it I wasn't blown away into ecstatic states, but there was definitely an upsurge of energy I experienced the entire night and I even had to force myself to sleep at that time as I wasn't tired. I forced myself to sleep because I had work the next day and thought I should at least sleep few hours, but I didn't at all feel tired when I went to bed. I guess what I'm getting at is whenever my logic comes in the way Sadhguru and his programs come and bash it down. This is not the only time, I've had this experience several times over the years since I've become more involved with Isha. My personal opinion is that the Sadhguru you see on YouTube is only a sneak peek of what the man is all about. Keep in mind that he has to cater to a wide range of people so he cannot be all spirituality and intense all the time. If you want to know what Sadhguru is all about, I suggest you take a few programs at Isha, maybe Inner Engineering as that's their flagship program and see how it works for you. If it works, awesome, if not drop it and move on. That being said, I feel like I really don't know much at all to be commenting on who to follow and not to follow. When you really get into these practices, you start to feel like a fool because all your life you've drawn so many conclusions and they've all been misguiding. Anyways, I hope this helps for what it's worth. Let me know if you have any more questions.

@Milan I cannot give you instructions on how to do the Kriya. For one I'm not qualified, and two you need to be initiated into the Kriya. It's important that you receive the Kriya in the right manner. This requires taking the Inner Engineering program. At this time you can take both Inner Engineering Online and the Inner Engineering Online Completion course. Let me know if you have any more questions. Sorry for the late reply!

People can share their experiences (as has been above), but you must understand experiences tend to differ. Even still, taking Inner Engineering and learning the Shambhavi Kriya is well worth your time if you ask me. I say this after having done the Kriya for the last 3 months. If you asked me of my experiences, I'd be left like a "deer in headlights" so to speak. There's a whole range of experiences I've had! That's not important. What's important is the shift in consciousness you start to feel, and that becomes more and more profound with time. What's different about Shambhavi compared to other practices? I honestly can't answer this as I have not tried any other Kriya's. If you really want to know the answer to this question, then you must find out for yourself. Try it out and see what you find. Good luck!

I completed inner engineering about 3 months ago and have been practicing Shambhavi ever since. I think it's important for one to realize that the actual Kriya itself is not designed for an experience. Doing the Kriya brings a certain alignment to the subtler bodies. There's a YouTube video where Sadhguru discusses this in greater detail. All that being said, everyone has different experiences, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! Some people may experience bliss, others may experience a heightened awareness. Whenever I've done the Kriya in the last 3 months, my experiences have been different. Some days i'll feel at complete ease with myself and everything around me, other days i'll feel blissful. There have also been days where after having completed the Kriya I feel sad/depressed. As far as physical experiences are concerned, I feel less sluggish and more energized, more focused and can generally do the same task in a much more efficient manner. Sleep quota has reduced for me, but not by much (45 minutes to an hour). My point is don't get hung on experiences and don't be sold on them either. When you do the Shambhavi there's a part of you that experiences something phenomenal and it's for this reason you want to keep doing it. I myself have no idea how I've managed to keep up with the practices doing them not once, but twice a day! Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!