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pranayama practice
pommesetoranges
Explorer
in Meditation
I want to complement my daily 30 min meditation with 5-10 min pranayama practice done before the meditation. Is there anyone here doing pranayama/similar yoga practices? Do you have any suggestions/ideas/helpful sources?
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I usually do them for 5 minutes, or 8 min or 11 min prior to vipassana mediation.
I also sometimes do a kundalini kriya, like sat kriya, before meditation. You can find more info on the site i provided.
For all I know pranayama is done with closed eyes, do you keep your eyes closed also while doing vipassana Daiva?
Alternate nostril breathing is taught in many yoga classes for beginners.
http://thewayofmantra.com/blog/?p=1239
I would advise mantra as 'more buddhist' and also more complemetary . . . :wave:
And lobster, the main issue I've had with finding "more buddhist" pranayama practices, is that I can't find anyone who teaches it. They all say it is a Hindu practice. I also like chanting, though Buddhist folks keep telling me it's "not a Buddhist thing." So I rely on the kundalini, since i have a teacher who can answer my questions and teach me various techniques. I've recenting been working with a Buddhist meditation teacher, and she told me to keep up with my kundalini practice, as it does compliment my vipassana meditation.
And when I dug deeper, I found the Dzogchen practice, however, even with this, there is a teacher that does a retreat here in Los Angeles, but only once a year, so again, it's hard to ask questions. The main teacher, Fabio, does have a helpful Breathing DVD: http://www.amazon.com/breAthe-The-Perfect-Harmony-Breathing/dp/B004XNAH0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357738581&sr=8-1&keywords=Fabio+andrico
He also has a couple Yantra Yoga DVDs, if you want to keep your practice "more Buddhist."
Though, many Dzogchen folks don't follow the pranayama and yantra practices - i had one guy tell me it's "not Buddhist." So I really don't know what is buddhist and what is not buddhist at this point. All i know is that Pranayama has been around for thousands of years, and that i find it highly effective. I do it every day.
For me, i find many of the breathing exercisies are the same across the traditions, so it doesn't matter where i am drawing the information from. I just have access to a pranayama teacher in the kundalini tradition, so it works for me the best.
Btw- The alternate breathing exercise that lobster referenced, is one of the most common, and extremely beneficial.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati
According to several teachers in
Theravada Buddhism, anapanasati alone will lead to the removal of all one's defilements (kilesa) and eventually to enlightenment.
Anapanasati can also be practised with
other traditional meditation subjects
including the four frames of reference
and mettā bhāvanā, as is done in modern Theravadan Buddhism.
Yes, when I was bouncing around various sangas and asked about receiving instructions on mantras, I was told, "we don't chant, it's not Buddhist." Just as many also told me that Pranayama is not necessary. I am glad now I have found a sangha that doesn't judge anyone about these practices and are supportive of anything that works for you - and as a group keeps the focus on the foundation of the dharma (4NT, 8FP, Metta, Vipassana).
I found Buddhist chants on my own on YouTube and other sites. And actually, this forum has been a helpful resource to me for many of the chants, and the various traditions I am not exposed to where I live.
youtube.com/watch?v=fcPjvp4La8A
Am now going to Against The Stream. They also don't chant or do pranayama in the group meditations, but at the same time they encourage you to try out these practices on your own. They have plenty of diverse workshops fram various traditions to do just that. Next week Thanissaro Bhikkhu is teaching a breathing class. Shinzen Young is giving a talk as well. There was a Kundalini series last month.
Am not criticizing the fact that most traditions don't chant or do pranayama - am just saying i had to do a lot of research on my own because this information was not available to me in the sanghas I visited. And it worked out great, because i experienced various traditions, tried out multiple pranayama and chant workshops/classes, and met some great people. I now have a more solid practice - except for consistently getting myself on the cushion and sitting through my restlessness, which my new teacher is giving me guidance on.