It was recently brought to my attention that you have listed the Yogani name and the Advanced Yoga Practices (AYP) writings in your "overview of the major schools of yoga." I am honored, as AYP is surely an upstart compared to the well-known teachers and venerable traditions you have listed there.

[S:] The survey was actually done by a friend. I am not responsible for it,
except for the "publishing."

In the case of AYP, I think you have caught the essence of it. But you have a few comments in the article that could use some feedback from "the horse's mouth."

First, unlike the other schools you have listed, AYP is not primarily a hatha yoga teaching. Neither is it primarily a kundalini yoga teaching. Rather, it is an integrated system of practices derived from multiple ancient traditions including mantra yoga, kriya yoga, hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, tantra yoga, bhakti yoga and others. Some of the practices included in the system are fairly well-known. Others have been highly esoteric and barely written about at all, until now.

Why is this integration occurring, and why are these long-standing boundaries of secrecy being crossed?

Today we are seeing an intersection of fast-rising human spiritual awareness, the ancient traditions, and modern information technology. Your web site is a fine example of how these three elements are becoming more integrated. It is all leading somewhere, isn't it? But where?

Thanks to the life-work of thousands, the traditional approaches to human spiritual transformation have survived the past few thousand years of chaos. Only barely. They are all resurrections of ancient knowledge, tied to specific lines of teaching reaching far back, and tailored to modern times as best as possible. But there has been so much erosion over the centuries that we see significant pieces of the whole of yoga missing in the teachings of the major traditions. This is no one's fault. It is just how things have happened during a few thousand years of darkness. Fortunately, not all of the traditions are missing the same pieces, so it has been possible to put "Humpty Dumpty" back together again, so to speak. That is what AYP is about. It is a resurrection too, but one with a much broader reach than the traditional lines have been. It is also an attempt to take maximum advantage of modern (and open) information technology, so the longevity of the work can be assured well beyond our lifetime. A thousand years from now, the "ancient scrolls" will be digital.

The question has to be asked: Are the traditions in their present form capable of servicing the rapidly increasing millions of hungry seekers feeling the divine rising within? It appears not. Due to the burgeoning demand, what are seeing today is a divergence of knowledge, a scattering of teachings into into thousands of fragmentary threads, instead of a coming together of the most effective, simply applied means. There is a great need for an integration of yogic knowledge, bringing together the simplest, most effective means of practice, and making it universally available via modern information technology. It is not the complete answer, but certainly part of the answer as we move forward. No doubt the traditions will also adapt to the dramatic changes that are occurring in human consciousness. They must. Change is in the air... 

Happily, when an integration of yoga practices from all available sources is done in a logical fashion, individual spiritual progress can be greatly enhanced, even as the hobgoblins of imbalanced practice disappear, including the dreaded runaway kundalini syndrome.

The implication in your article of rampant kundalini problems in AYP is incorrect. 

[S:] The implication, as i read it, is of possible kundalini problems,
possibly related to lack of traditional modes of oversight, and
step-by-step progress.

[Y:] The opportunity to clarify is appreciated. I did not have as much a concern about the kundalini verbiage (everyone is entitled to their initial doubts) as with the link to the kundalini disaster, which, to the casual reader, could be confused to be an AYP story, which it certainly isn't.

[S:] Following this feedback, this and "possible" have been clarified on the survey page.

[Y:] In AYP, Gopi Krishna is brought up occasionally as an example of "the hard way to pursue enlightenment," with the reasons discussed in detail, and the specific means given to travel faster while avoiding a similar fate. So, there really is no connection between the link you have in the article and what we are up to in AYP. Indeed, it is an example of how we do not do it. I am not opposed to sharing kundalini resources (that is a good one), but object to the implication that this how you could end up in AYP -- high and dry. It just is not true.

AYP pays much more attention to individual kundalini challenges and how to handle them than any other tradition I know of, both before and after the fact. Most traditions tend to sweep kundalini challenges under the rug. We do not.

It is one of those spiritual paradoxes. The open system is so far proving to be safer -- because it is open. The suggestion to your friend is, come and kick the tires some more. There is something new and exciting here. This is a path being traveled from the inside of each person. It can be done! 

In fact, there is a large focus throughout the lessons on avoiding such mishaps, with many specific methods included. This is not to say that some people do not experience kundalini flare-ups when pro-actively engaged in the purification and opening of their nervous system. Everyone is different, and the symptoms of purification and opening will vary. Ample means are given in the lessons to deal with such occurrences, and many cases of excessive energy flows have been dealt with successfully. To my knowledge, no one has ended up in an out-of-control kundalini situation due to the AYP practices, and we have thousands involved to one degree or another at this point. Which is not to say it could not happen. Anyone experiencing this kind of difficulty is encouraged to contact me, or other seasoned practitioners in the open AYP Forum. It should also be pointed out that there have been quite a few people who have come from other teachings and/or previous lives with severe kundalini problems who have found increased balance by using the methods in the lessons.

AYP sees visitors from many traditions who are looking to fill in some missing pieces. AYP is not a tradition itself. It is an open resource that is being put in place for everyone to use according to need. No one has to leave their tradition to take advantage of what is in the lessons. There is no organization or guru to latch on to here. It is a comprehensive and interactive textbook on spiritual practices and the enlightenment process. That is all. 

No matter how many precautions and measures are built into the lessons, the success or failure of having open availability of advanced yoga practices will depend on the responsibility of the practitioners. Your article implies that humanity is not ready to be that responsible. Franky, I was concerned about it also when embarking on the journey of openly recording a lifetime of research in yoga. I wanted more than anything to leave something useful behind, so others might benefit. Would they be ready? I knew at some point everyone would be. All the arrows are pointing in that direction. But what about now? A year-and-a-half into the project, I am happy to report that the vast majority of practitioners have been very responsible with the practices, with most experiencing excellent results. As mentioned, there have been no known disasters. We have been through a lot together, and it is working. So much so that the teachings are naturally moving outward in all directions in a horizontal person-to-person fashion (there is no vertical hierarchy here). 

If you have doubts about any of what is said here, please review the hundreds of reader testimonials on the web site, and the in-depth reviews of the lessons on Amazon.com. 

The world may be ready for this now. If not now, then certainly in the not-too-distant future. The lessons are being put together for that eventuality.

AYP is not intended to be the last word on yoga practices. It is hoped that many will carry forward the work of improving our knowledge of the means for promoting the process of human spiritual transformation. Enlightenment is a natural process constantly occurring in our nervous system. Yoga does not define what it is. Rather, the natural tendencies in our nervous system define what yoga is. This is how it is with all technologies. We recognize natural principles in nature, and we leverage them with techniques -- technology. Yoga is like any other technology, and should be managed as such -- scientifically and pragmatically. AYP is viewing enlightenment and the process of it in the human nervous system through the eyes of science -- constantly looking for easier and better means to enhance the natural evolution occurring within us. It is a systematic management of causes and effects. Indeed, what we find as we apply effective methods of yoga practice on a daily basis over time is that our essential nature emerges as unshakable inner silence, ecstatic bliss and outpouring divine love. That is what we are when fully revealed.

The guru is in you.

Yogani   

http://www.geocities.com/advancedyogapractices