Preciate it

How did your journey start before coming to Kriya yoga?

As a high school kid trying to relieve my depression. Tried meditation along with mantras and chakra work out of experimentation and gained a spontaneous eye opening spiritual experience that confirmed the legitimacy of these practices.

I was raised Christian but since that moment I felt guided to explore many different spiritual traditions. Spent most of the time in Zen Buddhism in practice but also over the years explored and studied Sufism, Daoism, Shamanism, Mystic Christianity, Gnosticism and now various forms of Hinduism.

I had a ayahusca ceremony that confirmed the concept of God-Realization which is taught in all mystic branches of spiritual traditions but is talked about the most explicitly and made into a science in Indian spirituality which eventually led me into books like Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads which lead me into Kriya Yoga.

My bad for the long post but I’ve come to understand all these spiritual traditions are just paths to the same thing when practiced and studied sincerely with an open mind.

np, feel free to pm me if you don't want to post about it itt, but from what i understand, and I'm not an expert, these are just my own words:

when not d*** induced, depersonalization can be caused/triggered by trauma or a combination of things like high emotional/mental stress and sleep deprivation....that being said, i think some of the common thought surrounding it involves the idea that, with depersonalization, a situation/event or memory that is or was traumatic or difficult to grapple with was either experienced or, in the case of a memory, brought to the surface, and detaching from the experience or memory (the way that our brain often instinctually deals with it) can then manifest as depersonalization? i believe, i may be wrong but that's what i can remember from what i've previously read

Where do I start

Im back in

The cartoon videos in OP are a good short summary of how to start

Medito app is good

Back into meditation.
It's beautiful

I'm thinking of doing an ayahuasca ceremony next year. Sounds like you've been on pretty much the same path as me and come to the same realisation about the different paths.

Could you expand on what the ayahuasca journey did for your practice? I know everyone's experience will be different but just curious about yours.

Also in regards to guru to guru transmission. Those guidelines were set before the age of the technology and now we got internet and teachers guiding people on YouTube etc... do you think it matters if it's online or does it really have to be in person?

Definitely can expand a bit. If I can be honest, ayahusca didn’t show me anything that I didn’t already know deep down. It just made it so clear it was undeniable. My practice got stronger in the sense of I stopped searching for something outside of myself, realizing the Divine is within and all around, here and now.

As for guru to guru transmissions. I definitely see your point, word of mouth and memorization was the primary and only function for sharing knowledge for awhile. I do think however there’s something more to it.

Eastern spirituality focuses a lot on relationship with the right guru to further you along your spiritual journey. The guru is supposed to be the closest or exactly the realized state the person is striving for. The guru provides its blessings to you so that you have grace and clarity in your spiritual journey but ultimately the guru role is to point you back to your true self through relationship and reflection.

In this sense, a guru provides a role that no video or stand alone class can provide since it is intimate and intentional. I was initiated into Kriya by traditional means and because of that I have a wide range of monks to rely on if needed for advice, support and clarity at my local or any Ashram.

Now there are some that can see this type of knowledge as something to be shared and not so occult like but I don’t think the intention behind it is meant to be malicious or gatekeeping but it does filter out those who are dedicated vs those who are not and prevents it from becoming commercialized/exploited.

All in all, the right guru or support system will only advance your journey and not hinder it.

@Experiment626 after meditating for some minutes (like 10-20), do you feel like you're vibing after?

idk how to describe this sensation other than i feel a lot of vibes/movement outside of me when I'm done meditating. but i feel still

Thanks for expanding. I've been thinking about going to a sufi school/centre for ages. I'm going to fit it into my schedule now.

If not possible, think I'll find a bhakti yoga teacher instead

Hey past me

This s*** genuinely changed my life

stream LUX

Hey appreciate you asking, It could be you just becoming more and more sensitive to the natural energetic field we all have. It could be the chakras which can be felt within and outside the body or the nadis clearing themselves. Very normal stuff tbh and nothing to be concerned about

But honestly just sit with it and see what intuitively comes to you

I absolutely love Sufism, one of the spiritual traditions that influences me the most along with Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism. please share your experiences with me.

There’s a Bhakti Yoga book that I have called Eternal Love which I believe is worth a read!

I'll checkn this out. Will also update on the sufism journey too, blessings