Kundalini Yoga - Increasing reps

[Power of Justice [JG]]

So over the time that i've been doing Kundalini Yoga I've been steadily increasing the reps that I do, and wondered if what im doing is safe or even a correct thing to do.

So as advised by other members my first few sessions were very low reps 26x for like 2-3 sessions then I worked my way up to 108 over a period of 2-3 weeks.

I felt comfortable there for a while, until I felt very little at 108 reps so my ego kicked in and decided that I could handle a sudden increase of 50% to the reps I did. Needless to say it didnt end well. At 162x the first day I felt amazing, the second less so - too much energy in my spine, the third I couldn't even finish the session, I felt like throwing up from all the energy and dropped back down to 108.

That was a few months ago, since then i've been steadily increasing the reps by 9x when I feel like im ready for more.

My question I guess is, is it safe to increase the reps past the 108 that are recommended and is it ok to do it by 9 reps more at a time, If there is a specific numerological significance to the reps that has to be followed.

Thank you!

 

[Elite]

108 is a number of Saturn. It's and old instruction for repeats. HPS Maxine updated that to 111, which is number of Sun.

I think you should not increase the repeats more than 111. Rather, I would recommend to do it again within the day (For an example, doing 111x in the morning and doing again in the night.) This sounds much safer.

 

[Henu the Great]

I do 216x because 108x was too easy. I also made the jump from 108x to 216x in one go. This has to do with my nature, which is enduring. I got too used to the 108x rep. These days, when I have the time, I do two KY sessions per day (usually different Kriyas, but sometimes the same) and HY in the evening.

Everyone should do the adjustments according to their own ability and skill. Knowing yourself is key on this path.

 

[Stormblood]

The 40-days programme gives instructions about the starting point (which is 4 breaths, not 26) and about how to increase vibration. I suggest you give a reading to it. HP Hooded Cobra understands it better than random people giving advice.

In my opinion, you did well in retracting the sudden increase and deciding to approach this in a more gradual fashion.

That being said, I don't know if there is any ultimate benefit in going over 108 up to 216. More is not always better. The spinal series is a specific kriya with spiritual alchemy in mind, not mindless stimulation of your spine. Few posters here, if anyone, have the level of knowledge, experience and awareness to tell whether the number should be moved from 108 or not. I certainly do not. Your best bet, as always, is your Guardian Demon(ess)/God(ddess).

What I can tell you is that some things need you to stick to a number 'perennially' until you have a reached a certain level of general advancement past which you won't even need to do these things anymore but replace them with something else, while other things need you to increase numbers as time goes by. The first category of things is more of a 'war of endurance', constantly stacking momentum day by day. The second category is more of a 'war of change' until you hit a stable point (i.e. there is no point in doing something more than 216/666 times).

As for 108, there is nothing wrong with using this number in something you need to do on a daily basis such as this particular kriya (until your kundalini is fully raised and permanently affixed on her heavenly throne).

 

[Power of Justice [JG]]

Thank you for your insights!

How it stands for me is if I dont increase reps or energy intake in some form or another, overtime my meditations dont feel as potent, so it seemed logical to increase the reps in KY as well, especially the kriyas that are only x26 like the see-saw bear grip one and the twisting side to side( i really have no idea what the proper names are, I do the KY basic spinal energy series) I doubled the reps on those to x52 because i felt they were really too low even for a standard x108 reps session.

Because of that I've also had to exponentially increase the time I spend meditating every day. When I started years ago I was doing like 20 minutes a day, now with all the yoga, rituals and basic meditation am at 4hrs, if only i could spare more time i totally would but alas, I got a life too .

I also had another question. How do you keep count? I do KY in the morning after I wake up, and while I hate the expression that im still "half asleep" my concentration isnt 100% so sometimes I lose count by 1 or 2(I count mentally in my head). Does it hurt the working or even ruin it if you mess up the count?


Can you please give us your take on this, High Priest?

 

[Henu the Great]

I also had another question. How do you keep count? I do KY in the morning after I wake up, and while I hate the expression that im still "half asleep" my concentration isnt 100% so sometimes I lose count by 1 or 2(I count mentally in my head). Does it hurt the working or even ruin it if you mess up the count?

Mala beads and counting in head. The ones I count in head I count in sets of 54.

 

[Inflorescentia]

How do you keep count? I do KY in the morning after I wake up, and while I hate the expression that im still "half asleep" my concentration isnt 100% so sometimes I lose count by 1 or 2(I count mentally in my head). Does it hurt the working or even ruin it if you mess up the count?

You could try and simplify your counting.

What I do is I only keep track of tens ( 0+, 10+, 20+, 30+, etc). For that I group breaths in fours and two like so:

in/out - in/out - in/out - in/out
in/out - in/out - in/out - in/out
in/out - in/out

Take four breaths and notice the pattern. It's unmistakable, and getting a feel for 4-4-2 should be easy. In a few sessions you'll be able to figure out how many reps you're in even if you space out for a few seconds.