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| After few minutes in supported shoulderstand I taste a kind of a very small quantity/drop of a sweet, liquid rolling down from the bottom/the route of my nose to the back side of the throat and “soothing” the whole area (by the way, it seems to me that shoulderstand is the best soothing medicine against sore throat and/or tired phonetic chords!).
I was wondering whether this has something to do with what is described in the books as "amrita".
Although it seems to me that it is just, either the saliva rolling back the throat, or secretions from the nose that make you have this nice taste back there.
In any case, this is a nice and soothing taste/feeling that contributes to the joy and the comfort of the posture.
Is this common ? Do you feel the same? Is anything written about it ?
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| Perhaps it is merely last night's desert??
It will be interesting to see who else weighs in and has a similar experience.
Of course energetically Sarvangasana works the throat chakra (among other things) but as far as sweet tastes I've not personally experienced that in my practice.
And I'm not too hasty to jump to conclusions about the depth of the experience based on only one.
It may be and it may not. See... |
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Veteran
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| Ha ! No it is certainly NOT last night's desert  ,
but I forgot to mention that this is a veeeeery subtle sweet taste. |
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| I'm thinking last nights desert would be tasting more like bile by the next day.
Kristi, you mentioned in another thread being a musician. Do you play an instrument or sing? Maybe you have honey coated vocal chords? |
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| kristi - 2006-09-10 6:05 AM
After few minutes in supported shoulderstand I taste a kind of a very small quantity/drop of a sweet, liquid rolling down from the bottom/the route of my nose to the back side of the throat and “soothing” the whole area (by the way, it seems to me that shoulderstand is the best soothing medicine against sore throat and/or tired phonetic chords!).
I was wondering whether this has something to do with what is described in the books as "amrita".
Although it seems to me that it is just, either the saliva rolling back the throat, or secretions from the nose that make you have this nice taste back there.
In any case, this is a nice and soothing taste/feeling that contributes to the joy and the comfort of the posture.
Is this common ? Do you feel the same? Is anything written about it ?
Dear Kristi: In the human beings the taste occurs only on the tongue and not in the throat. In the throat, touch does occur, but not the taste. So, when one says sweet, they have to distinguish whether it is a sweet taste (such as icecreame) or a sweet touch (lol). As for Amrita, this term is used in different context in the Yoga literature. If you could quote exactly the text and place, then I can comment. But, if you are enjoying something, without taking anything harmful, I wish you all the best. |
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| Hey! Thank you for your humorous answers! 
It's not last night's desert and it's not my... sweet voice chords and certainly not anything dangerous that I am taking!
I understand you may be thinking that I might be imagining or exaggerating...
But no, this is a very subtle thing I am trying to describe.
Neel, and I am wondering, could not also the route of the tongue have some, smaller, but still some, ability to taste?
I am afraid I cannot exactly quote what I have read about amrita, because it is not just one place where I have read about it. But I have stumbled upon this term in lots of texts about yoga.
From what I generally remember, one "western" way of explaining what I have read would be that amrita (also mentioned as an elixir) is a very subtle kind of "hormone", produced somewhere inside the brain when one practises regularly hatha yoga and especially the inverted poses. This is of coarse a western, very simplified and in common terms explanation of the whole matter. Could be explained “deeper”, that amrita is maybe a “substance” which when produced inside you it transforms you to something better… Others call it the substance that gives immortality. This is in general what I remember having read here and there about amrita.
I had tried to learn more about it in the first place, because I had found the word beautiful.
But anyway.
The fact that this amrita is mentioned everywhere as sweet and soothing, made me combine it with that sweet and soothing taste I feel in the route of the tongue after few minutes in shoulderstand. And also because they sometimes refer to it as a “drop”, it made me think that it could also be just the saliva that slowly drops back when in shoulderstand and somehow tastes sweet.
Yes, I am a singer bstqltmkr (what nickname !!) and amrita is indeed coating my phonetic chords with honey
kristi |
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| Totally off the subject- but I had an employee named Amrita- I didn't know what it's meaning was.. now I know.. thanks! |
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| Your best answer yet!
kulkarnn - 2006-09-11 7:02 AM
Dear Kristi: In the human beings the taste occurs only on the tongue and not in the throat. In the throat, touch does occur, but not the taste. So, when one says sweet, they have to distinguish whether it is a sweet taste (such as icecreame) or a sweet touch (lol). As for Amrita, this term is used in different context in the Yoga literature. If you could quote exactly the text and place, then I can comment. But, if you are enjoying something, without taking anything harmful, I wish you all the best. |
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| kristi - 2006-09-11 2:52 PM
Hey! Thank you for your humorous answers!
It's not last night's desert and it's not my... sweet voice chords and certainly not anything dangerous that I am taking!
I understand you may be thinking that I might be imagining or exaggerating...
But no, this is a very subtle thing I am trying to describe.
Neel, and I am wondering, could not also the route of the tongue have some, smaller, but still some, ability to taste?
I am afraid I cannot exactly quote what I have read about amrita, because it is not just one place where I have read about it. But I have stumbled upon this term in lots of texts about yoga.
From what I generally remember, one "western" way of explaining what I have read would be that amrita (also mentioned as an elixir ) is a very subtle kind of "hormone", produced somewhere inside the brain when one practises regularly hatha yoga and especially the inverted poses. This is of coarse a western, very simplified and in common terms explanation of the whole matter. Could be explained “deeper”, that amrita is maybe a “substance” which when produced inside you it transforms you to something better… Others call it the substance that gives immortality. This is in general what I remember having read here and there about amrita.
I had tried to learn more about it in the first place, because I had found the word beautiful.
But anyway.
The fact that this amrita is mentioned everywhere as sweet and soothing, made me combine it with that sweet and soothing taste I feel in the route of the tongue after few minutes in shoulderstand. And also because they sometimes refer to it as a “drop”, it made me think that it could also be just the saliva that slowly drops back when in shoulderstand and somehow tastes sweet.
Yes, I am a singer bstqltmkr (what nickname !! ) and amrita is indeed coating my phonetic chords with honey
kristi
Dear Kristi: You shall find that there is actually no taste occuring in the throat or the root of the tonge in the throat. That is why when a medicine is bitter, people directly put it towards root of the tongue, and are able to eat it. Same with sweet and sour. But, the soothing sensation can occur in the throat which can be interpreted as sweet and soothing. Anyway, during shoulder stand, the throat area including thyroid glad is squeezed and when you come out of that pose, the blood flows in that area. Many things can happen: a) mucus shall be released due to extra flow of blood, and mucus itself is sweet tasting, having a sugary carbohydrate. (In Amazon river, butterflies regulary eat the boogers of a turtle, as their food!!!) And, blood flow in area leads to soothing feeling. There is no possible direct connection between liquid produced in brain and an opening in throat.
Now, coming to Amrita, Yoga books at times describe result by a simili, which is not always physical. For example, in Yoga, a nectar (which I think you call amrit) is flowing from a moon in the head and flowing down, and the sun in naval eats it. This is a simil to describe something, which is related to nervous and pranic energy. |
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| Neel thanks a lot for the explanation/information!
Since the mucus, does contain sugary carbohydrate, it could be this that I am tasting as “sweet” and maybe, being upside down, I am not clearly feeling the exact area in which the sense of taste is originated.
But then after all these, I couldn’t but spend almost the whole night here, searching in books and in my favorite websites that I often visit. Among the common references about amrita, I also stumbled on this one (!!).
It is quoted from a text about Siddha Gorakhnath (mentioned as the disciple of Matsyendranath) titled Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati :
http://www.shivashakti.com/siddha.htm
I am quoting the 2 paragraphs from the whole text :
"The 16 Adharas
...The text now mentions 16 places where meditation may be accomplished. On the tip of the big toe of the right foot one should meditate on a steady light. The second base is situated in the root chakra, and a flaming fire should he visualised there. Thirdly is the anus, where the Apana vital breath resides. The Fourth is in the penis, where the Brahmagranthis are said to come together. Fifth is the Oddiyana base (see above). Sixthly is the navel centre, in which is Om, where all sound dissolves. The seventh is the heart chakra, where Prana resides.
The eighth is the throat adhara, the place where Ida and Pingala come together.
......The ninth base is the Ghantika, at the root of the tongue, whence arises the nectar.......
The 10th is behind this, identified with the Talu chakra. The 11th base is at the tip of the tongue. Meditating here one conquers all disease. The 12th centre is the third eye, where one should meditate on the lunar circle..."
So, who exactly was that Gorakhnath, are there any books/references about him or about that whole tradition? It seems to me that it may have to do with the deep deep, really ancient routs of hatha yoga. I am I right or wrong ?
(Please note that I am NOT AT ALL an expert in the theory and the texts of the yogic and the tandric tradition, just trying to get wiser by reading whatever I discover here and there by myself, so in case you comment/discuss on sanscrit terms and references on texts etc, I will not be able to participate, but I, and others I presume, would very pleasantly read the experts discussing and… we just… keep on learning, like SCThorney would say.)
Kristi |
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Expert Yogi
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| I often am surprised by yoga beginners thinking they have achieved some highly refined yogic state. And by beginner, I mean those of us who have studied intensely for fewer than 40 - 50 years  |
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| kristi - 2006-09-13 4:00 AM
Neel thanks a lot for the explanation/information!
Since the mucus, does contain sugary carbohydrate, it could be this that I am tasting as “sweet” and maybe, being upside down, I am not clearly feeling the exact area in which the sense of taste is originated.
But then after all these, I couldn’t but spend almost the whole night here, searching in books and in my favorite websites that I often visit. Among the common references about amrita, I also stumbled on this one (!!).
It is quoted from a text about Siddha Gorakhnath (mentioned as the disciple of Matsyendranath) titled Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati :
http://www.shivashakti.com/siddha.htm
I am quoting the 2 paragraphs from the whole text :
"The 16 Adharas
...The text now mentions 16 places where meditation may be accomplished. On the tip of the big toe of the right foot one should meditate on a steady light. The second base is situated in the root chakra, and a flaming fire should he visualised there. Thirdly is the anus, where the Apana vital breath resides. The Fourth is in the penis, where the Brahmagranthis are said to come together. Fifth is the Oddiyana base (see above). Sixthly is the navel centre, in which is Om, where all sound dissolves. The seventh is the heart chakra, where Prana resides.
The eighth is the throat adhara, the place where Ida and Pingala come together.
......The ninth base is the Ghantika, at the root of the tongue, whence arises the nectar.......
The 10th is behind this, identified with the Talu chakra. The 11th base is at the tip of the tongue. Meditating here one conquers all disease. The 12th centre is the third eye, where one should meditate on the lunar circle..."
So, who exactly was that Gorakhnath, are there any books/references about him or about that whole tradition? It seems to me that it may have to do with the deep deep, really ancient routs of hatha yoga. I am I right or wrong ?
(Please note that I am NOT AT ALL an expert in the theory and the texts of the yogic and the tandric tradition, just trying to get wiser by reading whatever I discover here and there by myself, so in case you comment/discuss on sanscrit terms and references on texts etc, I will not be able to participate, but I, and others I presume, would very pleasantly read the experts discussing and… we just… keep on learning, like SCThorney would say.)
Kristi
Dear Kristi: Before I respond this, let me really and well bow down to Gorakshanatha. If I meet Gorakshanatha, I shall throw all the books including Vedas, I have and exactly obey what he instructs me to. Gorakshanatha was one of the greatest Yogis, second in the lineage of Nine great Yogis called Nava Natha. The first of them is Matsyendranatha. Even Matsyendranatha accepted the greater-ness of Goraksha and took his advice later. Later Natha pantha became spread with addition of other elements. Thus, devotional path and other paths got mixed. One can easily find Natha sect yogis today, especially in Maharashtra (where I come from !!! LOL - I still do no tknow what that means!) part of India.
Now, all Natha Yogis practice Hatha Yoga in a way. Swatmarama who wrote the classical text HathaYogaPradipika was a nath yogi.
Goraksha travelled most of India and upto Tibet, thus bringing Yoga knowledge to Nepal and Tibet. Now, a very interesting thing, especially for Cyndiben. Nepal's capital city called Kathamandu is actually a colloquial version of Sanskrit name Kashtamandapa. Means Temple of Wood. This Kashtamandapa is a temple in Nepal where the main deity is Gorakshanatha.
I have myself visited a place where Goraksha meditated.
Anyway, that is enough. |
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Veteran
Posts: 258
| Neel thank you for the answer and the info. It will help me explore further.
Tourist... it should not be suprising ! This happens often to neophytes, who are still in their early years in yoga. Is it bad necessarily? Could also be motivating.
Kristi
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Expert Yogi
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| True kristi - a glimpse of the Divine is a wonderful motivator, whether "real" (whatever we believe to be real) or imagined |
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| kristi - 2006-09-13 1:27 PM
Neel thank you for the answer and the info. It will help me explore further.
Tourist... it should not be suprising ! This happens often to neophytes, who are still in their early years in yoga. Is it bad necessarily? Could also be motivating.
Kristi
Dear Kristi: I wish you all the best. From what I can see (or imagine!), you are doing great. You are a good Yoga person. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | kulkarnn - 2006-09-13 10:34 AM
Goraksha travelled most of India and upto Tibet, thus bringing Yoga knowledge to Nepal and Tibet. Now, a very interesting thing, especially for Cyndiben. Nepal's capital city called Kathamandu is actually a colloquial version of Sanskrit name Kashtamandapa. Means Temple of Wood. This Kashtamandapa is a temple in Nepal where the main deity is Gorakshanatha.
Yes, you are quite right about that Neelbhai. Satyam told me an interesting story about Gorahkshanath. He gave the king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, (very long time ago) a sword that was to be used to protect the Kingdom of Nepal. This is a very sacred sword as they believe Gorahkshanath is Shiva.
I have myself visited a place where Goraksha meditated.
How wonderful, I hope I have that opportunity as well, one day very soon too! Satyam has told me so many stories about his culture and the places he grew up. I love hearing how he lived as a child in their village and all the members of their family...including their pet cows and goats. It's like another world...long forgotten. I know the day I step foot on Nepalis soil that my soul will feel like its coming back home. Satyam was born in Lumbini, where the Buddha was born. He always talks about his Mother cutting his hair when he was a child. So many things. |
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| cb:
Well, let us go that place which I saw. And, then we shall go to Nepal. It is simple. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Okay. I like simple, |
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| Hey Kristi, I was thinking your amrita experience could be caused by reincarnation. Maybe this is something you knew in a past life, and so it was easier for you to feel this time around. Who knows. When I took up quilting, somehow I felt like my hands knew this already.
About my tag here, I first came up with it while trying to figure out a user name for my yahoo account. I wanted it to be something my girls would know me by, as I was mostly signing up to communicate with them while one was at summer camp and the other is turning out to be a natural born jettsetter. I can rationalize claiming best as a title because I chose it with them in mind, and they think I'm the best. Also Don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements made quite an impression on me. So, I can honestly say while I'm surely not the best quilt maker, I am doing my personal best. That's all I can do, Shelly |
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| Hello there! I am new to this forum, but not new at all to the Kundalini experience, as I have been undergoing my own full on awakening for the past few years now, since being initiated by my Twin Soul embodied. What a trip. Holy Cats!
Such immense joy, humbling lessons...what a trip. Everyone should try awakening at least once.
Naked.
Anyhow, listen kids: I have this here "Amrita" stuff way heavy. Way, way...heavy. My saliva is as sweet as sugar, no kidding. Constantly. It takes getting used to, because the impulse to brush the "sugar" off your teeth is compelling (although one is aware in great Joy that your "New Spit" is the most healing elixer available). VERY purifying, very tasty but again takes some getting used to.
I am assuming in humility that my cerbrospinal fluid and most fluids within have changed molecularly and completely by Grace into the crystalline form; my tears taste sweet. SUPER sweet, more so than my saliva. Because a huge part of "earning" the Amrita experience is to own your tears. To own your mistakes, and there will be MILLIONS as you awaken and go spinning through the lives of the people you love most.
The Kabbalists, along with every darned else one aiming for the highest good in all of us are correct. I can FEEL the internal, computer-esque gridwork which makes up my biological framework-lattice what have you grow and mutate and resonate with liquid light, as I grow ever more a creature of Light.
And, when he (the Twin) and I reunite vibrationally, he is going to have one sweet tasting girl to kiss.
Stay the course, beautiful awakening friends. And try not to go, "Blechhhh" when the sweetness stays with you. It's been weeks now. It's constant.
May the Force be with you!!! |
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amrita ?
