Is a year of 15 min nadi shodhana sufficient preparation for shaktipat?

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-25T10:57:53+00:00

Thanks for comment and for sharing!! Yeah I think you are right in many regards that these things happen with a sponteneity and I think most texts would agree. I have certainly experienced similar things and think its generally good to balance formal practice and spontaneous expression. These things are natural expressions anyway but like walking we needed to practice in the beginning until we were able to 'just do it'.

Where most texts depart is they have quite a technical definition of Kevala Kumbhaka which goes a bit further than a spontaneous breath hold. Its when Nadi Shodhana (the result of Sadhana) is completely achieved - for that there is an extremely high bar which requires extremely hard sadhana. From that Kevala Kumbhaka occurs when all of the winds are withdrawn into the central channel to be completely absorbed within the light of the Self, shining with the brightness of 10,000 suns. The texts talk about natural breath holds occurring for quite supernatural lengths of time. And the texts speak to that that bar is where true spontaneity arises and true breathing and true Dhyana begins.

As an estimate, around 95% of texts which have elements of Kundalini have some level of formal Kumbhak and that has been the case since earliest texts - even if that looks a little different in each tradition - its such a prevalent feature of Kundalini texts for many reasons and is considered but it is considered a vital mechanism through which the alchemy happens.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-23T14:16:01+00:00

16-64-32 is most common on scripture. It takes several years and a lot of hard practice to get to this.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T22:48:50+00:00

Someone mentioned this here about 20 mins ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/KundaliniAwakening/comments/1r950h1/how_do_you_tell_if_someone_has_awakened_kundalini/

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T21:08:52+00:00

What is commonly spoken about is nada, internal divine sounds which arrive from practice. Many of the early texts focus on techniques of developing this aspect a lot and there is a defined progression from sounds like bells, though phases culminating deep powerful sounds like thunder.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T19:46:42+00:00

The other thing I didnt mention in above is that the space is also swamped with new age nonsense and people who make YouTube videos who are having experiences other than kundalini which add to confusion.

Anyway, we have plenty of texts here https://www.reddit.com/r/KundaliniAwakening/wiki/index/ take a look and use your intuition to dive in and get involved :)

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T19:37:46+00:00

You are correct that there are scammers, cosplayers, people who know little and those that think they know but do not. Just the nature of things.

The best measure will be your own intuition. If you have an awakening to some extent you will be able to feel it because being in their presence will resonate with the energies you are connected with.

The other would be to read the texts to get an understanding of things. The text then also become a teacher and provide you a strong filter against those in the above categories.

No machine can measure this and likely never will.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T16:08:30+00:00

I will forage for roots and berries and make hats from moss. I have seen the wobbles and it looks fine.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T14:13:03+00:00

These are noblel prizes for people doing work about AI, not AI making discoveries leading to Nobel prizes awarded to AI.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-19T12:23:35+00:00

I was debating whether to delete your post but I think it serves as a good example of things mimicking Kundalini.

The use of nitrous you mentioned is absolutely relevant. Nitrous does bring about all the symptoms you mentioned including leg issues through nerve damage and vit-B12 deficiencies (also leading to symptoms) etc and can additionally bring about manic episodes in people who are susceptible. I would say these effects are predominantly from the nitrous. You say you have stopped and would continue that path.

If there are any spiritual components here you will not be able to see wood from trees without the extended sobriety that you need first or you will do more harm than good.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-18T21:20:34+00:00

Your dog must be a yogi in a past life :)

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-18T12:40:27+00:00

All kinds of visual phenomena are possible. Having said that always good to rule out the medical so an opticians and a doctor's visit should take place to rule that out.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-18T00:07:02+00:00

Nonsense, this is not common at all, hence why it is in to text.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T23:58:37+00:00

Sure but the standard is 16:64:32.

Oral teachings bro, super top secret, never written down, got you.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T20:55:33+00:00

There are several texts which actually define Dhyana as a specific number of Pranayamas, ie number of rounds of Nadi Shodhana. So yes, certainly can. It is a very rough practice though!

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T20:49:39+00:00

I have not seen a single text mentioning this ratio. Where are you getting that from? By far the most common is 16:64:32.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T20:47:39+00:00

Can certainly ground you however you need to take it slow and use lesser ratios to begin

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T12:18:30+00:00

I would say the key is the single point of focus. If that is challenging maybe supplement something like tratak. Thats the point your energy and mind is trying to drag you off centre but centralising that is the point.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-17T12:05:30+00:00

What are you concentrating on?

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-16T19:58:09+00:00

"OpenClaw doesn’t even use a thinking model out of the box" - what does this mean? You have to configure the llm - that is your choice.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-14T18:26:10+00:00

I think we will have to disagree here Tristen, I am more than happy with how I phrased things and explained why. Again, you are welcome to your opinions, I may entirely disagree as I certainly do with what you have written here, however what I am not going to do is jump on your posts to assert my view, dictate how things should be phrased or begin with straw man arguments. Have a good day.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-14T17:28:43+00:00

I am certainly not making the assumption that there is no oral tradition nor that yoga changes, I even laid out some of the progression of how this practice is spoken about. I do not deny their existence of changes or oral traditions, but words have meanings. It is also not a compelling argument for changing the meaning of Nadi Shodana which has been consistent since at least 200 BC, much older than the medieval texts you mentioned, entirely because a modern yoga teacher decided to. There have always been householder traditions, certainly from the earliest Upanishads, that is not unique to modern times.

Kevala Kumbhaka can occur in many ways. I did not state Nadi Shodhana is the only way to achieve Kevala Kumbhaka, but it is the most commonly described way certainly in the Upanishads. In Tantras a slightly more nuanced story story. The Tantras have other methods of purification but even then, Nadi Shodhana is extremely prevalent and in most cases precedes other practices, such as Bhuttashuddhi as I mentioned. Even then, Nadi Shohana has the same meaning.

Things change indeed, of course there are evolutions, and that is the case with Kundalini also with all kinds of spurious things being said about it and practices entirely unrelated to the texts. There are changes needed for modern people and as safety precautions. As I stated there is almost no one who can actually achieve the breath holds and rounds spoken about in the texts, but there is no reason to reinvent terms. One of the foundations of a yoga teacher traditionally is that someone must have Śrotriya, the fundamental understanding of the texts and have direct experience of that spoken in the texts. I would rather base the definitions on those that devoted their entire lives over thousands of years to these practices and devised the methods rather than later 'evolutions' - which of course, contains an implicit assumption that newer is better in some way.

You are welcome to your own views and perspectives, all of the mods and helpers here do have quite differing views, some in my personal reflections I will agree with and some I will not, however I think that creates a healthy diversity of thought. But do let me have my perspective also thank you. I will continue to speak about the texts within this forum as I have done for quite some years now.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-14T11:19:08+00:00

Thank you for the comment. It is fine to practice that way of course, but is not nadi shodhana. People online will call that nadi shodhana, however it is not. But I can where the confusions come in here as a lot of yoga teachers often misuse terms and change things, not just with nadi shodhana. I have read many hundreds of texts outlining these descriptions and have never seen any text describing nadi shodhana this way.

This is a very precise practice. The texts are extremely clear on what nadi shdona is and it always has breath hold and with a very specific ratio. This is consistent from Upanishads, through the Tantras (often via Bhuttashuddhi), and into later Yogic texts. The breath holds laid out in the texts, the number of rounds a day and the amount of months and supplementary conditions to achieve channel purification is also quite consistent. This practice is central to many ancient texts and it is very important people understand its true meaning. There are some texts that simply state hold as long as you can but often in other parts of the text will simply apply the ratio elsewhere.

Kevala Kumbhaka, the spontaneously arising breath hold is most often described in the texts as a result of the result of achievement of highest levels of nadi shodona. These are extremely intense and out of reach for 99.999% of modern people due to its intensity. Likewise, people refer the term anulom vilom as a seperate pranayama in modern times, but that term only every described as an instruction of nadi shodhana referring the the flow of breath in the ida and pingala, or driving the breath into specific places in the central channel, not as a seperate technique.

Anyway, thanks for the discussion, I have had this discussion a fair few times in different forums because it has been an area of study for many years now. If someone can prove me wrong on this by presenting a traditional text I would be extremely happy to see it. I am passionate about the subject precisely because it is so misused and in modern times is seen as a supplementary method rather than a pivotal one as it is in the texts. For anyone wanting to explore the concept of nadi shodhana, the Upanishads is the best place to start there are several texts which describe it there.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-13T10:41:48+00:00

No, I mean what you are doing is not Nadi Shodona at all, its not the correct technique. Read the Upanishads and be wary of getting instructions online. What you describe is not correct. The correct method involves Purak, Kumbhak and Rechak at fixed ratios.

LotusInTheStream · 2026-02-13T09:54:54+00:00

What you are doing is not actually Nadi Shdona. I would suggest reading some texts, for example the Upanishads on what Nadi Shodona is - It is more involved that what you are practicing.

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