Most of my information about japa has come from Richard Freemand and Thomas Ashley Farrand. Both have audio CDs on mantra/chant. If you're just looking for something to try and don't care so much to get deep into the subject matter, take a look at Wayne Dyer's Getting In The Gap. He presents a very simple but profound japa technique that's also good practice if you have a hard time quieting your mind.
Yeah, Ashtanga has been really good for me. I have to credit inspiration for leading me to it because I wouldn't have picked it up based on what I was looking for in my life at the time. But it's been utterly transformative, physically and spiritually. I don't think structured systems are by any means the only way to exercise the subtle energies; I think everybody's got their own energetic constitution so different things will work for them. Why not dance? It worked for King David in the Old Testament!
Dsmoke -- Thanks for the link. That is exactly what I've been wondering about lately. I find it's much easier to physically sense and shift the energy than to visualize it, which tends to be distracting. I'm going to have to pick up his book.
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