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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 05 2006 : 9:17:51 PM
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I come here looking for suggestions on what I should do to some energy issues I am having.
For the past two years I have had symptoms of chronic pain variously throughout the right side of my body, which I don't want to get into. I got into meditation and found relief there, but my painful/disturbing started moving and spreading over time. I have learned to get it under control, but I am having some symptoms which are preventing me from adding to my practice. I get stinging in my eyes and I have ringing and pressure in my right ear. I have been to so many doctors and I even had an MRI done on my neck and brain because my neck pain and symptoms got so bad. Alot of it was emotional issues which I explored and thus it released many symptoms. But my main symptom right now is ringing in the ears, and it gets louder and shrieks when I practice even gentle yoga postures, deep breathing or even excercise other than walking.
I recently started some spinal breathing and deep meditation along with some light asanas but I don't know what I should do... I wonder if it will lighten up once I am done with my final exams or I might have some other issues to deal with.
The ear,eye and face pain symptoms developed back in May when I was very stressed about final exams and other things. I had begun practicing Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, but I mostly stuck with one meditation, which has a mental focus on energy entering the crown and exiting the third eye. I practiced the meditation daily for a period of months and only stopped it a little over a week ago when I received Yogani's books on asana, pranayama and meditation. Any suggestions on what I should do? I've had a lot going on the past several months... |
Edited by - Iced Earth on Dec 05 2006 9:27:45 PM |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Dec 05 2006 : 10:40:05 PM
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Hi Iced Earth and welcome to the forum!
Sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing. Most likely they are the result of a combination of factors. Stress is often known to cause bodily symptoms. So the stress from final exams could in itself cause them. Then you mention starting with a new yoga practice shortly before. Even if it's a good yoga system it could cause undesirable symptoms if the body is already under stress or if one is not ready for it.
You mention that you stopped that practice recently, which could have been a good move. The practice of focusing on energy entering the crown and exiting the third eye is not what we do in AYP. Energy associated with the crown can be very tricky to manage. We stay away from the crown altogether.
Now one has to remember that symptoms are often delayed when it comes to yoga, so it could take a while (possible weeks or longer) before you find relief. Of course there is no guarantee. When starting with AYP it's usually recommended to do only deep meditation until one feels stable in that routine before adding spinal breathing, and so on. But if your difficulties are caused by energy imbalances, it's possibly good to do some spinal breathing also in the beginning. Remember, only 5 minutes is plenty when it comes to AYP. I also have energy imbalances right now, and I'm happy to be able to do 5 spinal breaths, but I feel they are very effective.
Best wishes! |
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Dec 06 2006 : 09:18:44 AM
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Yeah, my body has had some very strong reactions related to my emotions. I also practiced some rather aggressive hatha yoga for a couple months while also doing the crown meditation and being under stress. I am sure they all have contributed, but I now want to focus on simpler practices and healing.
For the past week ive been doing 10 min. asanas, 5 min spinal breathing and 20 min of deep meditation with 10 min rest twice daily. I definitely can carve out the time for it. Sometimes the ringing in the ears is a little worse after practice, but not anywhere near what it was several weeks ago with the hour long hatha yoga practice. I am hoping that it will get better as I continue practicing AYP techniques and work less. Thanks for the input weaver.
I'd still like to hear other peoples' opinions and suggestions |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 06 2006 : 09:29:15 AM
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| You may need even less practice than that. |
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lucidinterval1
USA
193 Posts |
Posted - Dec 06 2006 : 7:55:33 PM
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Iced Earth,
Cool name. You should consider dropping your meditation time down from 20 minutes to maybe 10 for a while. Also, try adding some heavy "non-yogic" foods like meat to your diet. That should help the energies slow down. You may be racing the car that is low on oil.
With Peace,
Paul |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Dec 06 2006 : 9:58:09 PM
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Hi Iced Earth,
I think the advise above is great. I hope you will follow AYP exclusively and not mix in any other practices particularly ones that focus on the crown. This could have been a contributing factor for your symptoms as well. I think continuing with a moderated amount of asanas would be a good idea along with the root to third-eye spinal breathing, which will likely be helpful in smoothing out your energy issues in time.
Best of luck to you,
A
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Dec 07 2006 : 09:55:57 AM
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| Yeah, I think I'm going to keep things tuned down for the next two weeks until final exams are through. I remember last semester during exam time when I first developed eye pain and earache it disappeared when exams were over. Sometimes I have problems with how much work I do and I wish I were doing less. It definitely has an effect on my energy levels and symptoms, as well as my social time... |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Dec 07 2006 : 11:21:55 AM
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Hi Iced Earth,
Apart from pacing out your practices, not overdoing them, and doing them in the right order, grounding may be in order for you... something as simple as walking. Also try some simple, very slow neck rotations and shoulder rotations (clockwise, anti-clockwise)to clear the stress and tightness in those areas. I too, have a right side imbalance( )... so it's interesting to read about yours. Do you get anxious about things not completed in time, unfinished tasks, and so forth? |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2006 : 10:27:51 AM
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| Try gentle twisting asanas for left/right imbalances. If that doesn't do it, I'd suggest Iyengar yoga, which trains you to be so precise with alignment that the other side will naturally open up. Will take a while, though, especially if you don't practice every day. |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2006 : 10:36:02 AM
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| My apologies Jim, but I'm going to have to contradict you here. For someone who hasn't already been doing asanas, like Iyengar yoga, starting them in addition to energy practices can become devastating. |
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2006 : 10:08:06 PM
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I actually had been doing iyengar yoga for several months recently, and I became very flexible and quite good at it. The problem is that at times I became too aggressive with the postures and striving for more flexibility too fast. It left horrible ringing in my ears after an hour long session and its been about 6 weeks since I pushed so hard. It hasn't completely gone away yet, and I've already had my ears looked at by a doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong with it.
I've read in a couple books that ringing in the ears can be a psychosomatic symptom in response to stressful and emotional issues. I'm hoping that I will heal completely. I've learned a lot of what not to do in yoga over the last year. I am getting positive results with deep meditation technique but I still have a pretty deep seated underlying fear about doing pranayama. I have desire to practice spinal breathing regularly but I'm still a little afraid of it pranayama. Much of it is from bad energy experiences from retention in pranayama and ingrained fear from reading Iyengar's books. I think I'd appreciate a little assurance from someone that I'm fine and should continue my practice.
This is a lot of stuff for someone as young as me to be dealing with |
Edited by - Iced Earth on Dec 08 2006 11:40:15 PM |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2006 : 12:13:06 AM
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Hey Iced Earth!
When I said "for someone who hasn't already been doing asanas"....I was talking about someone who's been doing asanas for years. A few months is still a new practice, energetically.
It's not necessary to see doctors about ringing in the ears...that's a normal thing in advanced yogic practices. Some may diagnose you with tinnitus. Well, everyone has tinnitis! Yoga practices intensify it in my opinion, because more bloodflow is coarsing through the body, closer to the eardrum. Yeah, sometimes it can get quite loud.
Pranayama has the same effects energetically that meditation does. We're working with the same soil (the body), and using different tools (meditation, pranayama, asanas, etc) to achieve the results we want. So if you're scared of pranayama, you should also be scared of meditation. Every yoga practice achieves the same effect in the end.
I'm not telling you to do pranayama, in saying that. In fact, I'm suggesting you don't do so many practices if you're having negative symptoms. I've found personally that making choices which make my life more peaceful, and taking more of my time (so that I'm not rushing around, scattering my thoughts/breath/feelings), achieves the same effect as yoga but on a much less drastic level.
I said in another post that I can't even sit 10 minutes cross legged without getting negative symptoms. This goes against the advice given here, to continue doing some form of practice no matter what, but it's practical. If you have to self pace, you have to self pace, and that may mean cutting out doing anything altogether.
For you, in my honest opinion, doing two 10 minute meditations (that's it!) twice a day would be most effective. The trick to doing the meditations is to relax into it, and truly let go of all things. Not to try and let go of all things. And in your free time, to stay busy engaging the world in many different ways...being physically active, socially active, mentally active, emotionally active, logically active, etc. And to continue doing the two 10 minute meditations a day for a long period of time, like at least 6 months, before adding anything else.
In my experience, that would be the best bet. Negative effects from doing too much yoga can creep up on you. Personally, the creeping effect usually takes about 2-3 months of daily practice for me...so that's why I suggested a full 6 months of only two 10 min meds.
And about having pain in your body, it's just a symptom of purification. You can't make it go away in any way besides letting go mentally and emotionally (and don't rely on letting go to make it go away). Turning your body side to side won't take care of it. Try it if you want. In my experience it's like pushing the close button on an elevator. It's only there to make you think that you're in control. So it is with purification pains and techniques to get rid of them. |
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2006 : 10:57:50 AM
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Wow, I appreciate the post you made Scott. It's nice to hear from someone that some of the symptoms of discomfort I am experiencing are mostly normal. I still think a large part of why they developed is from striving to advance in my yoga practice. Over the past year I've tried practices from different yoga and spiritual traditions, and I must say that I find the AYP practices attractive because they are simple, effective, and seem to be safe.
I've been noticing greater spiritual desire in myself over the past year, and it has catalyzed a great deal of positive transformation for me in my life. Meditation and spiritual practice has become a kind of addiction for me. I don't like starting out my day without it and I dont like ending my day without it. This dedication I've developed has grown in other areas of my life. I see that you suggest doing only 10 minutes twice a day of meditation, but that just doesn't seem to me like enough time. I want to devote more time to my practice and frankly don't find 10 minutes of meditation satisfying. I believe a more regular, structured practice of these simple techniques will accelerate the healing process as well as spiritual growth. So it might be good for me to continue with some asana, spinal breathing and meditation twice daily and try to find some stability with it. At the end of the day my body is asking to be stretched and my mind wants to let go.
Feel free to share your opinions, and again, thank you. |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2006 : 1:36:34 PM
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| Sure...try whatever you want. If you want to spend a lot of time in practice, give it a shot and be consistent, and see the results you get. If you are experiencing too much, and you get negative symptoms again, you'll know that I was probably somewhat right in what I said. Everyone should do what they think is correct spiritually, and not blindly listen to what others suggest. Who knows...you may be ready to take on a lot of practice, and it may not impact you so negatively. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4512 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2006 : 5:41:31 PM
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Hi Iced Earth,
quote:
I believe a more regular, structured practice of these simple techniques will accelerate the healing process as well as spiritual growth. So it might be good for me to continue with some asana, spinal breathing and meditation twice daily and try to find some stability with it.
I agree with Scott on most points, but I am not sure about the "avoid spinal breathing" approach. I think I am right in saying that Yogani has said in the main lessons, that spinal breathing pranayama can often help to sort out energy imbalances and overloads. Asana practice also can be grounding. So you could do well to adopt the approach you suggest, (asanas, spinal-breathing pranayama, meditation). I would leave out kumbhaka and bastrika, but include savasana (corpse pose) at the end as it also helps with energy balancing.
L&L
Christi |
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2006 : 10:43:24 AM
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Yeah, for the time being I'm doing some easy asanas and twelve spinal breathes. I'm not doing any intentional kumbhaka or bastrika, and I include a few minutes of savasana after practices, relaxing all muscles from feet up to head. I also make sure to walk at least an hour everyday.
I think it may be the right track for me right now. Its really great having people i can share some experiences with and receive advice. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2006 : 4:56:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Scott
My apologies Jim, but I'm going to have to contradict you here. For someone who hasn't already been doing asanas, like Iyengar yoga, starting them in addition to energy practices can become devastating.
Perhaps, but fwiw when I had a high-medium energy overload a couple years ago, asanas helped...not hurted.
that said, 1. I'd been practicing asana for years, and
2. I wouldn't have advised ashtanga type yoga, with posture flows. That stirs up lots of energy. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2006 : 5:17:21 PM
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I don't have time to read through the whole thread, so if I'm restating something (or blithely contradicting someone), forgive me. I just want to respond to this quicly 'cuz I think(?) I might have insight.
quote:
The problem is that at times I became too aggressive with the postures and striving for more flexibility too fast. It left horrible ringing in my ears after an hour long session and its been about 6 weeks since I pushed so hard. It hasn't completely gone away yet, and I've already had my ears looked at by a doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Welcome to the negative underside of Iyengar yoga. It does encourage a striving, overdoing, over-pushing attitude. Many senior Iyengar students/teachers become hardened, angry, arrogant. Reasons: 1. meditation is not built into the system, 2. the system is designed to suppress energy awakenings (so nadis are all scrubbed but no place to go), and 3. a tendency to overdo in timings and generally practice bombastically (Mr. Iyengar seems bombastic, and others copy him, but he's driven more by tons of energy than striving...though there's some striving there, too). Iyengarites would bitterly dispute all that, but I studied with many of the system's luminaries and am convinced this is true.
Even Iyengar yoga, though, makes nodding attempt to pull you back from pushing/forcing poses. So....I hope you learned your lesson! :)
As for the ringing in the ears, I would strongly suggest that what you're hearing is prana. I was sure I had tinnitus last year. Even had my ears checked. Ears are fine. In my case, it's a side effect of kundalini awakening, and in your's I think it's a side effect of a premature energy buildup (I'm not going to say kundalini, but prana is prana in any case). I wouldn't focus on the ear problem so much. My intuition says that's a symptom of the larger problem, and it will go away.
I'd suggest you pay less attention to symptoms and more attention to grounding. There are tons of discussions in this forum on grounding methods. After spending a full year on the subject, I've had lots of advice here on that, and others have, too. An hour of searching would help a lot. If you're not walking a few miles per day, you're not even beginning to work this out. That's the first solution, and has been for centuries.
As requested, I will reassure you that you are fine. But I'll suggest you cut way...way....way back in your practice (do less practices and for less time), study and implement grounding techniques, and stay "close to the path" for a while. By which I mean do doctrinaire AYP with no modifications, even if your inner guru says otherwise :)
As you start to heal, you can sloooowly add stuff back. I'd suggest increasing time rather than practices. Yogani says it, but I'm not sure people notice: meditation is all you need (though pranayama's important, too). The other practices mostly ramp up your energy. You don't need that right now, or perhaps ever. If your sadhana feels like it needs "juice" once you've recovered, consider energy practices (siddhasana, et al). If not, just keep going with the meditation/pranayama. Don't take the Iyengar approach of thinking you need to work through it ALL and do EVERYTHING.
Gentle twisting asanas will be helpful right now. Pay extraordinary attention to alignment. Don't worry how far you go at all. Don't do fancy/hard twist asanas. The basic chair twist is great right now (if you don't know it, ask your teacher).
Hope this helps.
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2006 : 5:26:07 PM
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| I agree with all you've said Jim. Good post. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2006 : 10:18:03 PM
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interesting new (to me) info. it seems there's a third possibility. From http://www.charliecheney.com/?q=node/58
Tinnitus and Kundalini
Tinnitus, a warning symptom of disturbed prana vayu, should be carefully distinguished from perceptible nad, an indicator of active kundalini. The nad, or cosmic sound current, can be perceived only when our normally dormant potential energy, known in Ayurveda as kundalini shakti, the 'serpent power', is awakened. Practitioners who are unaware of or unfamiliar with this phenomenon may present to their physician complaining of tinnitus, when in fact they have begun to experience the nad. The following qualities distinguish perceptible nad from tinnitus:
1. Nad is heard only in the right ear.
2. The sound typically resembles the buzzing of a bee, the ringing of Tibetan bells, singing bowls, or other musical instrument.
3. The sound usually heralds or accompanies an altered state of consciousness.
The treatments for tinnitus will neither help nor harm a person experiencing perceptible nad In fact, oiling the soles of the feet and the scalp, the ears, and the nose, are beneficial preventative measures for anyone. However, it will be extremely helpful for the person experiencing this phenomenon to understand that, far from being a warning symptom of some imbalance, ringing ears due to nad are a positive sign of spiritual progress.
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In summary, tinnitus is a symptom of prana vayu imbalance. If it goes untreated, more serious symptoms may result. Warm oil and vata-soothing herbs are most valuable in the treatment, and may be administered locally in the ears, nasally, and orally. Tinnitus should be carefully distinguished from kundalini phenomenon.
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ajna
India
59 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2006 : 06:51:33 AM
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Hi Jim
Thanks for this wonderful info. I am hearing the buzzing sound (very feeble though) in my right ear, when i concentrate hard on something. I was wondering if my ear has some problem. You have given a new perspective to this. Will keep a watch!! Thanks again
Cheers |
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neerja
India
2 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2007 : 03:10:16 AM
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Hi Jim
Thanks for the info. I have started AYP sessions just a few months back, though have been on the path, off and on, for almost two years now. Just like Ajna, I too have been hearing this buzzing(?) sound in my right year. It does happen when I am in deep meditation and the deeper I go the louder and more distinct the sound becomes. Though yogani has said time and again that one should come back to the mantra as and when one realises one is away from it, I more often than not have felt like becoming one with the sound. At times I have almost found myself concentrationing a little too hard to find what shall happen if the sound, with all its distinctiveness, became louder and louder...Will there be some kind of an explosion.. a burst.. will this sound of my inner silence (is it so?) reach out and become one with THE ALL REIGNING SILENCE... |
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Athma_Shakti
India
81 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2007 : 06:58:56 AM
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| when we go further deep in meditation this buzzing sound turns into "OM", the sound of cosmic motor. |
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neerja
India
2 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2007 : 05:28:27 AM
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| Well...Shall have to wait to experience...thanks all the same! |
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Iced Earth
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2007 : 10:13:49 AM
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Hey guys, nice to see some people have been posting on this thread lately.
I would like to share some of my experiences during the past few weeks.
First off, the painful ringing in my ears is nearly gone. Through moderate practice of asanas and daily spinal breathing, it has been mostly healed. I also occasionally experience OM in quiet places, or a very mild buzzing sound.
Second, I have a little bit of tension in a few places. One of them is my eyes, mainly my right eye. The past few days I've become more comfortable with spinal breathing and the sensations have lightened up a bit. I also get some pressure at the nose after practice, mostly in the right nostril. I try not to focus on it too much.
Third, my chronic pain symptoms still come and go. Most of my pain symptoms have been on the right side of my body, especially in my neck and back. I know there is nothing structurally wrong with these body parts because I am young, healthy and have been checked out by doctors. I am optimistic that these symptoms will continue to dissolve as I send positive messages to my body and continue my practices which have been quite stable over the past week.
Like many of you have told me, I've found it very helpful to stay grounded. I've been walking everyday and spending more time with people I enjoy being with in good surroundings.
I think it is important to practice with confidence. Even a little bit of fear can create as many symptoms as the practice itself. Thank you for all your helpful suggestions! |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2007 : 9:53:33 PM
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Here's my take on what you've said.
Good News: stuff's moving around. That makes me even more sure it's a spiritual, not medical issue. And I'm glad you're walking and socializing.
Bad News: one thing getting better and another thing getting worse means you're still at zero sum - i.e. the energy problems are still in there, right on the brink of bad news, but manifesting in different ways. This is not a good place to be. I'd strongly suggest you ratchet back still more.
Pranayama is good for energy issues because it smooths out and distributes energy. But it also generates more energy. So it's a two-edged sword to be used VERY carefully in times like these. If you're doing more than 5 mins twice per day (and meditating more than 10 mins twice per day), I'd say you're way over....until these symptoms subside, at which point you might ratchet up one (i.e. pranayama OR meditation OR asana) verrrrry gradually - carefully watching for more symptoms like these. I suggest ratcheting up one at a time, because if you increase more than one practice at a time, you'll not know which is causing the problems. It's all part of self pacing.
Most of all, I would strongly dispute your assertion that your practice is stable. The way to tell if practices are stable or not is by watching out for symptoms exactly like those you're describing. If I were you, I'd do much much less. But the decision's of course entirely yours. Good luck whatever you choose!
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Long-term energy imbalances
