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IcedEarth
73 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2007 : 10:56:12 PM
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I have prematurely awakened energies within me, and they are out of control. I did some very light spinal breathing in an attempt to balance the energies in my head and I am experiencing severe overpurification. I have felt gravely ill since it happened last night and I have lost sleep and been in a living hell. The energy is expanding through my head and my ears will not stop shrieking.
I have been trying to stay grounded, walking and exercising and eating a heavier diet, but it's not working. I saw my acupuncturist today to help me with some of the pain and symptoms but I'm still on the verge of complete insanity.
Here's the big issue: I'm supposed to leave on Friday morning to fly to Spain for a study abroad exchange program. This means being on an airplane for 8+ hours, and I can barely withstand sitting still.
At the moment I have completely suspended all practices. I am arranged to have another acupuncture session tomorrow. I could use some advice on what to do as well as some words of comfort. Yogani, if you read this it would be nice to hear from you. |
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trip1
USA
739 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 12:15:45 AM
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Hi IcedEarth,
I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. Sometimes we end up with a bit more than we bargained for on our journey, but please try to keep in mind that what you are experiencing is a spectacular transformation of the human body and consciousness (even if it doesn't seem so spectacular at the moment).
How much physical activity are you currently partaking in? During extreme bouts of excess energy in the past, my solution has been to run, run, run. At times it's been the only thing that gets me to sleep at night. I'm sure Yogani will be around soon with some great advice, but for now I'd say to get out and run until you can't run anymore.
Best wishes. Brett |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 04:16:52 AM
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And water, water, water! Swim in a lake or pool, take showers or baths, let the water take the energies back to earth, drink up to 2-3 l/day - energies dry you out!
And try to not fuel the energies by putting attention to them. Energies follow the mind! The more you worry about energy overload in your head, the more it will center in your head. I have not had extreme overload, but as soon as I feel too much energy is building up in my head, I visualize the energy pouring as water down through my body, legs, feet and I give it back to earth with a "thank you for visiting, but bye now!".
quote: At the moment I have completely suspended all practices.
I think this is also very good. I remember that you got some advice on that, and it is no use grounding and self-pacing if you still continue to fuel energies with practices.
Hope it will turn out okey for you!
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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 08:11:42 AM
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I wouldn't go for another acupuncture treatment, as that works with the energy, and you just want to leave that alone for the time being. Don't panic - things will settle down soon. Walk some more, and keep plugged in here for support. |
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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 09:59:59 AM
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Hi IcedEarth:
Sorry to hear you are having some trouble there. Presumably you already know the standard remedies (lesson 69), and some of those have been reinforced by others here.
What could be added is that you are about to go through a big change in location and activity, and you are no doubt anticipating the change, perhaps with some trepidation. It is normal.
If the kundalini energies are running, there can be the tendency for our emotions to become amplified, and the energies along with them. This is particularly true if inner silence is not fully permeating our nervous system, thoughts, emotions, etc.
It could be viewed as the equivilent of pre-change jitters, amplified via an active kundalini. This is why doing mundane grounding activities is good for dealing with excess kundalini energy. As the Buddhists say, "Chop wood, carry water." Your trip can be like that too. Just do it, without so much inner fanfare. Try not to anticipate too much. Just do. Your inner silence will take care of it if you let it.
You will get through it. Once you are settled into the new routine in Spain, things will be much better. Just lay as low as you can with spiritual practices until then, and continue to ground as much as possible. Things will look much better when you get to the other side of Friday. You know they will.
Check in here once in a while to let us know how you are doing. But I suggest you do not hang around the forums all the time, as they can be stimulating too. Focus on what is coming up -- your wonderful study program in Spain. Focusing on what is there right in front of us can be very grounding. Consider upcoming events to be an opportunity to integrate all that is happening inside you with a new external adventure.
Your job is to do, let go, and enjoy!
The guru is in you.
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IcedEarth
73 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 10:41:02 AM
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Thank you for your responses. I'm already feeling much better after having done everything possible to run the energy out of my system. I've decided I'm going to wait for a few days or even a couple weeks and then completely restart my sadhana from ground zero. It's something I should have done the day I switched over to AYP practices. Feels great to land back on planet Earth |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 12:26:20 PM
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Not sure why it is rarely suggested for excess kundalini symptoms, but I personally find a super quick fix to excess energies is traditional (read *with ejaculation*) sex. A few sessions for a male with or without a partner certainly brings my energy back to manageable levels.
Not to mention it can be fun.
good luck,
A
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Edited by - Anthem on Feb 15 2007 12:26:49 PM |
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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 1:28:38 PM
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quote: Originally posted by Anthem11
Not sure why it is rarely suggested for excess kundalini symptoms, but I personally find a super quick fix to excess energies is traditional (read *with ejaculation*) sex. A few sessions for a male with or without a partner certainly brings my energy back to manageable levels.
Yes, Anthem, you are absolutely right on that.
Sexual release is most often discussed in a tantric context, but energy is energy, and it is a real pressure release valve. Perhaps it is not mentioned in the context of kundalini energy management much because so much of the time we are working on going the other way with orgasm.
Of course, having our kundalini energies raging is having too much of a good thing, and we should do what is necessary to keep things on an even keel.
For those interested in increasing the inner energies and promoting the rise of ecstatic conductivity, the inverse is also true -- restraining orgasm (engaging in pre-orgasmic sex) is going to increase the inner energies, so the pressure value works in both directions. It works best in conjunction with a daily routine of sitting practices, including deep meditation for cultivating abiding inner silence.
Thanks for the valuable suggestion.
The guru is in you.
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2007 : 9:28:56 PM
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I'd advise against accupuncture and other such. They tend to be geared toward enabling energy flow, so practitioners lack tools for reducing energy (it just doesn't come up much!). So it can make things worse.
When you really need to put on the brakes strongly 'cuz things are just wild, first, yes to orgasm. And generally do the opposite of everything that seems spiritual, or is generally advised for spiritual growth. Eat heavy, do lots of talking, lots of hanging out, heavy foods. Avoid inspiring art or music, spiritual books, etc etc. My awakening was a touch bumpy, and I made the mistake of going to the museum of modern art. Beauty gave me a horrendous headache. I learned to avoid it for a couple of weeks like a vampire avoids sunlight!
As for starting again from square one, there's nothing that needs to be "undone". Just be careful. self-pace and be aware of what overdoing (or lumping together various practices from various traditions) brings! :)
Have a great time in Spain, it's a wonderful country. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Feb 16 2007 9:32:37 PM |
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IcedEarth
73 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2007 : 06:16:23 AM
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Well, here I am in Spain. It´s quite amazing I´ve even made it here, but it´s been difficult. I´ve been experiencing devastating emotions and I haven´t felt such a depression in years. It´s been several days since I´ve meditated and I´m not sure when would be a good time to start back up.
I really wish I could ´start from ground zero´, as if I could forget all the bad experiences I´ve had with Yoga. How long might it take for my energy routes to normalize? I never read Gopi Krishna´s story but I heard it took him like 15 years to return to normal.
Would it be good to do a gentle asana routine such as described in the AYP asana, mudra, bhanda book (minus mudras & bhandas)?? The same one is in Deepak Chopra´s book Perfect Health. Perhaps a few sun salutations? Or just some stretching? I´ve developed a fear complex for pretty much anything that is Yoga. Should I practice a few minutes of simple breath awareness each day to normalize my energy body?
What would be a good indicator to start practicing again? I want to regain the physical and psychological health I had before the energies got out of hand. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2007 : 08:09:38 AM
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IcedEearth, may I question you a bit? It is all for trying to help you, although it might sound a bit harsh.
You have gotten many good advice on how to self-pace and not engage in any practices what so ever that increases energy, since you suffer from energy overload. All energy stimulating practices would be counterproductive to your goal of getting rid of energy overload. Do you agree to this or do you think this reasoning is strange?
If you in some way agree to the above, I wonder how your thought process brings you to the conclusion that a few asanas, which are energy promoting, or breathing practices, which are even more energy promoting, would help you in any way?
Your longing for making practices seems huge, and that longing can be very strong, I know! What are you actually thinking about all the suggestions you get? Do they seem impossible for you to implement in your life?
I get a feeling something is stopping you from dropping yoga and do lots of self-pacing until you feel in balance again. What thought lies behind your resistance to dropping yoga completely for a while, when that is the only advice you have gotten so far on this site?
Do you have any fears of what might happen if you stop completely for a while?
A good indicator of when it is time to start practicing again is in my humble opinion when you have no thoughts about or trouble with energy overload symptoms at all, and haven't had them for a long while. When you have felt in balance for so long that you get the idea "Ah, yoga might be fun!", and when you start again you get no symptoms! If you get symptoms again at that first try, you were too eager and have to wait a bit longer!
With a bit of curiosity and lots of well intent, emc
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Edited by - emc on Feb 19 2007 08:52:04 AM |
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AccidentalYogi
21 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2007 : 11:33:32 PM
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Hi IcedEarth. I must sympathize with your situation as a few years ago I found myself in the midst of a devestating collapse of my entire psyche which left me deluded, paranoid, and depressed for years. Most of this however had to do with my behavior. Negative thought patterns which lead to negative actions tended to be creating... negativity. You said you are in college so if you are engaging in college activities such as drinking and or any other things, unfortunately you are going to have to get away from that.
I think one thing which is interesting is that despite the fact that Kundalini is a spiritual process it most assuredly has physical correlations. I think what you are feeling now is the aftermath of a tremendous chemical/metabolic shift in your body. Overwhelming emotions and depression have hormonal/chemical correlations. I have found that certain vitamins and supplemnts (especially green superfoods) have an extremely positive effect on your mind, body, and energy.
I'd reccomend you look over www.biologyofkundalini.com as it has a wealth of information on the physical aspect of the spiritual process.
I devoured Gopi Krishna's book. He ossillated back and forth between life threatening illness and divine inspiration for 15 years or so, but he also had almost no idea of what was happening to him, nor did anyone around him. He didn't have to comfort of the massive amount of information, techniques, and supplements which you do.
The fear you feel is your psychic backlash against something which is not only unknown to you, but is also stronger than you.
Not too long ago I had such an immense wave of kundalini rush into my brain that I nearly lost consciousness and fell down in series of spasms. My first reaction was of intense fear, but I also felt a great excitement over the fact that "Hey... something is really happening to me". The same thing is true with you now. If you want to keep your spiritual practice going I reccomend absorbing every piece of knowledge you can about kundalini/prana/yoga whatever you can get your hands on. Read horror stories, read stories of bliss and heightened awareness. Do whatever you can to become as aware of what is occuring to you right now as you can. The more you know about what you are doing the more confident you can be about re-establishing your spiritual practice.
In any case I have full faith that you will fully recover and be better off for what you have experienced. Two years ago I was a bipolar neurotic reck who had the universe collapse on him. I'm grateful for all of it now. Truly I am.
Namaste my friend. Enjoy spain. Get out of your head in nature if you can. Simply sitting in the sun under a tree or near a body of whater does wonders to sooth the mind.
Jon
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2007 : 12:21:08 AM
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It is my understanding that with too much energy flowing, it would be best to NOT read all about kundalini, and actually distractions like college socializing and drinking might be beneficial, because it would tend to "throw some mud on the windshield," and thereby slow down excess energy flow. Anybody else think this??? |
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AccidentalYogi
21 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2007 : 01:02:36 AM
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I honestly don't reccomend any sort of mind altering substance while under the dominion of the mind altering lifeforce. Kundalini has been weeding things like drugging and drinking out of my personality for a while now. Anytime I would lapse into maybe smoking pot or drinking a bit too much I would sincerely regret it later (unbeleivable psychic backlash).
If you think kundalini gets crazy when you are sober. Imagine what kind of an effect it can have on you if it raises when you are not in full capacity of your mental facilities. The only times I've ever had negative experiences with kundalini were either when I had a high level of body toxicity due to alcohol, poor diet, etc or when I was actually intoxicated. You absoltely cannot control what happens to you if kundalini decides to give you a makeover while you are drinking. In fact as soon as I made a strong intention to remain sober the kundalini would become remarkably benign and blissful.
The overstimulation actually occurs from drinking and such activities rather than reading a lot. Trust me, when someone with active kundalini is walking around degrading their awareness there is not really anything positive that will come out of it. If these energies are purifying you then it would be counterproductive to try and reclog what it cleaned out by consuming alcohol. You'd just end up repeating the process. This is of course assuming that one is drinking in the collegiate spirit. Or in other words drinking far too much, which just really isn't good in general. One or two drinks is probably fine, but I just find it easier to stay away from them.
I suggested absorbing all the information he could because it will help satiate the desire to continue his spiritual practice without actually stimulating more energy. Reading, research, and integration all require considerable energy. Not to mention much of that fear and anxiety is caused by a lack of understanding. It will also help introduce him to the amazing transformative power which will probably end up the prime aspect of his life.
Also just as a side note I don't really even believe that prematurely releasing kundalini is possible. Personally I believe the backlash is just part of the natural process of evolution. Change hurts. Usually these sorts of experiences are the Universe sort of pointing a big Neon Sign at you saying, "Look at this, Pay Attention to what we are showing you" |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2007 : 03:26:29 AM
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quote: I suggested absorbing all the information he could because it will help satiate the desire to continue his spiritual practice without actually stimulating more energy. Reading, research, and integration all require considerable energy. Not to mention much of that fear and anxiety is caused by a lack of understanding. It will also help introduce him to the amazing transformative power which will probably end up the prime aspect of his life.
I think you are absolutely right in the psychological benefits of reading! However, both my experience, and required knowledge from others, point at Etherfish being accurate - reading spiritual literature fuels energies! I was caught in reading heaps when I had energy overload, and though it gave me some clarity of what was happening, it also confused me more and boosted my energies, and my balance came when I quit reading furiously, and participated in life instead!
It is interesting, though... If universe makes no mistakes, and everything that is happening to you is exactly what should be happening to wake you up, then all advice on this site would be of no use. But we have that strange paradox to live with, that in spite of everything being perfect as it is (since what is IS), we try to inform each other on how to alter our behaviours for the better... So, I do not think energy overload is necessary, just because you happen to have it!
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2007 : 06:14:32 AM
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Hi EMC, quote: It is interesting, though... If universe makes no mistakes, and everything that is happening to you is exactly what should be happening to wake you up, then all advice on this site would be of no use. But we have that strange paradox to live with, that in spite of everything being perfect as it is (since what is IS), we try to inform each other on how to alter our behaviours for the better... So, I do not think energy overload is necessary, just because you happen to have it!
Of course it could be perfect that someone has an energy overload, perfect that someone gives them the right advice at the right time, and perfect that that helps sort it out. So keep up the good advice everyone.
Christi |
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Chard
250 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2007 : 12:39:32 PM
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Hi IcedEarth, I've been following this conversation and I want to let you know that I really empathize with you... I had alot of kundalini imbalances a couple months ago and I felt like I was destined to follow the route of Gopi Krishna with the inbalances and almost insanity (I don't recommend reading his autobiography Living With Kundalini right now!!). But thanks to these practices and the guidance from all of you, I've been able to find a stable platform (or at least I'm in the process) and it sounds like that's what you are doing. I know this will pass and things will smooth out and that you'll find a stable platform. You've been in my prayers though. |
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Fran
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
Posted - Feb 23 2007 : 08:39:40 AM
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Hi Iced Earth, Just to repeat what others have said- I'm sure you'll get through this just fine, and look back on it and realise that actually it was all worth it. A year ago I went in to deep depressions and feeling like I was on on edge of falling in to insanity (I was ready to refer myself for Psychiatric treatment at one point), also many negative kundalini stories gave me lots of fear... But I began to 'do' a lot- to be of service to others, to work more, to do more exercise... I also did read a lot to help me understand what was happening to me- finding positive stories of people coming through it positively and what had helped them. I enjoyed Gopi Krishna's book and it gave me faith rather than fear- I felt that with the more insight there is now in to it I knew it would not take me as long as it did him to come out the other side, indeed I already had seen hints of it already happening. I began to trust and feel grateful and soon things started to shift for me, actually it is a divine gift to awaken energies I feel and wouldn't be without it now- yet of course they have to come more in balance. I also struggled with part of me wanting to continue with practices, yet I felt for me it was necessary to completely stop for a while- to ground back in the world.. Accept, trust and be grateful, you will be fine soon I'm sure, All the best, Fran |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Feb 23 2007 : 08:45:33 AM
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quote: actually it is a divine gift to awaken energies I feel and wouldn't be without it now- yet of course they have to come more in balance.
Great post Fran |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Feb 23 2007 : 11:13:19 AM
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I think Fran and Chard will agree that the scariest thing is the rather dreadful realization that no one can fix you. There's no pill, no practitioner, no therapy. We westerners feel a sense of entitlement to a safety net in every facet of life, and when we see that there's no net in these matters, it can give the shivers.
The spiritual path is do-it-yourself, and we have to solve our own problems. It takes persistence and resourcefulness, and a whole lot of fierce independence. You can lean a little on your friends, get dabs of advice here, and learn a lot from reading AYP and other books, but, in the end, it comes down to this: energy issues, blockages, and such are little puzzles we have to solve ourselves, and it's best to treat them like asanas. I can't touch my toes. Hmmm, interesting. Where exactly am I holding myself back? What are some little things I can learn to do to create more space? How can I get over this big-seeming problem the way an ant climbs over a log? And how can my bhakti make the entire process joyous...even if it hurts and my inclination is to be scared? |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Feb 24 2007 2:16:06 PM |
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IcedEarth
73 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2007 : 11:59:56 AM
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Greetings all,
I havent been doing any practices for several days, and things appear to be loosening up very slowly. The spacey feelings and painful energy surges in the head have been subsiding and I´ve been getting better sleep, and more of it! I´m sure the oily, meaty food here in Spain is slowing things down a good bit. I´ve been doing lots of physical activity, around 3 hours each day. Maybe too much, because I´m getting sore and lazy, but I get quite antsy when symptoms pick up.
I have been experiencing a terrible throbbing sensation around the brow point, and it spreads through the nasal area and cheeks. Sometimes it feels like my face is becoming paralyzed because the muscles won´t stop contracting. The rest of the my body has been feeling fine.
Should I expect this facial pain to subside, so long as I remain not doing practices? Many of you have said that the awakening of energies is a good thing; I overdid it and it´s been unbearable. Is it too much nervous energy flowing in my spine and brain? Approximately how long might it take for this to let up? Heh, I definitely got more than I bargained for... |
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IcedEarth
73 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 10:20:52 AM
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Hi all, it´s been three week since I created this thread and I wanted to give an update.
The past three weeks have felt like a very slow recovery from a severe illness. I won´t be practicing any spinal breathing for at least a year, and I haven´t meditated in three weeks now. I´ve been doing lots of grounding, and I´ve continously been wearing myself out. I´m finally feeling like I don´t need to wear myself out everyday.
I still have a lot of tension and burning in my face and eyes and brow, and my ears still ring very loudly when I sleep. I wonder if it is from too much energy there, too much purification, or if it is just stuck energy.
I think I could manage to sit comfortably for meditation now. The energy is not moving around as much but I still have some symptoms. I don´t have much time at the moment, but any commentary would be nice . |
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Balance
USA
967 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 10:49:52 AM
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Wow! What an intense journey you have been on. Can't say I envy you. I can only guess that good things will come your way after everything integrates and subsides. Feeling ready to sit for meditation seems like a good thing. Take it slow and keep us posted.
Alan |
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