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mariej
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 09 2007 : 5:34:29 PM
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Hello all.
It is so comforting to know that forums like this one exist.
About 3 mths ago I started feeling a pleasant vibration on various areas of my entire head. This was followed by a few nights of severe jerking in bed, dreams that seemed like past life experiences and one night awakening with a feeling that I was floating up to the ceiling joined by a thick brown structure. I also experienced very intense sexual energy.
Symptoms subsided but afterwards I developed a strong very uncomfortable weird feelings (almost like numbness but not quite so) exclusively in the the upper left quadrant (ULQ) of my face particularly near the temple and forehead region. There is also a strange feeling of the left eye lid, but my vision is not affected. the ULQ area started to burn so I decided to see my dermatologist who diagnosed shingles. I completed a 10 day dose of strong antiviral medication. The numbness/tingling sensation is still there however. It seems to get worse in the evening and also when I am approaching my home. Sometimes it comes on at strange places like the sea food area in a supermarket---a few days ago.
The situation was so bad that I decided to receive Shakiptat in absentia from a guru. The symptoms have not gotten better. I plan to visit my dermatologist again and a neurologist as well. It seems like the left side of my throat is unusually sensitive and results in frequent coughing bouts from tingles on that side of the throat.
Any thoughts on this? I would be MOST grateful for suggestions on how to relieve the tingling and very uncomfortable feeling in the ULQ of my face?
Many thanks in advance
Namaste
P.S. I used to feel sensations of water drops in my head but not any more
P.S. meditation learned ( TM (1980), TM Sidhis (1987), Chopra meditations, Past-life regressions, breathing meditations from Art of Living Course (2006) |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 04:58:57 AM
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Hi Mariej,
Welcome to the forum!
Are you practicing AYP and if so what is your daily routine? If you are not practicing AYP do you have a daily practice (spiritual) and if so what is it?
We can't really comment on physical problems here... doctors are better qualified for that, but if there is a spiritual cause then sometimes we can help.
Christi |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 09:21:01 AM
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Mariej, sorry to hear about the problems. I agree with Christi that we can't diagnose here. And it's important to realize that just because something sounds like a spiritual symptom doesn't mean it's NOT a physical problem that arose simultaneously with spiritual work. For example, a heart chakra opening can yield symptoms that might make you think you're having a heart attack, but that doesn't mean you're NOT having a heart attack! Maybe it's unlikely, but that's an awfully serious gamble. Best to look into such things from all angles.
With that caution in mind, this absolutely does sound like a spiritual symptom. You've done the prudent thing in seeking doctor advice. It didn't solve the problem, which makes it even likelier that it's a spiritual issue. That said, if you keep going back to doctors, they'll keep trying lots more tests, lots more treatments. Where to stop the medical stuff and decide to work on it spiritually is absolutely up to you. If it were me, I'd not pursue this further because the doctor's best guess didn't work out AND there doesn't seem to be actual damage being done. But that's just me. And you're not me!
So let's talk about this spiritually, independently of the issue of whether you concurrently seek further medical treatment. The most important thing to bear in mind is that you mustn't fix problems of energy-gone-awry by injecting MORE energy into the system! You need to handle the energy that's already running around ("tingling" is a dead-ringer keyword for energy). Please....no more shaktipat...nothing that ADDS energy. And if you're doing spiritual practices, you ought to ratchet them way down in duration!
What's worrying me is not the tingling. Spiritual work yields energy yields tingling. It's part of the deal. The problem here is the asymmetry. There's a pathways through which spiritual energy predominantly channels through the body. Sometimes, due to wrong practices, overly aggressive practices, or individual physiology, energy cultivated fails to follow the safe course (straight up the spine and down the front) and, blocked or coaxed from that course, starts shooting around helter-skelter. Any serious asymmetry (i.e. symptoms exclusively on right or left) points to this. This would also explain the coughing (though, once again, that doesn't mean there's not also medical stuff going on...I'm not a doctor, I don't know!). The temple is way off to the side. Your vital energy (prana, chi, kundalini, whatever you call it) is sizzling around off its main highway.
Two things that need to take place: 1. reduce and ground the energy flow overall and 2. reestablish the proper pathway for the energy to take.
Ways to reduce and ground the energy flow:
1. again, cut back on duration of any spiritual practices you're doing (and don't do anything to cultivate more energy!)
2. long long walks
3. eat heavy (in richness and in quantity)
4. standing asanas and/or tai chi
5. sexual orgasm (not to excess, though)
6. lots of engagement with the world...talking, bustling around, etc. This is not the time to go monk-ish...we're trying to roll back spiritual energy, not cultivate it!
Ways to reestablish proper pathway:
1. practice spinal twisting asanas
2. practice AYP spinal breathing (see the "main lessons" link above), which also means you should practice AYP meditation, which balances the spinal breathing. They're easy and simple to learn, and the spinal breathing is all about creating a straight-and-narrow pathway. **BUT** if you do commence on these practices, you'll need to cease other practices, because combining practices can lead to unpredictable energetic result. And if the tingling increases, decrease the duration.
3. if you're someone with good power of attention, gently try to "favor" the upper RIGHT quadrant of your head. Energy follows attention, and you can perhaps coax a more symmetrical result. If you can manage it, try to focus dilating, warm, loving energy to the center and right side of your head.
4. remember (having read the AYP lessons I suggested above) that ajna, between (and slightly above) the eyebrows, also called the third eye, is your friend. That's where you want this energy leading to. That's the target for this wayward jolting. Practice sambhavi mudra (again, it's in the lessons) during pranayama. Don't do it extreme, because that might cultivate more energy. But do it and hold it dear, because that's what will, in the end, draw this wayward energy back into a healthy pathway. If symptoms worsen, or other weird assymetrical stuff happens, try to have a fast sambhavi mudra reaction, and do it with that love dilation attitude, rather than fight jolts with jolts (if that makes sense to you).
I hope this helps. Readers along should note that the above advice applies to anyone experiencing over-energization symptoms exclusively on the left or the right side. Feel free to pass it along.
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Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 10 2007 09:31:42 AM |
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mariej
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 10:50:41 AM
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Many thanks for your balanced response.
I will definitely start the activities that you so laid out so very well
BTW that is a wonderful gift being able to write, explain and layout the text so that it really makes sense to the reader and is easy to follow....particularly when the world of the reader seems akin to chaos.
Namaste |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 2:41:50 PM
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You're welcome, and thanks for finding me clear. Lots of forumites find me phenomenally opaque! :)
I understand how you feel re: the chaos. It's like a do-it-yourself project gone awry, and there aren't any experts you can call to come fix everything, nor can you abandon the project 'cuz the project is YOU! Dealing with stuff as calmly as possible is part of what yoga's all about.
Lots of stuff comes up. It's not like the new agey people say, all love and light and natural fibers. There are challenges, and you quickly learn to be dispassionate and resourceful. One of the great things about asana training is that it teaches unflappable calm problem solving amid what seems like adversity and chaos. You'll eventually find (if you haven't already) that there's a flipside: an ecstatic chaos that also must be calmly transcended as you walk this path (that's actually tougher). |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 10 2007 2:45:21 PM |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 2:54:44 PM
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one more note:
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if you're someone with good power of attention, gently try to "favor" the upper RIGHT quadrant of your head. Energy follows attention, and you can perhaps coax a more symmetrical result. If you can manage it, try to focus dilating, warm, loving energy to the center and right side of your head.
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the corollary to this is do NOT focus attention on the tingling point. That will draw more energy THERE. But you knew that....
No need to be terrified of even thinking of your left side. It's not that. Just don't fixate attention there (as I bet you are a little these days) |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 3:42:16 PM
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| I personally wouldn't fixate attention anywhere. In my opinion, the best thing to do is let these things happen. |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 3:52:51 PM
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Hi Mariej and All:
Great assistance being offered above. Thanks!
Here is a copy of an email reply I sent earlier on this same topic (prior practices have since been clarified in a PS to first post above):
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Hi:
Yes, it sounds like a kundalini event. Classic really, though a bit on the heavy and imbalanced side. You did not mention what your practices have been. The keys to safely initiating and managing the kundalini process over time (it is a long term scenario) are balance of effective practices through ongoing "self-pacing," and also effective "grounding" in daily life.
Here are a couple of lessons that provide some suggestions:
Kundalini symptoms and remedies -- http://www.aypsite.org/69.html
Left or right side imbalances -- http://www.aypsite.org/207.html
Additional lessons can be found in the Topic Index under "kundalini."
Regarding the medical side of it, I am not a physician, so cannot not advise much there. One thing to be aware of though is that doctors are prone to misdiagnose or be stumped by kundalini related symptoms, as they are not trained in this area. Which is not to say you don't have a medical condition for which a doctor's attention is needed. This sort of medical/spiritual confusion does happen however. There are many examples of it discussed by practitioners in the AYP Support Forums. You are welcome to join in there. The community offers a lot of help and invaluable spiritual networking. The ever-increasing knowledge base is very helpful to the many who are reading along there.
In any case, if you are concerned about numbness (a common kundalini symptom that usually resolves itself), it would be more appropriate to see a neurologist than a dermatologist. Before running off to more doctors (which can get messy), you might take a closer look at the spiritual side of it, try some measures, and see what happens. It is your call, of course.
Wishing you all the best in health and on your spiritual path. Practice wisely and enjoy!
The guru is in you.
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 4:03:00 PM
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Scott, going with the flow is an awesome attitude, and one I wholeheartedly endorse. Last thing we want to do is micromanage the purification work being done on us by the divine. However, I've had overload symptoms that if I'd just "let happen", I might not be alive right now.
This process is the same, in the end for all of us, but the routes vary, as we all have our unique set of block and awakening issues. And sometimes the divine within us calls upon us to use our intelligence to make changes. It's good to heed that call, because there is no limit whatsoever to its potential volume.
In fact, the decision to do AYP is one such choice toward change and action in response to a call from within. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 10 2007 4:13:56 PM |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 5:06:47 PM
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PS: It should be added that combining practices from more than one system (like TM and AOL) can be tricky, especially the "doubling up" effect that can occur if same-in-class practices (pranayama, meditation, etc.) are done in the same session or day. That can lead to excessive purification and/or too much kundalini stimulation.
What makes this even tricker is the delayed effects that can happen when inadvertently overdoing in practices. Everything can be going along just fine after we have made a big addition to our practices. Then, all of a sudden a few weeks later -- Wham!
That is why we take small steps when adding on to our practice routine within AYP, and especially when combining practices from elsewhere across traditional lines where there may be no track record to guide us. In the latter case, it is our experiment, and all the more reason to be very measured and gradual in our approach.
Not sure if any of this applies in your case, Mariej. It all depends on what practices you were doing when. It is mentioned here as a reminder to all. It is not the first time the subject of combining practices from different teachings has come up around here. It always boils down to -- yep -- self-pacing.
None of this is to say we should not press on in developing more effective integrations of practice. There is much good that can come from prudent experimentation -- the never-ending evolution of applied knowledge. It is the frontier of the quest for achieving human enlightenment on a wide scale in the world. AYP is the result of this kind of research and development, and it is ongoing.
If we are going to test a new airplane for the first time (while sitting in it), we'll be much better off doing it with low flights on a long beach, rather than off a steep cliff. That way we can keep coming back for more tests and fine-tuning until we get it right.
The guru is in you.
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 8:05:32 PM
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Jim,
quote:
Scott, going with the flow is an awesome attitude, and one I wholeheartedly endorse. Last thing we want to do is micromanage the purification work being done on us by the divine. However, I've had overload symptoms that if I'd just "let happen", I might not be alive right now.
Same here, and I do agree with you that something must be done with overload issues. But what exactly must be done, is the issue...
I will put in my perspective on your suggestions...
quote:
1. again, cut back on duration of any spiritual practices you're doing (and don't do anything to cultivate more energy!)
This is good advice. For some people, they may need to stop having anything to do with spirituality ENTIRELY for however long it takes for things to calm down. I don't know if that's the case for Marie or not...that's up to her to decide what she needs or doesn't need. But I agree with this piece of advice, to self pace.
quote:
2. long long walks
Another good piece of advice, although I've found that this isn't as effective as people say. If you're having intense overload symptoms, this will not make them go away soon. In fact, I've found there's not really a "cure" for overloading, except to wait it out.
Yes, walking is sort of "grounding", but these intense spiritual energies can't just be grounded so simply. It takes a lot of time and coaxing.
Walking should be included in everyone's routine, in my opinion. But it shouldn't be thought of as a cure for overloading symptoms, because for some (like myself), it really may not be that simple.
quote:
3. eat heavy (in richness and in quantity)
Another thing I've found which isn't so important, though I do agree with it. Basically, a person should eat until they're full, and eat every meal of the day. Sometimes spiritual folks tend to have the tendency to eat very little, and keep themselves hungry...that's the only thing to be avoided. There's no need to eat a TON of food. It makes little difference in terms of overloading. Eating meat does help a little bit more, though, too.
quote:
4. standing asanas and/or tai chi
I know this is suggested to establish proper pathways for the energy to flow...but what this is really going to do is throw someone over the edge!!! These practices increase energy.
What the energies are doing by themselves is establishing their proper pathways...like you said, Jim, we don't need to micromanage the divine working in us. It does it by itself...so why the need to establish its pathway?
quote:
5. sexual orgasm (not to excess, though)
I think this also increases energy...at least it does for me. I'd say leave sex alone as long as you're overloading. Go find something productive to do and keep busy. If you end up having sex, cool...at least you're doing something, and not having sex in order to control your kundalini. Live life like a normal person...not someone running scared from inner energies.
quote:
6. lots of engagement with the world...talking, bustling around, etc. This is not the time to go monk-ish...we're trying to roll back spiritual energy, not cultivate it!
I agree with this 100%. This is the best thing any yogi can do, overloading or not. But it does work really well for overloading. Go be around people...it'll take your energy level down to their level.
quote:
2. practice AYP spinal breathing (see the "main lessons" link above), which also means you should practice AYP meditation, which balances the spinal breathing. They're easy and simple to learn, and the spinal breathing is all about creating a straight-and-narrow pathway. **BUT** if you do commence on these practices, you'll need to cease other practices, because combining practices can lead to unpredictable energetic result. And if the tingling increases, decrease the duration.
I know this is always suggested, but I don't see how such a powerful practice can ever help someone who is overloading. It's just something I personally have never agreed with. Although, I do agree that this intense practice shouldn't be mixed with other practices, besides what AYP recommends. And even then, for some people, it may be too soon or it may just not jive with them.
So yeah, my position on it is: don't even think about spinal breathing. Let the energies calm down again, and get back onto your balanced practices.
quote:
3. if you're someone with good power of attention, gently try to "favor" the upper RIGHT quadrant of your head. Energy follows attention, and you can perhaps coax a more symmetrical result. If you can manage it, try to focus dilating, warm, loving energy to the center and right side of your head.
This is the one thing I mainly disagreed with, which compelled me to write. This would be a prime example of micromanaging, when it's not going to be useful at all. With deep meditation, the energies are purifying our body so that it is balanced...so why disrupt that process, by taking the balancing act into our own hands? We don't know what needs to be done internally. Best to "keep it under the hood". Especially when it comes to a practice like this, which hasn't been time tested by other yogis, and is just something thought up.
quote:
4. remember (having read the AYP lessons I suggested above) that ajna, between (and slightly above) the eyebrows, also called the third eye, is your friend. That's where you want this energy leading to. That's the target for this wayward jolting. Practice sambhavi mudra (again, it's in the lessons) during pranayama. Don't do it extreme, because that might cultivate more energy. But do it and hold it dear, because that's what will, in the end, draw this wayward energy back into a healthy pathway. If symptoms worsen, or other weird assymetrical stuff happens, try to have a fast sambhavi mudra reaction, and do it with that love dilation attitude, rather than fight jolts with jolts (if that makes sense to you).
Sambhavi mudra is an advanced practice as well. Therefore, I also wouldn't recommend this to someone who is having problems...whether they consider themselves advanced or not. It still imbalances the nervous system, by placing your attention there. The attention will naturally flow there in a perfect manner with correct meditation practice.
...
By the way, Marie...I would also strongly suggest seeing a neurologist! Your issue sounds like it really could be neurological. Please explain everything you did here to the doctor, and also anything else you left out! Mention your spiritual practices, too. Good luck. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 11:05:30 PM
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| Scott, what I posted was based on my own experience and that of others with overload with whom i've been in close contact. It is very hard-won knowledge, and I stand firmly by everything I typed. I'm glad you've added your thoughts, but I must decline to go point for point on this. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2007 : 03:02:50 AM
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| Scott, About the spinal breathing, I can testify that it can help tremendously when you have overload symptoms. I came here with such symptoms and only a few weeks with spinal breathing smoothed things out quickly. I find spinal breathing very helpful when I'm on the verge of overload. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2007 : 09:41:13 AM
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| Yes, the purpose of spinal breathing is to reinforce the correct pathway for the energy to go. Not to overly alarm anyone, but when kundalini awakens and takes an "off road" approach, zinging randomly through unexpected channels, that's a serious thing and it's very important to get it back in its channel. Spinal breathing is a prime tool to do so. The others I mentioned are, as well. Any tool that can be applied to wayward kundalini (not overload, but off-the-track, which is a whole other thing) is an absolute godsend. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 11 2007 09:57:23 AM |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2007 : 10:57:03 PM
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| It's fine that your opinions both differ...but that's just it. Mine is another perspective, and that's all I wanted to add. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2007 : 10:08:50 AM
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| Agreed, Scott, thanks. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2007 : 02:21:01 AM
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Hi Marie
quote:
Symptoms subsided but afterwards I developed a strong very uncomfortable weird feelings (almost like numbness but not quite so) exclusively in the the upper left quadrant (ULQ) of my face particularly near the temple and forehead region. There is also a strange feeling of the left eye lid, but my vision is not affected. the ULQ area started to burn so I decided to see my dermatologist who diagnosed shingles. I completed a 10 day dose of strong antiviral medication. The numbness/tingling sensation is still there however. It seems to get worse in the evening and also when I am approaching my home. Sometimes it comes on at strange places like the sea food area in a supermarket---a few days ago.
Well, you have recieved loads of really good advice already. I just wanted to mention one thing that hasn't been sudjested yet...
It sounds to me that what you are experiencing is the activation of the left frontal lobe and the ida nadi simultaniously. This would account for the symptoms you are experiencing... the numbness around the upper left area of the head, and the strange sensations around the left eye. If this is the case then it could be nothing to worry about, and in fact simply be an important part of the awakening process that everyone has to go through.
I agree with Jim that asymetrical symptoms can be an indication for concern, but in the case of the head, in my experience, a lot of the activation of the minor centers there happens in an asymetric fashion, evening itself out over the longer term.
I certainly wouldn't be going back to a doctor in a hurry if it were me.
Good luck
Christi |
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overwhelming symptoms forehead left side
