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Originally posted by faileforever

For the first couple years of practicing ayp i was often tempted by the idea that more had to be better..i learned the hard way that is really not the case. This too shall pass and hopefully you will strive for balance and reduce when needed, it truly has made a huge difference for me. Live and learn! Sending you healing and grounding friend, i suggest going out and spending time in nature or with friends.:-)

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Originally posted by Namath

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Originally posted by faileforever

Very happy to hear you are feeling better, i completely understand how scary it can feel. I can only speak from my own experience with this but i would back off for at least a couple days or more and do things that involve being outside, eating heavily, hanging with friends..take your mind off the energy and practices and let it play out a bit more before you go back into it. Starting back up at only 5 minutes SBP is a good idea, are you going to cut back DM as well? I would do a fairly reduced session and then judge whether to continue or not depending on how you feel throughout the day...If you don't notice returning energy problems like irritability, excessive heat, shaking etc. then you have probably found a stable platform for practices that i would stick to for quite awhile before adding anything. Much love!

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Originally posted by faileforever

I will happily provide as much detail as you want from my own experience, no need to apologize . Yes, things will return to normal even if in this moment it doesn't feel that way. It can take a bit of time, so be patient and try not to focus on the energy, feeding it with fear and attention will not make things better. This is why going out and taking your mind off of it will greatly help, immerse yourself in things that take your attention off of the sensations. I have had episodes that take a bit of time to pan out and others that disappear as soon as i spent some time in nature..really cant stress enough how just being outside in the fresh air has grounded me and calmed the energies. Just be careful not to start practices until things have calmed for a bit of time, i often made the mistake of thinking i could start back up again as soon as the energy died down. Give it time, be patient with yourself and accepting of what is happening- remember this too shall pass!

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Originally posted by digofarias here

Hi Guys,

I'm new in the forum. Hope you're well.

Yesterday was the fourth day of practice and I felt ecstasy all around my body all day long. The most affected region was the lower abdomen. It felt really great. Anxiety was gone and even washing up was a great pleasure. I was so full of energy that my wife complained about electrical shocks when I touched her.

Nevertheless, I didn't feel tired at night and I didn't fall into deep sleep which is weird for me because I used to sleep very well and deeply 99% of the time. I don't know if has to do with my body not used to feel this constant vibration in my back or if I'm overdoing it.

I woke up today very well and I'm not tired or feeling bad or heaviness in my head like the rare days when I didn't sleep well.

My question is: should I reduce Spinal Breathing Pranayama and/or Deep meditation time because of lack of sleeping even though I didn't feel bad at all? Was this non-deep sleeping a bad sign? I really tried to sleep. I kept moving right/left all night long and I probably fell asleep but not that much.

I'm currently doing 20 minutes of SBP and 40 minutes of DM once in the morning when I wake up and another time in the afternoon.

Thank you.

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Originally posted by yogani

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Originally posted by digofarias here

Hi Guys,

I'm new in the forum. Hope you're well.

Yesterday was the fourth day of practice and I felt ecstasy all around my body all day long. The most affected region was the lower abdomen. It felt really great. Anxiety was gone and even washing up was a great pleasure. I was so full of energy that my wife complained about electrical shocks when I touched her.

Nevertheless, I didn't feel tired at night and I didn't fall into deep sleep which is weird for me because I used to sleep very well and deeply 99% of the time. I don't know if has to do with my body not used to feel this constant vibration in my back or if I'm overdoing it.

I woke up today very well and I'm not tired or feeling bad or heaviness in my head like the rare days when I didn't sleep well.

My question is: should I reduce Spinal Breathing Pranayama and/or Deep meditation time because of lack of sleeping even though I didn't feel bad at all? Was this non-deep sleeping a bad sign? I really tried to sleep. I kept moving right/left all night long and I probably fell asleep but not that much.

I'm currently doing 20 minutes of SBP and 40 minutes of DM once in the morning when I wake up and another time in the afternoon.

Thank you.

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Hi digofarias:

Sorry you have been having difficulty. Don't worry, this will work itself out. It seems you have a combination of greatly overdoing with practices from the start (much too much!) combined with a possible sensitivity to deep meditation (DM), spinal breathing pranayama (SBP), or both. The big ecstatic experience followed by a big letdown is very common when overdoing practices. From that we learn that a more measured approach is necessary for steady long term progress. That is what the AYP writings are about.

On the practices side, it is not recommended to take on more than one practice at a time. Otherwise, if we run into difficulties, it will be hard to know which practice is doing what. So taking on both SBP and DM at the same time is not advised, especially not at twice the recommended practice times. Better to start DM within the recommended practice time and make sure that will be stable, and later, maybe much later, consider taking on SBP. Many think that the more the better, and now you know better. Because you overdid with two practices at once, it is hard to tell which practice is giving you the problem. So, as you were already advised here in the forum, better to stop all practices for a while, and then come back modestly with DM only, not more than 10 minutes twice a day for starters, and not anything else (including more DM) until you know you are stable. If you are still having difficulties with 10 minutes of DM, then that will be an indication that you are sensitive to meditation.

If it is determined that you are sensitive to meditation, then check Lessons 365-367, especially Lesson 367. What you will see there is that some people are sensitive to meditation, and there are some things we can do beyond basic self-pacing. In fact, sensitivity is on the rise in everyone around the world due to the opening of human consciousness everywhere, so this is becoming a challenge many are facing on the spiritual path, not only in AYP, but in the traditions as well. Sensitivity is not necessarily a bad thing. It means our nervous system wants to open all the way right now. Not very practical for reasons you have found out quickly. Purification and opening take time, or it can be very uncomfortable. So prudent management of practices is the watch-word for all of us.

Those who are sensitive often have strong bhakti (spiritual desire) as well, and it can be frustrating having to limit our practices so we can continue to function in the world. But that's how it is, and always has been for spiritually sensitive people. We seem to have many more of them now.

If someone gives us a Ferrari, we will be wise to start slow and get the feel of it, rather than press the accelerator to the floor the first time we get in it. Fortunately, the AYP practices are not that dangerous, but we can do damage to ourselves if we persist in overdoing for months and years. A few days of overdoing you should be able to recover from in fairly short order.

Regarding your current symptoms, it is suggested to see Lesson 69 on managing kundalini symptoms (that's what these are), skipping the spinal breathing remedy for now, since it may be causing some difficulty. You won't know for sure on that until you start over with DM much more modestly, and SBP much later after that. There are other things in that lesson that can be helpful. Grounding in daily activity is good, which you should continue, assuming your health checks out OK. In Ayurveda terms, your symptoms point to a "vata" imbalance, which is an excess of energy movement in the neurobiology, and that could also be contributing to your intermittent high blood pressure. Your symptoms seem to be both physical and psychological, like a panic attack, and you should be aware of that. The simple act of eating is not going to be a root cause of your symptoms, only if you think it is, and that plays into the psychological aspect. In fact, eating a bit heavier temporarily can help calm the energies down, as well as checking the "vata pacifying" diet suggestion link in Lesson 69. You can find a more easily readable version of these in the appendix of the Diet, Shatkarmas and Amaroli book, or in the back of AYP Easy Lessons Volume 2.

On the high blood pressure, that is pretty rare in AYP, since DM generally lowers high blood pressure. There have been a few exceptions over the years, so you should keep an eye on it. If you do a forum search on "blood pressure" and "hypertension" you will find topics discussing it.

I have been following your posts on this, and would suggest you post further information on your situation in only one topic (like here), as it is difficult to follow what is going on in three or more topics.

Yes, you are in my prayers, always. This will pass, and it is going to be alright.

AYP is an "open source" system of practices, and it is up to each individual to apply the practices with prudence. Overall the system has been used wisely with very good results for many, and I am sure it will be now by you also. We live and learn as we try the practices, and that is how we evolve toward a balanced approach that suits our nature. This works well for most, and avoids the long delays that can happen when knowledge is held back from the many to protect the few who might overdo it. With AYP the opportunity is there for the many, and everyone is obliged to find their balance. This would not work very well with Ferraris made freely available to everyone, but over the past ten years we have found that it does work quite well for spiritual practices. See Lesson 217 on this.

I wish you all the best on your path. Practice wisely, and enjoy!

The guru is in you.

Yogani

PS: While it may seem counter-intuitive, attending an AYP retreat can help stabilize energy imbalances both during and after the retreat. It has to do with the profoundly deep abiding inner silence that is cultivated in systematic group practice in retreat mode. That is not the first solution you should be seeking (better to get a handle on things at home first), but it is something to keep in mind for down the road. Lesson 387 gives a primer on retreats.

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