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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 11:22:31 AM
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Hi guys, it's been a while since I've posted here, but I always found it helpful so I thought I would bring my recent curiosity/query here..
When my kundalini first 'rose', I had a lot of physical stuff and impurities to work through. Much of it was confusing and overwhelming, but surrendering to her greater wisdom has helped tremendously. Lately, in the last year or so, the effects are mostly positive. Heightened senses, bliss, etc.. and lately I've been hearing sounds much differently. At times even just silence is deafening, it's almost like 'the sound of silence' (unstruck) is drowning out regular 'struck' sounds. So much so I have an urge to shut it off, but can't. It's there constantly and is impossible to ignore. It's so loud, it's distracting in daily life. And my crown is also almost always activated- a very pleasant massaging/cool (as in temperature) sensation. And it often drips downward, which is unbelievably amazing feeling.
Along with the above, I have been massively sleep deprived. I've gone through minor periods of it in the past, but nothing like this. I get to sleep fine, but I wake up very early in the morning- between 2-4 am, even on days off. And it doesn't matter how late I go to bed (I've experimented). Something will not allow me to sleep more. I just lay there vibrating. Like I said, I've had brief periods of this in the past, but it is not abating and has been going on for at least a month.
I also have waaaaay more energy than normal, it's constantly 'buzzing' through me. But then I seem to crash and am unbelievably exhausted. Not being able to catch up and having to work with prolonged lack of sleep is really taking its toll. Half the time I feel like I'm in a dream world, my senses are either way too sharp/heightened or I'm half asleep to what is going on around me. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but I'm wondering has anyone else experienced this?
Yesterday I hit a metal thing with my car at the gas station because I wasn't all there, and it's beginning to worry me. I don't want to take meds or anything though. I've tried yoga nidra before bed, which is nice, but getting to sleep is not the issue. I've also backed off on my practice, but that hasn't helped. I'm not stressed about anything either, in fact, I've never been happier or more at peace in my entire life.
Any thoughts on this would be extremely welcomed :) |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 12:26:51 PM
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Hi Shakti
This sort of issue is normally addressed by self-pacing or adjusting the practices you are doing. I assume you practice yoga and - since you posted under this category - follow a method other than AYP. Which probably means we won't be able to give you very much advice, other than saying you need to have a good look at your current set of practices and make sure they balance and don't overstimulate your kundalini energy.
You might find it useful to read though the AYP lessons - there is self-pacing advice in there and some kundalini issues discussed.
I hope you will manage to smooth things out soon  |
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Anima
484 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 2:21:49 PM
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Dear Shakti,
Amazing, I was just thinking about you!
That's great that you are happy  Things will level out, but it takes time, as I'm finding. The meditation is helping me, too. But I had to scale back a lot of responsibility and ambition to clear my head, if that makes sense. We will find our balance... Just have to stay positive and honest in our practice.
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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 3:19:33 PM
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I'm surprised anyone would think of me from here Anima (since I haven't been very active), but thanks for saying so :)
I looked up a kundalini yoga kriya for insomnia today and started one, so maybe that'll help, who knows? I guess I was hoping someone around here may have experienced something similar? Because all anyone in my regular life says is to try meds, melatonin, etc.. |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 4:41:54 PM
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I did experience something similar Shakti - waking up at around 3 am completely clear-headed and unable to fall asleep again for a couple of hours (at some point I was prescribed sleeping pills). Restarting yoga gradually sorted it out for me. My difficulty in suggesting a solution stems from the fact that we practice different yoga systems. I don't know anything about the yoga method you practice, so I have no idea how you could adjust your practice to solve the insomnia.
What I find is that AYP meditation (either mantra or breadth-focused) helps my sleep. Too much pranayama stirs up my kundalini energy - if I'm not careful about the length of my spinal breathing sessions the insomnia can happen again even these days.
Hope this helps. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 4:48:49 PM
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You have to engage the body more. You have to take a little more command, or else it will be like throwing a novice kayaker into class 4 rapids. If you read Gopi Krishna's book about his overload symptoms, he had so much trouble because he handled it passively. Finally, the idea dawned on him to get inside his sushumna with awareness and help pull the energy downward (like Spinal Breathing). But there is much more beyond Spinal Breathing to help balance out the energy.
For me, what has helped is what I call free movement. That is, actively allowing my body to move with the energy. It's always spontaneous, unscripted, and creative. Another way of describing it is going into a kriya. It's not like spastic or uncontrolled; it's just seeing what comes up in a fluid way. Often, the movement is a combination of dancing, martial arts, Qigong, and whatever else feels relieving and expansive. I also play lots of guitar, and that is incredibly helpful. Even speaking out loud to myself can be quite grounding.
And yes, in the middle of the night I have woken up plenty of times because of energy flows. If you just lay still in a frigid position, you're not letting the energy unwind the constrictions. Movement is key in letting the ecstasy move from the spine to the limbs. Hands and feet want to receive the signals. Flexibility is the antidote to rigidity.
Wishing you smoothness on your path.
P.S. There are tons of other grounding activities, like walking and exercise, that will probably help. I just wanted to throw in my creative solution in the spirit of open-source knowledge transmission. |
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Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 7:28:36 PM
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And yes, in the middle of the night I have woken up plenty of times because of energy flows. If you just lay still in a frigid position, you're not letting the energy unwind the constrictions. Movement is key in letting the ecstasy move from the spine to the limbs. Hands and feet want to receive the signals. Flexibility is the antidote to rigidity.
This 'sounds sound': if I were in your shoes I'd give this a try... |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2014 : 7:52:41 PM
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Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence |
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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2014 : 2:25:34 PM
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quote:
You have to engage the body more.
I'm curious why you assumed I haven't been?
I have a regular yoga practice, and with the increase in energy I've been experiencing, being active is definitely not an issue.
quote:
You have to take a little more command
If there is anything I have learned from kundalini and on the spiritual path, it's that control is indeed an illusion. I'm sure 'this too shall pass', I was just curious if anyone else had experienced something similar.
Thanks for your thoughts all :) |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2014 : 6:20:10 PM
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LMAO! I knew you would respond that way!  
Control is not an illusion. We can't control everything, but we can control some things. To believe otherwise is too passive and in denial of the reality of choice.
The balance of control and no-control is well summarized in the Serenity Prayer:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference. |
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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2014 : 8:20:50 PM
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Well I guess you've got it all sewn up then :)
I think of it a bit differently, who is in control.. ? |
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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2014 : 8:27:52 PM
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I found this quote today, and it's been very inspiring:
"It is also likely that the practitioner will experience insomnia. However, yogis do not call it insomnia. They say, "Why should I sleep?" If you love a person very much and he stays with you and does not allow you to sleep, will you call that insomnia? There are yogis who do not sleep and are happy about it because yogis have an entirely different attitude. They say 1/3 of the life is wasted in sleeping. So when kundalini awakens in a yogi and consciousness is constant and consistent, and there is no waking, sleeping and dreaming, they are happy about it. Therefore, insomnia does not usually bother a person who has awakened kundalini. Just accept your sleeplessness and enjoy it. You can do japa meditation or just do some spiritual reflection. If this is not possible, just lie down and let it happen as it will."
-Kundalini Tantra, Swami satyananda Saraswati
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2014 : 8:54:26 PM
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That's a nice quote. Going with the flow. If we tune in and cooperate with the flow, the lack of normalcy can be coped with. Resistance to our body's natural tendencies of adaptation is where the trouble comes. Our body knows how to adapt. We just have to listen.
Also, I like your self-inquiry question: who is in control? True, the self is not easily identifiable. But there is a centeredness in the body, yes? I follow the AYP hint to use the solar plexus as a spot to easily favor and be centered in. The solar plexus is well-known to be a place of personal power and control...so no wonder I'm insistent upon the existence of such things. 
Love your writing, girl! Keep shining. |
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joseph
117 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2014 : 1:53:29 PM
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Hey Shakti I've had the exact same thing happen with falling asleep and waking up a couple hours later with a feeling of great energy in the body. Have you heard of J. Krishnamurti? I recently read 'Krishnamurti's notebook' and he describes the same thing also. He had the insomnia and also pressure and pain in the head - but he noted that the energy was having a purifying effect on his system. It's a quite intriguing read, full of insight he gains along the way.
Regarding the energy, maybe it would help to do some more strenuous exercises (perhaps an hour or two) before bed to burn off excess energy. sprinting, weightlifting, etc. I'm currently experimenting with this and the results are good - a deeper sleep!
Best
Joseph |
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Anima
484 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2014 : 5:09:19 PM
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| I find swimming helps. |
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Sleep Deprived..
