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aguacate
Germany
44 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 16 2017 : 5:47:40 PM
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Hey there!
I already checked the search function but didn't find something similar.
I am following the AYP teachings since October. Right now my daily practices are:
1. 5min asanas (standing spinal twist, warrior 2, back bend, forward bend)
2. 8min Spinal breath with root lock, 3rd eye focus
3. 16min DM, IAM with solar centering
4. 7min lying down on the bed
Since a few weeks sometimes my breath stops or slows down. No big deal, I read about it in AYP. When it happens and I notice it I follow the AYP advice of starting to breath again. It then stays at around 5 breath cycles per minute. Its a very silent state, in general I like it. It stays often the last 5min of my 16min DM before I go over to the break.
What I find distracting is the feeling of not having enough air. It also worries me a bit that I consciously have to think of breathing during that time. It feels a bit like if my body forgot how to breath and I have to "manually" breathe now. 
Do you have experiences with that? What is it? How do you handle it?
All the best,
Robert |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4513 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2017 : 7:14:50 PM
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Hi Aguacate,
There isn't any instruction in AYP that I am aware of, that says that if you notice that you have stopped breathing, then deliberately start breathing again. Certainly I would say that if you feel that you are going to suffocate (lacking oxygen), then start breathing again. But generally, if the breath suspends naturally, then we would simply allow it to suspend for as long as it wants to.
The breath can become very slow and very shallow even to the point where it is hardly noticeable. Following the procedure of Deep Meditation, it does not matter if the breath is happening naturally or is a deliberate action, we would simply favor the mantra with our attention. There can be the idea that we are not getting enough air, because we are used to breathing more deeply. But if that thought arises, then we would also simply favor the mantra with our attention. By doing this repeatedly, over time, thoughts about the breath (deliberate/ not deliberate) or about oxygen (enough vs. not enough), will simply fall away.
There is a relationship between the thoughts in the mind, the prana moving in the body and the breath, such that when thoughts become less, the flow of prana will become slower and more pure and the breathing will become less, or stop all together. So simply favoring the mantra with the attention will cause any anxiety over the breathing process to fall away and eventually cause the breath to suspend. The only deliberate thing that we need to do is to favor the mantra with our attention. Everything else will happen by itself, including transcendence (samadhi).
Christi |
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Dogboy
USA
2293 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2017 : 9:21:51 PM
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I often fall into this breath shallowness during DM. It is a state when lungs are neither full nor empty; the point when air can pass the nostrils to and fro like a pass of a feather. It seems I could be there forever.
If you notice your suspended breath, perhaps rest gentle attention but a moment on your nostrils, all the while favoring the mantra of course. Ride whatever whisper of air that passes there, and know there is nothing to fear. I have yet to hear of a yogi passing out, or dying from this. |
Edited by - Dogboy on Mar 16 2017 9:24:58 PM |
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Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2017 : 12:13:50 AM
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Hi Aquacate,
There is no problem with the breath suspension, and there will be no problems if you do not force the suspension. It is a normal process. Yogani writes about it in the lesson 45 in the context of pranayama, but the same principle functions in DM:
the life force is coming up from the inside to replace your reduced intake of oxygen. This is why you feel comfortable with your breath slowing down, and are without strain. This is a normal consequence of pranayama and it will not be harmful to you, as long as you don't force the process.
There is a great natural principle at work here. It is why pranayama is so effective for cultivating the nervous system. Recall that "pranayama" means "restraint of the life force." When we restrain the life force in a simple unforced way, something is created. The gentle restraint of breath creates a biological vacuum effect, a small suction on the life force in us. The body must deal with this gentle deficit of life force in some way. It does so by pulling from the vast storehouse of prana within the body, and this prana flows out from deep within the nervous system. This is a new dynamic in the nervous system, and the outflow of prana from within plays on the nerves with a great loosening and purifying effect. This process is at the heart of all the effects that come up from pranayama. Right behind the flow of prana coming up in pranayama is the bounteous flow of pure bliss consciousness, assuming we are practicing our meditation every day.
Just favor the mantra in meditation. Good things are happening.
Best wishes for your practice!  Blanche
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Edited by - Blanche on Mar 18 2017 07:46:59 AM |
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aguacate
Germany
44 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2017 : 4:12:58 PM
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Thank you all for your help!
It was exactly as you said. Not worrying about it and simply going back to the mantra works really well for me.
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mickykl3
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - Jul 03 2017 : 03:25:04 AM
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| I have never experienced this before. |
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Not enough air in DM / need to "manually breathe"
