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john
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 3:13:56 PM
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Hello everyone,
This is my first post. I have been practicing AYP now for almost two months and am really enjoying it. 
My question deals with a certain numbness I've experienced after practicing siddhasana during spinal breathing pranayama and meditation. Just a couple of times after getting up from meditation I've noticed that my genitals were completely numb!
It's very similar to when you sleep on your arm in a certain way, cutting off circulation, and wake up, unable to move it... Feeling comes back about a minute after standing up and stretching. I can't help but think perhaps I am practicing incorrectly--perhaps my heel is not pressing in the correct spot.
There is no pain whatsoever, and I really haven't felt any of the pleasurable type sensations that others seem to experience in siddhasana, either (though the first time I practiced it some pretty intense sexual energy did start bubbling up..). It's just strange when you touch yourself "down there" and don't feel anything! 
Anyway, I guess I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this and whether it is a manifestation of purification or simply caused by incorrect practice.
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 3:47:31 PM
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Hi John, and welcome!
It can happen from time to time, and it can be minimized. Some get pretty wound up over this one. But after 20-some years, I haven't noticed any deleterious effects from doing siddhasana. Just the opposite. It is a very effective tantra practice, and makes a huge contribution to the rise of ecstatic conductivity.
To avoid the genitals falling asleep, the trick is to move the heel back toward the anus a bit, off the back of the pubic bone, which is where the blood supply (and urethra) can be blocked. Also, if you sit on a soft surface, like a bed, with back support, the pressure can be regulated from heavy to almost nothing, depending on how you sit. You will get the hang of it in time.
Here is a lesson with more discussion on this: http://www.aypsite.org/T29.html
Check the website topic index for more lessons on siddhasana.
Btw, if you are doing siddhasana after only a couple months in practices, you are moving very fast. It takes a while to get settled in with each practice. Indeed, you are in the clunky stage of siddhasana now. Make sure your previous practices are stable (beyond clunky) before charging ahead. Otherwise, it could all come piling in on you when you least expect it. We have more than a few with first hand experience with that phenomenon around here. 
Carry on, and don't forget to self-pace. All the best!
The guru is in you.
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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 3:53:09 PM
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John, this does happen and is usually harmless. But be careful. It would be possible to harm your lingam permanently particularly if you were to sit with heavy pressure on your perineum for a long time at once. This is known as a 'saddle injury' in the medical profession (happens to cyclists) and in the worst cases it permanently damages the lingam, causing erectile dysfunction. So don't do anything stupid like sitting on something hard for a long time.
My recommendation is: keep to reasonable practice times on this as recommended and you should be fine, and don't sit with high pressure on the perineum. In my case I use a rolled-up sock for perineum pressure, that's enough for me, and safe.
It seems Yogani and I have posted at the same time, more or less.
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Edited by - david_obsidian on Dec 22 2006 3:56:55 PM |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 4:02:22 PM
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Hi John and welcome to the AYP forum!
It's good to hear that your AYP practice is going well. In the beginning (which can be several months) it's common not to experience too much, at least energy-wise, and if one is excited to make progress it's often a mistake to add on too much. Because things are happening in the nervous system even if we may not feel them at first. And then later when things start to happen it can be too much, as Yogani points out, because we overdid our practices earlier. I have had that happening to myself as well.
You describe sitting in siddhasana, which is not introduced until Lesson 75, and as an aggressive practice, that can take years before one is ready for. What is described in Lesson 33 http://www.aypsite.org/33.html is to sit cross-legged with the heel near the perineum, not pressing against it. That is what we introduce at an early stage. In any case, numbness in the genitals is a warning that the pressure is too great, as David points out, and it's time to lighten it up.
Wishing you the best!  |
Edited by - weaver on Dec 22 2006 4:10:00 PM |
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john
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 6:16:44 PM
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Thanks for the quick replies yogani, david, weaver...
After the second time the numbness happened, I did take it as a sign that maybe i was going too fast and have since decided to back off of siddhasana for a while, returning to the posture described in Lesson 33. Needless to say, the numbness has not re-occured. 
I am definitely one who, as weaver says, "is excited to make progress" (who isn't, right?), but I have felt reasonably stable/comfortable in all of the practices that I have taken on and from the beginning have tried to be cautious about taking on too much too quickly. It's kinda difficult sometimes, when you're feeling great from your practices, to resist the urge to try more as I'm sure you all know.
Thanks so much for the recommendations on how to adjust the practice. When I decide it is the right time to pick it up again, I will definitely use the advice!
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Edited by - john on Dec 22 2006 10:51:37 PM |
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Numbness after Siddhasana
