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JonJon
United Kingdom
22 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 10 2007 : 08:13:55 AM
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| I've been talking to someone who has been initiated into Babaji's Kriya Yoga school. He insists that breath retention is a harmful practice, leading to heart disease. Any thoughts/comments? |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2007 : 10:15:19 AM
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I would suspect the expertise of anyone naming their school "Babaji's Kriya Yoga School"! You have to pay, right?
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NagoyaSea
424 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2007 : 1:07:47 PM
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Hi JonJon. Fortunately, with the AYP practices, we don't hold our breath in pranayama any longer than is comfortable---just long, slow breathing up and then back down. As Yogani said, 'no heroics' needed. Perhaps even four seconds up and four down...whatever is comfortable. So I myself, don't have any worries about slowing down of breath or any slight retention during either pranayama or meditation.
light and love,
Kathy |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2007 : 8:13:18 PM
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Breath retention happens naturally and spontaneously occurs during sitting practices as the emotional and thought centers become increasingly cleared out. From my experience, I would say that once the inner energies are active it can happen fairly frequently but is not something that needs to focussed on or worried about. Breath retention amplifies the inner energies pulling them upward in the body.
I personally find it difficult to believe that it could be harmful in any way.
A
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Kyman
530 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2007 : 8:49:43 PM
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Some people think it means something. They can give it aimless attention.
A car can also be harmful if the mind uses it in a reckless way. |
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JonJon
United Kingdom
22 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2007 : 01:25:16 AM
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Not sure if payment is a requirement for this group...he seemed genuine enough, though.
I was surprised that breath retention of any type or duration was considered potentially harmful, as it feels natural as part of most meditative practices. I was just interested in whether others had heard of similar viewpoints, or indeed shared them. |
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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2007 : 09:43:42 AM
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JonJon, I'm not sure it is harmful, unless you have heart problems. I'd love to see the smallest amount of evidence that it actuall is harmful. It might even be good for you, I'm thinking. The effects of it probably have a lot in commone with vigorous exercise; in vigorous exercise, you go into oxygen deficit, just as you do when you hold your breath.
People have intuitions that stressing the body is not good. The truth is, stress of the right kind, in the right measure, improves health. Exercising and stretching are examples of stressing the body. So is kumbhak, and probably amaroli.
For more about this very topic, already discussed in the forum, see here.
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Edited by - david_obsidian on Jun 11 2007 09:44:35 AM |
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JonJon
United Kingdom
22 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 01:44:19 AM
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| Well, the consensus of opinion certainly seems to be that B.R. is not harmful. I will keep an eye on mortality rates among forum members, to see if this bears out... |
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sparkyfoxMD
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 05:52:31 AM
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| Im feeling a bit queezy |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 07:54:57 AM
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This shows us one of the flaws in the scientific method, and in the way people think.
The reason "one man's food is another man's poison" is that people are complex, and the world is complex. You can't just isolate one thing and judge it good or bad in all cases.
This is where self pacing comes in. As you become more aware of yourself, you can decide what is good or bad for you at the moment. It may change later.
One person may thrive on what killed another. The reasons are because of the thousand other conditions at the time. |
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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 10:56:34 AM
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More a flaw in the way people (including many scientists and, especially, medical researchers) think rather than a flaw in the actual scientific method.
Btw, the same flaw -- of not taking bio-individuality into account -- is common among yoga schools too.
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Balance
USA
967 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 11:36:38 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by JonJon
Well, the consensus of opinion certainly seems to be that B.R. is not harmful. I will keep an eye on mortality rates among forum members, to see if this bears out...
I'll be holding my breath in suspense!
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Edited by - Balance on Jun 12 2007 11:40:42 AM |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 1:47:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by david_obsidian
More a flaw in the way people (including many scientists and, especially, medical researchers) think rather than a flaw in the actual scientific method.
Btw, the same flaw -- of not taking bio-individuality into account -- is common among yoga schools too.
Scientifically/medically, this fallacy is blessedly on the way out, as it will soon become vastly easier to grok individual propensities via advances in genetics. It'll mark a foundational change in outlook, and will hopefully launch an era of much greater awareness, overall, of the limits of one-size-fits-all thinking in biology and medicine. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Jun 12 2007 1:48:37 PM |
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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2007 : 2:18:16 PM
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Yes, I am looking forward to the improvements in Medicine due to genetics. Another significant area which I believe will be affected positively by the increased understanding of the details of genetics is Education -- people will be educated according to the nature and strength of their particular talents, not according to a one-size-fits all model.
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Health problems due to breath retention
