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Tam Phap
Canada
37 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 28 2007 : 5:03:35 PM
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I would like to thank Yogani for the book on Spinal Breathing which I recently discovered. I have been using the practice regularly and find the practice quite amazing as I have already touched on feelings of bliss during SB and afterwards during my meditation.
I am a long-time (20 year) meditation practitioner in the S.E. Asian Zen tradition (Thich Nhat Hanh is my "root" teacher). I was recently invited by a friend, who is a Kagyu Lama, to do an intensive 10 day solo meditation retreat at their centre as he felt it would be of help with a depressive episode I was going through. During the retreat, I averaged about 10-12 hours of Shamatha meditation a day. I had a number of energy releases during this time, which originated in the solar plexus area, but would seem to get stuck in my throat chakra. Lama suggested I persist in order to move beyond the throat. On the day before my last day, I had a release through the throat chakra. That night I had one of the worst migraine headaches I have ever had - as if a lot of the energy had gotten stuck in my head. The next day I had a feeling like full body anxiety that lasted about 6 hours. Since getting home, I have continued my daily practice and last weekend did a fairly intensive 2-day meditation solo practice. On the following Monday I had another brutal headache that started right at the crown of my head. Is this possibly, in some way, the crown chakra trying to open before it is ready? Any insight would be most helpful.
Many thanks,
Phil (Tam Phap) |
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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2007 : 07:10:27 AM
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| Welcome to AYP, Tam Phap. I am no where near your level of experience in meditation, but you do sound on the verge of some serious problems with overdoing. It's one thing to go on a retreat and dive into long meditations; that's what the retreats are designed for. But in everyday life, it's very difficult to integrate the lengthy meditations and their effects into your routine. Spiritual practice is as much about integrating as it is about meditation. Yogani talks about the importance of self pacing all the time, and the consequences of overdoing are written about by AYP members fairly often. It's no fun. You may be trying too hard to blast through the blockages; just let them be for a while. My humble advice to you is to meditate for shorter periods, as prescribed in the book Deep Meditation, then go out and let the world have its way with you. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2007 : 6:59:21 PM
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Hi Phil,
Welcome to the AYP forum!
I agree with Meg's eloquent reply, sounds like way too much time meditating which certainly doesn't lend itself to balance, quick results or a smooth ride. The evidence is in the emotional instability and big energy effects that you are experiencing. By adding in spinal breathing you will really be increasing the rate of release within so take that into consideration.
You may want to consider reading through the AYP main lessons found here, they are extremely insightful and helpful.
http://www.aypsite.com/MainDirectory.html
Best of luck to you ,
A
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Edited by - Anthem on Jul 29 2007 7:01:31 PM |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2007 : 05:37:19 AM
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Hi Phil
Welcome to the forum
I agree with Meg and Andrew.
I am curious about the recommendation that you do so much meditation in the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition.
I have been involved in this tradition on and off for a number of years and spent a week in Plum Village last year. The general trend seems to be two meditations per day and a lot of mindfulness practice.
Personaly I find mindfulness practice blends really well with the AYP system of meditation and find that it also assists in alleviating overload symptoms.
Possibly in walking meditation, as Thich Nhat Hanh recommends, you could put your attention on the feet touching the earth, and keep it away from the head.
my 2 cents
Louis |
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Tam Phap
Canada
37 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2007 : 3:50:15 PM
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Thanks to all of you for your observations and suggestions. It was not through the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition that it was suggested to me that I do an intensive meditation retreat, but rather through my Lama friend in the Tibetan Kagyu tradition. He suggested that if I could manage up to 18 hours of Shamatha (Calm Abiding) meditation a day for as many days as possible (up to three weeks), I may be able to have a breakthrough that would resolve my depression and that I would then not be likely to suffer through another depression ever again. As I mentioned, things got a bit wild and, even though the thought of "breaking through" the depression was, at the time, foremost in my mind, I now realize that these things can't be pushed. I am being a lot more "relaxed" in my practice now. Thank you Louis for the suggestion of getting back to walking meditation. Yes, I think I need to do a lot of grounding.
Many thanks,
Phil (Tam Phap) |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
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Intensive Meditation / Crown Chakra
