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sambo
Australia
35 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 02:11:43 AM
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hi all.
During DM my breath can become quite shallow and restless. When i do kumbhaka i instantly feel starved for oxygen. In turn i have trouble diving inwards/quieting the mind. As i am aware breath and mind are interrelated in that sense. This only happens every other day and i am looking for the factors that cause this.
To my knowledge diet is a major factor in this as breath is cleansing out residue that the blood has brought to the lungs. So eating cleaner foods cause less residue, in turn needing less breath. I do eat pretty clean, sweets being my biggest weakness. . So I am looking for more possibilities or techniques to quiet the breath. PEACE! |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 09:23:25 AM
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Hi Sambo,
We don't do kumbhaka intentionally during DM. If it happens naturally, that is fine, but if we realize we are not breathing and it causes us to feel starved of oxygen, we treat that like a distraction, go back to breathing normally and put our focus back in the mantra, not breath.
Also, if you feel starved of oxygen when you do kumbhaka outside of meditation, it is fine not to do kumbhaka right now. You may not really be starved of oxygen, but the mind may feel it is so and force you to breath. It will go away as you continue with meditation.
Eating right is always good. Don't force that too much either... anything forced does not last for long... so do it in moderation and in time you will be eating right without an effort.
Continue with spinal breathing and meditation and don't worry too much about breath right now, as you continue with your practice, it all all refine out and become smoother.
Wish you all the best. |
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sambo
Australia
35 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 4:36:03 PM
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hey shanti tnx for your reply.
In regards to breath in meditation, i am aware not to focus on it and stick to the mantra. Although the breath-mind connection is something that can not be ignored. The depth of my meditation, that is going deeper into subtler layers of mind into stillness is all determined by the willingness of my breath to quiet/subside in meditation.
This varies quite alot with me, some days i feel i dive alot deeper than others, only because my breath become very quiet.
So why does it vary so much. I feel it is holding me back from goin much deeper.
I am sure things will work themselves out as you said with continued practice. Although i feel there is more i can do. |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 6:09:36 PM
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Read your words..
"i feel i dive alot deeper than others, only because my breath become very quiet."
"I feel it is holding me back from goin much deeper."
"Although i feel there is more i can do."
You see the common thread?
When you have gone deeper, your mind is not active, so you don't know what kind of breathing you had? The day you know your breathing is not quiet, is the day you are focusing on your breath. The day you lost track of how your breathing is, you are deep in meditation. So that is why we say don't focus on the breath, treat the focus on breath as a distraction. The mind will find many things to distract you with, convince you of many things as required to have the perfect meditation, but it is all in the mind.
None of this is wrong BTW. I am just pointing out, that the more you get focused with your mind on one aspect of meditation, the longer that will stay the focus of your meditation and keep you away from the full benefits of deep meditation (as described in the AYP lessons).
Breath and mind are in sync when the mind is thinking of it, when the mind is not thinking of it, we are just breathing.
And, having days of deep meditation and days of surface level meditation is a part of the process. There is no good and bad meditation. There is just meditation. The day it's surface level, it is surface level stuff that is getting cleared, the days it is deep, it is deeper level stuff that is getting cleared... so judging each session is not a good idea. Treat every one of the sessions as a good session, because we get exactly what we need at that point during that session.
If meditation was done for relaxation only, then yes having a deep meditation session is great, but when we do meditation as a part of our spiritual journey, we take it all as good meditation, because it's not the relaxation we are looking for, it's the clearing of obstructions we are looking for, and the surface level obstructions are just as important to clear out as are the deeper level ones. |
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sambo
Australia
35 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 9:48:54 PM
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if meditation was done for relaxation only, then yes having a deep meditation session is great, but when we do meditation as a part of our spiritual journey, we take it all as good meditation, because it's not the relaxation we are looking for, it's the clearing of obstructions we are looking for, and the surface level obstructions are just as important to clear out as are the deeper level ones.
Hey shanti. This i needed to hear, and i agree with what you have said. I have also resolved to eat a little cleaner as i think it will help. thankyou for your help friend |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 10:23:59 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sambo
I have also resolved to eat a little cleaner as i think it will help. thankyou for your help friend
You are welcome my friend!!!
Sounds good Sambo. It is always good to eat better.
Good luck!!!
PS: You may already know this, but just in case not, you can click on the paper with an arrow icon to include someone's post in your reply, or in the edit/reply window click on the paper with arrow icon to put someone's words in quotes. Make sure the words of the other person you quote a between the (quote)(/quote). Here are some more instructions on formatting your posts: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/faq.asp#format
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sambo
Australia
35 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 11:31:30 PM
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[quote]
PS: You may already know this, but just in case not, you can click on the paper with an arrow icon to include someone's post in your reply, or in the edit/reply window click on the paper with arrow icon to put someone's words in quotes. Make sure the words of the other person you quote a between the (quote)(/quote). Here are some more instructions on formatting your posts: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/faq.asp#format
[quote]
Tnx i was trying to figue that out. not real computer savvy. |
Edited by - sambo on Aug 09 2010 03:40:52 AM |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2010 : 08:44:01 AM
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Almost there...
Instead of clicking the quote icon (paper and arrow) before and after the text you want to quote, click on the quote icon once then insert your text in between the [quote]text here[/quote], or highlight the material you want to quote first then click on the quote icon.
And BTW, I did what you are doing (adding a quote in the start of the quote and end of the quote) for a very long time when I first started.  So don't worry about it.
Also, you can go back and edit your own post. Click on the paper pencil icon on the post you want to edit, and it will take you to the edit window. |
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jamuna
Australia
104 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2010 : 05:39:59 AM
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Hey Sambo, I am sure Shanti has given you great advice and I don't want to contradict her in anyway but if you think there may be a link between diet and shortness of breath you might want to consider the possibility of being iron deficient (anemia), especially if your a vegetarian. If you go to a mobile blood bank they will test your iron levels for free. Until then an extra serve of leafy green vegetables or another good source of iron per day will help, vitamin C will improve uptake (i.e. add big handful of spinach to your dahl/curry with lemon juice).
Also Bhastrika is good for removing excess carbon dioxide from the body, as high carbon dioxide levels not low oxygen is the primary regulator of breath this could help. Keep in mind the doubling up effect this might have in regards to self pacing.
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Edited by - jamuna on Aug 09 2010 06:49:09 AM |
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breath holding me back
