DM producing more overload than SBP+DM?

[galen]

Hi all.

I overloaded a few weeks ago when I tried using the first mantra enhancement. It produced a terrific headache for about four days, with a mild headache that hasn't ever really gone away. I've been trying to get back to a stable routine ever since, but have had a lot of trouble doing so. Part of the trouble is that self-pacing advice usually takes the form of "cut back to just DM" and it seems that when I try DM alone even for 5 minutes produces bad side effects. The headache gets worse and I get a lot of tension in my jaw, shoulders, and neck. Sometimes it feels like my brain is dried out.

It seems that adding SBP to an overloading DM routine helps to balance things -- although I haven't yet found a routine that feels stable, DM alone is definitely not stable. I find this a bit confusing, since from what I understand SBP brings more energy up, which should exacerbate overload, not calm it. Perhaps this is where theoretical "understanding" of yoga falls short and direct experience is what matters.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts on this, I would be very glad to hear them.

Thank you!

galen

[Dogboy]

Add some Solar Centering (link in left side menu) to direct energy from pooling in your head.

[Mykal K]

Hi, not sure where you got that you need to stop with spinal breathing:
 

quote:Another thing you can try is some light spinal breathing before meditation (5 minutes or so), as given in the lessons. This can help smooth out meditation. Spinal breathing is very good for balancing unruly energies in the nervous system, which includes mind and emotions. Finally, you can also try some light asanas, bending and stretching, (5-10 minutes) before spinal breathing and meditation. Maybe only spinal breathing will help at this stage. Maybe only asanas. Maybe both. Maybe neither. You will only know by trying.

- from lesson 160

Also,
 

quote:Spinal breathing offers the possibility of balancing all of these things more quickly and progressively. Kundalini symptoms (probably what these things are) usually are caused by shakti energy coming up into the nervous system without enough counter-balancing by shiva energy coming down. Spinal breathing can correct this, and then progress can go very fast with much less chance of uncomfortable kundalini symptoms. Maybe try 5 minutes of spinal breathing before meditation and see how it goes for a few days. If it doesn't help, or if it aggravates the symptoms, then back off. If it helps, then give it a few weeks of stable practice and then consider going to 10 minutes of spinal breathing.

- from lesson 200

I put in bold the part that I thought was most relevant to your post. As you can see there, it clearly states that the SBP is to balance the upward flow with the downward flow.

Good luck!

[Zanyan]

Hi Galen,

I initially came to AYP with overload symptoms.  After reading the forums and lessons and getting info like Mykal has quoted above, I decided to add SBPto my DM routine very early on in my AYP practices, and it did smooth out the overload symptoms without a doubt.  One of the symptoms was intense pressure in the head, especially at the crown and ajna centers.  As a caveat, prior to finding AYP I had had many years of experience with breath meditation under my belt, including the witness state and rising inner silence - I don't know if that makes a difference, but thought I'd put it out there just in case.  

Love,
Laura

[galen]

quote:Originally posted by Mykal K

Hi, not sure where you got that you need to stop with spinal breathing:
...

Hmm, I think I got it from reading various people in the forum discussing how SBP can bring energy up to the head, where it can get stuck if there are blockages that don't allow it to descend again. But you're right -- there's nothing about that in the lessons that I can find.

I'll try solar centering and see if that helps things out.

And thanks for sharing your experience, Laura.

Love to all of you,

galen

[BlueRaincoat]

quote:Originally posted by galen


when I try DM alone even for 5 minutes produces bad side effects.

What happens if you do just mindfulness meditation i.e. with no mantra at all? Do you still get those side effects?
If it were me in this position I'd try asanas followed by SBP and mindfulness meditation.

Also when I feel I get into overload mode, fasting helps me (brown rice fast does it for me) - it seems to clear the 'jams in the pipes'. I'm aware this goes against Yogani's teaching – whereby fasting is yet another practice and can add to overload - so it might be just me reacting well to it in overload situations. Please take this idea as food for thought. If you have not experimented with fasting before, it is probably not the time to begin during this rough patch.

I hope you get this problem sorted out soon. Let us know how you get on

[galen]

quote:Originally posted by BlueRaincoat

quote:Originally posted by galen


when I try DM alone even for 5 minutes produces bad side effects.

What happens if you do just mindfulness meditation i.e. with no mantra at all? Do you still get those side effects?
If it were me in this position I'd try asanas followed by SBP and mindfulness meditation.

Yes, at this point even five minutes of SBP and five minutes of breath meditation gives me a headache. I'm going to just stick with my light asana routine twice a day for a couple weeks and then see if I can add SBP with breath meditation back in.

Thanks!

[pkj]

I will suggest just try 5 minute of mindful meditation without the SBP. In my case just the mindful meditation helps as sometimes SBP does overload the system. I will suggest just do the mindful meditation without forcing the breath.

All the best

PKJ

[galen]

quote:Originally posted by pkj

I will suggest just try 5 minute of mindful meditation without the SBP. In my case just the mindful meditation helps as sometimes SBP does overload the system. I will suggest just do the mindful meditation without forcing the breath.

Thanks -- I'll give that a try when I start adding practices back in.

[BlueRaincoat]

quote:Originally posted by galen
Yes, at this point even five minutes of SBP and five minutes of breath meditation gives me a headache.

By mindfulness meditation I meant no mantra and no breath either. Yogani does not describe it separately, but he says that when a strong sensation or emotion comes up in meditation, let your attention be with that sensation/emotion. You might well become aware of the headache when you turn your attention inward - after all the headache is in there somewhere (I used to cure headaches - when i had them - by facing them/'plunging' into them but that's probably not everyone's cup of tea). So yes, sticking with asanas is probably the easiest way to cross this difficult patch.
Good luck and let us know how how things progress.

[galen]

quote:Originally posted by BlueRaincoat

quote:Originally posted by galen
Yes, at this point even five minutes of SBP and five minutes of breath meditation gives me a headache.

By mindfulness meditation I meant no mantra and no breath either. Yogani does not describe it separately, but he says that when a strong sensation or emotion comes up in meditation, let your attention be with that sensation/emotion.

Yes, I think this is the meditation to start with when I resume my sitting practices.

quote:
You might well become aware of the headache when you turn your attention inward - after all the headache is in there somewhere (I used to cure headaches - when i had them - by facing them/'plunging' into them but that's probably not everyone's cup of tea).

The headaches typically don't arise during practice, but accumulate over the course of the day, often accompanied by an escalating and seemingly unrelaxable tension in my jaw.

quote:
Good luck and let us know how how things progress.

Thanks for your advice -- I certainly will!

[jonesboy]

Do you do any asanas?

[galen]

quote:Originally posted by jonesboy

Do you do any asanas?

I do a short asana routine twice a day. At the moment that's all I'm doing. Here's the routine:

1. Head and shoulder rolls
2. Heart-centering warmup
3. Janushirshasana
4. Parivrtta Janushirshasana
5. Badhakonasana
6. Cat/cow
7. Camel (or sometimes sphinx if my lower back is feeling wonky)
8. Shoulder stand
9. Spinal twist
10. Shavasana

[pkj]

Galen

I just posted another post regarding the overloading. This may help as well.

http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=14490

Good luck

PKJ

[ak33]

Definitely try solar centering. I stopped practice for  year due to intense pressure in my third eye area.  Solar centering solved this problem for me.