Hi All:
I'd be remiss in not confessing to having similar experiences in the past -- mine were mainly brain stem (medulla) related, and have long since cleared up. It is a razor's edge, you know -- when to let symptoms work themselves out and when to go to the doctor. The good news is that, if it is spiritual purification, an episode generally does clear up quickly (assuming good self-pacing in practices), and then we see the world in a new light, literally...
The "gurus" are hands off on discussing things like this (including the gamut of kundalini symptoms) for obvious reasons. I think we have a larger responsibility here in "open source" AYP to develop and deliver a good working knowledge to the public for
all that happens on the road to enlightenment. Otherwise, how can yoga ever evolve into a well-documented and successfully applied science?
So, we have to ask the question from time to time -- "Is this particular symptom spiritual purification or is it medical?" and sort through it. I have been in favor of these kinds of public discussions on symptoms since the beginning, as can be seen in the AYP lessons. We can no longer afford to be sweeping the workings of spiritual evolution under the rug, no matter how messy it might be at times. It is certainly not messier than childbirth. It just takes longer...
At the same time, we have to be alert to medical issues that may arise in our life (see this
recent post). Interestingly, yoga practices will very often reduce or cure a medical issue, even while occasionally producing spiritual symptoms! So this can be very complicated stuff.
Fortunately, we are getting a good handle on the main controls of yoga in AYP, and so far we have seen fairly few major disruptions from spiritual purification, and lots of visible progress instead. It is my hope that we will continue to refine our ability to manage the process of human spiritual transformation in ways that will enable anyone to approach the task with confidence, safety and good results.
The guru is in you.