Lesson 145 - Q&A – Overdoing it with asanas

From: Yogani
Date: Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:54am

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the web
archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first
lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"

Q: After dabbling for years, I have begun practicing yoga and
meditation in earnest (for about a year now). During a recent yoga
class, we practiced about 85 minutes of asana, and then took a short
break before resuming with pranayama. During the break, I found
myself overwhelmed with emotion, shaking, unable to speak or make eye
contact. When we resumed with pranayama, tears began streaming down
my face. It has been several days, and I am still (uncustomarily)
emotional. It is painful to the point of wanting to discontinue yoga,
but I know that I must continue, that I am on the brink of a
breakthrough. It feels as if my chest has been ripped open, that my
heart has been exposed. The opposite of the bliss that I have been
seeking. I am sad about the death of my father, but this heartache
seems to be directly caused by my practice of yoga. Thank you for any
insight you offer.

A: Thank you for writing and sharing.

Sorry to hear you are having some difficulty. It sounds like you
might have overdone it with practices - 85 minutes is a lot of asana
time, especially if you have not built up to it gradually over time
as a steady daily diet.

If you didn't overdo, then maybe you did not rest long enough at the
end of your routine and something went out of balance from getting up
too soon instead of getting released during practices and rest.

It could also be the mix of your practices. Physical hatha methods
are notoriously hazardous when done to excess as stand alone
practice. Much better to mix them in moderation with global
purification practices of deep meditation and spinal breathing. That
is the approach in the lessons. A flexible guideline is 10 minutes
asanas, 10 minutes pranayama, and 20 minutes meditation, twice a day.
That is not including add-ons like kumbhaka and other practices we will
be discussing later. The times can be adjusted up or down to fit the
individual via self-pacing.

Anyway, none of that is going to make you feel better right now. It
is just advice for the future. For now, be very nice to yourself.
Back off your practices as necessary until your heart heals. But
don't give up. Some light spinal breathing and deep meditation might
help. Take some long walks. You will heal, and maybe in the future
consider moderation and balance of practices. Yoga is powerful stuff,
and works well when done in correct proportions. Too much in the
wrong combination can lead to trouble – too much purification too
fast. It is just a matter of education, and prudent self-pacing
according to experiences.

I wish you healing and continuing progress on your chosen path.

Q: Thank you for your thoughtful response. I admit that I am not a
moderate person, and I probably am overdoing the asanas. That
particular class was filled with many more advanced people, including
professional yoga teachers. My desire for progress exceeds my
abilities/experience. I will practice non-violence toward myself, and
will focus on meditation and spinal breathing.

I have found your postings to be insightful and useful in my daily
life. Thank you for sharing them with me and others.

A: The desire is good. It (bhakti) fuels practice. Of course, the
tendency to overdo is the caution. As you go through the lessons, you
will see a lot of situations in the Q&As where it is very similar to
what you have been through. Self-pacing has a lot of nuances to it.
With ongoing bhakti/desire and wise self-pacing you can't miss. I
wish you all success.

The guru is in you.

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