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marklar
Australia
3 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 30 2016 : 10:41:13 AM
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I have what i believe to be a hyper-reactive sympathetic nervous system which fires off now hundreds of times a day. i have hyperarrousal very badly
this isnt a medical condition. its caused by stress and anxiety and is a vicious cycle that feeds off itself
my question is : is doing pranayama aggravating my sympathetic nervous system and perpetuating the cycle?
here is where i stand with my practice
Ive been doing pranayama for about 2 months and havnt had any results in soothing my problems
i do nadi shodhana for a few minutes then bee breath for a few minutes followed by about 15 minutes of ujjayi
i dont do any breath retention
im very desperate in getting rid of my problems so any help is very much appreciated
thanks |
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sunyata
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2016 : 12:23:30 PM
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Hi Marklar,
Welcome to the forums.Yes, it sounds like pranayam is adding to it. Do you practice meditation after? Why don't you stop all pranayam for few days? Try five minutes of breath meditation and 5 minutes rest after. See how it feels.
Sunyata |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2016 : 3:22:19 PM
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| As Sunyata suggests, meditation accesses inner silence; pranayama moves/excites prana. Silence and prana need balance for your system to be stable and it seems as if you are only attending to one variable in this equation. |
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marklar
Australia
3 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 01:24:14 AM
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i dont meditate but have been wanting to
i was thinking that these relaxing exercises ive been doing were going to relax and strengthen my parasympathetic system
this is a real bummer |
Edited by - marklar on Jan 31 2016 01:39:24 AM |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 02:24:54 AM
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Hi Marklar, welcome on this forum.
I think that proper pranayama followed by a proper rest time in savasana can help for stress reduction. But improper pranayama without enhough rest can produce even more stress. That is what I experienced in my own yoga practice.
Are you resting enhough after pranayama? Is your pranayama technique correct? Where/how did you learn those practices? |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 02:36:36 AM
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Best way to find balance is to have a yoga practice, When one starts with yoga in my opinion it is also important to do asana (bodywork), to balance your energy (prana) and body.
Like Dogboy mentioned the way you practice at this moment, generates energy. Walking or running could also be good for you, preferable in nature. Leave the pranayama out for some time, work the body and do some breath awareness meditation, like Sunyata mentioned. Do not influence the breath, just observe.
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Edited by - Charliedog on Jan 31 2016 03:01:45 AM |
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marklar
Australia
3 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 04:03:32 AM
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@ Ecdyonurus i dont rest after pranayama. i was not tought my practice through anyone. only though reading online.
as for my tecnique being correct, i think so. im not doing any retention and am not doing overly deep breaths. just what feels normal.
@ charliedog do you think i should belly breathe when doing meditation? will this have the same results of pranayama on my system? |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 05:45:04 AM
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Marklar, just observe, not influence. Belly breath is also influence. Later you can go back to pranayama. First you will have to balance. Resting after practice is very important, if it is bodywork, like asana, pranayama or meditation. Just lay down for five till ten minutes, this way practices will deepen, the body rests and you have time to come back to the flow and action of daily life.
AYP is advanced yoga practice, it is important to read carefully the lessons, and to reread once and a while. As practice deepens, the lessons will reveal deeper layers for you.
If possible to participate also in a yoga class in your environment, this will make you more secure about the technics of pranayama.
Good luck |
Edited by - Charliedog on Jan 31 2016 06:08:17 AM |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 05:50:56 AM
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| Hi Marklar, rest is necessary after all yoga practices. Do at least 10' of savasana, better 20' because of your stress condition. And be careful when learning techniques from online sources - you have to find and follow a well designed system, avoid just picking up some techniques. Designig a well balanced yoga routine requres skills, even more if you have conditions like you (by the way, I had a similar problem when I started doing yoga, and like you I believed I could surf on the Internet and learn some techniques; but this does not work that way). Find a good source and follow that system - be it an online source like AYP (which I highly recommend) or a teacher. In my case, I do follow the AYP system but still attend class lead by my hatha yoga teacher, and the two teaching complement each other very well. Wish you all the best. |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 06:09:48 AM
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Ecdyonurus , we crosspost for the second time  |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 10:05:08 AM
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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2016 : 11:14:16 PM
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Marklar, I agree with the advice you've received. What you are doing with pranayama is unbalanced and well, too exciting. I had that happen after my first few months of AYP, when I tried to push SPB to 10 minutes and DM to 25 minutes. I found I could not maintain focus on SPB and later not even on DM, due to leg shakes. I went back to my beginnings, 20 minutes twice a day of the ™ mantra (which is gentler IMO), then changed again to DM as that stabilized, then added SBP in again. Now I'm still not very regular, but I'm not overcooking myself.
Also, please do DM according to the Yogani instructions without adding too many supplemental practices. Get settled in that first. For one thing, you are trying get help from people who have a lot of experience but as a result believe in following DM because we want the growth with stability. It's only really reasonable for someone like me to help you in my context, which only includes ™, some more extensive asana, DM, and SBP. If you enhance it too much I don't know what to expect and I just have to say, please dial it back and be careful.
The guru is within you, but your inner guru needs to be allowed to speak wisely, and sometimes needs to seek advice from the others' gurus. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4379 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2016 : 05:01:18 AM
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Hi Marklar,
There is no real reason why the pranayamas you are doing should help to improve your condition. Alternate Nostril Breathing may help, or it may actually make things worse, depending on the underlying cause of your anxiety.
I would advise that you leave pranayama alone for now and learn to calm your mind down through meditation. This would help to reduce your anxiety and stress. You could start with a simple form of meditation such as breathing meditation.
In AYP Yoga, as a standard practice, we use a more advanced form of meditation called Deep Meditation which uses a mantra, so feel free to explore that as well if you want to. You may find though that breathing meditation is easier for you at the moment, if you are suffering from over-stimulation of the subtle nervous system. Descriptions of Deep Meditation can be found in the Deep Meditation book, the Advanced Yoga Practices: Easy Lessons Vol 1 book, or on the AYP Plus site.
Once you have gained some stability and mental peace through meditation, it is then possible to gradually introduce pranayama in a measured way, monitoring your progress as you go to see what the effects are.
Christi
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So-Hi
USA
481 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 09:22:16 AM
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Are you aggravating your nervous system is a valid question and I would say based on what you have shared you are not helping it any by practicing any form of Pranayama.
Would have to say follow Christi's advice.
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Is pranayama hurting my nervous system?
