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weaver
832 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 10:20:17 PM
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Hello Everyone,
I need some advice on how to reduce or divert excessive energy movement in the head. I started deep meditation in January 2005, spinal breathing in April 2005, and later in 2005 added sambhavi, mulabandha and siddhasana at different points. Everything seemed to be stable. Fairly early in 2005 I started to notice a slight concentration of energy in the forehead which I thought was normal, and this has persisted and increased gradually over time.
In the spring of 2006 I started to get crown activity, first light tinglings which later increased to pulsations. In the summer of 2006 the concentration of energy in the forehead increased also and I got pulsations there as well. The area of pulsations increased so there would be a larger area of pulsations inside the whole front of the head. This summer I also got more evidence of ecstatic conductivity with light currents in the spine and pratyahara during some meditation sessions. From summer on I often had to keep one hand on the front of the head to be able to go to sleep.
About 3 months ago I thought that this was becoming too much. I dropped siddhasana, sambhavi and mulabandha. There seemed to be a temporary relief in the head. I realized that the upward centering of the eyes had contributed a lot to the pulsations in the head. So I continued with spinal breathing and meditation. Fairly soon the head pulsations started to build again. It feels exactly like a hand inside is kneading the brain. Has anybody else experienced this?
About 1 month ago I dropped spinal breathing and reduced meditation time to 10-15 minutes. There was an immediate relief. I realised that every time I was drawing up energy into the head with each spinal breath it would trigger a pulsation, which then wouldn't quit. Most of the last month has been easier, with lighter head pulsations. But a few days ago they came back with a vengeance. Sometimes there are sharper feelings also, like from needles, so I have to cover the head with a hand to get relief. The forehead is probably warmer than usual. I'm afraid there could be brain damage if I can't get rid of this.
Should I drop all practices or try to add a few minutes of spinal breathing again?
Any help would be appreciated. Yogani, I would much welcome your advice too.
Thanks in advance. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 12:16:08 AM
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Hi Weaver,
Sound like maybe you were going a little too fast and have some excesses built up. In January 2006 I reduced my meditation time down to 15 minutes and it has pretty much been there ever since. I do 10 minutes of spinal breathing, 2-3 minutes of dynamic jalandra, 1-2 minutes of bastrika, (15 minutes of meditation), 5 minutes of samyama (once per sutra) and 1 minute of yoni mudra. I have found good balance with this routine. I always feel inclined to reduce practice time before removing practices when I self-pace. Having said that, when I go over in the energy department, I drop jalandra, bastrika and yoni mudra and reduce my practice time by 25% to 50% proportionally in each area, until things simmer down. I just thought I would share this routine and self-pacing strategy, maybe others will find it useful.
In regards your situation, I sometimes get excess energy in the head, particularly in the third eye area. For me it manifests more as cloudiness in the head, as if there are pockets of energy kind of trapped because things are not moving well. Anyway a simple solution that I use when this occurs which gives me relief after just a couple of minutes is to breath the energy down the spinal nerve and then down my legs to my feet. I then inhale not tracing it up, and then exhale slowly again tracing down the front chanel again down to the feet. I alternate a couple of times back and forth down the spinal nerve and then down my front and this really helps me correct. Perhaps it will help you too?
good luck,
A
Ps- You can also walk around thinking of your feet instead of your head whenever the energy begins to pulse as your awareness on it can amplify the effects of the energy and by the way you will be fine!
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 08:16:22 AM
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Hi Weaver,
I came into AYP with excess crown activity.. and spinal breathing helped neutralize it...
Are you is shiddhasana, and mulbandha and sambhavi? If yes, maybe you could cut those out.. because they stimulate the energy and do move it up... but spinal breathing is very good at evening out the energy between the head and the root. Just make sure you stay away from the crown during spinal breathing. Also, skip anything with kumbhaka.
Get your blood pressure checked once.
After practice.. if you still feel your head buzzing.. bring your attention down.. to your heart or lower. Its almost like a physical move of your thoughts and energy from your head to your heart... this helps a lot.
I don't think crown activity will damage your brains in any way.. but it can lead to depression if not careful. I know you already know all of this.. but just a few reminders here..Make sure you walk a lot and get yourself busy during the day and read through Lesson 69
I am sure Yogani will give you better advice, but these are the things that helped me... hope some of it helps you.
I feel for you Weaver.. excess crown activity is one of the worst thing that can happen to you.. Hope you feel stable soon. |
Edited by - Shanti on Nov 21 2006 08:18:32 AM |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 08:39:14 AM
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Thank you Anthem and Shanti for your advice. I dropped siddhasana, sambhavi and mulabandha about 3 months ago. About 1 month ago, when I dropped spinal breathing I also dropped samyama, which I had been doing for about 6 months. It felt like it stirred up the energies in the head more than the meditation. And last night I had to end meditation before the 10 minutes because there was a buildup of a sharp steady pain at the crown, which was relieved again after during rest.
What is always the case is that the energy movements in the head are gentle in the morning and then become sharper gradually during the day, it doesn't make any difference if I am active and walk a lot or not. It seems to help a little temporarily to be inverted to get more blood pressure into the head which I figure is the case overnight when lying down. |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 11:24:36 AM
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Hi Weaver:
Sorry to hear you are having some difficulties.
Often times, our subconscious intentions (internal bhakti habit) can fuel excessive purification, even outside practices. Then it can help to get involved with other things. I'm sure you are well aware of the grounding methods in lesson 69. If those are not working for you, then it may be a matter of focusing on other things for a while -- your work (which hopefully is fulfilling), family & friends, service in the community, outdoor activities, a vacation. I went through a similar episode many years ago and ended up taking five years worth of Tai Chi classes, while continuing yoga practices. It helped a lot to balance the inner energies.
Continue to be mindful of the full range of kundalini remedies available. There are many ways to tone it down until a particular aspect of purification runs its course, and a combination of measures is often the solution.
We each have a somewhat different course of purification occurring, and we have to self-pace accordingly. In time, it will smooth out. As our collective knowledge grows, we will find more ways to navigate these periods, or, even better, regulate them before they become excessive. We have come a long way since the Gopi Krishna days, but still have much to learn about the process of human spiritual transformation.
If you believe there could be a health issue, it will be wise to see a doctor to get things checked out. Health concerns have their own way of weighing on us, so it is good to address them as necessary.
May balance return to you soon. All the best!
The guru is in you.
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 11:35:22 AM
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I think I've had a lot of that in the past but didn't know what was going on, I did have a lot of depression.
I was going to suggest standing on your head ( don't know the yoga term), or if not standing on it, just put your head on a pillow on the floor and bring your torso up in the inverted position whilst keeping the toes on the floor. This has helped me get some sleep in the past.
Then I saw your comment quote:
It seems to help a little temporarily to be inverted to get more blood pressure into the head which I figure is the case overnight when lying down
which might confirm what I said.
It might be worth a try anyway.
Best of luck
Louis |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 11:47:42 AM
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| PS -- Regarding inversion, if it helps, it could be a sign not of too much energy in the head, but of not enough. It can happen. If that is the case, light practice of inversion asanas (yoga mudra, shoulder stand, plow, standing toe touch, etc.), uddiyana/nauli and mulabandha can help. But be careful not to overdo any of these -- don't want to go from the frying pan into the fire! |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 12:10:56 PM
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Good point Yogani. I was thinking of the same thing. If head stand is helping you.. it could mean you have a blockage that is preventing the energy from reaching your head.. causing a shortage of energy and that could be causing this feeling.. like I had quoted Yogani in another post.. he said that at times the "pressure" in the head area could be due to lack of energy coming up... and not the other way around.. where there is too much energy... So, what may seem like an excess in the head can actually be a shortage under certain circumstances.
In which case like Yogani said.. inversion asanas, uddiyana/nauli and mulabandha can help. There was a good topic on headstands here. Maybe introduce uddiyana, mulabandha and sambhavi, just a bit during spinal breathing and see if they help.
Also, do try the awareness thing.. bringing your awareness down to your heart.. stop thinking with your head.. the second you realize you are in your head.. bring your awareness to your heart..
And if possible get a physical done.. its always better to rule out health issues.
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2006 : 4:01:23 PM
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Hi Weaver
I second all of the above. Two things in particular are helping me concerning excessive purification:
1. Walking I changed my work so that now I walk about 12000 steps a day (I used a "step tracker"....just for the fun of it  ) during working hours + my dog walks me every day ). As long as I am walking, I am balanced. Standing still, the ecstacy roams....and sitting down I immediately become like a....reed.....all there is, is ecstacy going up......and ecstacy coming down. Everything comes to a ....rest...in my chest. From there, it radiates in all directions.
2. Loving I rest in the heart area....You might think that this will increase the Bakhti....but somehow it is the other way around. Everything calms down.....and instead of "energy ecstacy" I rest in this love. A loving presence.....that I am in love with.
I stopped Pranayama this summer. I had to....the excema was terrible in my neck and face...I was burning up. For two months I didn't meditate either. That is....I didn't "practise deep meditation". There was enough spontanious meditation as it were.
Since then...I sit quietly every morning. I never start a day without contacting the loving presence. 5-10 min is enough....it keeps me connected through the whole day. Then....after work (and sometimes during work also).....it contacts me. I don't have to do anything....it simply happens. I rest in this connection (while being fully active with family activities) until bedtime. So....you could say....I have "dropped" all practises. Yet.....I feel very much like I am in continuous AYP. (Yogani...Correct me if I am wrong.....)
The excema completely disappeared (over night) a few weeks ago. The skin looks...really healthy....young. I do, however, have a ...glow...no, more like a sort of ache, in my brain stem. Like the medulla oblongata is ....sore. It is not very bothersome....but it is there. I am sure this will pass in time.
Weaver....I don't know if this makes you any wiser....but I guess what it boils down to is: Ground yourself (in whatever way is best for you) and meditate a few minutes every day. The rest takes care of itself.
My heart goes out to you |
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Wolfgang
Germany
470 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 03:24:43 AM
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Hi weaver,
I personally also seem to have some crown issues (slight headache,
tingling head, a bit pressure).
I also feel that Katrine's advice about "Loving" works for me.
I just intend to send all my energy to my loved one's and very
quickly the symptoms become better and disappear.
If walking does not help to ground you: try some foot-massaging,
acupuncture style - you can do it on yourself. Be gentle and firm
when you press your feet.
L&L
Wolfgang |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 09:16:06 AM
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Thank you Anthem, Shanti, Yogani, Sparkle, Katrine and Wolfgang for your kind replies and advice. None of you say I should drop all practices. And I don't like the idea of quitting. There is especially one thing that several of you brought up: bringing the attention down from the head. I was able to do this to some extent during meditation and there was relief afterwards.
I remember that I have always been a "thinker" and experienced myself as centered in the head, and during several years of meditation previous to AYP I was always centered in the head. So that has probably contributed a lot to this issue. I will report back about what happens.
Thanks again All. |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 10:22:46 AM
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quote:
So....you could say....I have "dropped" all practises. Yet.....I feel very much like I am in continuous AYP. (Yogani...Correct me if I am wrong.....)
Katrine,
Being at home with the Presence must be a completely life-fulfilling experience. To me, this would seem to be the "end game" of Yoga. It would seem that no more practice would be necessary then, and you say that you have dropped practices, at least how we usually define them. If I remember right, Yogani has said that he still does 2 x 20 minutes of meditation daily, and (assuming) having reached the "end game", there must be a reason for still doing practices.
It's good to hear that you overcame the difficulties you had earlier. I have also heard Yogani say that he had ache in the brain stem many years ago, but that it disappeared later, so I hope that will be the case with yours also. |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 11:14:56 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by weaver There is especially one thing that several of you brought up: bringing the attention down from the head. I was able to do this to some extent during meditation and there was relief afterwards.
I remember that I have always been a "thinker" and experienced myself as centered in the head, and during several years of meditation previous to AYP I was always centered in the head. So that has probably contributed a lot to this issue.
Looks like you already have the 'final solution' to your problem, namely to practice seated meditation more often and more quietly. Think less and feel more....i.e. get out of your head and into your body! 
Hari Om!
Doc |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 11:29:04 AM
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quote:
Then....after work (and sometimes during work also).....it contacts me. I don't have to do anything....it simply happens. I rest in this connection (while being fully active with family activities) until bedtime.
I get this sense of presence as well. It started off being right before falling asleep, then I noticed it when I got tired at night, then at some point in the evenings it just becomes apparent to me. I can take notice of it whenever I close my eyes now. My sense or awareness of it is expanding too, just today i got the sense of it as being "brighter" and more pervasive than I had noticed before, more "real" than I had thought. It is a strange development, but enjoyable. |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 1:54:16 PM
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Hi Weaver
quote:
If I remember right, Yogani has said that he still does 2 x 20 minutes of meditation daily, and (assuming) having reached the "end game", there must be a reason for still doing practices.
Just so that there is no misunderstandings:
I am still experiencing strong ecstatic conductivity: ergo I have not reached "the end game" (somehow I doubt there is such a thing....I find potential for purification infinite). So: The only reason I go for the loving instead of saying the mantra, is the fact that it is all I can take right now. I cannot add another thing. I must self-pace. As simple as that. Somehow...loving is "i am".....just without the words.
However - later on (and if that becomes tomorrow I will immediately know it, and adjust accordingly) I will sit longer...and go deeper. Why should I not? It is not a duty - it is what I love most of all. Practise is not practise anymore. It is precious. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 11:27:40 PM
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Hi Weaver,
Wondering if any of the suggestions above helped you out? Also, it came to mind that Yogani's latest lesson #288: http://www.aypsite.org/288.html, might help you out? Be careful though, I had to put this practice aside as very little of it put me "over".
best of luck,
A
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Edited by - Anthem on Jan 03 2007 11:30:13 PM |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2007 : 10:43:04 AM
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Thank you Anthem, it's kind of you to ask.
Yes, there are slight very gradual improvements with the head energy. Mostly the rough pulsations have evened out and also the last couple of weeks the concentration at the very top of the head, that Kirtanman also had, have spread out also to a larger area. In the meanwhile, the energy has also increased in the spine, so there is probably not more energy in the head than elsewhere, it's just that the head is more sensitive.
What seems to have helped the most is to discontinue the evening session temporarily, because in the evening the energy is more pronounced and any practice would increase the head energy, even just lying down and relaxing. When there is more permanent improvement I will much look forward to continue with the evening session again. The morning meditation of about 12-13 minutes is very peaceful. It's a long-term process, it took a year to build up with sambhavi for example, which I think contributed the most to concentrating energy in the head, and which I don't think I was ready for. So I expect it will take several months to get in balance again. Here is more I wrote recently:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....D=1861#15014
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....D=1861#15072
Thank you for suggesting the new Yoni Spinal Breathing Pranayama. I don't think I would dare to touch it right now, since I'm not even doing regular spinal breathing, or any of the other practices that Yogani describes below as prerequisites.
http://www.aypsite.org/288.html
"We should be well established in our routine of spinal breathing and deep meditation practice, and should also be comfortable with yoni mudra kumbhaka and the other mudras and bandhas, as well. In other words, this new hybrid practice is for those who already have good experience with all of the practices discussed previously in these lessons."
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Excessive energy movement in the head
