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tamasaburo
USA
136 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 08 2008 : 02:57:21 AM
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I wasn't sure whether this should go in Tantra or Yamas/Niyamas, so I've just put it in the general area. Obviously it can be moved if more appropriate elsewhere.
I've been practicing both sexual abstinence and fasting lately, especially avoidance of ejaculation with only a blocked ejaculation about once a week. I've also tried fasting for 24-36 hours once a week and both practices seem very beneficial to my meditation and yoga/qigong practices. My problem is that both have a strong tendency to cause insomnia in me. When I'm very hungry or haven't had an orgasm recently I become so wakeful that I will literally lie in bed all night feeling not the least bit sleepy. By the next day I will be so tired that I usually end the fast or masturbate just to be able to get some sleep. Obviously, this sleep deprivation is unpleasant and for me , at least, is a major obstacle to longer fasts or more consistent brachmacharya. After about one week of sexual abstinence or 24-36 hours of fasting I simply cannot sleep at all and just give up.
Does anyone have any advice--related to yoga or otherwise--on how to relax and sleep during these practices? Thanks. |
Edited by - AYPforum on Aug 08 2008 08:23:49 AM |
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jory
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2008 : 08:18:02 AM
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I use to look at porn everyday but now I have no desire at all to even masterbate.
Typically I just imagine that my spirit friends are watching me--which they are--and this prevents me from ever wanting to do anything. That might make me sound like a lunatic but it works.
Also I just imagine myself from a 3rd perspective and see how animal like I look when I'm yearning for sexual discharge and remind myself that I'm better than that.
Just remind yourself that you are more than a physical body---you are spirit. This will help you not be so focused on food etc. |
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AYPforum
351 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2008 : 08:23:49 AM
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| Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement |
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tamasaburo
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2008 : 1:24:14 PM
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Well, the problem in most cases is not so much the temptation to indulge. Certainly I have some desire to do so, but I also feel a lot of pleasure from pranayama, qigong and meditation practice, so I don't actually miss orgasm that much. Similarly, I do want to eat when fasting, but it is not so bad that I feel terrible or have bad cravings. I can deal with it fairly easily during the day.
The problem is that when trying either practice for an extended time (about one week for sexual abstinence or one day for fasting), I just become so very wakeful that I cannot sleep at all. In some ways it is nice to have the energy, but I will also feel very tired after a night of no sleep. However, even when tired I will not be able to sleep without eating or some form of sexual release. Of course, I'm sure if I went for days without sleep I'd eventually become exhausted enough to drift off, but that is very unpleasant.
The only thing I can think is to take ambien, diphenhydramine or some other kind of sleep aid, but I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose to an extent. A few years after beginning qigong and meditation practice I was very happy to find I no longer needed psychiatric drugs or sleeping pills to feel happy and relaxed or to sleep. So if I take sleeping pills in an attempt to further my Yoga, it seems kind of counter-productive.
Any other general suggestions? Does it get easier to sleep with more practice fasting and avoiding orgasm? Can an advanced tantra practitioner really have sex for a long time and then go to sleep with no orgasm at all? Again, it's not so much the orgasm avoidance I have trouble believing. I can have sex that way now, enjoy it and feel fine. The problem seems to be that there is just too much unused energy. Unless I want to go for a 2 hour run every night before bed how am I to sleep with this much energy? |
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cosmic_troll
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2008 : 04:24:04 AM
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If your fast allows it, you could try drinking kava or chamomile tea before bed. They're both very calming. I've read that valerian can also help, but I haven't personally verified this.
Also, you might wanna do something with that extra energy. Something physical or creative, for example (exercise, dancing, painting, writing, fill in the blank).
I wish you success in finding what works!
PEACE always |
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schtroumpsolis
Canada
24 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 7:02:45 PM
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hi the best advise i can give you is ;
1-standing up; breath out
2-hold the empty breath softly and look up for 5 sec.
2.1-raise your diaphragm just a nudge.
3- breath in slowly as your head tilt back to normal position.
<do this just few times. it does the trick for me even after few years of bramacharia! the other thing you can do is a lobotomy....just kidding.
Seriously if you dissociate the feeling for intimacy from sex and associate the feeling with the strenght of god creative power it takes away the sense of "wanting intimacy". works for meee! f. |
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Sleeping during Fasting/Brachmacharya
