Pranayama headaches
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@Faus said
"I would ask if you are releasing the air too fast or if you are forcing your lung to hold too much air (maybe to increase the retention period)."
Yes. Do you get any dizziness with this?
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@Jim Eshelman said
"And you didn't have it checked while doing pranayama. [...]"
Thanks for the replies. Interesting - it definitely sounds as if that could be it. That could explain the gap between pranayama and the headache (blood pressure slowly returning to normal).
@Jim Eshelman said
"Do you, for example, also have headache after an unusually intense orgasm?"
Not at all. Intense orgasms are generally followed by blissful periods of relaxation.
@Jim Eshelman said
"Depending on age, family history, current water retention (blood pressure is like water pressure: a factor of how wide the pipes are vs. how much volume is being pushed through the pipes), weight and weight fluctuations, etc. - it just might be that your BP is starting to destabilize a bit. Or, it may be that you need to refine your method of pranayama."
I definitely plan on looking further into BP related issues. I'm especially curious to see what happens if I do a blood pressure reading during, or immediately after, a few rounds of pranayama. Do you have any specific recommendations as far as refinement goes? I would think added retention periods (at a lower rate at first) would be the next step.
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@Jim Eshelman said
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@Faus said
"I would ask if you are releasing the air too fast or if you are forcing your lung to hold too much air (maybe to increase the retention period)."Yes. Do you get any dizziness with this?"
Never had any dizziness at any point during or after practice, no.
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@Herr Meow said
"Do you have any specific recommendations as far as refinement goes? I would think added retention periods (at a lower rate at first) would be the next step."
I don't think it's that sort of thing at all. (Not the count.) I would suspect something basic to the physiology, maybe something that someone would have to be present watching you do. The main avenue to move down is this, I think: Pranayama should be without strain. As you increase the rate, I suspect you introduce some level of physical strain, meaning, that the prior level isn't yet "perfectly steady and easy."
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@Jim Eshelman said
"The main avenue to move down is this, I think: Pranayama should be without strain. As you increase the rate, I suspect you introduce some level of physical strain, meaning, that the prior level isn't yet "perfectly steady and easy.""
That sounds right, given that the issues don't occur when I maintain a slightly lower rate. I'll look for the points at which strain is introduced at the lower levels. Thanks again, JIm.
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@kasper81 said
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@Herr Meow said
"After a year or so of consistent pranayama practice, I'm starting to get headaches after sessions of 16 in, 32 out (no khumbaka). S."Actually shouldn't it be out in not in out?
Not telling
Asking"
Yup. For whatever reason, I record it in the journal as in, out, and transcribed it thus here.
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@kasper81 said
"i'm not a yoga-master but
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is it possible you have a bit of tooth decay and a nerve is exposed?
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maybe it's not tooth decay and maybe if you just continued it may cease ie it's a hurdle to be faced
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how about consulting your inner "guide" via divination. Pull ONE card out a Tarot spread then post it here"
Hmm. Tooth decay. I suppose it's possible, though it seems unlikely - no pain in the jaw or lower face or anything like that.
Done plenty of work with #3 (which is a good suggestion, BTW), and have received much guidance, but generally more along the lines of spiritual direction rather than direct practical instruction (OTOH, just asking seems to open whatever doors are needed - such as the thought occurring to me to post my questions on this forum).
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I hope this isn't off topic but sometimes pranayama aggravates my sinus allergies and congests my sinuses. I also have a deviated septum. This is probably why I prefer anapanasati and satipatthana to induce samadhi instead (BTW, many modern Buddhist teachers--e.g., Gil Fronsdal, Andrea Fella--indicate that "concentration" is a poor translation of samadhi and that better translations are "unifying or integrating the mind," "settling the mind," "collecting the mind," "composing the mind" as these better honour the etymology.).
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@kasper81 said
"Herr Meow , and everyone else. maybe you have found your limits and you are a 15 30 man?. For the rest of your life 15 30 is your limit? Is this so bad? is it a problem?
I want to know because this relates to all of us where physical problems may occur at a certain breath count. Isn't itn our ego which wants to push further? Does it matter?"
I'm not sure that I would be the one to ask about that. My plan is simply to continue at a lower rate with an eye to traces of strain, and see what happens from there. As to whether or not there's a physical limit, I wouldn't know until quite a few more years of practice at least (even then, who knows, maybe a breakthrough could come after a decade or more).