Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[Turgon]

I did the full program yesterday for the first time, and had some of the same sensations that bear posted.

Lots of tingling in the hands and arms during the Ba-Ha portion and some trembling in my arms and body... At one point when Laura said 'that I may see' on the word 'see' the volume seemed to go up and I had a kind of brightening/flash in my mind. Hard to describe it being that the eyes are closed.

Definitely during the Beatha portion, it felt really intense, my lips felt a bit chilled, and I started to develop a twitch on my upper lip (which went away after a little while). Some of the changes in the breathing speed threw me off because I wasnt expecting it but I adjusted accordingly. I definitely had that "skip" sensation occur, as if everything just sort of stopped for a moment. The best way I can think of to describe it would be a TV when the channel skips just a bit. It only lasted a quick second, but I felt it throughout my entire body...

But most definitely during the Guided Prayer of the Soul portion, Laura's voice picked up twice in volume, noticeably. It was for one of the lines (or two?) of the prayer, at different times, I cant remember which lines, but the audio just turned up and became really clear for a few seconds, as if the prayer was being said throughout my entire room rather then just my laptop speakers.

I originally thought it was done on purpose on the audio file, but it doesnt seem to be the case.

I've never been much of a person to sit through meditation, and stick with it, but overall, I really enjoyed doing the meditation. It was a really positive experience, and I noticed I was more clearheaded afterwards, catching programs, and more aware of what I was doing and thinking.

Also, maybe this has nothing to do with me doing the Meditation, but my mom gave me a big hug yesterday. Her and I don't always get along on the best of terms and had a disagreement yesterday, sometime after the meditation, and after apologizing to her and talking about it, she came up to me and gave me a hug! It's the first time we've hugged each other in a long time! Don't know if it relates at all, but I wasn't expecting it, and it was nice to have her do that. Also, I heard her laughing yesterday, like a nice belly laugh, I was so surprised!

 

[Laurentien2]

Also, maybe this has nothing to do with me doing the Meditation, but my mom gave me a big hug yesterday. Her and I don't always get along on the best of terms and had a disagreement yesterday, sometime after the meditation, and after apologizing to her and talking about it, she came up to me and gave me a hug! It's the first time we've hugged each other in a long time! Don't know if it relates at all, but I wasn't expecting it, and it was nice to have her do that. Also, I heard her laughing yesterday, like a nice belly laugh, I was so surprised!

This is wonderful, when I Read your description of the event, I could feel the emotion reverberate in me, as if it was me receiving a hug and I could feel that emotion of love cross the distance and it me in the solar plexus. Maybe the breathing technique help enhance the FRV in us and it is perceive by the people around us and maybe the result is that it come back on it own, that those perceiving it whit out understanding what is happening are in a way influence by it.

 

[Buddy]

Like some, I've never been one to sit through meditations either, but recently I completed the entire guided meditation. I followed everything to the letter, focussed on Laura's voice. Somewhere between the last prayer recital and the "Cosmic Mind bless you all", I was practically crying like a baby. Just a few gasps and sobs really, but quite a few tears.

The experience, as a whole, was very beautiful and I felt a deep peace afterwards.

Previous to this experience, I had isolated the breathing exercises for practice, thinking I could get the techniques seated in the moving center first, but now I'm inclined to do the meditation all together to enjoy the experience in its entirety.

My physical reactions, so far, have been limited to some tendencies for the fingers to curl inward and some tension in the forearms. Other than that, I noticed that after the warriors breath and during some of the Ba-Ha, the nostrils got very dry and became sensitive so that I couldn't take in as much air on the inhale as I wanted to.

I've just been dealing with this, figuring that if Laura can take the time to count for me, the least I can do is do the work. I think next time though, I'll take a cotton swab and coat the inner walls of the nostrils with a thin coat of petroleum jelly to see if that helps...unless someone has another suggestion that might be better.

 

[mamadrama]

Other than that, I noticed that after the warriors breath and during some of the Ba-Ha, the nostrils got very dry and became sensitive so that I couldn't take in as much air on the inhale as I wanted to.

You may want to try concentrating your inhalation from the throat & diaphram rather than the nostril. It allows for much smoother and deeper inhalation in my experience. In other words, when breathing in through the nose, draw the breath in from the throat and diaphram letting the air gently come through the nostrils into the nose but the emphasis of the inhalation comes from throat and diaphram.

[edit for clarity]

 

[Buddy]

You may want to try concentrating your inhalation from the throat & diaphram rather than the nostril. It allows for much smoother and deeper inhalation in my experience. In other words, when breathing in through the nose, draw the breath in from the throat and diaphram letting the air gently come through the nostrils into the nose but the emphasis of the inhalation comes from throat and diaphram.

Thanks, Black Swan. I'll try that and see if it helps.

 

[gaman]

Though I've been practicing the pipe breathing, I only got all the way through to the bioenergetic breathing and the meditation today. I found the bioenergetic breathing to be really uncomfortable. The breathing aspect was fine but it caused such uncomfortable "energy" (for lack of a better way to describe it) throughout my body that I had to constantly stretch and rub and clench my hands, arms, feet, legs and eyes. If I didn't, I would have had to stop altogther. I also yawned about 20 times.

After the meditative part, I went into a coma-like sleep for about 2 hours. Lucky for me, my son was taking an extra long nap at the same time.

Did I do right by allowing my body to move about while I did the energetic breathing, or should I take a more controlled approach the next time around (though I wonder if I could handle the discomfort)?

FWIW, I had the same type of reaction. Almost like a panic type thing or energy and while I was sitting in my chair I had to move my arms and legs about some, stretch them, etc. and almost felt like I would lose control of my bladder at one point. It was almost like near-panic from suffocation that I was trying to control.

So I have the same question as you, is it okay to have do the moving about etc. to lessen the feeling or does the feeling indicate one is overdoing it or something else?

 

[Dauphine]

This has been so helpful, thank you so much!
:)

 

[theos]

I've noticed that there seems to be some part of me that doesn't want to do the breathing. I've done the entire program about four times but yesterday I found myself trying to make excuses for not doing it or putting it off. I made myself do it anyway and noticed a lot of physical distractions like my nose itching or my leg feeling uncomfortable, yawning etc. but I tried to concentrate the best I could. Some tears started to flow during the warriors breath and at the end of the prayer I broke into heavy, body shaking sobs. I felt very calm afterwards though.

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

I also get the dry nose during the beatha breathing. I'll try your tip too Black Swan.

 

[Keit]

I've noticed that there seems to be some part of me that doesn't want to do the breathing. I've done the entire program about four times but yesterday I found myself trying to make excuses for not doing it or putting it off. I made myself do it anyway and noticed a lot of physical distractions like my nose itching or my leg feeling uncomfortable, yawning etc. but I tried to concentrate the best I could. Some tears started to flow during the warriors breath and at the end of the prayer I broke into heavy, body shaking sobs. I felt very calm afterwards though.

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

Yes, indeed. First times, especially Beatha, were uncomfortable for me, so I noticed that I tried to delay it by suddenly being occupied with other things until it's too late to do the entire course. Luckily, I am not doing it alone, so I had an extra factor that helped me to push through it. It is probably related to the lack of discipline or just a feature of a predator mind that tries to avoid uncomfortable situations that require a bit of effort.

And it is actually quite interesting to observe how there is something inside us that tries all kind of tricks and excuses to avoid doing something that is clearly beneficial for us.

Oh. and I also noticed that I feel compelled to move a bit during Beatha as well. Maybe the breathing releases muscle tension or it stimulates muscles that were/are rigid and stiff.

 

[Gimpy]

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

Yes. :)

I'm still working through the resistance to doing the breathing. The pain was something new. I've had nerve pain in my face before, and currently I might be in a mild flare up of MS. It's also not uncommon for my body to pitch a fit over emotional issues etc. So pinning down the culprit to nerve pain can take a while. Taking a conservative approach, and not rushing into the full meditation is how I've been dealing with it day to day. It's amazed me to read how quickly some folks are going with the full meditation, and I admit I wanted to do the same thing, just forge on ahead....perhaps that may be why 'the brakes' have been put on in some way?

Hmmm. Well, whether its just the MS acting up, or the pain is a sign to slow down, I'll be reining in the enthusiasm to be sure I don't bust a gasket. :D

I figure it can run the gamut: from tingling toes to feeling like I've been hit by a city bus. ;) So I'm going to be going sssssllllloooowww.

Anyone else running into nerve pain? You can't miss it, it's like being hit by lightning. :(

 

[NormaRegula]

I definitely had that "skip" sensation occur, as if everything just sort of stopped for a moment. The best way I can think of to describe it would be a TV when the channel skips just a bit. It only lasted a quick second, but I felt it throughout my entire body...

Same here. I get a few "skips" every session. My upper lip tingled once. Dreams are crystal clear...and sleep is deeper. I feel more alert during the day...not as stressed...and look forward to the Prayer of the Soul meditation before nodding off.

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

Shortly before my scheduled breathing/meditation, I'll hear a voice that says "You don't need to do this today/tonight...you're tired...take a break...get that project finished...you can always do it tomorrow". It's kind of creepy. I talk back to it in my mind and tell the voice something along the lines of: "Quiet...I'm going to do this, so just buzz off". The voice could be a little "I" within me...and then again there's this slightly suspicious feeling that it's coming from outside of me.

Well, despite that crazy excuse weirdness, I'm following through on a daily basis. There may be a day or two in the future where I skip it due to illness or whatever. Laura's suggestion of not fretting and doing some pipe breaths and The Prayer of the Soul before bedtime is a wise one. For now, I'm finding the time to do the entire breathing/meditation exercise...and am grateful to Laura, the QFG, and Divine Cosmic Mind for introducing it in such a simple, concise fashion.

 

[aragorn]

You may want to try concentrating your inhalation from the throat & diaphragm rather than the nostril. It allows for much smoother and deeper inhalation in my experience. In other words, when breathing in through the nose, draw the breath in from the throat and diaphragm letting the air gently come through the nostrils into the nose but the emphasis of the inhalation comes from throat and diaphragm.

Thanks, Black Swan. I'll try that and see if it helps.

FWIW, a few more thoughts on this, which are just based on my own experience:

Like Black Swan noted, I've noticed that the nostrils don't get dry if one succeeds in thinking the inhaling more in the back, or behind the nose. Like imagining the "nose-tube" as a megaphone the wrong way - the broad end behind the nose. Actually, for me it feels like the nostril passage extends all the way to the throat and beyond.

One "problem" that I've noticed is that when one wants to get that constricted "Ujai-breathing"-sound (I always imagine the sound as waves hitting the shore) you can do it in a few ways that are maybe not "correct":

- One lifts/arches the tongue up against the palate, thus making the air passage narrower. I suspect that this is not the correct approach.

- One "draws in" air through the nose very(too) fast, like before lifting a heavy set of weights at the gym. I suspect that this is not the correct approach.

+ One feels wide in the nose and mouth and keeps the tongue RELAXED. The throat feels also wide, but there's a little pinch deep inside the larynx (not the outer throat muscles!) resulting tin the "wave/ujai-sound". I could be wrong, but I believe that this is the right approach. At least it feels like the most natural for me.

 

[RedFox]

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

Yes. Having practiced everything, I managed to do the full meditation on the day it came out. After that I have had so many distractions (both internal and external, but probably more internally) that I have hardly managed to do the pipe breathing let alone anything else.
Last night was the second time I've managed to do the entire program.

Shortly before my scheduled breathing/meditation, I'll hear a voice that says "You don't need to do this today/tonight...you're tired...take a break...get that project finished...you can always do it tomorrow". It's kind of creepy. I talk back to it in my mind and tell the voice something along the lines of: "Quiet...I'm going to do this, so just buzz off". The voice could be a little "I" within me...and then again there's this slightly suspicious feeling that it's coming from outside of me.

Hmmm, now you mention it...those are the very similar to the thoughts I've been having. It doesn't come across as a voice though for me, so I've just been following 'my thoughts'... :/
I needed some fresh air after doing the full set last night, and upon opening my window I noticed about 5 helicopters (in the space of a minute) flying past in the distance.....at least I think they where helicopters. I'm trying to be very aware today on how my own reactions, general law and anything else may be trying to cause problems/distractions and stop me from proceeding with this/the Work.

Anyone else running into nerve pain? You can't miss it, it's like being hit by lightning.

Not as such, but I did experience the start of cramp in my right leg/arm during all of the proceedings last night. In the past this has developed into nerve pain sometimes.
I took a magnesium bath before doing the meditation so am not sure if it was related to that. I also noticed a detox reaction after the meditation, so I am not sure if it was the meditation or magnesium or both that did it.....interesting stuff.
Gimpy have you considered transdermal magnesium for the nerve pain? It stops muscle spasms too.

I did the Ba-Ha breathing laying down this time, and found it a lot easier to focus on the breath.
I noticed this time that it reminded me of the book on breath work (I think it was something on Emotional Freedom Technique) I read ages ago.......each depth or breath (length of breath) seemed to stop on a particular chakra. When I was a kid I use to have a toy that was an enclosed gyroscope that you could spin the end of to charge it up as it where.....the breath work felt like it got everything spinning/charged up in the same way....is that the idea? It just sort of happened like that without any control from me.

I followed everything to the letter, focussed on Laura's voice. Somewhere between the last prayer recital and the "Cosmic Mind bless you all", I was practically crying like a baby. Just a few gasps and sobs really, but quite a few tears.

Had exactly the same experience with the first attempt. The second one didn't feel quite as emotional, but when I did sob it felt like my sola plexus was bouncing around...it was a pretty weird sensation.
I slept really deeply last night....I'm not sure I've ever slept that deeply before.

The pipebreathing and meditation seem to be really getting some of my programs riled up....one of them is actually a fear of being heard crying. Seems like its less of a block the more I do this though. Anyone else have any experience with similar programs?

So I'm going to be going sssssllllloooowww.

In some ways I think this may be a good thing. I'm not usually very good at picking up this sort of thing, but this time I seem to have done so pretty quickly.
In any case I think its useful to remember (with all things actually) not to rush or be hard on yourself if your not able to pick it up quickly. Practicing it and continuing to do it I think are most important, and the speed at which you pick it up is probably irrelevant.
Keits recent post on another topic really stands out with regards to being to hard on yourself.....thought it may be worth mentioning here if anyone is worried there not getting it quickly enough http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=13091.msg95460#msg95460


I do have a question regarding the Ba-Ha breathing, I find that if I breath too beeply I can get a bit overwhelmed (taking in too much oxygen osit)...so I make my breaths more shallow to compensate. Is this ok or is the idea to really go for it??

 

[Z...]

Is anyone else experiencing resistance to doing the breathing?

Not really, actually more I do it easier it becomes. There is something very reassuring and soothing if not healing about Laura's voice and it wasnt at all particularly difficult to get used to finish the day being lulled in this way.
During bioneregetic breathing and meditation part I did experience few times some extraordinary visual sensations, like being under this sky or all connecting mesh made of pulsating and glowing, sort of organic purple matter, and myself sort of being permeated by it ( its very hard to describe with words).

Objectively my sleep significantly improved and I have much more energy since I am doing this program.

But there is some resistance of a different kind, as it doesn't happen during the exercises. As it happens, shortly after I started practicing regularly I would experience odd pangs of sharp pain in the upper left portion of my abdomen. This was the kind of pain I never experienced before. As I continued with exercises this pain continued and it culminated last weekend with pretty severe attack - first it started like a big spasm of abdominal pain - of such intensity that i was literally on the floor hugging my knees, then it sort of radiated in waves towards my sternum where it became more of a pressure then pain, like someone has put a heavy weight there. For a moment I thought I am experiencing a heart attack. This lasted several minutes and then pain radiated towards my throat and arms and slowly fazed out.

I am pretty sure this is the part of some sort of cleansing process, I have always been quite healthy and it seems these attacks of pain were triggered by breathing exercises and meditation.
I haven't had any more pain after the big attack and I continue to practice at least once a day. As i do, I notice there is enormous quantity of mucus being produced in my throat, so much so that i literally need to spit it out regularly during the day. With it I have this funny notion this mucus is toxic and I wouldn't dare to swallow it. Once I had to swallow it - I did feel sick immediately afterwards.
Dunno if this was autosuggestion - in any case i thought it was worth reporting.

 

[kenlee]

What I do is to make my efforts to relax and listen to the directions that are given in the audio and follow that as exactly as I can and whatever follows beyond that will be as it will be. Each time I listen to the audio (as I do the exercises/meditation) my attention will sometimes wander (especially during the meditation part) and I must always bring myself back to listening to the audio, paying particular note to the instructions given just prior to doing the exercises and meditation. I need to be reminded of the proper technique each time I do it, at least for a while anyway until it comes naturally. Otherwise if I fail to pay strict attention to the directions each time (as given) then I can start to make stuff up by forgetting the original technique and doing it incorrectly without being aware of it.