Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[Voyageur]

Not sure if this makes sense or if others have had similar experiences. Since receiving EE & PoTS from the initial dvd, have been pretty consistent with the practice. There are times when I’ve not been able to settle down (mind/breath) and stopped the practice, delaying sometimes for more than a day or more, or resuming after pausing to quite the mind. Usually this happens when mechanically reciting/breathing instead of feeling. The best results always come about, and not sure why, when adapting to the voice and cadence, actually hearing it, from Laura’s original recording. During EE, this offers a soothing tempo and ease of breath. During PoTS, the same is true with the added, I think, hearing of the original vocal harmonics, allowing for greater focus, comfort and awareness.

During PoTS, after finishing the initial reciting, sometimes begin again and then pause the words, meditate and remember others, reflecting back on the network, the programs of the inner self - the inner outer work, and the pains and joys that accompany each others conscious awareness. Since begging the practice, even if not being able to connect due to work and family, thoughts are always present, drifting in throughout the day, here and there of the family network here – the work that is being continually attempted and lessons being learned. This is all with great thanks that it exists for each. Life is very much religion and the practice helps one to remember, osit.

 

[Carl]

This Thursday morning's full EE with Ba-Ha was pretty intense again. Again, I had an unusual session, in that my hands and face experienced "tetanus" (with hands frozen somewhat into claws and mouth frozen into almost a whistling position) during Ba-Ha accompanied by more intense tingling than Monday. Again, this hasn't happened in a long time. I also had some tension build up again around the solar plexus area during Ba-Ha and the tingling included my feet -- but very mild there.

I imagine that would've looked quite funny

I had a very deep meditative state during POTS again and feel very energized once more. I only skipped EE yesterday this week for the rest of the days without Ba-Ha. I want to get very consistent in doing it everyday and Mondays and Thursdays including Ba-Ha again. I think it's very synergistic with the diet (and my recent experimentation with mild intermittent fasting) and general Work on the self.

Indeed, doing it at the regular time each week, and trying to find an hour for it no matter what, seems to help with results. Makes it feel like a more serious commitment for me and I put more energy and focus into a session.

Also regarding the diet and intermittent fasting, I totally agree. Doing EE in a fasted state felt more effective for me (felt a deeper cleansing and clear, focused meditation), and the longer I go on a clean diet in general, the more in tune I become with the Work. I think EE is a big part of this, giving me that regular boost every few days, and the prayer at night helping me process through dreams.

I think it is important to 'keep the ball rolling' in this way, so to speak. I am starting to really see cumulative benefits and feel like I am transforming into a different person.

 

[SeekinTruth]

This Thursday morning's full EE with Ba-Ha was pretty intense again. Again, I had an unusual session, in that my hands and face experienced "tetanus" (with hands frozen somewhat into claws and mouth frozen into almost a whistling position) during Ba-Ha accompanied by more intense tingling than Monday. Again, this hasn't happened in a long time. I also had some tension build up again around the solar plexus area during Ba-Ha and the tingling included my feet -- but very mild there.

I imagine that would've looked quite funny

I had a very deep meditative state during POTS again and feel very energized once more. I only skipped EE yesterday this week for the rest of the days without Ba-Ha. I want to get very consistent in doing it everyday and Mondays and Thursdays including Ba-Ha again. I think it's very synergistic with the diet (and my recent experimentation with mild intermittent fasting) and general Work on the self.

Indeed, doing it at the regular time each week, and trying to find an hour for it no matter what, seems to help with results. Makes it feel like a more serious commitment for me and I put more energy and focus into a session.

Also regarding the diet and intermittent fasting, I totally agree. Doing EE in a fasted state felt more effective for me (felt a deeper cleansing and clear, focused meditation), and the longer I go on a clean diet in general, the more in tune I become with the Work. I think EE is a big part of this, giving me that regular boost every few days, and the prayer at night helping me process through dreams.

I think it is important to 'keep the ball rolling' in this way, so to speak. I am starting to really see cumulative benefits and feel like I am transforming into a different person.

Yes, I totally agree, and am glad you're getting such benefits. I will commit to doing EE everyday (if at all possible) and including Ba-Ha on Mondays and Thursdays as usual. I've been skipping days somewhat regularly for a while and want to get back to doing as much as possible (without becoming obsessive, of course).

Now that you mention it, I'm wondering if the recent unusual sessions were related to the intermittent fasting, as I do EE first thing in the early morning.

 

[Carl]

During PoTS, after finishing the initial reciting, sometimes begin again and then pause the words, meditate and remember others, reflecting back on the network, the programs of the inner self - the inner outer work, and the pains and joys that accompany each others conscious awareness. Since begging the practice, even if not being able to connect due to work and family, thoughts are always present, drifting in throughout the day, here and there of the family network here – the work that is being continually attempted and lessons being learned. This is all with great thanks that it exists for each. Life is very much religion and the practice helps one to remember, osit.

You have puit this beautifully :) 'life is religion' starts to really mean something when you constantly have your mind on the bigger picture, though it is very easy to be caught in identification, especially when under stress.

Often if i'm in a situation that i dont quite know how to deal with, i'll think to myself "what would the people on the forum say?". This helps me make better decisions and stay grounded, not slipping into old programs as often.

 

[Alx]

Just thought I'd share my first experience with Éiriú Eolas. I watched the first video (http://eiriu-eolas.org/) while doing some other things, thinking I'd go through it more in detail later. I understood the basics of the breathing in-and-out technique from that first watch at least.

Anyway, fast forward to the night (2 days ago), when I lay down on my back in bed for my daily meditation before sleep. I always put both of my hands on top of each other above my heart/middle of upper chest, and rest them there. Not sure why, but it has become my meditation pose. Then I started testing this breathing Laura taught, it took a while to get used to, but then I got going (didn't pause and hold my breath much though, as I couldn't remember the timings). Mostly deep breaths.

As I breathed I could feel this intense energy sensation building up in both hands and chest/heart. After going for, not sure, 10-15 minutes, it felt as if I seriously would shoot lightning bolts with my hands if I lifted them from my chest. It was amazing, I could just feel the electric/energy just flowing, and it didn't stop. If I kept breathing somewhat steadily, it stayed on that level. If I breathed slower/more shallow, it slowly decreased - and if I speeded up or took deeper breaths, it started increasing even more.

When I didn't dare to build the energy up any more, I lifted my hands a little bit and noticed that absolutely soaking wet with sweat in that area, and the hands were covered in it, and the body was warm. When I moved my hands down over the belly, the buzzling feel decreased a little bit from the hands, but when I moved them up to the heart again it increased, as if hands connected with something up there. My first thought was that my heart chakra was spinning at a crazy speed or something, because it also gave a bit of a spinning feel over the upper chest. No idea though.

Afterwards when I returned to normal breathing, and the energy-feel was slowly decreasing this big calm feeling came over my whole body, and annoying high tones that I usually hear in my ear during the night when I focus on it was gone, replaced with something that felt much better and calmer. Touching the skin felt different as well, relaxing.

---

So there you have it. I'm not sure if I did anything right, but that was one cool reproducible experience (I did the same thing this night twice, same result).

Is it a common result, if so, how can I expand this energy sensation feel from the hands and where they rest, to thoughout the whole body?

I guess I should watch the first video again to learn intervals in detail and also watch the second one. But this was amazing, just wanted to share.

 

[ana]

So there you have it. I'm not sure if I did anything right, but that was one cool reproducible experience (I did the same thing this night twice, same result).

Is it a common result, if so, how can I expand this energy sensation feel from the hands and where they rest, to thoughout the whole body?

I guess I should watch the first video again to learn intervals in detail and also watch the second one. But this was amazing, just wanted to share.

As you can see in reading others experiences it is not uncommon to feel this energy but it is important to let things happen naturally as you practice the program without trying to force any outcome so that it works gently :)

 

[Ollie]

My experiences of the EE ‘formal sessions’ this week have a familiar pattern to them, wet-eyes and yawning during three stage pipe breathing followed by tears running down my face during PotS, in addition, on Monday I experienced my gut reaction again, from about half way through, and then coming in waves until the end of PotS. Not sure what’s happening here though. :)

 

[harneloot]

Gurdjieff’s talk, CHICAGO, MARCH 26, 1924

Can experimenting with breathing be useful?
All Europe has gone mad about breathing exercises. For four or five years I have made money by treating people who had ruined their breathing by such methods! Many books are written about it, everyone tries to teach others. They say: “The more you breathe, the greater the inflow of oxygen,” etc., and, as a result, they come to me. I am very grateful to the authors of such books, founders of schools, and so on.
As you know, air is the second kind of food. Correct propor- tions are required in all things, in phenomena studied in chem- istry, physics and so on. Crystallization can take place only with a certain correspondence, only then can something new be achieved.
Every matter has a certain density of vibrations. Interaction between matters can take place only with an exact correspon- dence between the vibrations of different matters. I have spo- ken of the Law of Three. For instance, if vibrations of positive matter are 300 and those of negative matter 100, combination is possible. Otherwise, if in practice vibrations do not corre- spond exactly to these figures, no combination will result; it will be a mechanical mixture which could be again resolved into its original component parts. It is not yet new matter.
The quantity of substances to be combined should also be in a certain definite proportion. You know that to obtain dough you need a definite amount of water for the amount of flour you want to use. If you take less water than is required, you will not have dough.
Your ordinary breathing is mechanical, and mechanically you take in as much air as you need. If there is more air it cannot combine in the way it should; so a right proportion is necessary.
If artificially controlled breathing is practiced as it usually is, it results in disharmony. Therefore, in order to escape the harm which artificial breathing may bring, one must correspondingly change the other foods. And this is possible only with full knowledge. For instance, the stomach needs a definite quantity of food, not only for nutrition but because it is accustomed to it. We eat more than we need simply for taste, simply for satisfaction, and because the stomach is used to a certain pressure. You know that the stomach has certain nerves. When there is no pressure in the stomach, these nerves stimulate the stomach muscles and we have a sensation of hunger.
Many organs work mechanically, without our conscious par- ticipation. Each of them has its own rhythm, and the rhythms of different organs stand in a definite relationship to one another.
If, for example, we change our breathing, we change the rhythm of our lungs; but since everything is connected, other rhythms also gradually begin to change. If we go on with this breathing for a long time it may change the rhythm of all the organs. For instance, the rhythm of the stomach will change. And the stomach has its own habits, it needs a certain time to digest food; say, for example, the food must lie there an hour. If the rhythm of the stomach changes, food may pass through more quickly and the stomach will not have time to take from it all it needs. In another place the reverse may occur.
It is a thousand times better not to interfere with our machine, to leave it in bad condition rather than correct it without knowledge. For the human organism is a very complicated apparatus containing many organs with different rhythms and different requirements, and many organs are connected with one another. Either everything must be changed or nothing, otherwise instead of good one may do harm. Artificial breathing is the cause of many illnesses. Only accidentally, in isolated cases where a man manages to stop in time, does he avoid harming himself. If a man practices it long, the results are always bad.
To work on oneself one must know every screw, every nail of one’s machine—then you will know what to do. But if you know a little and try, you may lose a great deal. The risk is great, for the machine is very complicated. It has very small screws which can be easily damaged, and if you push harder you may break them. And these screws cannot be bought in a shop.
One must be very careful. When you know, it is another thing. If anyone here is experimenting with breathing, it is better to stop while there is still time.

 

[Hesper]

Gurdjieff’s talk, CHICAGO, MARCH 26, 1924

Most of us have read Gurdjieff. Have you read this thread?

 

[aragorn]

Since I'm waking up very early these days (like 4 or 5AM), I've started doing the full EE program at those "odd hours". I take a spare mattress to our living room and lie down on it with a blanket. This seems to suit me very well, and I can focus so much better compared to doing EE in the evening, like I used to.

This morning, after the Ba-Ha part, I saw smoke drifting behind my closed eye lids. Don't know what that was all about, pretty strange.

 

[Iron]

Its really unfortunate that people dont get that Gurdjieff was working with what he had at the time, so, many things could not be said directly for fear of people doing stupid things.
We are not in Gurdjieff's time. Your "warning" about breathing exercises falls flat on the face of the evidence of how the vagus nerve works to regulate breathing, cardiovascular and enteric patterns. There is no need to mistify something that science actually understand the workings.
So, no need to worry harneloot, those wrong exercises we do actually produce tangible positive results.
Aren't we a lucky bunch?

 

[aragorn]

Its really unfortunate that people dont get that Gurdjieff was working with what he had at the time, so, many things could not be said directly for fear of people doing stupid things.
We are not in Gurdjieff's time. Your "warning" about breathing exercises falls flat on the face of the evidence of how the vagus nerve works to regulate breathing, cardiovascular and enteric patterns. There is no need to mistify something that science actually understand the workings.
So, no need to worry harneloot, those wrong exercises we do actually produce tangible positive results.
Aren't we a lucky bunch?

And that's why it's important to watch carefully the instructional videos on EE, and read the instructions before practising. Or, even better, to participate in an EE class with a certified instructor. My take on what G is saying, is that many times people rush into doing things, "to get a quick fix", without proper understanding. And this is more dangerous than not doing it at all. This we've seen her on the forum many times, particularly with the dietary recommendations.

 

[Tristan]

Finishing full EE breathing program today I had a vision of a dragonfly

 

[Ollie]

For the last two weeks whilst doing the global ‘formal’ EE sessions on Mondays and Thursdays, have had as standing out a deep sense of inner despair during PotS, along with the usual wet eyes during three stage breathing turning into tears running down my face during PotS, and wide yawns throughout.

 

[Tristan]

I found this about dragonflies and its symbolism:

Native American Elder and Turtle Island Storyteller, Agnes Baker-Pilgrim, is the chairwoman of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, 13 elders of various global tribes who have banded together to travel this earth and bring their peace and wisdom to our clashing urban ways. She tells a story of Daldal, the dragonfly, saying:

Some of the animal stories tell of the dragonfly – dal dal. The dragonfly is a transformer of the people because they believed they went to the Star Nation and came back as dragonflies. Dragonflies were born in water like us and like us when they are born and come out of the water they can’t go back to where we were all water babies. Water will always attract the two-legged people of this earth” (http://www.turtleislandstorytellers.net/tis_oregon/transcript_a_pilgrim.htm)

.

And something else:

Ted Andrews, a brilliant mind who understood the guidance and blessings animals bring us, notes that dragonflies have:

Similar symbology around the world. To the Japanese, they are symbols of new joy and light, and many traditions speak of how they are the dragons of old in a new expression. When dragonfly appears, it is time to trust in the power of light. (164)

Jamie Sams and David Carson rely on Native American wisdom in their description of dragonfly. They say:

Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment, and the communications from the elemental world. This elemental world is made up of the tiny spirits of plants, and of the elements air, earth, fire, and water. In essence, this world is full of nature spirits…If you feel the need for change, call on Dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation…Follow Dragonfly to the place inside your body where magic is still alive, and drink deeply of its power. This strength belongs to you. It is the power of becoming the illusion. This ability is ever changing, and contains within it the knowledge that you are creating it all. (145-146)

Source: http://dragonflyhealing.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/dragonfly-symbolism/