Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[Thebull]

Cold bath for your feet sounds like a good idea! :) Another thing you can try casper (if you haven't already) is to have a fan pointed towards you while doing EE. If the noise from the fan is distracting, you can try doing EE using earphones.

The cold bath for legs helped me a lot, the fan was running, doing EE using earphones (bother me "noise"), it was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing, but I believe that the picture was very funny :D

It does sound funny, did you have the feet in a cold tub while doing the ee?
Since it's been hotter in uk but not as hot as with you I might add. I would have a cold shower then practice the ee with the windows open at dusk time. It was really peaceful with the program and the final chattering of the birds before nightfall fwiw.

 

[Learner]

Cold bath for your feet sounds like a good idea! :) Another thing you can try casper (if you haven't already) is to have a fan pointed towards you while doing EE. If the noise from the fan is distracting, you can try doing EE using earphones.

The cold bath for legs helped me a lot, the fan was running, doing EE using earphones (bother me "noise"), it was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing, but I believe that the picture was very funny :D

It does sound funny, did you have the feet in a cold tub while doing the ee?
Since it's been hotter in uk but not as hot as with you I might add. I would have a cold shower then practice the ee with the windows open at dusk time. It was really peaceful with the program and the final chattering of the birds before nightfall fwiw.

Yes, it may have looked funny - feet in a bowl or a tub :D But good to know that it helped, casper, in addition with the fan!

And Thebull, thank you for sharing your EE experience. Sounds really tranquil :)

 

[Keyhole]

It has been a few weeks since I practiced EE or even practice POTS at night time. After feeling quite depressed for the last week or two I decided I would begin again last again. During the session, my thoughts were racing, anxious about my job, future, and just life in general. At the time, I was thinking that this was not a very "successful" EE session and had to really struggle to bring my awareness back to my breath and bodily sensations. Anyway, this morning I woke up bursting with energy, an energy to participate in life again. This is the first time that I have noticed a benefit from EE consciously. I can barely put it into words the difference last night's EE has made to my emotional and physical state today, I honestly feel like a different person. Now I can see why the forum has advocated and stressed the importance of regularly practicing it, and I guess I just simply was not ready to acknowledge that.

 

[Meg]

That's wonderful news, Keyhole. Doing EE and stimulating your vagus nerves does have that effect. Even if you just pipe breathe periodically during the day, that will help, too. I am glad you are out of your slump.

Onward and upward. :)

 

[SeekinTruth]

Yeah, that's great to hear Keyhole! Thanks for sharing.

 

[lainey]

I'll second that, congratulations keyhole! I'm so glad you have experienced the positive effects of EE. Keep it up!

 

[Carl]

It has been a few weeks since I practiced EE or even practice POTS at night time. After feeling quite depressed for the last week or two I decided I would begin again last again. During the session, my thoughts were racing, anxious about my job, future, and just life in general. At the time, I was thinking that this was not a very "successful" EE session and had to really struggle to bring my awareness back to my breath and bodily sensations. Anyway, this morning I woke up bursting with energy, an energy to participate in life again. This is the first time that I have noticed a benefit from EE consciously. I can barely put it into words the difference last night's EE has made to my emotional and physical state today, I honestly feel like a different person. Now I can see why the forum has advocated and stressed the importance of regularly practicing it, and I guess I just simply was not ready to acknowledge that.

Glad to hear it! It really helps clean up the system in times of stress and help one get back on track, especially if done alongside sauna sessions, yoga etc.

I notice more and more lately that, in the morning/afternoon after the evening EE sessions, I am brighter, more talkative and viscerally more stable and grounded on my feet. However the noticeable effects don't last much longer than this as the stresses of life begin to pile on again. My next steps involve learning to cope better with stress throughout the day and in the moment so that I do not need such regular time-consuming "clean outs".

On that topic, I think members would find this video particularly interesting. The gist of the talk is that breathing rhythmically and evenly throughout the day helps to regulate our physiology (and by extension our emotional and mental states). This seems extremely difficult for me to remember and practice constantly, and I'm finding it a test of willpower and a rather shocking demonstration of my lack of attention day-to-day. But, practice makes perfect I guess :) .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_fFattg8N0

 

[patty2292]

A lack of attention, I would agree Carl!

I've tried to implement these 'deep' breathes within work through out the day, whenever I remember to breathe properly, it hits me and it feels asif I Havnt even been breathing for however long!

Then taking a good few slow, controlled breathes with focus to actually feel the diaphragm moving, brings me back into awareness and a calm controlled state... Until I drift off into a minimal, most likely chest breathing state!

It really seems to be a test of will to maintain focus on simple breathing while on another task.

 

[Hitsu]

I bought the set and I was trying to transfer the audio files to my phone so I would have it with me when I travel. But it won't work. Does anyone have any idea why, or what I can do to make that work? My phone wants mp3 or mp4 ( I think), but when I transfer it, it shows up as cda files which don't play.

Convert mp3 using audacity :)

 

[patty2292]

It has been a few weeks since I practiced EE or even practice POTS at night time. After feeling quite depressed for the last week or two I decided I would begin again last again. During the session, my thoughts were racing, anxious about my job, future, and just life in general. At the time, I was thinking that this was not a very "successful" EE session and had to really struggle to bring my awareness back to my breath and bodily sensations. Anyway, this morning I woke up bursting with energy, an energy to participate in life again. This is the first time that I have noticed a benefit from EE consciously. I can barely put it into words the difference last night's EE has made to my emotional and physical state today, I honestly feel like a different person. Now I can see why the forum has advocated and stressed the importance of regularly practicing it, and I guess I just simply was not ready to acknowledge that.

Apart from POTS most nights when i go to sleep, i havnt done EE fully in a long time. From seeing your post, i planned to do it yesterday evening and through the day in work i was actually excited to get home to do it. Ive never felt that before, being eager to do meditation. In the past prior to EE I sometimes seen it as a chore, or a box to tick.
My thoughts, like yours, seemed to be on a vast array of topics. But they seemed to just drift by naturally, which happens very rarely. They normally get locked onto one thing or don't process anything at all.
Even though i fell asleep on the coach when POTS was ending, in the weirdest position ever, i woke up with such a clear mind and felt very aware. All tasks pre-work got completed with ease, with a healthy attitude towards each of them. When i arrived at work i felt extremely confident and had no stress or anxiety, or even the thoughts that i didn't want to be here. The day went by at a very steady pace, and i actually enjoyed it all.

So im very glad that you have seen the benefits of practicing EE Keyhole, especially when stress is high, as it has lead me to realize that really i just sit and moan in self pitty about my stress levels and attitude towards stress - yet do not take proper precautions to actually de-stress.

 

[SeekinTruth]

EE is definitely very powerful as attested on this long thread, including by you two, Huxley and Keyhole. In my experience, the most dramatic benefits came in the first few months of practice back in 2009. Then, there's a periodic cycle where it doesn't seem to have such dramatic benefits (as in before/after starting the practice), but then I realize that there's much more subtle and deeper effects going on over a longer period of time. Even if there are periods where my practice is not as consistent due to time limitations. Whenever I get back to more regular practice the cumulative benefits become apparent again, but on a more subtle basis than in the beginning. FWIW.

 

[patty2292]

EE is definitely very powerful as attested on this long thread, including by you two, Huxley and Keyhole. In my experience, the most dramatic benefits came in the first few months of practice back in 2009. Then, there's a periodic cycle where it doesn't seem to have such dramatic benefits (as in before/after starting the practice), but then I realize that there's much more subtle and deeper effects going on over a longer period of time. Even if there are periods where my practice is not as consistent due to time limitations. Whenever I get back to more regular practice the cumulative benefits become apparent again, but on a more subtle basis than in the beginning. FWIW.

I can definitely relate to that description SeekinTruth. Back at the start of 2014 when i was practicing weekly i was coming out in all over body tingles and crying continually. And then it faded, making me see it as not very effective. But after my previous session, im still clear minded and just feel straight. On the ball. I didnt think EE worked some kind of miracle, just cleared up and organised somethings internally. Leaving me with a cleaner machine maybe? To continue with work. So i just wasnt looking at the subtler effects it left me with.
Its hard not to see EE as some miracle cure for problems and a direct answer to life situations. Im going to set reminders a day prior to keep me remembering to keep a slot free for practice and keep intent on the overall long run importance of this.

 

[casper]

Practicing EE at the beginning I did not see a big change in myself, my thoughts were still very confused, my heart was in a very fast pace, my mood has not significantly changed.
After about 2 months, I noticed that my sinuses sanitized to easier and calmer breathing, my thoughts have become cleaner, more clearly I saw things happening in my area, the people I have established normal and slower conversation, I immediately responded, I gave myself more time (so that the required second -two) to think and then answer.
My dream has become complacent, to us it says: I slept like a baby.
People who have not seen for a long time or have not heard me, now say that I've changed, not only physically, more mentally, to be with me today to talk, to laugh and joke, I was in a word a completely different person.
My daughter said she was happy that her father had changed, that the difference is huge, I can only say - thank you!

 

[Learner]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with EE here. I found them encouraging and inspiring to read, especially as I started to do full EE again just yesterday - after a couple of weeks with only POTS and a little bit of Pipe Breathing. This had to do with my move into another place and involving tidy up, to make it a place where I can actually 'breathe'.

Before doing EE yesterday I felt stressed out - if this occurs, it sometimes has the effect that I see it as a chore (as Huxley describes), which just needs to be done. So it was the case initially yesterday too. But I decided to do it as consciously as I could - concentrating on it. And after it I felt stronger, calm and less drained from what's going on at the moment. Today I woke up relaxed and tranquil; and this evening I began feeling emotional - seems to be some bottled up emotions coming to the surface from the EE (I assume). So this made me aware again, how powerful this tool is and that it pays in a positive way, if discipline with it can be maintained.

Back in the past, if I did EE consciously as well next to the frequency, it had similar effects as well. Even doing POTS as consciously as I could (like being just with it - concentrating in it) sometimes worked pretty much. In the end, frequency of EE and doing it consciously go hand in hand, I would say.

 

[Keyhole]

Apart from POTS most nights when i go to sleep, i havnt done EE fully in a long time. From seeing your post, i planned to do it yesterday evening and through the day in work i was actually excited to get home to do it. Ive never felt that before, being eager to do meditation. In the past prior to EE I sometimes seen it as a chore, or a box to tick.
My thoughts, like yours, seemed to be on a vast array of topics. But they seemed to just drift by naturally, which happens very rarely. They normally get locked onto one thing or don't process anything at all.
Even though i fell asleep on the coach when POTS was ending, in the weirdest position ever, i woke up with such a clear mind and felt very aware. All tasks pre-work got completed with ease, with a healthy attitude towards each of them. When i arrived at work i felt extremely confident and had no stress or anxiety, or even the thoughts that i didn't want to be here. The day went by at a very steady pace, and i actually enjoyed it all.

So im very glad that you have seen the benefits of practicing EE Keyhole, especially when stress is high, as it has lead me to realize that really i just sit and moan in self pitty about my stress levels and attitude towards stress - yet do not take proper precautions to actually de-stress.

Thats interesting. Im glad you have also experienced some of the benefits of EE. I think its comfortable for us to simply moan about the stresses of daily life, but when it comes to building up the discipline to actually do anything about it we become lazy. I certainly do anyway. Like you said, EE can easily become seen as a chore that should be "ticked off" twice a week, rather than being appreciated as just a simply awesome opportunity to take an hour out of our busy days to get in touch with the body and perhaps learn something about ourselves. I admit that I often look upon EE as a waste of one of those precious hours that could be spent on "important stuff" (in my mind), whereas in reality that extra time is often spent procrastinating or dissociating.

EE is definitely very powerful as attested on this long thread, including by you two, Huxley and Keyhole. In my experience, the most dramatic benefits came in the first few months of practice back in 2009. Then, there's a periodic cycle where it doesn't seem to have such dramatic benefits (as in before/after starting the practice), but then I realize that there's much more subtle and deeper effects going on over a longer period of time. Even if there are periods where my practice is not as consistent due to time limitations. Whenever I get back to more regular practice the cumulative benefits become apparent again, but on a more subtle basis than in the beginning. FWIW.

I agree, there does seem to be a kind of periodic cyclical nature to this. When the experiencing of those obvious benefits dwindles, it tends to give me less motivation to persist. I guess even in those periods, this can be used as a practice for the will-power and discipline, and to keep going through having "faith in the process" rather than merely seeking immediate gains.