Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[nicklebleu]

Thanks,herondancer, for your feedback. I'm probably too harsh with myself - so I'm going to try to just go with whatever happens ... Yes, my sleep was a bit erratic the last six months or so, but got more time on my hands the next three months, so I hope I'll be able to straighten out my sleep a bit.

Hi Nick,

Maybe adjusting your your times from night to morning may help you.

I used to do Monday and Thursday nights, but I invariably ended up having a sleep for most of it, so I decided I would do the full pots after awaking on mornings, as there was no need or desire to sleep then. I usually do Saturday or Sunday and Wednesday, which suit me, and just the POTS each night, which guarantees I fall asleep.

Tried to do that, but result was mainly the same. But good idea to try to do the full program on weekends. I'm a bit more relaxed then and haven't as much on my mind as on weekdays. I'll give that a go! I'll have much more time the next three months, so I'll see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Oxajil]

I do PB and WB sitting and lie down for the bioenergetic breathing and the meditation, but most of the time I don't even finish the first set of bioenergetic breathing and I fall asleep - I usually wake up an hour or two later with my headphones on, just long enough to put them away and go back to sleep. [...]

The only way I can make it through the whole session is by sitting crosslegged, which is uncomfortable and thus prevents me from going off to sleep, but obviously this is not the solution.

If it's uncomfortable sitting crosslegged, have you tried sitting down and having your legs lie straight (_https://tagdaindian.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/sitting.jpg)? Or sitting in a comfy chair?

I must admit I am a bit at a loss by this as it seems to me that I don't get the full benefit of the program. To me it feels a bit of a slog - I still do it, but more out of a sense of "duty" than anything else. And no matter how hard I try (which may be counterproductive in its own right) the outcome is the same.

I agree with herondancer that you're still benefiting, even if you doze off!

The other thing that seems to go parallel to that is that I have a very hard time to focus and quiet my mind. I am only able to focus on a few breaths, before my thoughts drift off to somewhere else. I know this sounds paradoxical - how can you go to sleep without a quiet mind? I don't have an answer myself.

It's like a muscle you train, as soon as you find your thoughts drifting off to somewhere else, you go back to concentrating on the meditation, and with time it should get easier. But if you're going through difficult times, this can be quite a challenge! So if you can manage focusing your mind on a few breaths already, it is pretty good I think.

If you'd like to experiment with staying awake and if sitting helps you stay awake, perhaps you can try sitting down in a different position that is comfortable. I've learned that forcing yourself to stay awake/concentrated is one thing (and not good I think), but having a more curious approach and seeing it as a practice of will while being as comfortable as possible is another thing, and may be helpful.

But having said that, I agree that as long as you do the program, whether you doze off or not, it's beneficial. There have been many times I fell asleep in the middle of the program and woke up rested. :)

 

[nicklebleu]

Thanks, Oxajil, for your thoughts!

I like the idea of trying to find another comfortable position while sitting and to approach this as a challange, rather than as a fight!

 

[lainey]

I'm the same Nicklebleu, I fall asleep all the time. I just take it that my body needs the rest and I always feel better for it when I wake up.
Like the others said, you are still getting the benefits from the program.
I often come-to with the tail end of some deep conversation I'm having without being able to remember what is being said so I figured my subconscious is working things out while I'm away.
The trailing thoughts thing happens to me too occasionally and I try not to get distracted by it, I just bring my focus back to what I am doing. I find it helpful to create a picture in my mind of what each line of POTS means so I can really concentrate on the words and what they mean to me.
Thanks for sharing :)

 

[Persej]

I like the idea of trying to find another comfortable position while sitting and to approach this as a challange, rather than as a fight!

Maybe you could try meditating on something like this: _http://iremicon.net/81/lounging-chair/lounging-chair-gilda-lounge-chair-saffron

Something that is comfortable but that will also tell your body that it's not yet time for sleep.

Personally, I never fell asleep while meditating. It's virtually impossible for me because when I meditate I take a stiff position that makes me not fully relaxed so I must get out of that position if I want to go to sleep.

So I don't understand how others can. :)

Maybe you can try experimenting with positions of your hand and legs. If you put "lying meditation" in Google you can see that people use different postures.

 

[Persej]

I remembered that my father said to me that he cannot sleep on a big pillow, and my grandma couldn't sleep on a normal pillow (she was almost sitting while sleeping). I am somewhere in between. :)

So maybe you can experiment with that. If you sleep on a small pillow, meditate on a big one. Or if you sleep on a big pillow, meditate on a small one, or no pillow at all.

 

[nicklebleu]

I remembered that my father said to me that he cannot sleep on a big pillow, and my grandma couldn't sleep on a normal pillow (she was almost sitting while sleeping). I am somewhere in between. :)

So maybe you can experiment with that. If you sleep on a small pillow, meditate on a big one. Or if you sleep on a big pillow, meditate on a small one, or no pillow at all.

Good idea - I'll try that!

 

[Perri475]

I can't thank you enough for this program. I'm slowly incorporating the breathing techniques (as I understand them) posted online into my daily meditation. I'm excited to purchase a copy as soon as I can take the mp3 with me on the go!

 

[monotonic]

For the first few years I started EE, I seemed to be expanding my lungs and strengthening the diaphragm. I went through stages of different uncomfortable sensations. I would enjoy the feeling of fully expanding my lungs but sometimes I would feel I was not getting enough breath, and I would feel things pulling and straining around my diaphragm, maybe connective tissue. I think some of this is unavoidable. Nowadays when I breathe in to my limit I feel the strain evenly and gently around my lungs and diaphragm, no specific areas are being stretched. This indicates to me that I've maximized my lung capacity. I did not have to push it, but I think if I hadn't I would have stopped without fully developing or strengthening my breathing organs.

 

[SMM]

I'm the same Nicklebleu, I fall asleep all the time. I just take it that my body needs the rest and I always feel better for it when I wake up.
Like the others said, you are still getting the benefits from the program.
I often come-to with the tail end of some deep conversation I'm having without being able to remember what is being said so I figured my subconscious is working things out while I'm away.
The trailing thoughts thing happens to me too occasionally and I try not to get distracted by it, I just bring my focus back to what I am doing. I find it helpful to create a picture in my mind of what each line of POTS means so I can really concentrate on the words and what they mean to me.
Thanks for sharing :)

It's common when I'm tired to fall asleep during POTS; when my mind clears and body relaxes, and I wake up very refreshed!

I use visuals and body sensations to help me concentrate on the words and what they mean, for example - when a body part is mentioned, I focus on the sensation there and how it feels, how that sensation might look, fluffy or static, colour, texture, any images, etc. This really helps as it's not an act of passive listening/speaking/thinking - it engages all my senses.

I also use POTS to ground myself imagining energy coming from higher influence/sources through the crown character, through my body and out through roots sprouting from the bottom of my feet to the Earth-ground, etc. As an example.

Fwiw, thanks for sharing!

 

[Learner]

Thank you for sharing, lainey and SMM. I am often tired as well when doing POTS - as I do it right before bed, or because body and mind have become very relaxed after extensive breathing-work on full EE sessions. For me it seems, as if POTS continues somewhere in the subconscious anyway when I previously undertook the effort to recite it consciously as long I could, before not being able to hold on to it any longer and falling asleep.

Also, when doing POTS, I sometimes have images going on - sometimes on the lines, sometimes of POTS as a whole - and at other times I just concentrate on the words (which occasionally helps me to stay awake). Sometimes I feel like embracing something/everything while doing POTS.
But turning the concentration directly to different body parts to distinguish the sensations there and how it feels is an interesting approach, and something new to try - thank you for sharing this too, SMM :)

 

[Thebull]

Over the last two months due to my work and schedule practicing my EE meditation has come to a standstill. My spare time for me so to speak has been taken up with weights and yoga. Intially I thought that the yoga practice may be a form of meditation if done correctly and may be a replacement for EE so that's why I have let the EE medtaion slip probably in a sub conscious way.

With my busier work schedule over Christmas and family commitments I have limited spare time so EE has suffered and to fit it in I have decided the best time to practice this would be when I finish work on a night. I do finish work late, it can be any time between 10 - 12 pm on a night from Tuesday to Sunday depending on my shift pattern.I have no issue with pots meditation before bed and as others have mentioned on the most recent post's I don't feel falling asleep would be a problem when I'm really tired though I meditate in our spare room so may fall asleep there not my own bed.

My main concern would be practicing the breathing sections Late after I've returned home. I feel I need to include the three stage breathing regularly into my pattern. I am happy to practice beatha once a week so that would be fine as I can fit this in somewhere. I wanted to ask if anyone has practiced the three stage breathing before sleep and if it's has caused any issues getting to sleep? It is important I get a full nights sleep and any advice would be appreciated before I start this.

 

[lainey]

Over the last two months due to my work and schedule practicing my EE meditation has come to a standstill. My spare time for me so to speak has been taken up with weights and yoga. Intially I thought that the yoga practice may be a form of meditation if done correctly and may be a replacement for EE so that's why I have let the EE medtaion slip probably in a sub conscious way.

With my busier work schedule over Christmas and family commitments I have limited spare time so EE has suffered and to fit it in I have decided the best time to practice this would be when I finish work on a night. I do finish work late, it can be any time between 10 - 12 pm on a night from Tuesday to Sunday depending on my shift pattern.I have no issue with pots meditation before bed and as others have mentioned on the most recent post's I don't feel falling asleep would be a problem when I'm really tired though I meditate in our spare room so may fall asleep there not my own bed.

My main concern would be practicing the breathing sections Late after I've returned home. I feel I need to include the three stage breathing regularly into my pattern. I am happy to practice beatha once a week so that would be fine as I can fit this in somewhere. I wanted to ask if anyone has practiced the three stage breathing before sleep and if it's has caused any issues getting to sleep? It is important I get a full nights sleep and any advice would be appreciated before I start this.

I've done the full program before going to sleep and I didn't have any issues getting to sleep but I think it's different for everyone.
I know it's been said that warriors breath is too invigorating for some to be done at night time but I have never had a problem with it.
Three stage breathing is very relaxing for me and at times I have found that it relaxes me so much that I sometimes fall asleep during the beatha portion of the program.

 

[Jenn]

I've done the full program before going to sleep and I didn't have any issues getting to sleep but I think it's different for everyone.
I know it's been said that warriors breath is too invigorating for some to be done at night time but I have never had a problem with it.
Three stage breathing is very relaxing for me and at times I have found that it relaxes me so much that I sometimes fall asleep during the beatha portion of the program.

I've never had a problem either with falling asleep after or during EE, I usually zone out/ fall asleep during the beatha portion too, I'll often wake up when the end music is playing, but I can easily get back to sleep. As Lainey said it's different for everyone so it might be worth experiementing and see how you feel :)

On a side note, for some reason I really don't like doing the beatha portion, when I first started doing EE I was doing it wrong and during beatha I would go all tingly and dizzy, I now know this was probably hyperventilation and wonder if the feelings of not wanting to do it stem from that unpleasant sensation I first experienced

 

[Oxajil]

I wanted to ask if anyone has practiced the three stage breathing before sleep and if it's has caused any issues getting to sleep? It is important I get a full nights sleep and any advice would be appreciated before I start this.

I've done the three stage breathing before sleep and it didn't cause any issues, it's actually been quite helpful with getting to sleep :)