Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[Mountain Crown]

In the past, when I practiced some pranayam, advice was given to do breathing exercises on an empty stomach only. Whereas it makes sense not to do it on a full stomach, I would like anyone's input as to how long after eating would be best.

 

[Lorraine]

In the past, when I practiced some pranayam, advice was given to do breathing exercises on an empty stomach only. Whereas it makes sense not to do it on a full stomach, I would like anyone's input as to how long after eating would be best.

That's a hard one, especially when most forum members are working all day and have their main meal at night. I would say that 3 hours after a meal should be ok.

For me that makes it rather late in the night when I start the meditation and that's probably why I can't stay awake through Laura's Prayer for the Soul, no matter how hard I try.

 

[gaman]

After going to bed, I've been doing a session of pipe breathing before the prayer meditation. I wear a CPAP mask and I'm wondering if the extra pressure in the throat when breathing out in the mask during the exercises would be detrimental or less effective for vagus nerve stimulation. Does anyone have any ideas about this since I don't have enough knowledge of physiology?

You stimulate the vagus nerve with the pipe breathing and the belly breathing. I understand that the out-breath is longer than the in-breath, in order to expel the "extra" air that gets retained from a "superficial breathing". This is why the breathing exercise is so useful in problems like asthma and other "out breath"-obstructive pulmonary dis-eases where there is always retained air.

The CPAP mask physiology is different. I'll do some searching and post it here if I find something relevant. But if you have an indication to wear a CPAP mask, then the CPAP mask will prevent your lungs from collapsing during the prolonged out-breath, but you will still be bringing plenty of oxygen to your lungs with the breathing exercises and your vagus nerve will still be stimulated.

Thanks Psyche! You have answered my concern / question. I am glad that it probably isn't detrimental to the follow-on prayer meditation.

 

[Iron]

After starting the breathing program, one of the things that I have noticed is that the programs are more active ; Im becoming aware of patterns in me that i ignored!

Seeing "man as the monster he is" as the saying goes.

I have other pressing questions about the nature of giving, that go directly into what im going though right now in my life, dating someone who is ruled by moody emotions... The metaphor of Sulphur as the smoky, dodgy feelings, makes tremendous sense.

Anyway , in practice one gets to know how to know when one is asking, and im following Laura's advice of learning about manipulation ( I have Read "Who's pulling your strings? how to break the cycle of manipulation and regain control of your life" was usefull to me) and personality disorders ( Right now reading the Myth of Sanity, and reading online about Borderline disorder)

 

[Andrew]

Ok I'd like to report my experience just now before I forget it.


During the ending portion of tonights meditation exercise I had a semi-lucid/astral experience, truthfully I don't know how to classify it. So I'll just try and explain.

At some point during the meditation I "zoned out" but this time I was semi-aware of where I was. Or maybe I was asleep...Like I said I don't know how to classify this experience cause I was there, but wasn't at the same time...Anyways I was no longer laying in my bed doing my meditation although I was aware of my physical being in my bed if that makes sense. But whatever I was at that moment, wasn't physical.

Instead of laying in my bed in the center of the room I found myself sitting at the end of my bed smoking a cigarette. Now I haven't smoked in a while, and when I do I don't smoke in my room so I knew something was off here...and I went to flick my ash and a couple ashes landed on my bed that were still lit. I started to go to pat the lit ashes as I didn't want to burn holes in my bed. But all of a sudden my perceptual field started to daze out. I knew my focus (to put out the ashes) but my awareness and perception were wobbling back and forth, reminded me of the effect when one has too much to drink.

The problem here was that this effect got so strong I was no longer able to keep my focus on putting the ashes and attempts to do so became futile. My body all of a sudden went weightless and I'm very familiar with this feeling as I've had it several times in the past and it always precedes some sort of out of body experience.

All of a sudden I started to lift up where I was and I felt myself being pulled back to the center of my room. It was at this moment that I heard myself speak although I hadn't said a word. Neither in my bed (where my physical being was) and neither in this dream state -- It came from somewhere else.

But I heard myself say as I was being pulled: "Oh no! It's happening"--in a very non-concerned sarcastic tone and then I chuckled.

It was at this point that I came back to where I was in my bed and I had to get up. Although I wasn't concerned in the state I was in, I was at some other level and became anxious of attack and nervousness rushed over me and I had to come back to my body. These experiences always tend to shake me up a little. Just the feeling it generates -- Idk its hard to overcome.

This is the first time anything like this has occurred for me using this meditation program. I just wish I wasn't such a chicken and would have stayed to see where the experience was taking me...

There's is one continual effect that I've been having this past week that I'd like to ask about. Lately, while doing diaphragmatic breathing I've noticed that sometimes during exhalation I get a sudden heat wave that goes over my body and I get this tingling feeling at the bottoms of my feet. The feeling generally lasts for about a second or so. Been meaning to ask about this but wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fly by thing. I think it's related to the breathing exercises.

Anyone experience something similar?

 

[Oxajil]

Lately, while doing diaphragmatic breathing I've noticed that sometimes during exhalation I get a sudden heat wave that goes over my body and I get this tingling feeling at the bottoms of my feet. The feeling generally lasts for about a second or so. Been meaning to ask about this but wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fly by thing. I think it's related to the breathing exercises.

Anyone experience something similar?

Yes, I've been experiencing the same. I always get that feeling when I'm doing the Prayer position from the warming-up, though I don't get a tingling feeling at the bottoms of my feet, but I do feel this heat wave. It's the same heat wave I experience when I meditate.

 

[mada85]

Last night, after I lay down in preparation for the Prayer of the Soul, I was overcome by the most intense feeling of joy, which permeated every cell of my body. Laura's voice was an anchor and helped me to remain with the experience rather than flying off into 'ecstatic thoughts' in my mind. And this morning the experience is still echoing within me.

 

[Iconoclast]

At the beginning of the last section, Laura invites us to do a few pipe breaths. She counts off two of them, and then suggests that we continue the pipe breathing until our bodies naturally begin to breath normally. As I see it, the pipes breaths help us to relax after the more strenuous BA-HA breathing. It is preparation for the Prayer of the Soul.

The breathing during the recitation of the Prayer of the Soul is not pipe breathing. So the way I do it is to continue the pipe breathing until I feel relaxed, and then when Laura begins reciting the Prayer of the Soul, I breath normally.

At least that is how I understand it.

hm, the changeover from BAHA to the meditation is the part of the program that gives me the most problems.
i love the BAHA and the feeling that comes with it. when it is over i just want to breathe extremely slow and deeply. the pipe breaths pretty quickly counteract the sensations from BAHA and before the meditation begins, almost none of the BAHA feeling is left.


is it correct, what you write, Galahad, that during the meditation we should NOT be using pipe breath? only during the change from BAHA to the med?

i would prefer that - since my focus on doing the pipe breaths correctly constricts my ability to try to get into a meditative state (something that is very hard for me to begin with)

 

[mada85]

i love the BAHA and the feeling that comes with it. when it is over i just want to breathe extremely slow and deeply. the pipe breaths pretty quickly counteract the sensations from BAHA and before the meditation begins, almost none of the BAHA feeling is left.

At the end of Beatha you could try putting your MP3 player (or whatever you use) on pause while you enjoy the deep slow breathing, and then resume with the Prayer of the Soul when you are ready.

I do the three stage and Beatha breathing sitting, then pause the audio (MP3 player) while I lie down and prepare for the meditative portion.

At the beginning of the last section, Laura invites us to do a few pipe breaths. She counts off two of them, and then suggests that we continue the pipe breathing until our bodies naturally begin to breath normally.

I find that the 6-3-9-3 format of pipe breathing does not fit with the Prayer, but as Laura wrote earlier in this thread (I think, but can’t find it right now) you can listen to the Prayer without timing your breathing to it.

Having started the Prayer section with pipe breathing, I find that my body does automatically revert to normal breathing during the Prayer section, at which point I breathe in and out in time with the phrases of the prayer.

 

[Andrew]

is it correct, what you write, Galahad, that during the meditation we should NOT be using pipe breath? only during the change from BAHA to the med?

Hey Iconoclast, I apologize for answering when you specifically requested Galahad, but I thought I'd just mention that during the transition from BAHA to the Meditation Laura says to "continue to breathe this way (meaning pipe-breath) until your body automatically shifts to normal breathing".

So I think the answer is yes and no to your question. It depends on the duration it takes for your body to transition from Pipe Breathing to Normal Belly Breathing. But I'm not sure how much of a problem it would be, if any, if you just switched to normal breathing after the first few pipe-breathes. I find myself doing this so I'm not sure if it's something we could do or shouldn't be doing.

If anyone has any input on this it would be much appreciated

 

[Iconoclast]

It depends on the duration it takes for your body to transition from Pipe Breathing to Normal Belly Breathing.

well that's another thing... i don't know how this is supposed to go automatically. i decide consciously to pipe breathe or to breathe normally. to switch i have to make the conscious decision to stop pipe breathing. it's not possible for me to be unaware of how my next breath is going to be.
(hope this is comprehensible) ;)

 

[kenlee]

Just a couple observations here. One thing I’ve noticed while doing the pipe breathing is that the exhaling part reminds me almost of a ‘growl.’ There is something very instinctive about it and I get the impression that it connects me to another source of energy within me that can be utilized for protection, much like the kind of force that may drive a dog to protect its yard or something like that, and this is a source of energy that I normally suppress or society wants to be inhibited in me.

Also, there is the sensation of 'white light' surrounding me after doing the breathing and meditations. This perception might be a subjective perception of something objective, that is, my inner perception of this white light might be the subjective aspect of something objective that might relate to the 'being substances' that Gurdjieff talks about in his food diagram. Just a thought.

 

[allen]

is it correct, what you write, Galahad, that during the meditation we should NOT be using pipe breath? only during the change from BAHA to the med?

Yeah, that is correct. Notice that Laura has you do a few pipe breaths until your body returns to *normal* breathing. In the upcoming packaged version of the program, the meditation audio has been edited a bit in a way that hopefully will make all of this more clear. Also, you'll get a bonus track of the music all by its lonesome. That should be ready for purchase within the next 24 hours, so keep an eye or two out for it.

 

[Andrew]

well that's another thing... i don't know how this is supposed to go automatically. i decide consciously to pipe breathe or to breathe normally. to switch i have to make the conscious decision to stop pipe breathing. it's not possible for me to be unaware of how my next breath is going to be.
(hope this is comprehensible) ;)

Ya I understand; this is exactly why I change my breathing to normal breathing after a few pipe breaths. It's a conscious thing for me as well. So I'm curious as well as to how this is supposed to go about, or if like I said, just consciously changing our breath is ok?

 

[gotogo]

Also, there is the sensation of 'white light' surrounding me after doing the breathing and meditations. This perception might be a subjective perception of something objective, that is, my inner perception of this white light might be the subjective aspect of something objective that might relate to the 'being substances' that Gurdjieff talks about in his food diagram. Just a thought.

Interesting. I experienced a smiler for a few times too. For me, It is not consistent as 'sort of constant pressure" from the bone of nose to the "third eye"' and "electrified feeling" from both hands to whole body (even to my face now!) though. Usually I am closing my eyes for the meditation and the 'white light' appears in my sight and grows very realistically to whole scene (I remember it was very dazzling light to see...) and yes, I can say it became "the sensation of 'white light' surrounding me" (for a few seconds for me though). But after this I saw some very vivid 'symbols' appeared in my sight, here and there in random. Some like a part of ancient building, some like Crop Circles 'symbols'...

If there is a relation to Gurdjieff's food diagram, I think it might relate to La 6 but I am not sure. I would like to investigate more though. :)

Another observation I made yesterday is somehow I started to 'expect' the similar things happening again but this 'expectation' IS a obstacle for the whole process! :(