The dangers of pranayama

[Guest guest]

Some time ago I objected to the practice of pranayama, stating that

it could be dangerous and was poo-pooed..I was not saying this

without cause: the Master Vimalananda, who was certainly in a

position to know what he was talking about, elucidates his reasoning

on this quite well in the opening pages of "Kundalini", the second

book in the "Aghora" series by Robert Svoboda. (No, Robert is not

paying me to schill for him). Now I just read, in an old copy

of "Vedanta and the West" magazine, published in the late 50s-early

60s, another warning against the danger of uninstructed pranayama

right from Swami Turiyananda, a respected disciple of Sri

Ramakrishna Paramahansa, back around 1910:

 

"Toward evening, a party of pilgrims came to see Turiyananda. One

of the men remarked that meditation is dangerous without a guru.

Gurudas reports that the Swami did not agree with him:

 

'Pranayama (breathing exercises) is dangerous without proper

instruction', said Turiyananda, 'but not meditation. In the sixth

chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita you will find instructions for

meditation'"

Lilith M.

[Guest guest]

This is because irregular breathing patterns can result even in heart

attacks.

 

Also dangerous when one have habits like smoking.

 

 

, "sephirah5" <sephirah5> wrote:

>

> Some time ago I objected to the practice of pranayama, stating that

> it could be dangerous and was poo-pooed..I was not saying this

> without cause: the Master Vimalananda, who was certainly in a

> position to know what he was talking about, elucidates his reasoning

> on this quite well in the opening pages of "Kundalini", the second

> book in the "Aghora" series by Robert Svoboda. (No, Robert is not

> paying me to schill for him). Now I just read, in an old copy

> of "Vedanta and the West" magazine, published in the late 50s-early

> 60s, another warning against the danger of uninstructed pranayama

> right from Swami Turiyananda, a respected disciple of Sri

> Ramakrishna Paramahansa, back around 1910:

>

> "Toward evening, a party of pilgrims came to see Turiyananda. One

> of the men remarked that meditation is dangerous without a guru.

> Gurudas reports that the Swami did not agree with him:

>

> 'Pranayama (breathing exercises) is dangerous without proper

> instruction', said Turiyananda, 'but not meditation. In the sixth

> chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita you will find instructions for

> meditation'"

> Lilith M.

[Guest guest]

The reason why pranayama should be undertaken with the

guidance of someone experienced is that most pranayamas

seek to generate prana. But prana cannot flow through nadis

that are constricted by one's ego-based issues and desires.

Pranayama (and Asana) are part of a wider context, some call

Raja Yoga while others call Jnana Yoga. Those who want to

practice pranayama need also to practice that which will remove

obstacles to prana flow.

 

Such practices include postive thinking; meditation; proper diet;

proper rest; following the yamas in thought, word and deed;

following the niyamas; cultivating viveka and vairagya.

 

Without these practices to make one into a fit vehicle for the

generation and transmission of prana, the aspirant will feel the

effect of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object

and all of the unpleasant, debilitiating and possibly fatal

consequences.

 

There are, however, breathing patterns that can be undertaken

by anyone in any circumstance. The first is to replace chest

breathing with diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing. The

second is the alternate nostril breathing activities that do not

entail the use of a mantra.

 

 

Omprem

 

 

 

 

 

, "sephirah5"

<sephirah5> wrote:

>

> Some time ago I objected to the practice of pranayama, stating

that

> it could be dangerous and was poo-pooed..I was not saying

this

> without cause: the Master Vimalananda, who was certainly in a

> position to know what he was talking about, elucidates his

reasoning

> on this quite well in the opening pages of "Kundalini", the

second

> book in the "Aghora" series by Robert Svoboda. (No, Robert is

not

> paying me to schill for him). Now I just read, in an old copy

> of "Vedanta and the West" magazine, published in the late

50s-early

> 60s, another warning against the danger of uninstructed

pranayama

> right from Swami Turiyananda, a respected disciple of Sri

> Ramakrishna Paramahansa, back around 1910:

>

> "Toward evening, a party of pilgrims came to see

Turiyananda. One

> of the men remarked that meditation is dangerous without a

guru.

> Gurudas reports that the Swami did not agree with him:

>

> 'Pranayama (breathing exercises) is dangerous without

proper

> instruction', said Turiyananda, 'but not meditation. In the sixth

> chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita you will find instructions for

> meditation'"

> Lilith M.

[Guest Jivanmukta]

I think the danger of pranayama lies in the breath retention part, kumbhaka, but I suppose the lay person does the exercises without the breath retention, which is not technically pranayama. Regarding the most obvious dangers, it comes to mind some famous people that died  as consequence of practicing some kind of breath retention to enhance sex... Anyway real pranayama always include kumbhaka plus the three bhandas engaged correctly so it is much more complex than inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the other, therefore it make sense to learn the technique from someone who knows.

 

Plus you have to remember that the ratio is specific and  increases with practise so you may start 1:4:2 (Inhalation:Retention:Exhalation) but the best according to HYP is 20:80:40 which is  crazy. And a fourth step (suspension) can be added after exhalation (no air inside body for a number of seconds) the the bandhas have to be added at specific times, so real pranayama it is a tricky business that requires technique and practice.

 

Chapter 2 of Hatha Yoga Pradipika deals with the practice of pranayama in detail. 

''The improper study of pranayama will make the vayu violent and will create disorders like hiccups, asthma, cough, headache and malfunctioning of ears, nose and eyes'' (HYP 2-17)

But I think it can be worse that that, it can cause heart attack if the person is not in good health or is reckless with the breath retantion/suspension, some people argue that too much oxygen into the head can damage brain nerves, etc.

 

What I heard is that some people get hooked in pranayama and kind of become a bit weird, erratic, due perhaps to nerve connections in the brain playing havoc, who knows. There is not an easy answer because masters haven't talked specifically about it in their books, they didn't say so and so became schizophrenic or died by doing this specifically exercise, they've talked in general so it is difficult to know.

 

Sensible controlled nostril breathing or any other type of breathing exercise without the breath retention is quite safe and gives you and extra shot of oxygen (and CO2 I am afraid) to the brain. For more complex exercises be extra careful.

 

 

[Guest Jonesboy]

Pranayama can be a very safe and pleasurable experience. If it is done right. The problem is when people go straight to the crown which can give someone a premature crown opening which can lead to a whole lot of issues. Another is not giving it enough respect. Kumbhaka or targeted pranayama like bastrika are very advanced techniques. Real easy to overload both internally and emotionally if you don't know what you are doing.

 

Alternate nostral breathing is a very common and safe practice to do before meditation. I prefer Spinal Breathing Pranayam as taught by AYP which is a much more powerful but still safe method.