We Must Be Educated on Pranayama

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Reading Jagganathji's post on meditative yoga, especially the last part where

he wrote

that practicing pranayama can be dangerous if one does not know the proper

procedure

has inspired me to write this post. I believe Pranayama is one of the most

potent and

powerful practices one can do. It purifies the Ida, Pingala and Shushumna

Nadis, as well

as other nadis, which allows the Kundalini to "rise" through the Chakras,

energizing and

cleansing each Chakra as the energy enters it. This can be one of the most

beautiful and

beneficient experiences one can have. If done correctly, different techniques

of Pranayama

can cure many, many ailments, and bring us to higher awareness.

 

However, if the practitioner of Paranayama is not educated on the correct way to

do the

practice, it can be very very dangerous. I have a friend who attended a

Kundalini (as per

the late Yogi Bhajan) class, and had an experience that left him ill for several

years. In my

opinion, "Kundalini" Yoga as directed by Yogi Bhajan is the most intensive and

advanced

practices of Yoga Asana. I believe is for the advanced student who knows how to

direct the flow of Prana, and also has a strong mind.

 

He did everything the instructor said, including, in my opinion, the very

intense

pranayama that is part of the Kundalini Yoga practice. Being a complete novice,

my friend

was not aware of the effects of Yoga Asana practice or Pranayama.

 

When I asked him how his first Yoga class went, he said to me that he felt some

thing

"Shoot out of me" during one of the more intense Pranayam. He said it felt like

"Someone

stuck a knife in my shoulder." The Prana "shot" out of him at the location of

Brihati

Marma point, which is the medial edge of the scapula, midway beteween the

inferior and

superior angles, Vitiation of pranic flow through the Brihati Marma point is

associated with

Lung dysfunction, shoulder dysfunction, and is closely related to the Heart

Chakra.

 

This caused him very bad physical problems with his shoulder, and also to have a

cold

heart. This was 3 years ago, and only after seeking attention from a Vaidya who

practices

Marma Therapy did he have some relief. However, the efffects of the flow-out of

the

prana through the Brihati Marma point still continue to give him problems today.

He

continues to have Vata related issues in the shoulder and the Heart Chakra. He

has found

many websites of people who were seriously hurt or who sufferred serious

psychological

problems after practicing these intense Pranayams associated with Kundalini

Yoga. So,

this is not an isolated incident. After searching the web, I too found many

sites warning

people about these practices.

 

In Ayurveda, we call this "flow out" of a Srota. On a physical level, what

happened to him

could be compared to a puncture in an artery. The blood would flow out

everywhere as it

would not have a channel or vessel to control its flow. When we practice

Pranayama, we

increase the flow of Prana through our subtle body and its system of Nadis. Like

veins and

arteries channel the flow of blood, Nadis channel the flow of Prana.

 

We must be educated before we practice Pranayama. My advice to anyone starting

to

practice, or has interest is to seek a good teacher. Books, tapes, and even Ram

Dev on the

TV is not enough education on how to control the flow of prana while practicing

Pranayama. A "safe" Pranayama that will not vitiate the doshas, and a good one

for a

begginner is "Anuloma-Viloma" or alternate nostril breathing, done only for a

few minutes

a day, and not retaining the breath untill one is more experienced. Kapalabati

or "breath

of fire" as it is sometimes said is indeed a powerful Pranayam, but one must

know what

they are doing and have a good teacher.

 

I welcome any discussion on Pranayama, its potential bad effects, and its

positive effects,

and any stories of being cured by Pranayama. As I stated before, it has the

ability to

erradicate disease.

 

With Warmest Regards,

 

Tony

[Guest guest]

Dear Tony,

 

Greetings. Thank you for the wonderful and highly educative post. There

was a lot to learn from it.

 

I came to know of the dangers of full fledged pranayama from the

book "Raja Yoga" by Swami Vivekananda. He very clearly states that full

fledged pranayama can be practised only if all the rules and

regulations prescribed in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras can be met. He also

says that in the Kali Yuga with the polluted environment it is best not

to attempt Raja Yoga practices.

 

This book prompted me to study books by Pandit Gopi Krishna. He had an

unwitting Kundalini Awakening experience which, as evident from his own

description, was particularly horrifying. The kundalini energy had

risen through the wrong channel in his case. Another book which

interviews Pandit Gopi Krishna also describes the experiences of J

Krishnamurthy. Sri Krishnamurthy also had an unwitting arousal but was

under the personal supervision of Annie Besant.

 

In our scriptures too we find that kundalini yoga is a merciless force

if one does not have the protective umbrella of a trained teacher. We

have read of the tremendous experiences of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and

Sri Ramakrishna, which cannot be borne by ordinary individuals. It may

take many lifetimes of practice before one becomes an adept in

kundalini yoga. In case of Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahashaya we see

that he had practised in his earlier birth also and his Guru was

waiting for him to be reborn so that he could complete the process.

 

In many forums I read of people who claim that they practice kundalini

yoga on their own after receiving Shaktipat from some Indian Guru. I

prefer to keep quiet knowing that such people will learn only after

going through some horrific experience.

 

In the Ramakrishna Mission centre which I frequent many young lads turn

up yearning to learn pranayama and kundalini yoga. The monks do their

best to dissuade them but we have seen three cases where very bright

young students have suffered irreversible damage after doing pranayama

on their own for long hours hoping to attain spiritual powers. One of

them still visits the ashrama but is a ghost of his former self.

 

I do four basic pranayama exercises for 10 minutes each (OM,

kapalbhati, anulom bilom and bhramari). I do it very slowly, without

any kind of haste and doing shavasana after each. I do not retain the

breath either during inhaling or exhaling. Like you said my own

teacher here also warns against overdoing kapalbhati. It can make the

body hot he says and says it must be restricted during summer months

when it should be replaced with sheetali.

 

I fully agree with you that pranayama is best done under supervision.

Regarding kundalini yoga I only study it out of interest and not with

the intention of practicing.

 

Thank you again.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

ayurveda, "mantra_media"

<mantra_media> wrote:

>

> Dear Friends,

>

>

> that practicing pranayama can be dangerous if one does not know the

proper procedure

> has inspired me to write this post.

[Guest guest]

Dear Tony,

It is good that you have brought out the experience of your friend.

After mention of breathing techniques invented by Guru Padmasambhava

and their benifits in some posts, several members have requested (off-

list) that those techniques be taught through posts. However, knowing

fully well that these techniques cant be taught fully through a mass

medium like this, author declined posting any details. Pranayama

should be learnt from an experienced person, who knows possible

mishaps.

Dr Bhate

 

ayurveda, "mantra_media"

<mantra_media> wrote:

>

> Dear Friends,

>

> Reading Jagganathji's post on meditative yoga, especially the

last part where he wrote

> that practicing pranayama can be dangerous if one does not know the

proper procedure

> has inspired me to write this post.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this information. I also read somewhere that there was a woman who

called herself practioner and she tries to raise the Kundalini serpent in

children. Is that appropriate?

 

mantra_media <mantra_media wrote:Dear Friends,

 

Reading Jagganathji's post on meditative yoga, especially the last part where

he wrote

that practicing pranayama can be dangerous if one does not know the proper

procedure

has inspired me to write this post.