The "Overdoing Symptoms" Thread

[Jim and His Karma]

Yogani warns again and again of the consequences of overdoing. But, ominous as that sounds, there's never been a collection of data points of what those consequences are. Of course, it varies tremendously from person-to-person....but this forum setting is an ideal way to collect some of that data!

There seem to be two different sets of overdoing symptoms: one for overdoing in silence cultivation (meditation, samyama, etc), the other for overdoing in energy cultivation (pranayama, tantra, etc). Since kundalini symptoms have been dealt with thoroughly by Yogani and in this forum, let's skip that, and just talk about vanilla overdoing energy symptoms). Also, note that symptoms can be delayed...a new practice (or newly increased practice) can take a day or two or more to reveal overdoing symptoms.

I'll start. If anyone wants to add on, please reply.

Silence Cultivation:
Light Overdoing: irritabilty, anxiety, disconnection, spaciness
Heavy Overdoing: flu-like symptoms

Energy Cultivation
Light Overdoing: twitchiness, restlessness, headache, bleariness, "burnt-out" feelings
Heavy Overdoing: worse versions of same symptoms. Also, premature kundalini awakening (and all the symptoms that come with that, which needn't be dealt with in this thread)


The other symptom I notice is that if I practice late, immediately before bed, I wake up with a groggy hangover-like experience. It helps to do post-practice rest before sleeping (i.e., not let the sleep serve as the rest time). It helps more to walk around a bit after resting and before sleeping.

[Jack]

Not sure if it would belong to silence or energy, possibly a combination, but when a lot of practice has led to a felt sense of 'bleariness' or fuzziness as I think of it, I notice a symptom I can only call clumsiness - dropping small things and making mental errors.

[anthony574]

well, i seem to be in a overdoing of silence cultivation right now, though i dont see how that can be when i only do about 17-20 mins twice a day as i always have.

[Richard]

See my reply to you in the too much or too little thread

[Alexander]

closed loop thought patterns, devastating emotions

[emc]

Don't know where you draw the line for "vanilla symptoms", so I just add the ones I experience now:


- Eczema type symptoms:Itching red rashes on the body, preferrably in arm pits, lower spinal area or inside thighs.
- Skin peeling off in facial area

- Constant thirst
- Excess sneezing and energy rushes in the nasal area
- Tinnitus, mostly right ear
- Increased sensitivity to sounds
- Restless legs
- Sore skull
- Very heavy sleep, difficulties awakening

- Very active mind (as Alexander mentioned above)
- Increased overall stress
- Exaggerated acting out of patterns
- Disturbed meditation sessions
- Closing down of particularly the heart chakra
- Preference to choose junk food when available

I also find it so paradoxical that an overload of energies diminishes the energy experiences. When I become more mindy, the energy reality fades away. The friction is not sensed in the body as swelling, floating, tingeling feelings or the like - those feel good energy sensations. The friction is expressed as all the symptoms above. It may give rise to thought patterns like "I've lost it", "I'm back to square one" etc. The closed heart also means a closed mind.

In short... I never thought I'd suffer from overload symptoms like this. Haven't happened since the start of it all 2 years ago... One month with a cold that never gives up, feeling so tired and mindy... The victim getting recharged here! Mr Smith and the agents multiplying... Gosh, it's really slowing the path down.

It's not as bad as Iced_Earth reported, but I feel the desperation building up. How do I get rid of it? In spite of walks, water, much activity in normal life etc it is just nearly keeping bearable.

Excercise is something I'm sceptical about. After having been to the gym I'm speeding like I'm on amphetamine for the whole evening... Why is that? It seems to build energies or is it only transferring the overload energy out to the body?

[Jim and His Karma]

quote:Originally posted by emc
It's not as bad as Iced_Earth reported, but I feel the desperation building up. How do I get rid of it? In spite of walks, water, much activity in normal life etc it is just nearly keeping bearable.

EMC, I've dumped everything I've learned from a very long time of very intense work and research in that thread you already saw, here: http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=3296
The Chinese herbs plus the neck thing have done it for me, though the neck thing can be overdone...got to pace it.

I'm adding a new posting to that thread that might be the best of all; take a look.

[yogani]

quote:Originally posted by emc

 In short... I never thought I'd suffer from overload symptoms like this. Haven't happened since the start of it all 2 years ago... One month with a cold that never gives up, feeling so tired and mindy... The victim getting recharged here! Mr Smith and the agents multiplying... Gosh, it's really slowing the path down.

Hi EMC:

Keep in mind that while heart and mind may wish to soar, the body needs some time to catch up.

Your bhakti is nothing short of spectacular, and I seem to recall you adding a mantra enhancement not long ago. Combine all that with your weekends with Bernie and whoever else, and it makes for a nervous system facing transformational challenges.

So maybe do take a closer look at the physical exercise/grounding side of it, getting more rest, and digging a few holes in the garden (when the snow melts). If I had to guess, I'd say it is your unbridled bhakti that is getting you ahead of your body more than anything else. That can translate into getting to far ahead in practices too, which can compound the overload.

If you can't turn down the bhakti, then one way to divert it is to take it to others in mundane service mode. That can be very grounding, taking some of the energy load off your nervous system. If we are directing bhakti inward, the load will be more in us. If we direct our bhakti outward, the environment will share more in the transformation. That is where it must go eventually anyway.

Note: I am not talking about "blazing light" service here -- more along the lines of changing dirty sheets and scrubbing toilets -- just being there for the other in need. Forget the blazing light for a while...  

Service is spiritual practice also, as you well know. So even that may need to be self-paced if the body is struggling too much in becoming a divine channel. We will know we are making progress when it is becoming pretty ordinary.

It all takes time. It is amazing how far we have traveled in a very short time, yes? Let's do what is necessary to keep it on the rails.

All the best!

The guru is in you.

[VIL]

quote:yogani: Note: I am not talking about "blazing light" service here -- more along the lines of changing dirty sheets and scrubbing toilets -- just being there for the other in need. Forget the blazing light for a while...

That's what I did all of last week, scrubbed a toilet, bathroom, walls, entire apartment of someone who was unable to do it themselves.  I agree that it's a great grounding tool, although we all do this without reason, because it's natural when we care about other people.  It also makes us realize just how unspecial we truly are when we're down on our knees making a different sort of offering to a porcelain god with cleanser in one hand brush in the other: LOLOLOL



VIL

[emc]

Agreed! It is amazing! And thank you Yogani for all advice and putting things in perspective.

You must be a mind reader ! I'm actually right now scrubbing my own toilet and changing sheets that cat peed on again (forgot the cover one day...)  and cleaning the house in order to host a "Coachsurfer" calling acutely today from http://www.coachsurfing.com where I happen to be a member. A religious Muslim from Kuwait just entered my house with a sweater having a big picture of Sathan 666 on it! I asked for more low frequent energies, and I got it! Perhaps the entities from the hard rock called him in? LOL!!!

PS The mantra enhancement was abandoned after only a few days and it was now about 2 months ago, but perhaps it got things going anyway... I'm back to I AM, and after reading 'The Secrets of Wilder' I understand that I until now have been saying the mantra outwards...[:O] It has been working fine... at least I thought so... Perhaps it's the turning of the mantra inwards that is causing this...? Gosh! Thank God I didn't understand that trick earlier! I actually now think I have misunderstood most of the practices, and perform them very incorrect.

[brushjw]

LOL emc you crack me up!

Here's my list:

- sore back
- tiredness, ennui
- extreme sensitivity to others' emotions
- feeling of vulnerability, like a snail that lost its shell
- diminishing ability to communicate
- intense divine longing with no idea what to do with the energy
- clunky feeling to the body

I had a very good meditative experience recently and my body feels incredibly fluid - the opposite of the clunky feelings noted above.  I feel very centered and energized in my base chakra.  It's a wonderful feeling I've never felt before.

aum namaste,
Joe

[emc]

Darn... the Islamic meeting at my house ended up in a huge light blazing session anyway... He ended up crawling on the floor, then laying on my lap crying while I was stroking his hair motherly, reporting on all the bright lights he saw around me and how beautiful I was...

I didn't do it! I promise! My only intention is to ground... I just can't stop what's happening when a person in need comes in a such deliberate way and all intuition says: Go! Go heal! Go serve! It would be a heartbreaking pain not to follow the will of the force... I guess somewhere I'm ready to pay the price of overload... But I actually felt very relaxed today. Perhaps it transferred some of the overload to him, balancing things out. I'd wish to believe that.

Joe, good that you mention

- diminishing ability to communicate

Totally agree!

[Etherfish]

"diminishing ability to communicate"
ha ha thank you. I thought I was getting old. I have compensated by speaking slower and more clearly which gives my mind more time to form the sentences.


EMC wrote:
"Excercise is something I'm sceptical about. After having been to the gym I'm speeding like I'm on amphetamine for the whole evening... Why is that? It seems to build energies or is it only transferring the overload energy out to the body?"

Me too but it is grounding if you do it right. I take a nap before heavy exercise so I can stay up late without losing sleep. i do a 2 1/2 hour aerobic class on sundays, then if I'm amping too much I do heavy stretching at home. This contortion girl shows the stretches first:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1658_contortion-basics.htm

I know, all you yoga guys, but I'm just not into physical yoga at this time.
This stretching is very grounding for me. You just go as far as discomfort, not pain, and hold them a long time,
like two minutes or more. What makes you sore on one day will feel good later.
in our aerobic class we are doing African dance now, which seems to be more grounding than other styles.

[emc]

Ether, lucky you to have all that time to take naps!!! Sounds lovely to be able to have a practice like that.

A question:

Does use of neti pot increase energies to a great extent? I would like to use it to clean out my cold that is not letting go of its grip, but I'm afraid it may boost energies at the same time. Is it wise to use it for cleaning out snot at this state or not?

[Etherfish]

"Ether, lucky you to have all that time to take naps!!! Sounds lovely to be able to have a practice like that."

Only once on sunday. That's the only day I can take a nap, and I don't always have time for it. It's an incredible class, and the teacher charges next to nothing. Truly a blessing.
it doesn't take any time to take a nap. it is stolen from my night's sleep. I usually take a two hour nap on sunday because I know I will not be able to sleep until two hours past my bedtime.