Overload! Fire is hot.

[spsalsm]

Ok, I should go ahead and admit that I'm one of those people that won't believe the fire is hot until I touch it.

I've been doing AYP for three weeks now. The first week went so well with DM that I added SBP the second week, and asanas shortly thereafter (I know, I'm an idiot I guess). Things were great for the next two weeks! My energy was stable, my daily activities were marked by a modicum of peace and well-being. I thought I was good to go for now.

Then I read that the symptoms of overload may not appear immediately...the effects are delayed. Then this last weekend happened.

It was a perfect storm. I was at my in-laws' house, my wife's sister and her kids were there (they always annoy me to no end), we brought our brand-new puppy (it didn't go well), my in-laws' dogs are bitter and spiteful, it was my weekend to get up really really early for my job and send out reports (so I didn't get adequate sleep)....it all converged to create a very volatile situation, and I snapped. At one point, I snapped at my nephews. I snapped at my in-laws' dogs. I was full of this nervous, frenetic, jittery energy that made me feel awful. Now my wife's whole family is upset with me.

Before AYP, I would have attributed all this to the conditions and the environment. But now I suspect that I am a victim of self-induced nervous system overload, and I should have known right? It's not that I wasn't warned.

So....today I'm feeling a little better but I still feel edgy and volatile. Last night and this morning there was no SBP or asanas; just 20 minutes of DM. I guess I should stick with that for a few months just like Yogani said, huh?  

[karl]

Yes. I think it's important to experience overload anyway. Touch the fire, feel the neat, stay back a bit further in future.

My wife noticed I had overload before I did.

[maheswari]

actually do keep the asanas...they are very grounding...also you can do any kind of physical activity like gardening...running...etc...whatever you like....physical activity reduces overload

do you rest for 5 minutes at least after doing your practices? skipping the resting period creates tension and irritability during the day...

stop SB for now  and stick to DM....if the 20 minutes of DM are still too much then cut down DM time to 10 or 15 minutes...you have to experience for yourself and see the session duration that works for you till things settle down again

all the best[]

[spsalsm]

Thanks for the guidance, karl and maheswari.

Karl, I agree with you. I tend to avoid pitfalls only after having experienced them and knowing first-hand that I really don't want them.

Maheswari, I do usually rest for at least 5 minutes after doing the practices. This last weekend (the weekend in question), though, I kept getting interrupted. Both during my practice and completely disrupting my resting period as well, now that I think about it. That certainly didn't help. But I wanted to keep the practice as much as I could, to honor the practice and keep the habit alive.

So I should keep the asanas? I really enjoy them. I can see that I'm already loosening up and getting more flexible, and it's relaxing. I just wasn't sure if it was contributing to overload. I should do more grounding activities....exercise more, play hard with the new puppy even.

[maheswari]

quote:So I should keep the asanas? I really enjoy them. I can see that I'm already loosening up and getting more flexible, and it's relaxing. I just wasn't sure if it was contributing to overload. I should do more grounding activities....exercise more, play hard with the new puppy even.

sounds very good[]...yoga  is a life time marathon not a sprint

[spsalsm]

I think it's fascinating, all this overload stuff. I mean, talk about a paradigm shift! Before coming to AYP, I was under the impression that all energy experiences were limited to the kind that you can feel in your body, like a current or something. Do you know what I mean?

I feel like this system is a primo way for people to learn first-hand what energy (or prana) really is. I had no idea that it could manifest as thoughts, feelings, emotions, irritability, etc...and now I'm beginning to finally have an experiential relationship with it. It's not always bliss and good vibes. It can be a double-edged sword, and it's real. It's very real, and has almost nothing to do with what we think it is in our heads. By "we" I mean those of us who have never actually done energy work and are largely ignorant of its properties.

I heartily welcome paradigm shifts like this, that remind me that everything I think and "know" is relative and subjective.

With Love,
Sean

[emc]

Whether asanas are contributing to overload or not is probably very individual and depending on the degree of sensitivity.

I have never been able to do any asanas without going into overload immediately.

[JDH]

+1 to emc on asanas.  It can really knock some energy loose especially if you haven't done it much before.

And welcome to the club of us who just can't wait, spsalsm.  The good news is that once you know what overload feels like, it's fairly easy to avoid.  The tricky part for me seems to be learning what "underload" feels like.  Two years after diving in the deep end like you, I am now going back to just DM to establish the foundation which I skipped at the beginning.  And I think I spent a month of just DM at the beginning.  It is worth taking some extra time there.

[LittleTurtle]

I agree with emc that asanas can add to overload. You'll just need to experiment. There are some folks who overload with asanas alone. Witnessed a major meltdown in a very beginner yoga class once years ago. If I'm doing only DM then my rest period is 5 minutes. But If I am adding SB, samyama, asanas etc, then my rest period is at least ten minutes. I HATE overload. Makes me feel horrid like I'm gonna lose my marbles. Make haste slowly and rest more than you think you need to.

[Etherfish]

Hi LittleTurtle,
What happened with the major meltdown in yoga class?

[Swan]

Hi All,

When I was in such overload that I could not repeat I AM even three times in a row, I have come back to practice through around two months of practice of asanas and SB, before I could say I AM again. So asanas has been very grounding for me.

As I see the other side of the experiences - that asanas can aggravate overload, what I am thinking is that may be it is the selection and sequence of asanas that makes the difference! because different asanas work on different chakras. If only upper chakra asanas are practiced then it may overload, whereas lower chakra asanas may help energy balance.

In my case, I have practiced sivananda sequence as suggested in the below link:
http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=9102#88562

Now sirsasana is there in the sequence which I practiced later, however, when I practiced only sirsasana before DM initially, I believe it also contributed to overload.

Any thoughts!

[maheswari]

personally whenever i feel ungrounded, doing asanas according to the sivananda sequence (mentioned in the link above in Swan post)  immediately calms me down....the whole sequence should be done to balance all the chakras...the order of asanas is very important...now i am might seem like a sivananda fanatic (maybe i am a bit lolll)....
dear spsalsm just experience, be honest with yourself and discover what works for you....if asanas do not work just pick up any physical activity that really makes you move...
keep us posted about your situation[]

[LittleTurtle]

Etherfish, as I recall, this was in 1979 or 80, there was a lady aged about 60 who suddenly crumped and went into fetal position crying like a baby uncontrolably. We had only been doing childs pose and only on the second or third class. As far as I know this gal was not doing other yoga. Fortunately the instructor who was an advanced student of Hittleman knew immediately what was going on and knew what to do.

[Etherfish]

What did he do?

[LittleTurtle]

Well as I recall he immediately saw what was happening and rushed to her side and directed us other folks in the class to keep doing what we were supposed to be doing, meaning not directing attention to her. She was in fetal position on her left if I remember correctly and he calmly positioned her onto her back and put one hand on her upper chest. He was talking so quietly to her that I could not hear everything, but I think he was telling her to breath. He sat next to her on her right until she recovered and if I remember well I think I recall him telling her that this sometimes can happen and to go slowly with her yoga. Vague memories here. I would imagine that he gave her private instruction later but I don't really know. So he basically was really present with her and had her breath and get out of fetal position onto her back. She stopped sobbing very quickly.