The energy or tensity is still there and though it does move around it’s still more dynamically present in some parts than others, indicating the blockages are still a problem. I’ve been doing grounding activities for over two months, namely taking long walks and eating more and like I said I do feel better and am able to sleep and function (to an extent) but my progress can hardly be described as linear and some days are worse than others.
The upper frontal region of my body is particularly in pain and feels like it’s about to explode. Sometimes, after a short period of breathing (especially before sleeping), the energy climbs up and the spine is triggered and yes, the third eye and crown are again awoken, causing shocks that wake me up just as I’m falling asleep. Not a single night goes by without an aggressive spinal shock doesn’t wake me up in fear and interrupt my sleep. The energy may be grounded sometimes, but it still wants to climb up!
Which brings me to my point. I don’t think these grounding activities are cutting it. It’s like the energy won’t just “go back to sleep” and “wants to climb up” or settle at some point of the body but is naturally facing resistance. Grounding isn’t cutting it, so I want to do more.
The metaphorical mythology of Shiva (third eye) and Shakti (Kundalini in motion aka the energy that’s climbing up) appeals to me. It says there’s a technique called spinal breathing that gets Shiva to get down with Shakti wherever it may be at the body, instead of letting Shakti tear the nervous system apart trying to climb up and bond with Shiva. Do I do spinal breathing?
What about yoga postures to stimulate energy release/integration in some of the upset regions? Also why would Tai Che help? It’s a martial art not a yoga isn’t it?
I need a better understanding of what’s happening guys, please!
Hello again Piruz
Your first post was in April, the second in May; a premature awakening can take longer than a couple months to abate, unfortunately. I noticed this lesson was not suggested in either of your prior posts, so read through it to see if there is anything helpful there:
https://www.aypsite.org/69.html
I was not prematurely awakened, so perhaps other yogis that were can chime in here. Spinal breathing may help smooth out energy in the rougher moments, you will have to try it (in small doses) to see if it offers relief. My understanding about Thai chi practice (again, no experience with it) is it gently directs energy, so you may find it will move energy from those dynamic areas, again, it is trial and error and may not provide relief for everyone. I would keep up your current grounding activities and supplement it with different ones. Have you tried swimming or taking a long bath, or even a cold shower? Water can be very grounding, at least in my experience; drink extra fluids, eat watermelon and other juicy fruits. I have also heard undergoing a mud treatment at a spa (even lying down in freshly tilled earth) can benefit.
I have also heard you can talk with kundalini, and ask it for relief or a reprieve in the tougher moments.
Hi Piruz,
I recall a long-running thread on this forum, discussing a kind of block that sounds similar to yours, started by longtime reader “Jim and His Karma” in 2007. He introduced it with these words:
If it sounds to you like Jim was talking about the same kind of problem you’re having, the thread can be found here:
https://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3296
To change the subject a little, I did tai chi for a couple of years, and wish I hadn’t stopped. Yes, it’s a martial art, but the moves are mostly practiced slowly to begin with, so that you’re aware of every last little thing you’re doing in movement, down to the level of “subtle energies”. So then you’re more aware of those in general, and naturally seek to harmonize them with one another, and then with the energies of others and the surroundings. The result is that anyone who knows enough tai chi to use in a fight, is just really unlikely to get into a fight in the first place.
But the “harmonizing your own energies with one another” is the part that might appeal to you most at present. I actually think the warmup exercises my teacher had us do – called chan si gong, not necessarily a kind of qigong but overlapping with it, I think – did as much or more to balance out whatever was going on in me when I came to class than the tai chi itself did.
One more thing, about pain. The witnessing technique described toward the end of AYP Lesson 15, for use with distracting sensations during meditation, can be really helpful in general. (Link:)
https://www.aypsite.org/15.html
I stumbled upon essentially the same thing years ago, but I went a step or two further–possibly too far, you’d have to decide that; certainly this would be out of place in a meditation–and accepted the pain as part of my awareness and therefore part of me. I generally find my sense of self to be centered somewhere in the body; when I try to find where, it keeps moving around, but when I decide it’s behind my left eye, or in my chest, it’s as if my whole experience then organizes itself around that place. If I center my bodily awareness on a pain, with complete acceptance–being willing to be the pain–it always becomes less, at least for a while, sometimes goes away, and usually tells me something I can do to relieve it further. For me at least, it works as well or better on what seem to be kundalini pains as on other kinds. But of course it’s not easy to accept pain, and I’m often reluctant at first to try this method myself, even with a firm belief that it works.
I didn’t mean to post at such length 
but I hope something in here is useful to you, and, more importantly, that you feel better soon.
Put your attention just below this point (front/grounding blocks are below the problem; back problems are above it). And dilate there…like you dilate your ears when you’re in a plane, or your rectum during elimination. Don’t make it an obsession - self pace this so it’s just a bit of attention a few times per day. Any more will be counterproductive, so work staunchly against overdoing it. Make it a subtle action, small as you can. Do it for a short amount of time. And repeat it infrequently.
Your hot-headed bhakti-fueled instincts - and your physical distress - will want to overdo this. Stay cool! Vehemence is not the solution to everything (certainly not for over-vehemence)!
In my case, when my block in that area dissolved, I very quickly (within 12 hours) experienced diarrhea, fever, and severe kidney pain. You may have other “healing crisis” symptoms. Go to doctor if you feel worried, but if the doctor is mystified, you can usually count on it being a yoga thing. Just give it time.
As for “grounding not cutting it”, the activities you are doing are fairly mild. See the thread Jourdain linked to for other possibilities. But don’t go crazy, immersing in tons of grounding activities in a frantic, obsessive way. Devoted overdoing got you into this mess; rational moderation will get you out.
Take this as fundamental truth: you don’t need any more energy stimulation. Don’t mess with your energy, and certainly don’t stimulate more. Seek cool, grounding, normalcy. Don’t be super geared-up in finding and applying a super geared-up solution to your predicament of being super geared-up because you did too much super geared-up spiritual practice. Go the other way.
“When you’re holding a hammer in your hand, every problem looks like a nail” - Abraham Maslow (paraphrased)
Forget it. It’s not comprehensible. Be ok in not knowing, and seek equanimity in the silence from whence these fireworks shoot. You are the silence, and the fireworks are just more life stuff/mystery/sht/entertainment/problems to enjoy working through. If all the stuff/mystery/sht/entertainment/problems were to be eliminated, if all your ducks could be put in a row, you’d be so bored you’d be seeking out DVDs and computer games and rollercoaster rides and sex and drugs and rock and roll to try to feel something; to restart the infectiously entertaining stuff/mystery/sh*t/entertainment/problems that constitute your reason for being here in the first place. Enjoy the show. Remember you’re a spectator, you’re not the movie. You don’t really want spoilers, that’s just part of your geared-up-ness.
There you have it.
(Geared-up-ness is one of my problems as well. Thanks, Jim!)
Hey Piruz,
Jim gives some good tips in that thread. They are worth trying. Start with the simplest like walking a little longer. Maybe try dropping the idea of grounding all together. Think of it as a little more balance.
There are lots of options. I went the route of talking to spiritual friends and asking jonesboy for help which led to energy connections. Has it all been peaches and roses? No. That’s my path anyway.
Tai Chi is worth a go. Some do acupuncture or Reiki. Maybe, you are drawn to something?
Take care,
Lori
Glad to help.
I disagree with Lori about “spiritual friends”. Hang out with, like, butchers and plumbers. Go for normality to balance a surfeit or spirituality. Not yet more spirituality. Remember the hammer.
And there is not an acupuncturist or reiki healer in the world who can give you LESS energy. That’s not in their wheelhouse. Don’t go to woo-woo people looking to be fixed. They all traffic in increased energy and spirituality. They’re for people with the opposite problem. Tai chi may help (per my grounding thread).
You need diners and lines at the post office and DMV, not more spiritual stuff. Don’t go where you’re drawn - you’re drawn - duh - to super geared-up spirituality and fireworks. Go the OTHER way. Again: don’t treat overspiritualization with a spiritual toolset and mindset.
I do like the suggestion not calling it grounding. Maybe call it “normality”.
Hello. I was responding to the “There you have it” comment and being open about what I’ve done. I’d hate for someone to not know different ways. Like I said, it’s not been peaches and roses for me.
P.S. Jim is a good spiritual friend. Yes, I said it!
Take care,
Lori
And I, in turn, by “there you have it”, didn’t mean that Jim’s comment exhausted the field of discussion, or was authoritative except about the meaning of his own posts in the thread I had linked, but I certainly see how it may read that way. I should have taken more time over it.
It’s funny, I’ve read so many messages from both you and Jim that I feel I know you both to an extent, but of course I don’t, and if I’m not mistaken this is my first interaction with either of you, or Piruz. I hope I haven’t upset anyone.
This isn’t about me or Lori. It’s about you, and anyone reading along who might be feeling a similar sense of desperation. Lori and I are trying to help in our respective ways. That’s all. It’s about helping, not feelings.
Awesome!
Anything I can help brainstorm?
I’ve really come to appreciate Jim in th e last 2 years, a clarity that only a lot of hammering has produced
And I, in turn, by “there you have it”, didn’t mean that Jim’s comment exhausted the field of discussion, or was authoritative except about the meaning of his own posts in the thread I had linked, but I certainly see how it may read that way. I should have taken more time over it.
It’s funny, I’ve read so many messages from both you and Jim that I feel I know you both to an extent, but of course I don’t, and if I’m not mistaken this is my first interaction with either of you, or Piruz. I hope I haven’t upset anyone.
I think it's good to clarify. I did it in the post you are linking. We are cool.
Anything I can help brainstorm?
I'll let you know. Not my thread. Pruz, I have and still experience at times what you mention. I learned how to "sit" through it. I learned that OMG I don't have to go through this, but I continually forget. :blush: . I've learned how to switch the attention to calmness. If you want to do something, then go explore the Tai Chi. Not to ground. It'd probably be fun to explore. Take Care, Lori
You haven’t mentioned any emotional issues associated with the energy. More just fear, lots of fear.
The obstructions are issues and fears…
Why are you afraid of the energy climbing up? That energy is you, let it do what it needs to do. Your fear is what is creating issues.
Shiva is silence, so I would work on developing more silence through meditation to allow the obstructions to release easier.
With regard to the energy, stop being afraid and just let go, let go into the energy, be with the energy. You will find it is amazing, blissful… but you have to learn to trust yourself, because that is what it really is. You trying to help you…
Different strokes for different folks.
FWIW I tried that as my first solution, and discovered that further surrender brought greater energy. Surrender was what unleashed the energy in the first place, and surrendering the excessive energy of excessive surrender invites a vicious circle. No bueno, IMO.
In this forum one will find a thousand people urging overload victims to do spiritual stuff to relieve their excess of spirituality. If heads weren’t on fire, the illogic might be more obvious.
This is why I referred to Mazlow’s hammer (“When you’re holding a hammer in your hand, every problem looks like a nail”). Rather than stubbornly doing more of what caused the problem, I found it much more helpful (and much less harmful) to go the other way.
Also, beware what you wish for. Removing obstructions increases the flow of energy. That’s how this problem arose in the first place; an obstruction cleared, energy roared, and it hit, hard, at the next obstruction (and in my view there are always more obstructions, though I know many practitioners harbor superman fantasies of imminent squeaky cleanness). I’d suggest lightly dusting the obstructions (ideally via AYP, and maybe very slightly stronger methods, per my suggestions), and otherwise finding balance by immersion in the Worldly.
Different strokes for different folks.
FWIW I tried that as my first solution, and discovered that further surrender brought greater energy. Surrender was what unleashed the energy in the first place, and surrendering the excessive energy of excessive surrender invites a vicious circle. No bueno, IMO.
In this forum one will find a thousand people urging overload victims to do spiritual stuff to relieve their excess of spirituality. If heads weren’t on fire, the illogic might be more obvious.
This is why I referred to Mazlow’s hammer (“When you’re holding a hammer in your hand, every problem looks like a nail”). Rather than stubbornly doing more of what caused the problem, I found it much more helpful (and much less harmful) to go the other way.
Also, beware what you wish for. Removing obstructions increases the flow of energy. That’s how this problem arose in the first place; an obstruction cleared, energy roared, and it hit, hard, at the next obstruction (and in my view there are always more obstructions, though I know many practitioners harbor superman fantasies of imminent squeaky cleanness). I’d suggest lightly dusting the obstructions (ideally via AYP, and maybe very slightly stronger methods, per my suggestions), and otherwise finding balance by immersion in the Worldly.
That is why I mentioned no emotional upset, just fear of the energy. If the energy is hitting on obstructions causing emotional upsets then doing more energy practices is not the key. If you look at Buddhism, they develop a lot of silence before they ever start energy practices. That is in part why they have very little energy issues and kundalini as it is mentioned here is a very, very rare thing. If you can find a real guru, he can provide that extra space for someone like you or Piruz to let the obstructions go. To make the process smoother. If that isn't something you are interested in, then the next step is meditation to try and develop more silence to let the issues drop. I am a big believer in residing in the energy, in residing in the energy of the upset. It is a powerful way of working on the obstructions. If none of those things work or are of interest then stopping all practices and doing yard work helps a lot. Also, remember that energy that is roaring is you, it is not something separate and nothing to be afraid of feeling more of.. or becoming..
i’m also dealing with high kundalini energy in the past few months, and ultimately i think the only way to fix the issues is to completely let go. every possible scenario that you find undesirable will come up in this process, because your mind will think of every single thing that is not comfortable for you. but you have to just let go and still live life and do what you need to do in your life, such as be there for others etc. your unique deepest fears will be challenged and it seems like the only way to solve the issues is to just let go of them, which for me is much easier said than done. and after you tackle that fear there will be something else that comes up, so imo you have to emphatically let go/conquer fears in order to actually grow and settle the chronic “issues” with kundalini.
something i like to remind myself is that no matter what happens, if i completely let go, i will still be around to see what happens as a result of letting go. and if i’m not, then i guess i died from enlightenment, which seems to be the end goal anyway
Thanks for all the input guys I really appreciate it. Jim’s thread was especially informative and I really enjoyed reading through the pages. That thread deserves to be a “sticky” in recognition of its immense contribution to the forum.
The common theme discussed in the thread goes hand in hand with what I’m experiencing: blockages across the body, unbalanced energy concentrations in some parts and the “letting it be” approach making things worse at some point and inviting more energy buildup. Yet the symptoms described are not the same ones that I’ve been having (well, I’m sure they’re similar and stem from the same problem, but possibly require a different approach).
For example, I usually feel no pressure or pain in the head, between the eyebrows or at the crown (well, I do sometimes, but it’s not what’s keeping me up at night), and when I do, it usually comes after a period of painful energy buildup (both anterior and posterior) which, if I endure and follow as it makes its way upwards, terminates in some sort of vibration at the crown/third eye followed by an electric shock traveling up through the spine (this last one is a killer that keeps me up at night as it usually happens right when I’m about to fall asleep). It’s almost as if the the circuit is “complete” when the the third eye is “hit” and the spine is shocked, and I usually fall asleep more peacefully after it’s happened (even though it’s what wakes me up in the first place!). I’ve recently been getting more energy buildup at the stomach/chest (left side) and it’s slow to travel upwards so no spine shock and that’s making falling asleep even harder (notice how sleeping is more difficult when the energy doesn’t reach the spine and send a current of energy through it).
Also, you say energy moves up the spine but down the frontal region of the body, but I can always feel energy move upwards from my groinal area to my stomach and finally to my chest before (mysteriously) traveling to the spine and hitting the head. This up and down movement is a mystery to me. I need to gain more perspective on it because otherwise I will always be engaging in daily activity that might be counterproductive (or even detrimental) to my recovery.
Another thing is that you say one shouldn’t completely back off from practicing because it’s just as bad as overdoing the practice which is what caused the overload. Everyone else seems to disagree as they believe a break from meditation is part of grounding.