Question - Heart Palpitations: Heart Opening?

[Guest guest]

Sat nam,

 

The heart palpitations started only a few weeks ago, but I have been

feeling a heart opening for at least a year. A lot of tightness in the

neck, shoulders and chest area from occupational stress, emotional

trauma, and smoking (2 1/2 years clean) has released. The release of

neck/shoulder/back stiffness while building upper body strength is

feeling sooo good!

 

For a while now, I've been in this transition/learning period and a

part of me has mourned a loss of confidence and passion for life. I

was going to say a loss of knowing but I think it a loss of a kind of

naive innocence. Also I've noticed feeling a lot of unusually intense

impersonal compassionate emotions.

 

More than a year ago, I became conscious of the need to address

stagnation in the left torso, manifesting as potential disease, for

which I treated myself with KY, Reiki and herbs. For a couple of

months now, I have been practicing sadhana with Ravi Sing's "Yoga for

Changing Women" video daily. There are several asanas where the arms

are extended backwards and upwards which I found quite challenging at

first and which gradually loosened a lot of upper back and shoulder

tension. I also feel that the chanting of "Sa Ta Na Ma Ra Ma Da Sa Sa

Say So Hung" on the video has had a heart opening impact. Most of the

kriyas on this video are gentle - or at least can be approached that

way.

 

The heart palpitations have not been frequent, although they were

rather constant for a couple of days when I did a lot of walking and

not a lot of sleeping.

 

Today I started working with the "Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh" video.

This is the first KY video where I've worked up a sweat. I couldn't

get through it (not unusual for a first try). At one point I took time

to catch my breath. I ended with Sat Kriya after my heart began

palpitating wildly when doing the asana where arms are extended

straight out to the sides and move up and down only 15 degrees. (There

were several heart opening asanas prior to this.)

 

I am perimenopausal but have always had regular periods. I did start

drinking organic milk with yogi tea and started consuming a white

cheese, but otherwise, except for occasional fish, I rarely consume

animal products - haven't for years. I have read that dairy products

do not have their mucous forming effects when one practices pranayama.

There is hardly any pranayama on the "Yoga for changing women" video,

but prior to using this video consistently, I have done plenty of

daily pranayama.

 

Other than menstrual problems for which I've sought acupuncture/herbal

treatment, I'm pretty sure there are no medical problems that an MD

could diagnose but I am wondering if I should follow my instinct to

work towards mastery of the Kriyas in the new, more strenuous video or

if there is some dietary change, mantra work or other practice I

should incorporate? Perhaps there is something I am missing?

 

I'm thinking I'll continue chanting the "Sa Ta Na Ma..." mantra. It

seems to have a calming, theraputic effect after heart opening kriyas.

I've also been planning to start regularly practing 20 minutes or so

with a beginner's Tai Chi tape in the evening.

 

Any thoughts of wisdom, especially from the female perspective would

be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Linda.