Guest guest Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Sat nam to all: I am experiencing some complications in my practice, which is not daily, but usually 5 days a week or so. I practice alone, not being able to afford classes. Here's the situation: About three years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention deficiet disorder. I have to take medication to manage my symptoms. I have tried to stop taking my medications many times, as the side effects are awful, but, this has been unsucsessful. I need the meds it seems. I worry that, all the KY I do is not making a difference due to being on all these meds. I can't tell if my practice is really making a difference in my life. I don't really seem to feel any different. Then I think that it's because I'm not disciplined enough. I don't practice for enough hours every day. Also, I get so overwhelmed with all the sets, the breath work, sadhana (sp?), the chanting, meditation: I can't seem to pick a routine and stick with it. 40 days of the same meditation is so difficult, because I have all these KY books with so many meditations, I want to do them all. What if I can't practice for more than an hour. How do i pick a routine? In other words, what is more important, yoga, meditation, chanting, sadana. does five mintures of everything make sense? Or should I just focus on one aspect of KY and do that? I think that my ADD adds to my **Moderator's Note: Any other ADD yogis out there, and what kriyas helped you decrease your attention deficit? sense of being overwhelmed with the practice and the lifestyle, although I want to live it so bad. One day, I hope to be able to be medication free through total dedication to the life of so many people that I read their posts here. I know it will be possible, but right now, I think I need someone to help me put together a regular routine, and simple things that i can do that will make me feel better about the progress that I may be making and the work that i can do. I would love some direction, if anyone is so inclined to help out. I really want to be a part of your KY world, but am having just a difficult time. Thanks for reading such a long post! Sincerely, Robert from Los Angeles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Dear Robert: I think of bipolar a mild form of split personality. I think if something happens in childhood that forces you to detach yourself from the reality in order to survive, one might develop bipolar symptoms. I work with someone who has bipolar symptoms. Yoga is doing wonders for her, but she also accepts to go deep into postures, she accepts to face the pain and face the fear that comes. and she gets releases almost every class she comes to. What I notice about her is that she can easily feel the pain of her childhood and as easily dismiss the entire thing and think she has forgiven. Something is split in her. I would invite you to relate to us your own experience so we may help you more directly. My guess though is that you may be experiencing something like that as well. Realize that all your mental justifications you have created are now the cause of the bipolar symptoms. (This is true for all of us that our mind's justifications are the source of much hardship, but even more obviously so with bipolar symptoms) Don't trust your mind's justifications about your childhood, don't trust your forgiveness. Instead go to your feelings and let your feelings guide you. Accept the pain, the fear, the anger. Let the yoga you choose to do bring you where it brings you. As to how to choose yoga, meditation etc. . . ? Spend some time sampling what you have in your books. Let your intuition guide you to a set. Call a Kundalini yoga teacher in your area and tell them your financial situation and ask them if they would teach that set you have chosen in their next class and if you could attend it. . . so you know how to do it and then you can practice it at home for 40 days. So you pay for a class once in a while in order to know how to do the set properly. If you don't feel an intuitive attraction to a set, I would recommend the set Flexible and Free from the book by Ravi Singh: Kundalini Yoga for Body, Mind, and Beyond. It's a great set for beginners and it helps release muscle memory from trauma. I don't recommend doing it alone like this. But if it is all you can afford for now it is better to pay for a class once every so often than not at all. All the information we are able to give you online is not the same as experiencing the teaching in person. Best wishes, Awtar S. Rochester, NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 I am just a beginner in this practice myself But I too have add and am not able to do it all the time it is recommended but I except this at of all the posts that I have read it seems like acceptance is part of thing what has helped me on meditation is excepting my limitations and listening to music to let my mind think about it. I am unmedicated always have been and when I need to concentrate I use music with no words or words that don't make sense to me this seems to help when I get really bad I sometimes take the herb skullcap this is a tranquilizer but helps for me hope this helps. I am not saying stop takeing your medicine this is totally your decision but maybe you should try some music next time you meditate it worked for me hope this helps. --- robert <rootenberg wrote: > Sat nam to all: > > I am experiencing some complications in my > practice, which is not daily, but usually 5 > days a week or so. I practice alone, not being able > to afford classes. Here's the situation: > About three years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar > disorder and attention deficiet > disorder. I have to take medication to manage my > symptoms. I have tried to stop taking > my medications many times, as the side effects are > awful, but, this has been unsucsessful. > I need the meds it seems. I worry that, all the KY > I do is not making a difference due to > being on all these meds. I can't tell if my > practice is really making a difference in my life. > I > don't really seem to feel any different. Then I > think that it's because I'm not disciplined > enough. I don't practice for enough hours every > day. Also, I get so overwhelmed with all > the sets, the breath work, sadhana (sp?), the > chanting, meditation: I can't seem to pick a > routine and stick with it. 40 days of the same > meditation is so difficult, because I have all > these KY books with so many meditations, I want to > do them all. What if I can't practice > for more than an hour. How do i pick a routine? In > other words, what is more important, > yoga, meditation, chanting, sadana. does five > mintures of everything make sense? Or > should I just focus on one aspect of KY and do that? > I think that my ADD adds to my > > **Moderator's Note: Any other ADD yogis out there, > and what kriyas helped you decrease your attention > deficit? > > > sense of being overwhelmed with the practice and the > lifestyle, although I want to live it so > bad. One day, I hope to be able to be medication > free through total dedication to the life > of so many people that I read their posts here. I > know it will be possible, but right now, I > think I need someone to help me put together a > regular routine, and simple things that i > can do that will make me feel better about the > progress that I may be making and the > work that i can do. I would love some direction, if > anyone is so inclined to help out. I > really want to be a part of your KY world, but am > having just a difficult time. Thanks for > reading such a long post! > > Sincerely, Robert from Los Angeles > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 Robert, I have a son who with bipolar disorder and ADD too, and he comes to my classes every week; I know that oneday KY will help him get out of meds . Don't be discourage. It's takes time to be dicipline that inluded everyone of us. If you remove and release all expectation toward yourself and others ; you will be surprise that the desire to practice will increase and the energy from above will push you to accomplish the work. Be in tune with the mantra the vibration will increase your ability to pratice. Best wishes Sat Nam >"robert" <rootenberg >Kundaliniyoga >Kundaliniyoga >Kundalini Yoga Complicated Situation....Anyone ADD?? >Sun, 12 Mar 2006 16:26:13 -0000 > >Sat nam to all: > >I am experiencing some complications in my practice, which is not daily, >but usually 5 >days a week or so. I practice alone, not being able to afford classes. >Here's the situation: >About three years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention >deficiet >disorder. I have to take medication to manage my symptoms. I have tried >to stop taking >my medications many times, as the side effects are awful, but, this has >been unsucsessful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 Just a little note for anyone taking prescribed medication. You should consult with your doctor before taking any herbal concoctions or things like skullcap or St John's Wart...natural medicines are still medicine and you can have dangerous drug interactions between things like Prozac and St John's Wart and various other combinations. Just because something comes from nature doesn't mean it's healthy (after all, nature creates some very powerful poisons too), and powerful herbal medications can have side effects and unpleasant complications as well as interacting with prescription medications of a synthetic nature. It's always better to be safe than sorry with medicine blessings ovasoul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.