Drowsy after Breath Infusion
A yogi should study the onset into and the release from drowsiness. It is caused by the dulling powers of psychic material nature. It can be beneficial but it does retard and discourage a yogi from practice.
The insight into drowsiness has to do with its causes. A yogi should know what caused a drowsy influence. There is no point in becoming disheartened or angry with a drowsy condition. Understanding its cause is the way to develop a method of reducing if not eliminating its incidences.
The physical body must sleep which means it passes through one drowsy state at sleep’s onset. It exits another drowsy stage at the end of the sleep. This is a permanent feature for the physical body. In fact, in the elderly years, those persons who are afflicted with insomnia wish dearly for sleep. They consider it to be an enviable treasure.
Some students experience drowsiness even after doing an intense session of breath infusion with bhastrika/kapalabhati process. How is that possible? If you infuse much fresh air into the body and fresh subtle energy into the subtle body, how could it be that you became drowsy after a session?
There are many causes of drowsiness. A yogi must study the lifestyle, diet and atmospheric influence to trace the cause of a drowsy event. When doing breath infusion if a yogi holds his breath in or out after a series of rapid infusions of air. If he holds the breath for a long period, the system will switch over to consuming the used air in the body, the carbon dioxide. This will cause drowsiness during the meditation that follows the breath infusion session. Or it may cause the yogi to swoon or even become unconscious during practice.
One should hold the breath only for as long as it takes for the accumulated breath energy to be distributed. If one holds it longer, the system will switch to using used breath. That will produce drowsiness. In the matter of holding the breath, I advise those who do breath infusion to hold the breath only for as long as the system takes to distribute the accumulated energy which was absorbed through the lung cells. For that matter one should begin a new session for rapid breaths just before every bit of energy is distributed. Do not wait until it all spreads away from the lungs. As soon as it is near finished, begin the rapid breaths again. Failure to do this, causes the risk of having the kundalini switch to the use of used energy, carbon dioxide, which is not favorable to this practice.
The use of sugary foods may also cause drowsiness. A yogi should avoid these. At first sugar gives a boost of energy. Then this converts into drowsiness. From the time of eating a sugary food, it may take within say twenty minutes before its influence flips and the enthusiasm gained converts into discouragement which is relieved by drowsiness and sleep.
