Practice Report: Surya Yoga Sadhana - 11/01/2012
Meditationtime Forum Post
Date: Posted 5 years before Nov 12, 2017
unlimitedsun 5 years ago
Thurs. - 11/1/2012
Yoga-Breath of fire practice session:
Session was shortened due to lack of time.
Normally through bhastrika the elimination of carbon dioxide make is such that workout should not leave much soreness, but it is possible that loosened previously compacted negative elements are still on their way out even after the practice, and are stirred and lingering awaiting to be released before or they may resettle again.
The result is increasing detox symptoms of the body; burning/ cleansing by oxygen.
Should this theory hold, the body should be riding of negative accumulated elements more and more, therefore there should be less obstructions and the energy should be able to rise more promptly and easily. However, that could simply be account of regularly doing practice, still it is a worthy question for me to investigate if successful kundalini yogis do fit a certain profile (to be determined).
Life Force Energy:
The energy was awakened, and manifested forcefully throughout.
Mind focus:
Subtle transcendental sound frequencies were perceptible.
It was noted that there is constant shifting between the perceiving apparatus and the frequencies themselves. These shifts are not easy to determine for me. I realize them after the facts.
The frequencies were generally tuned to at the back of the head with a few attempts to refocus.
After about 10 minutes into meditation frequency accelerations/ intensifications were felt as concentration is focused on frequency (source?), they were happening at about every minute and last the blink of an eye, and very seldom prolong beyond.
Goals and Objectives – long term (maintained):
> Detecting the subtle body:
-More focus on internalization and especially what goes on regarding lower part of the body during practice.
-Allow the energy to shed light into the obscure areas; it will show the way!
> Make sessions more targeted.
- Loosen tension areas about the sacrum on the left side.
Book Readings:
The "Yoga Sutras" of Pantajali; Enlightenment in practical terms!
Subtle body ventures or interests recalled synopses:
Reprocessing a last night post on the dichotomy between the core-self and the intellect.
Reflections:
Bhastrika breathing & Yoga movements’ outer mechanism: Expanded on
The practitioner infuses air (fresh) into the lungs; the alveoli in the end portion of the lungs are tiny enough that red blood cells which are present in the blood will bind to the oxygen, using their hemoglobin protein content, and swim along.
The entire system is then oxygenized as there will be more oxygen floating around than carbon dioxide. The stretching/ plying/ twisting … of a particular area will direct the flow of fresh blood there along with the attention/ awareness. At the same time stored "carbonized" materials is expelled. This is all reflected in the subtle system naturally.
Pushing more oxygen in lower trunk “airs” that area and intimidates kundalini’s stronghold.
At the same time working on that area stimulates the long bones of the legs particularly the thigh bone or femur. Bone marrow produces red blood cells, but also other blood agents; therefore the process is also potentially increasing the production of red blood cells, beyond the normal daily rate of 500 billion red blood cells a day and hence increasing the capacity of the blood to carry even more oxygen.
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However, Wiki has different approach, but it also explicitly cites bhastrika:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation or overbreathing is the state of breathing faster or deeper than normal,[1] causing excessive expulsion of circulating carbon dioxide.[2] It can result from a psychological state such as a panic attack, from a physiological condition such as metabolic acidosis, can be brought about by lifestyle risk factors or voluntarily as in the yogic practice of Bhastrika. It often occurs together with labored breathing, which, in contrast, can also be a response to increased carbon dioxide levels.
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The bone marrow also produces white blood cells; they are the defense, protection and clean up force of the body, in all six different categories are created. This implies an increased health as a by-product of the process as the immune system builds up.
This I can be a good experiment for. Being very prone to catching bugs that go around and working around population, I can easily observe the difference in time…
Alfredo 5 years ago
Surya Ji!
Very interesting research.
It makes sense that Bhastrika pranayama would impact cell production and oxygenation.
As you know, the oxygen is carried in the blood cells by the haemoglobin molecule. The carrying capacity of this molecule in humans is theoretically 1.34 mL of oxygen/gram of hemoglobin, each molecule carrying 4 molecules of oxygen. This is an increase of approximately 70 fold when compared with normal oxygen dissolved in blood. Thus, the hemoglobin molecule and the oxygen dissolved in blood are 2 separate phenomena.
I would expect that right after a breath infusion session, the oxygen content in the blood (independently of hemoglobin) would increase substantially, decreasing the CO2 content as well. Why? Dissolved oxygen in blood obeys Henry's Law of Gases, making the amount of oxygen dissolved at any time dependent on the partial pressure of the gas. If one increases the partial pressure during the session, it will impact temporarily the oxygen content.
The impact on red blood cell production by pranayama could be worthy of a good research. Since hemoglobin start its synthesis while the red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, in the mitochondria. Since I started pranayama my hemoglobin content has been 15.9 d/dL (deciliter), which is in the very high end.
This level impacts the quality of the immune system, no doubt, but it also depends on cardiac output, or the ability of the heart to take blood to tissue.
unlimitedsun 5 years ago
Alfredo Prabhu,
Great collaboration! Let us join in inquiry. And we understand that we are entertaining side features of the practice.
At my stage that is not completely a waste of time. I accept and understand from that the bulk level all the way to the nano and beyond into the subtle there is a correspondence. Furthermore understanding and clarification in this sense can also help me with added faith which is otherwise already there. The physical is practically my sole frame of reference for the time being I cannot negate that, though I have faith that as time progresses with dint of advancement I will transition to subtler perceptions.
They also mention alkalosis a condition resulting from excess oxygen in the system as the blood pH raises. Supposedly this situation can also induce a compensatory condition created by the system in order to adjust by increasing the level of Co2 as well. However, that limits room for maneuver in a limited system in term of pressure.
Other conditions that are mentioned such as tingling in the extremities are also encountered in bhastrika. But let's make no mistake about it, there is gulf of difference between all these scientific observations and our yogic practices.
Still the limited commonalities allow for some consideration in the vein of inquiry.
You said that your hemoglobin level increased with the practice of pranayama to attain the very high end of the spectrum. Would you consider your increased production of hemoglobin as a result of pranayama practice or the combination of pranayama and asanas? In other words did you notice this difference while doing pranayama alone or after supplementing your practice with the bodily movements?
Alfredo 5 years ago
Surya Ji!
In summary:
1) With the practice of Bhastrika, it is expected that the blood becomes more oxygenated because of Henry's Law of gases, the partial pressure of oxygen increases due to the increase of pressure brought by the breath of fire.
2) Even though blood oxygen level and the carrying capacity of the hemoglobin molecule are two separate phenomena, they are also interdependent, for when regular oxygen blood level increases, this will tend to saturate the carrying capacity of the hemoglobin molecules, which although normally carrying 4 oxygen molecules, could had been undercharged with 2 or 3 oxygen molecules only because of low oxygen pressure.
3) Indeed breath infusion in body parts like the thighs could also increase red blood cell production. Macrophages, a special type of cell critical for immune system fight, also carries hemoglobin, and an increase of these cells would make the immune system healthier.
4) Alkalosis must always be a welcomed development. Disease cannot live in an alkaline environment, this has been proven with cancer, for example. The first condition for the growth of cancer is the opposite, or acidosis (followed by lack of oxygen in tissue). To acidosis contribute not only food and lifestyle, but more importantly thoughts, specially anger and rage, which are extremely acidic. So I would expect the pH in saliva or urine of a yogi doing Bhastrika daily and also following Yamas and Niyamas to be close or even above 7.0.
5) My hemoglobin level increased, and it is now quite high at 15.9. However, the last test before was too far back to make a meaningful association. The pranayama that I did before was not forceful enough to make a difference, in my opinion.
6) Another thing to consider is that when you exhale breath forcefully, you are also out-venting or expelling certain pollutants that enter specially in polluted environments like cities, which are now being evacuated at a higher rate, which otherwise would stay and harm the physical system.
unlimitedsun 5 years ago
Alfredo prabhu,
Thank you for the valuable contributions and conclusions.
