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Here is another post which has the purpose to shed light on newer possible side-effects of certain practices. I believe it is important to share the negative or "cautious" aspects of practice, so this topic seeks not only to expose a possible side - effect, but also to receive feedback of people who are more experienced and might have had gone through the same side effects. I also am aware of those called "side effects" might have also an almost purely personal nature, in the sense that it is due to a personal energetic and physiological disharmony and is in no way to be generalized to other practitioners. My physical body is resisting much less to physical work and, when I overindulge on them some side-effects take place. The most important one, which I had started having contact about one year ago, especially deserves my attention and it is the onset of suffocation. This suffocation takes place when I sleep or rest, generally during the Day time, due to tiredness or exhaustion. I lay down on a couch to take a nap and sometimes, during this nap, my breath simply stops. This stopping of breath is not a Kevala Kumbhaka stopping of breath. The characteristic of Kevala Kumbhaka a suspention of breath in which the person does not feel any urge to breath, it i very comfortable. In my case, it is different, I feel as if I am being choked and suffocated (may be even dying) and is not pleasant at all. It has happened quite a few time on the last year, always when I get involved in alot of physical work, like planting trees, or spend alot of time in strengthening asanas. I never concerned myself alot with this phenomena, but the last time it occurred, one of my aunts actually saw the crisis and was pretty shocked, so she ended up "scaring" me about it, so I decided to share this physical-physiological experience here. She first of all noticed that I was giving loud gruning noises while trying to grasp air during my sleep. On this particular day, my morning asana practice was quite intense and consisted of: three slow rounds of Sun Saultation, about 2 - 3 minutes of Jalandharasana and Halasana, about 2 minutes of *Bhujangasana, 2 minutes of *Shalambhasana, 8 minutes of Sirshasana, 1 2 mintues of *Khandarasana, some push ups, about 500 rapid contractions of *Uddiyana Bandha in total, and 1 minute honding into the pose of *Mayurasana, about 15 rounds of Bhastrika Pranayama* The poses I placed the * sign are especially tyring. After the practice I felt very tired, but still very lucid. my body was in a completely relaxed state and my breathing heavy and slow. I have heard that Yoguis, particularly Hatha Yoguins that follow the path of Pranayama should avoid too much physical exertion, I have heard it very very briefly mentioned on "Introduction to Tantra" book of Arthur of Avalon. I believe that this is a natural process but any ways... Maybe this is the reason why it is said that one should be physically strong (strong Jing) before starting the Internal Alchemy process mentioned in Chinese Scripture, my source being Fabrizio`s book on the topic. ShouYuliang also mentions that Daoists cultivate Jing Before and After having started to cultivate Light and Spirit. So I kind of interpret this as there is naturally a period in the Process of awakening, in which the physical body (represented my Jing) receives alot of stress due to adaptations occuring on Physical, Physiological and Energetic, thus it needs to be strong before this stress period is gone through, having the risk of even desencarnating (Death, or Desencarnation is a possibility in which I started pondering about only after I say my Aunt`s fearful expression after she witnessed one of my "attacks".) ------------------- To avoid this from happening, next time i feel exhausted, I will try to and laydown and rest without falling asleep, see what happens and add the "results" to this topic. ------------------- Any info from other Bums is warmly welcome