Hi, NS suggested that I contact you for feedback on a question I have with a yoga exercise that involves holding the breath. I have stopped using the technique for now. I have 2 questions: 1. Is the technique dangerous? 2. Could I have done some irreparable damage already (< 2 weeks of doing it)?
BACKGROUND: I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and was intrigued by the results of 2 studies (one w/ a control group and one without) that showed the efficacy of usingan eight-exercise Kundalini yoga protocol for OCD. The most important exercise in the protocol is something called the OCD Breath. Two weeks ago, I ordered the video from the person who headed the study (he’s a yoga teacher, Sikh Khalsa and a professor at UCSD); I’ve also been in contact with him via email for some questions.
SPECIFICS: The goal in the OCD Breath is to breathe one breath/minute for 31 minutes (15 seconds for each of the 4 phases: inhale – hold breath – exhale ? hold breath). Currently, I’m at 7 seconds (7 seconds inhale, 7 seconds breath hold, 7 seconds exhale, 7 seconds breath hold) and I tried 8 seconds for 10 minutes today. I push myself and find myself struggling at times – e.g., I want air when I hold my breath at the end of the exhale but I force it and then I fight the urge to inhale rapidly (and, instead, I inhale at the rate of 7 seconds) I had a headache afterwards and wonder if there’s any danger for the brain.
RESPONSE FROM PERSON WHO TEACHES THE TECHNIQUE IN THE VIDEO: I emailed my concern to the person who teaches the technique on the video. His response was the following: “Try not to force too hard. It is hard to know what caused your headache. But I could virtually guarantee you that you could not hurt your brain. You would pass out first. Passing out is a protective mechanism. Learn to do it smoothly. It sounds like you are progressing at a very fast rate. Most folks do not do 31 min of the OCDB straight away, not that it would hurt. But it sounds like you are putting in an unusually determined effort. Which is OK. But do not push to the point that it is unpleasant on any of the phases. It will not hurt you, it will just leave you feeling too stressed. You cannot hurt your brain by doing this. Just do not be a fanatic and try way to hard – this is of course relative. Not that it hurt you, but you will lose the enjoyment and much of the relaxation that comes with the breath.”
RESPONSE FROM ANOTHER PERSON ON THE WEB: Note that I also asked another person on the web the same question (in shorter form) and his response was the following: "What you are describing is a very intense and advanced practice. I would not recommend this type of practice without the direct supervision of an experienced yoga teacher, and definitely not for beginner yoga students. Your body is telling you to slow down or stop, and you quite possibly are depriving your brain of some oxygen. Take it easy, and do not push to the exercise’s goal until you are ready, which may take years. "
SEEMINGLY CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION FROM THE WEB: CONS: I saw the following 2 references on the web that weren’t specific as to the breathing techniques: 1. “… Breathing exercises. … Unless properly done, there is a good chance of injuring the brain.” (Yoga and Mysticism by Swami Prabhavananda; pgs. 18-19); 2. “Breath holding, in particular, can turn your brains to mush if you keep practicing it regularly because you are deliberately depriving the brain of oxygen,” (http://www.zenyoga.co.uk/yoga/thebody.htm).
PROS: Also, I did research on the web and found the following saying that holding one’s breath is not dangerous: http://www.wt.com.au/~pkolb/but_faq.htm ‘If I hold my breath, won’t the lack of oxygen kill off my brain cells?:-))’ A. You would pass out long before your brain cells are affected. Permanent brain damage occurs about four minutes after losing consciousness through completely interrupted oxygen supply. http://scuba.about.com/library/weekly/aa071201h.htm 'Does holding your breath for a long time result in potential risk for brain cell damage because of repetitive episodes of oxygen deprivation? ’ A: Absolutely not. It’s not possible.
Anyway, I am confused so … I would appreciate any feedback. I thank you VERY much in advance for taking the time to read this. Thanks