A change in location brings new issues with my practice

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Namaste,
I am back in my country (France) after a 6 months stay in my long term residency country (Thailand), and since I arrived here, my two nostrils are bloked, I suffer terrible migraines and cold/flue-like symptoms, I feel very tired, constantly sleepy, no energy, not willing to do anything, but I don’t feel sick, I don’t have fever, I don’t sneeze, but just have lot of water in my sinuses…and those bad, bad headaches.

Of course, in this condition Yoga in “impossible” for the moment, i’ve tried, my regular one hour ashtanga yoga but my ujayi is nearly impossible and there is no way I can practice Pranayama, chanting mantras and i almost suffocate and MUST switch to breath through my mouth!!

I know I should try cleaning my nose with a neti pot but i can’t find any here and i didn’t bring mine from TH. But is it the only solution? would it erase the problem completely?

So why the lack of energy and the headaches?
Is it an allergy phenomenon? (I never had allergy in the past)
Does anyone from this forum has ever experienced similar situation?
What remedy should I use to stop this annoying moment and get back to my practice?

I don’t feel like consulting a doctor right now, but I might have to if it won’t end soon,

Thank you,
Peace
ElNino

#2

Sounds like you are having trouble inhaling your relocation.
Neither asana nor neti will resolve such a thing those both may provide temporary relief from some symptoms.

I would think only you would know what’s up.
What is your resistance to being back in France?

It may of course be purely environmental (like you left out that you are working in an asbestos factory) but I suspect it is psychosocial and/or emotional.

#3

Namaste!
In absence of a neti pot I have used a paper cup before, and measuring cups with the spouted sides. Really just fill up any cup with sea salt and water, or whatever you normally would use, and the key is to make it work. I’ve done it in a pinch and have had success.

I went to a physician this morning because a cold-related sinus infection has gotten so bad. The humidity where I am working this season is very low a slight cold ravages me. My neti pot has been a true functionality-saver. Without it I would have had to take days off work. I also bought a humidifier which has proven to be an exceptional new friend - I’ve slept better in the last two days then I have in several months here. I can breathe and my skin is no longer so dry.

Since it came on a few days ago, yoga practice has been terrible but regardless I have tried. Tilting my head changes the pressure on my sinuses and causes a lot of discomfort so I have adjusted what I can do to fit the recommendations of my body. If I am too ill to do asana, I do not do asana. If I cannot breath through my nose, then I cultivate gratitude that I can breath at all. This morning, both of my ears are plugged and I cannot hear anything. If I tilt my head, I feel my heartbeat in my entire face. So this morning - I meditate. haha. The only exception I make is Adho Mukha Svanasana which helps to drain out my sinus passages. I do it in the morning and night, and enter very slowly. Chanting mantras with a phlegm throat is difficult too, so I’ve switched to chanting them in my head or whispering them.

If you can’t do your whole sequence, temporarily pass over the things which you find “impossible” and don’t let it get the best of you. Your body is telling you something is not right, whether its because of the change in environment or a change in your heart. With patience and awareness your yoga practice will help to show you what is wrong, but you must abandon it because you are unable to play with the full deck of cards. If you must see a physician (I was reluctant but now am glad) then do it. My advice? Make your own neti pot first.

#4

Hello !

Inner athlete, I am actually back to France for the summer, to visit my family and attend few weddings, it is my yearly time off and I am most of the time glad to be back, to enjoy the things I miss the most while I am away, which are my family, friends and the european lifestyle at this time of the year,

But you are right, there is an emotional issue, my best friend is getting married and I am the groom best man, which means I will be on the frontline during the all week end of the wedding… and this is my main issue: I feel terrible panic attacks when I have to present in public, I have had this anxious issue since a very early age and it’s coming back during those type of events, I have been thinking about it for months and although I’m very happy to be back, I can’t take out of my head that I will have to go through this situation in two weeks… I thought Yoga asanas, combined with my daily routine of mantras and pranayama could help reduce the stress but I don’t think it can in such a short time !

Could it be the factor of my allergy/cold -like symptoms?
My other and main quesiton is: what can I do to reduce this fear?

Thanks again Suryadaya, so far I am doing daily inhalation of herbs in boiling water and clean my nose with sea water spray that are very common in France, headaches are reducing and my breathing becomes a bit easier, I could even practice asanas yesterday

Peace

#5

In yoga my friend we accept Karma. Simply put, we live with the residue of our choices. They come with responsibilities (and many other things - like anxiety).

So you’ve accepted the request to be best man. And you will be best man not for a week but for the life of this couple. Therefore there’s no reason to sweat what presenting you may have as you will be serving these two for the long haul.

Speak from the heart and there will be no anxiety and you will merely be opening yourself up and giving insight to those who do and do not know the couple well.

Anxiety has some very powerful effects on the body, as do thoughts.
If you are not thinking free and clear it might be difficult to be breathing free and clear.

#6

Hi Elnino,

when emotion is so intense we have an opportunity to change an attitude toward it. When we get “back to normal life” where we are comfortable, we forget about it because we don’t feel it anymore. See the 9th post of this thread, it might be helpful to you:

http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f20/yoga-sutras-ii-30-31-yama-self-control-social-harmony-3086.html

Greetings

#7

You are right Inner Athlete, our Karma influence who we are and what we are today, being an anxious person is not a pleasant gift from life but we must deal with it, fine!

In my case here, it is not the fact that i am the best man that stresses me, but just the fact that i will be on the first row in front of so many people, because in this life, I have a phobia of speaking publicly and do things in front of other people, God knows why! what did I do in my past life? in this life? no idea…

I bless the universe everyday that i am a healthy person, with my little problems but with so much joy and moments of hapiness, I am greatful I can breathe, walk, run, swim, travel to other cultures… so why ruining everything with anxiety and panic attacks? when these occur, we lose touch with all this blessed things, we hate the world and we hate ourselves, what can be so powerful to reverse an entire personality?

anyway, thank you for the great insight IE, you are always a great addition to this site