Buzzing in head with backbends

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi there,

I have started noticing that in some backbends I get a strange buzzing noise between my ears and I totally zone out. This has alarmed me somewhat and I have mentioned it to my yoga teacher who has told me to just be careful.

Is this something to worry about, I don’t feel like I am going to fall over really but I can’t say I feel normal in any way at all?

Does anyone have any experience of this? I am 27 years old and 147lbs. I do not suffer with any health conditions and doing yoga for 7 years. I have been doing it almost daily now for 2 1/2 years as I teach children’s yoga.

Thanks for your advice in advance

Om Shanti

YM

#2

Dear Yogamoma,

It’s always difficult to answer these questions long-distance. First of all, “yoga pose is a steady and comfortable position” (sutra II-46). Since you are clearly not comfortable in your backbends, why not avoid them altogether or at least decrease their duration and/or intensity? You do not want to be experiencing discomfort in asana practice, especially not “buzzing in your head” which causes you to “zone out”. This is not yoga.

Secondly, if your symptoms persist you should consider visiting a health care professional. From your brief description, there is a possibility that you are experiencing tinnitus (look it up with Google). There are any number of causes for this, some quite harmless (wax in your ears, ear infection) and some less innocuous. Tinnitus itself (as a symptom) can be mildly annoying to very distressing. You do not want to “train yourself” to experience it- yet another reason to go easy on the backbends at this moment.

Namaste.

#3

Thank you for your expertise. I thought that there wasn’t really anyone to answer my question.

I spoke with my GP who explained that there are arteries in your neck at the back and it sounded characteristic of putting pressure on said artery.

I have since backed off the backbends until I am ready to push them further.

Thank you again

#4

The benefits of backbends should not simply be cast off as they are integrated with the rest of asana practice. It is not an ala carte menu option. However, it must be balanced with what is safe for the student. As a teacher I am charged to be mindful of the continuum between effect and safety.

Which backbends specifically are problematic here?
Do you experience the same issue in Bhujangasana that you do in Ustrasana?
If you fully develop the question by outlining ALL the backbends you are doing, which do and do not have the issue, and how you are practicing (hot, vinyasa, hatha, power, bikram, aashtanga, iyengar, idon’tknow) then from there we might be able to guide you.

If you are satisfied with “there are arteries there” and the discontinuation of backbends in your practice then disregard my post.

#5

hi there,

I am talking about standing backbends with arms raised above my head. I can’t remember the Sanskrit name for the particular backbend. I don’t have this issue with any others Cobra, Camel, etc etc just standing up in preperation for forward bend. I do Hatha yoga and have noticed only recently that this has become an issue. I am pushing myself slightly more as my practice deepens and as I lean backwards I seem to get to a point that makes my head literally buzz and my awareness zones out.

Sorry I should have been more specific.

Thank you again

#6

This is great! Now the question is reduced to one standing backbend with the arms raised (hasta uttanasana). You can fortunately still benefit from the other backbends, so rightly mentioned by InnerAthlete. You could also try to modify this one pose to stay within your zone of comfort, e.g.:

[ul]
[li]do not go so far into the pose[/li][li]do not make it a neck bend, but keep the neck in line with the chest vertebrae[/li][li]do not raise your arms, but keep them folded in front of the chest (anjali mudra)[/li][li]if you do raise your arms, then keep the shoulders back and down. Always. This is a structural yoga recommendation to reduce stress in the neck area.[/li][*]Avoid this pose but prepare for forward bend by just lengthening the spine.[/ul]Always, always make yoga asana a steady and comfortable position. Namaste.

#7

Some would call this pose Ardha Chandrasana as part of the classical Surya Namaskar.
In what portion of your practice are you doing the pose? I am asking to make a determination as to how your body is being prepared for this very asana.

Of course you could simply not do this pose or do it differently. It would be up to your teacher to determine what the purpose of that pose is in the practice (for them and for you) and then find some other way for you to receive similar effects.

I think, generally speaking, I would advise a student to not thrust the head backwards in this pose when confronted with the issue you mention.

[QUOTE=yogamomma;8612]hi there,
I am talking about standing backbends with arms raised above my head. I can’t remember the Sanskrit name for the particular backbend. I don’t have this issue with any others Cobra, Camel, etc etc just standing up in preperation for forward bend. I do Hatha yoga and have noticed only recently that this has become an issue. I am pushing myself slightly more as my practice deepens and as I lean backwards I seem to get to a point that makes my head literally buzz and my awareness zones out.

Sorry I should have been more specific.

Thank you again[/QUOTE]