I’ve read a lot on Yoga, and keep coming across Dangers of Yoga in writings, not so much in physical postures but in other aspects. Here are a few examples :
‘‘In India and Europe I came across some three hundred people who suffered permanently from wrong practices, the doctors on examination found there was nothing organicaly wrong and consequently could not prescribe.’’ [Swami Shree Purohit ‘Aphorisms of Yoga’]
‘‘To practice pranayama breath control without real guidance is very dangerous, I know of three persons that have died of it.’’ [Sri Chimnoy]
‘‘Now we come to breathing exercises. Let me caution you : they can be very dangerous. Unless properly done there is a good chance of injuring the brain. And those who practice such breathing without proper supervision can suffer a disease which no known science or doctor can cure. It is impossible even for a medical person to diagnose such illness.’’ [Swami Prabhavanada]
‘‘As regards breathing exercises I know that Sri Ramakrishna, and all the disciples of Ramakrishna warned us not to practice them.’’ [Swami Praphavanada ‘Yoga and Mysticism’] [I]Despite this Vivekananda (Ramakrishna’s disciple encouraged doing the breathing exercises [Swami nikhilananda ‘Vivekanada the Yogas and Other Works’][/I]
‘‘Yoga is not a trifling jest if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can mean death and insanity…if the breath is prematurely exhausted withdrawn there is immediate danger of death for the yogi.’’ [Hans Ulrich Rieker ‘The Yoga of Light’]
‘‘A woman of my acquaintance upset her hormonal balance doing yoga, and it produced a malfunction in her adrenal glands. Doctors didn’t know how to reverse the effects and she soon died. Swami Rami warns that some advanced breathing which is common in yoga can cause a person to harm themself irreparably.’’ [Richard Keininger]
[U][B]Do people feel these dangers are very real, and therefore people should be warned more about them? Or they are very much exaggerated or not real danger at all, despite some leading lights in Yoga saying they are real dangers? The average person practicing Yoga incl. breathing exercises has in my experience never heard of the dangers before. [/B][/U]
Paul Oldfield -A well known British entertainer & practicing yogi who has performed worldwide - ‘‘I first discovered I had this ability at a young age whilst practicing yoga, it was through yoga practice and advanced breath control methods I was able not only to control my skills but develop them to a degree I believe I am the only person in the world that can do this. When learning advanced breathing methods in yoga I had blackouts sometimes and severe dizzy spells which would sometimes occur long after the actual practice, now I have developed it much more it is very rare I experience such things, though I would certainly caution anyone against trying to master advanced breathing techniques and breath control in yoga, or at the very least to proceed with extreme caution.’’
[B]Here is Paul Oldfield performing his act, which may seem bizarre or odd but one can only marvel at his breath control to be able to do such feats : [/B]
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpPEnwQe3Q [B][I]this clip is actually continuous and demonstrates as he has stated with advanced yogic breathing he can sustain such efforts. [/I][/B]
‘‘Without mastering advanced Yoga breathing, it would be impossible for me to perform and demonstrate these skills.’’ (Paul Oldfield).
