Insomia after Suryanamskar and superbrain yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

    I have been practicing Suryanamaskar for about a year now. i do about 10 every morning or evening close to 4 times a week. Recently i started doing super brain yoga (about 20) every morning, for 3 months now. 

   I have had insomnia for close to 3 months and am not able to figure out the cause. I went to the doctor who has ordered a sleep therapy, but could not figure out any reasons as of now. i sleep at 10:30 -11 pm and wake up after 4 hours. Then my sleep is disturbed with lots of dreams (normal dreams). Right now I am using melatonin and have decided to stop yoga practice for a month.

    Can super brain yoga lead to insomnia or higher activity in the brain. I have heard about kundalini awakening, but I dont meditate and am too young for that. However after super brain yoga, i have some tingling sensation in my head. Like it is flushed. I would appreciate if anyone could throw light on this subject, if any. Thanks.
#2

Hello Lax,

Please explain what you mean with “super brain yoga”. I haven’t heard about this before, so I cannot answer your question. What practices do you do? How long? Do you have a teacher? What does (s)he say about your insomnia after practice?

When you suffer from insomnia, it is not wise to do surya namaskar in the evenings. A more restful practice would be better. Do surya namaskar in the morning.

Best regards.

#3

I’m not sure the term “yoga” actually fits with the program they have designed/are advocating. Further, there isn’t enough information on their web site to determine exactly what a student learning from them might be doing.

A pre-bed ritual intended to facilitate restful sleep would not be the same as one intended to energize the brain. I certainly would not be doing Surya Namaskar (the classical version) as a precursor to bedtime as it is energizing and activating. Something more calming would be more helpful for sleep for most people.

#4

As opposed to something as energizing as Surya Namaskar, you could try some pranayama: “moon breath”, or breathing through the left nostril, while blocking off the right.

And naturally, finding an instructor in your area is always worthwhile for learning any specific techniques.

(There’s an article available via Google Books on Yoga for insomnia, but I’ll have to write a few more posts before I can link it. Easy to find if you do a search for “Moon Breath” on Google though).

Sat Nam

#5

Hello
It's a very late reply but i think it would help someone in dire need like i was.
Super brain yoga can cause insomnia of the kind you mention, if you continue it for a month or so then suddenly stopping it also won't help.

I was also doing it every day for 2 minutes which is too much if it stimulates you, on most places it is recommended to do only 7 and then increase if it suits you but then at other places it's also recommended to do it for a minute, that's the tragedy that i followed those links.

Best thing if you find yourself in such a situation is to do super brain yoga with 7 squats only in one set. You can do it multiple times a day all separated by at least 2 hours and last one at least 2 hours before sleep. See what suits you 2-3 times a day should be fine, you can do more but observe it's impact on yourself.

If you know your ayurveda type and if you are vata, you must be highly cautious to do it and record it's impact on you in a journal.

Forget about kundalini, that's quite rare and would have it's own realization that you are going through something extraordinary.

Hope it helps someone in need.

#6

i have tried 4 sets of 4 as well, that also puts me to sleep but wakes me up early, so i am not sure if this would bring the best results. please consult a doctor or yoga experts to see what helps you.

Marijuana and magnesium both have helped, but one can't depende on marijuana while magnesium takes time to normalize brain waves.

#7

I tried a lot various combinations and timings but it didn't help me much eventually, so i am going to see a doctor, i don't know if one can treat oneself with so much not so researched topic. Need to consult some expert for it.