My mother has been suffering from some background noise (something like wind blowing) in her ears for quite sometime. This happened after her pregnancy some 25 years back. It bothers her but she has adapted to live with it. But sometimes it gets too annoying for her. Is there some yoga technique that could help her?
Thanks
Bozo
I would love to help however yoga therapeutics is far more complex than a prescription.
Most things of this nature need to be assessed, then approached gradually and in a variety of ways. Holistic healing takes time.
Doctors call the noise your mother is hearing “tinnitus”. It is usually totally harmless, but it can be very bothersome. (Only if it is accompanied by dizziness, consult a specialist to rule out M?ni?re’s disease.)
I’m intrigued by the fact that the tinnitus appeared during pregnancy. Maybe your mother suffered from higher blood pressure at the time, a factor that is known to bring on tinnitus. As we get older, hearing deteriorates, and that can also worsen tinnitus.
Yoga can help because it promotes relaxation, since it is well known that stress increases tinnitus. Look for relaxing yoga classes, like hatha yoga. Or go for guided meditation, like yoga nidra. This is available on CD (e.g. by Richard Miller or SwamiJ.com). Unguided meditation is not recommended in the beginning because it can make one even more aware of the tinnitus sound.
It is possible to mask the sound by running a water fountain or by tuning a radioset to the white noise between stations. In severe cases, an ENT specialist can prescribe masking devices to be worn in the ear.
Another possibility is to do Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (use Google to find the nearest TRT center). This involves education about tinnitus and a process of gradual desensitization. The objective is to no longer react to the sound. Often, the sound is no longer heard at all as a result of the training.
Namast
interesting. i have heard that some experience the sound of OM continuously hearing it in their right ear. people have a hard time describing the sound… if the sound is not due to any medical condition there is a possibility that she hears OM. this is a blessing and should not be medically treated but can be utilized to meditate on it. best to ask the guidance of an enlightened master/guru…