Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Jeddah Mali teachings strange experience with breath during meditations

Greetings,

I am on the third meditation in the Seeds of Enlightenment series, and absolutely love the way Jeddah presents the Teachings. It is the first time I have been able to consciously shift out of extreme states of anxiety and bodily contraction.

I am however having a strange experience that I have never had in meditation before, and that is that it feels like I cant catch my breath, and my heart seems to start pounding in my chest. I have tried several different positions, straight upright in classic meditation posture, in a chair, and propped up with pillows in bed. I seem to have the same experience each time, to varying degrees. This hinders my ability to fully expand my state of consciousness, as my bodily sensations are constantly interrupting my focus.
Has anyone experienced this and what can I do to overcome it?

Thank You

Hi WaterBird - Happy New Year!

Often when having challenging experiences when meditating, whether they be caused by "monkey mind" or bodily discomfort, returning to the breath can be very calming and centering. On pages 16 through 19 of the Seeds manual that came with your course, Jeddah shares some breathing techniques that she finds to be particularly good for centering the energy. I would experiment with those and see if they contribute to a more serene and expanded experience.

I have always enjoyed Marianne Williamson's comments that "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequte. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." Isn't it intriguing that the reactions you are experiencing have arisen while you are working with the "Overcoming Limitation" meditation?

On several occasions I have experienced very agitated and chaotic states that preceded a huge shift in my perceptions of and beliefs about the world in which I exist. It sounds as if this may be what is happening for you.

Please let me know how this goes for you and feel free to contact me here at the office if I can offer any assistance.

Much love,
Wendy

Hello Wendy and Waterbird, I have had some of the same challenges with Jeddah Mali's work. With Seeds... i had agitation problems about half way through, enough that at the time i thought it was something i must have heard, that i did not like. I went back to my SFQ studies and tried to ignore it! After a month i was curious as to what it was that bothered me as i knew Master Mali is a great teacher. I went back, started from beginning, heard more than i ever did previously, it was wonderful!
Then i started Embracing Freedom coarse, and am loving it, however i too find myself holding my breath or just not breathing!! I thankyou Wendy for your answers to Waterbird, also thankyou Waterbird for asking and explaining so well. I have not had this happen before; at first i thought i was listening so intently that i forgot to breathe or i was meditating in a deep enough manner that i was just noticing that i was not requiring as many breaths...does that make any sense? is it o.k. to just let it be? curious!!

Hi Nancy!
My breathing definitely changes when I get into a really expanded state, but I don't get the sense of forgetting to breathe - it's just a slowing down of the rhythm. Have you experimented with the breathing techniques in the manual?

Unless this is uncomfortable, I would just observe it and let it be what it is. If it is challenging for you, we could do a mini session together to see what is going on and experiment with what would shift the experience for you.

All the best!
Wendy

Hello Wendy! thank you so much for responding to my quest. I will go back and re-read the different Breathing techniques in the manual and give it a solid try! I had this occur before, when i started SFQ i would try the ' correct breathing that Master Lin wrote about and showed us. It was kind of trying to pat my head, rub my stomach, and give a lecture at the same time ( silly). On that, i practice the bbreathing 5-10 mins. a day just for that health benefit. When i meditate i just let go! I guess it is o.k.
Just want to get it right, Master Mali has soooo much to say in just one introduction, i am absolutely fascinated by her! Aren't you? Again thank you for the offer for a mini session, i'll let you know how it goes. Peace and Blessings, Nancy

Hello Wendy,

Thanks for your reply, sorry it has taken me so long to get back into this forum to look for response. You have an excellent point, that the anxiety response would come up on that lesson! Sometimes you just need the mirror to show you the obvious! I did end up moving on to the next few CD's and the problem seemed to resolve itself. I am now in the Pathways telecourse and loving that. Have not had the breathless experience since.

Thanks again,

WaterBird

Hi again WaterBird!

Glad to hear things are going so well. I am also doing the Pathway telecourse again. I'll see you on the inner plane tomorrow!

With love,
Wendy