I can't do shamanic breathing because I get tired from breathing so much

[Vision]

In every single attempt at shamanic breathing session - 5 minutes in, I have no energy left to continue this rate of breathing. Which is not pausing between exhaling and inhaling.

I don't know if my health problems are linked with this, but has this happened to anyone else? How can I improve it?

[Goldzilla]

That tiredness is what is all about. Those parts of the body wich were atrophied in time, they awaken, the sensibility, and at first is this feeling. 

To not feel so tired, imagine you are breathing in your head, don't focus attention below belly. 

[Nahm]

Breathe in love, breathe out narrative. 

[Visionary]

It's actually about the setting. Unconsciously you're not feeling safe. When you're doing this with a facilitator and an energy surrogate beside you, you will automatically let go and go full in. I think there is a mental block now. A setting like mentioned here will help you let go of this unconsciously. If its not an option you can take try to let go by yourself. Its your mental block.

[Mulky]

For some reason I found the title of this post very cute and endearing  

[Gianna]

So this happened to me too but you just have to push through. Because this is your ego deceiving you out of doing breathwork. 

My mind went absolutely insane after my first 5 minutes of breathwork. It tried to convince me that I was hungry; that I should stop the session eat and then continue back afterward because the hunger will distract and take away from the session. Stupid logic and reasoning like that. 

It tried to convince me that I was horny. 
It tried to convince me that I was tired. 

In fact, this was my ego's last tool of defense. 10-15 minutes in, my mind and body convinced me that I was soo tired that I actually fell asleep. I fell asleep for a few minutes during the session. I woke back up after the few minutes, realized what happened, and then continued the breathing. After I broke through this last act of defense the rest of the breathing session was effortless. But it took a constant countering of the ego's deceit. Also, just fyi, I knew I couldn't possibly be tired because it was in the morning after a full night of rest and a small breakfast!

Here's a tip: 

Each time your mind tries to tell you that you need something other than breathing, tell yourself this: 

I will give myself whatever I want, after the session. I will reward myself with whatever I want, but I must achieve this first. 

For example: 
I told myself, "Okay. If I do 30 minutes of breathwork then after I am done, I am going to let myself eat whatever I want." (I used this to counter my cravings/hunger during the breathing). I usually am very strict about what and how much I eat, but I told myself I would let myself have anything to reward myself for doing the 30 minutes of breathwork. But I had to do the breathwork. It turned out, after breathing, I ended up eating something super healthy and nutritious for my body. 

[Ilan]

Shamanic breathing is not easy. If 5minutes is the best you can do, do it for 5minutes 

[Leo Gura]

Yes, it's a struggle. It takes work, like at the gym.

You gotta pace yourself and go slower and easier. Don't hit it too hard.

[mysticalninja]

Build up slowly, I started at 5 minutes too.  I did it once weekly and kept increasing by 5 minutes every week or two.  Longest session I did was 75 minutes.   I really didn't feel good results in emotional release until about 20 - 30 mins in, that's when it felt like the tension was forced out of my system.

Edited August 2, 2021 by mysticalninja

[Vision]

12 hours ago, Goldzilla said:

To not feel so tired, imagine you are breathing in your head, don't focus attention below belly. 

I’ll try this. Thanks.

12 hours ago, Nahm said:

Breathe in love, breathe out narrative. 

@NahmBut this tiredness isn’t just a thought, it’s what I’m feeling. It’s beyond my physical capacity. 
I know that’s also a story I’m telling myself, but it’s what I’m experiencing when I attempt it. 

12 hours ago, Visionary said:

It's actually about the setting. Unconsciously you're not feeling safe. When you're doing this with a facilitator and an energy surrogate beside you, you will automatically let go and go full in. I think there is a mental block now. A setting like mentioned here will help you let go of this unconsciously. If its not an option you can take try to let go by yourself. Its your mental block.

@Vision If it’s there, I’m not conscious of this mental block. 

I don’t feel unsafe when I do it, but perhaps it’s an unconscious feeling.

[Vision]

7 hours ago, Gianna said:

So this happened to me too but you just have to push through. Because this is your ego deceiving you out of doing breathwork. 

My mind went absolutely insane after my first 5 minutes of breathwork. It tried to convince me that I was hungry; that I should stop the session eat and then continue back afterward because the hunger will distract and take away from the session. Stupid logic and reasoning like that. 

It tried to convince me that I was horny. 
It tried to convince me that I was tired. 

In fact, this was my ego's last tool of defense. 10-15 minutes in, my mind and body convinced me that I was soo tired that I actually fell asleep. I fell asleep for a few minutes during the session. I woke back up after the few minutes, realized what happened, and then continued the breathing. After I broke through this last act of defense the rest of the breathing session was effortless. But it took a constant countering of the ego's deceit. Also, just fyi, I knew I couldn't possibly be tired because it was in the morning after a full night of rest and a small breakfast!

Here's a tip: 

Each time your mind tries to tell you that you need something other than breathing, tell yourself this: 

I will give myself whatever I want, after the session. I will reward myself with whatever I want, but I must achieve this first. 

For example: 
I told myself, "Okay. If I do 30 minutes of breathwork then after I am done, I am going to let myself eat whatever I want." (I used this to counter my cravings/hunger during the breathing). I usually am very strict about what and how much I eat, but I told myself I would let myself have anything to reward myself for doing the 30 minutes of breathwork. But I had to do the breathwork. It turned out, after breathing, I ended up eating something super healthy and nutritious for my body. 

@Gianna Thanks for the detailed response. Though, I don’t think I can relate.

 

I don’t find the need to reward myself after the session. The supposed benefits of the session is reward itself. I genuinely want to do a breathwork session all the way through, but 5 minutes in - it feels beyond my physical capacity. 
 

It’s like if I were to try run a 40km marathon, I wouldn’t be able to push all the way through. It’s simply beyond my physical capacity.

[Vision]

5 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Yes, it's a struggle. It takes work, like at the gym.

You gotta pace yourself and go slower and easier. Don't hit it too hard.

@Leo Gura How long did it take you to get to 30 minutes? 

33 minutes ago, mysticalninja said:

Build up slowly, I started at 5 minutes too.  I did it once weekly and kept increasing by 5 minutes every week or two.  Longest session I did was 75 minutes.   I really didn't feel good results in emotional release until about 20 - 30 mins in, that's when it felt like the tension was forced out of my system.

@mysticalninja 

Thanks. This looks like a good strategy. How long did it take you to get to 30 minutes? 

[Leo Gura]

44 minutes ago, Vision said:

How long did it take you to get to 30 minutes? 

First time

But it's a work out.

[mysticalninja]

@Vision It probably took me 4 sessions, so 4 weeks.  Could have done it faster, but I was a touch overly fearful of some sort of emotional backlash.  So I started at very low just to get over the fears.  There really wasn't anything to be afraid of but it is tiring.  It's one of those practices I never want to do before I start, but it's never as hard as I anticipate.

[BipolarGrowth]

The middle way! Don’t force things that are too difficult! If I wasn’t a lazy bastard, I’d be so much worse at this work! I remember the hustle and bustle days of trying to always improve, but just feel your whole body system. If it reacts badly, maybe that’s for a reason. 

[Vision]

@mysticalninja I see. Thanks for your input. 

@Leo Gura Nice. It sure is a workout.

[Vision]

1 hour ago, BipolarGrowth said:

If I wasn’t a lazy bastard, I’d be so much worse at this work!

@BipolarGrowth I don't understand. How would you be worse at this work if you weren't lazy? 

[BipolarGrowth]

7 minutes ago, Vision said:

@BipolarGrowth I don't understand. How would you be worse at this work if you weren't lazy? 

The most growth came once I relaxed all practices, but it was after years of intense seeking. 

[Vision]

2 hours ago, BipolarGrowth said:

The most growth came once I relaxed all practices, but it was after years of intense seeking. 

@BipolarGrowth What do you mean you "relaxed all practices"? As in, you stopped doing them?