Hi everyone, I'm a long time lurker here, but writing for the first time.
One of the steps in the Vehram system is to program your mind to wake up at various times during the night (doing it easily, no problem there), and then by focusing on your breathing, try to achieve the hypnagogic state - remain awake while your body goes back to sleep.
I'm having some major troubles with this step and was wondering if anyone could give me a hand here?
Basically once I wake up during the night, and I'm ready to fall back asleep, as soon as I start watching my breathing, the following happens: i wake up completely, and I start to ..not sure how to put it..in lack of better words, almost like choke on my breathing, get shortness of breath. It's like because I am watching my breathing, I have to consciously breath, and that distracts me tremendously.
Funny thing is, I am familiar with meditation, and focusing on your breathing to achieve that relaxed state, so why doesn't it work when I lie awake in the night, why it wakes me up completely with those side symptoms like that? Last night, for example, it took me over 2 hours to really fall back asleep...
Any ideas what is going on here or what I'm doing wrong?
Marika
One of the steps in the Vehram system is to program your mind to wake up at various times during the night (doing it easily, no problem there), and then by focusing on your breathing, try to achieve the hypnagogic state - remain awake while your body goes back to sleep.
I'm having some major troubles with this step and was wondering if anyone could give me a hand here?
Basically once I wake up during the night, and I'm ready to fall back asleep, as soon as I start watching my breathing, the following happens: i wake up completely, and I start to ..not sure how to put it..in lack of better words, almost like choke on my breathing, get shortness of breath. It's like because I am watching my breathing, I have to consciously breath, and that distracts me tremendously.
Funny thing is, I am familiar with meditation, and focusing on your breathing to achieve that relaxed state, so why doesn't it work when I lie awake in the night, why it wakes me up completely with those side symptoms like that? Last night, for example, it took me over 2 hours to really fall back asleep...
Any ideas what is going on here or what I'm doing wrong?
Marika