Thanks for highligting the dangers of pranayama. In order to rid myself of my stomach ailment i have tried Sri Sri Ravishankar’s sudarshan kriya . Sudarshan Kriya worsened my situation so bad that I was almost bed ridden for a week with fever and headaches, I got heat boils and skin rashes and even piles from sudarshan kriya. It was only after I stopped this and took triphala i got some relief.
After this I tried baba ramdev’s pranayama, all the seven. I think Ramdev is too simplistic to claim everythign will be cured by these seven pranayamas. I did it all and my digestion only worsened and I started getting nervous and fidgety. I realised that the culprit is kapalabhati. I was doing this for 10 minutes. The days i stopped doing kapalabhati it was okay. I slowly switched to doing only Anulom Vilom and things got better for me. Now I do suryanamaskaras and anulom vilom. If someone had warned me earlier of dangers of rapid and quick pranayamas like kapalabhati, bhastrika and sudarshan kriya it would have save me from lot of suffering.
Thanks for this blog. i think these holy businessmen willdo anything and claim anything to sell their products. Yoga is great if it is applied judiciously else it can be dangerous. Thanks for this blog and may your tribe increase.
– Subhash
The Vedic system of Yoga is not merely a tool for healthy body.. although improved health is just a pleasant side effect of the correct practice.
The Vedic system of Yoga – The Ashtaang Yoga (Eight fold path to reunion with the Supreme Consciousness) is a scientific approach. It is as accurate as mathematics.. We are just supposed to follow the master under his supervision our simple step by step progress is guaranteed.
Another crucial point – I would like to warn that without having the base minimum Mental Discipline (i.e. Yama and Niyama) and Asana which is a process of making our body & nerves supple and flexible enough, the cleansing of cleansing of energy channels (nadis) is not to be practiced.
Many argue on taking a reverse approach that is by starting the practice of Nadi-Shodhan the required positive changes at mental and physical level can be achieved but I don’t subscribe to it. Not because it is my personal choice but becuase Vedic Yoga system does’t allow me to. It should be clearly understood that without the previous two prerequisites the desired purification of Nadis takes much than longer.
Two reasons for it – One – Our skewed negative thoughts (in absence of Yama/Niyama) continues to accumulate stale energy at all the wrong places and makes it difficult for the Nadi-Shodhan process to finally lead us to a completely cleansed, obstruction free energy channels.
If we do not devote some time practicing Asanas (of course with rhythmic breath associated) everyday we are not able to open up the clogged energy channel. In fact the Asana is the first body workout prescribed in yoga before we indulge in finer processes like Pranayama. I recommend the combination of ‘Shakh Prakshaalana’ and another mind cleansing therapy (special emotion releasing sessions practiced for two days) which helps people unload themselves from body toxins and unwanted negative emotions. These two days of specific practices prepare you to experience Yoga’s benefits more clearly.
I have been continuously warning people about the dangerous side effects of Pranayama and Yoga if not done under proper supervision of a master and I am happy to be of some benefit to people who are ready to listen and take pain to verify my statements.. for others I can only express my sympathy for their brain nerves have probably gone dead due to excess practice of Kapalbhati and Bhastrika 🙂
I am soon going to present the “Dangers of Meditation” too.. so keep coming and help spread the awareness..
Love and Light
– Agyaatdarshan
Related posts:
https://agyaatdarshan.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/tv-program-on-shraddha-mh1-channel-vedic-yog-rahasya/
https://agyaatdarshan.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/pranayama-dont-indulge-in-it-without-preparation/
https://agyaatdarshan.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/yoga-books-selfhelp-book-on-how-to-read/
Its all about you! 
I have wanted to post something like this on my website and this gave me an idea. Cheers.
Hey, I found your blog in a new directory of blogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, anyway cool blog, I bookmarked you.
I only recently started pranayam especially kapalbhati and have been having terrible headache on the days around which i did them. i thought of doing a search on the internet in the hope of finding something on the negative effects of pranayam and found your blog. is there anything i can now do to get rid of this terrible headache?
Beloved Tina,
As of now just refraining from breathing practices and allowing your body to heal itself is the way. You may review after minimum of 3 months. Pick up some spiritual practice instead, that shall help.
Shivoham
– Ach. Agyaatdarshan Anand Nath
Sorry I am not sure if the whole thing is written with some good common sense