Meditation causing headaches

I hope this is in the correct forum. First a little background about me. I have been meditating, some light, some deep, for going on 20 years. I have always found it relaxing, a good way to find my balance, a good way to center. About 7 years ago I got into Tai Chi extensively and Qiqong briefly. After taking Tai Chi for a while, I was able to move energy quickly while meditating, using it to relax, loosen muscles in my body and bring some relief to my various injuries. I initially got into Qiqong for the healing properties associated with it, but due to some time constraints was not able to continue.

Anyway approximately 2 years ago, while attempting to enter a deep meditation and move energy I began getting massive migraines on the right side of my head. I could feel precisely the exact point where it would start and radiate out from that area. Eventually, and this sounds very weird, that section of my head is "blank" to me. Its hard to explain, but my perception of that area of my head is different then the other side. So I continued with light meditation, and restrained from any form of energy moving. Deep breathing, visualization, relaxing. One year ago while at work, my blood pressure skyrocketed, I went tingly all over and almost passed out. My boss took me to the ER. They did a CT scan on me and found an anomaly on my brain, in precisely the same spot where the headaches started. After an MRI, another CT, more MRI's and test they came to the conclusion that it was a blood vessel on the surface of my brain, and surgery wasn't recommended, it wasn't dangerous, blah blah.

To this day, I have been unable to successfully enter deep meditation without crippling headaches, and even gentle Tai Chi or energy movements cause my head to nearly split in half. Does anybody have any recommendations on how to get back to the deep meditation? Is there a way to bypass my head while circulating the energy? Is there another discipline I have overlooked that could help?
Thanks

reply to post by tnhiker


I would discover the best doctor of traditional Chinese medicine that you can find and tell them what is going on. Definitely continue to see your western medical doctor, but I think that maybe a good practitioner of TCM could help you. worth a shot any way.

Sorry you have those headaches.

Google results
Link 1
Link 2

Hoping I don't break the rules by posting these, but give these a look. Perhaps you'll find them useful.

I would probably guess that in the meditating that your heart rate and blood pressure may be dropping a little too much. Try eating a little piece of some fermented or aged food before meditating, this will keep your bloodpressure up a little. If you are utilizing turmeric, cut back a little because that lowers blood pressure. Maybe drinking more fluids to hydrate onself could help to raise BP also. No BP and the brain suffers. Meditating like sleeping reduces BP but when sleeping the body is in a laying position, not upright so it isn't a problem.

reply to post by Xoanon


You know, for whatever reason this is a facepalm moment for me. That never occurred to me. Thanks!

reply to post by trollz


Thanks for the links, but it isn't an ongoing headache event, its only when trying to reach deep meditation.

reply to post by rickymouse


Thats a possibility, especially since I run pretty low on the blood pressure side anyway. I don't take any prescription drugs (or non for that matter) but I may hook up a blood pressure monitor next time to at least rule it out.

reply to post by tnhiker


Tyramines in aged food help to keep blood pressure up. It is important to tell you also that most heart attacks occur because of too low heart beat and pressure. That triggers an AFIB attack that kills us. Tyramines form a lot of chemicals for our body but do not directly cross the blood brain barrior as Monosodium glutinate does so they are not Psychoactive. They may effect the pineal gland though. These tyramines are the forerunners of most adrenalines, saratonans, and dopamine plus are forerunners of melatonan. They could possibly help meditation. You would have to experiment. Let me know if it works, a piece of aged cheese or a piece of real Italian lunchmeat would work. A little Kikkomans would work also.

tnhiker, S&F for this post and I will be very interested to read the replies you will get on it.

Not sure if you use any crystals or gemstones while meditating so you could try some:
1) hematite -- to improve circulation and keep you grounded
2) lapiz lazuli -- to relieve migraine pain
3) green aventurine -- over all healing and calming effects
4) clear quartz -- because it works all the chakras, and balances the meridians

they could be held in the hands or put into a medicine bag and worn around your neck during meditation. You did not state if you normally sit or lay in savasana when meditating. If there is not enough blood reaching your brain you could also try meditating with legs up the wall or on the seat of a chair. I sure hope you find some relief soon. Let us know how you make out.

Namaste,
YogaGinns

The meditation itself may not be the cause of this anomaly but rather the means of discovering something that could have had a serious outcome like a stroke or aneurysm. Small price to pay in the long run.

This is just my guess. When the chi is circulating in your body, the energy itself flooded your blood vessels. It does not lower your heart rates. If anything, your heart pumps more blood through the vessels with the same heart rate beats. That's why you feel warm and a pulsing sensation when the chi is circulating. I think your physical condition is preventing you from deep meditation. Not sure it is possible but maybe you should only concentrate your focus in your dan tien. I know when the chi is circulating, it opens up all the energy channels in your body.

Yes, go seek out traditional Chinese doctor for assistance.

I have you tried to focus your chi/energy to that part of your brain to try and heal it. Or have your energy go out your hands and place them on your head and feel the energy meet.. Maybe get someone to do some Reiki, Qigong or Prana on you. Take care and hope it gets sorted

I think rickymouse is on the right track. Headaches are mostly caused by restricted blood vessels, and poor blood flow. A definite imbalance.

I think you are sodium deficient. You probably don't intake a lot of salt, but the neural pathways are maintained by simple potassium and sodium gates.

Meditation lowers your heart rate, for sure. For ONE TIME, try boosting your sodium levels by drinking 1 teaspoon of salt, (preferably non-iodized, like kosher or sea salt) dissolved in 1 cup of medium water, BEFORE meditating.

It's a simple experiment, sip it like tea, and keep the water and salt solution warm as you get ready. The effects are temporary, but you should see an immediate uptake of sodium in your system, and a night of headache free meditation.

Keep us posted.

Also dehydration causes headaches, but a different approach might be needed. What I didn't like about this was he wanted to sell the book and its expensive and the CDs but I dug around to see what was in the technique and have been using it with some health conditions that I won't go into as want to see the opposite.

There was a video series that goes into this:


It Will Blow Your Mind! What Nasa Esa Do Not Want You To Know 2011

11 parts to it and don't know which ones dealt with this but think it was somewhere in the last half for sure.

What was brought up was that in the past there had been a 30% placebo affect cure, sugar pill cure, in the studies that big pharma did, and that currenlty more like 60%, as more are waking up. Energies coming in. Now this would seem to imply that the reason some medicines are working is expectation and intent.

Now I don't even know if this is a propaganda to try and push people away from treatments that they may need.

But then the man who cured the rats of cancer and documented it.

I won't buy the technique but I am figuring some key elements to it.

Energy, so akin to the tai chi, and qiqong.

But, a none evasive form perhaps. Without moving it to areas of your body. Its worth trying. I did some excercises and had some improvement today. Will be following this as I continue each day for 10-20 minutes.

First there was a thread on ats, that must be down on my list and buried, because I couldn't find it.

In that one you held your left hand up, palm facing you, kind of relaxed, not straight, and your right palm out and closed your eyes and focused on the palms. My hands heat up right away. The OP of that thread said this was bringing in your auric energy.

Then I would watch this video, for this is also I guess your auric energy could be interpreted but I feel its you, your infinite self, you are the water in a sense. Transcend your body and form and the universe.


Be Water My Friend! - Bruce Lee Remix

So this relates to the Chi.

Anyway, but. Then instead of directing the energy, place your hands on your head, where you need healing, but I believe this can be done long distance too. So not sure its necessary.

And allow the healing for one thing. But what this man does is rapidly cycle images. If you were a medical artist you could do medical ones but that could also be extremely dangerous.

So, instead pick some images, that are joyful of you, healthy, doing what you like to do, without headaches, meditating zen mind not moving energy when you are not sure what it does, we can harm ourselves too you know. But really positive images.

He cycled somehow fast, but I just kept picturing them. Vividly, with joy and also, gratitude. I offer gratitude to Love and Goodness/Family/God/Spirit of Love and Peace above and that learning to heal self and others is a really positive thing an to be grateful. For the good of all so to speak, and not just putting it out in anyones hands, but in your Soul;s hands and Family/God's hands so to speak.

And can be done for others too.

He said it doesnt matter if you are a skeptic, it still worked.

reply to post by tnhiker


Ah geez,

I forgot one more thing: it's really easy to pick up a fair amount of qigong as you make your way, I totally know that you know what I mean. You have to be careful of 'mixing' systems. When I was young, I used to ignore that and think that it was superstitious. But as I got older I began to tune in a little more to how qigong can go awry, so I no longer mix systems in any way.

The general wisdom seems to be that Taiji is fine, but if you are going to supplement with qigong, just use one teacher's system. For instance: 24 short form with the 18 Shibashi; but never the 24, half the first set of Shibashi, followed by twenty minutes of standing wuji qigong. It's supposed to be bad. Personally I never generated any real problems, but it seems prudent to me.

Good luck.

reply to post by tnhiker


Where you meditating for too long, for western people twice a day for 20 min each time is the recommended schedule!

BTW, I also experience quite similar thing... only that my head vibrates frequently lately.

Last night, I tried to focus on my breaths at the nostril. But all of the sudden the vibration appeared and felt like ring rotating around my nostril and it continued wrapping my entire head and I ended up sleeping because of the dizziness (but then I realized I was aware that I sleep)

Then when I woke up, I feel the back of my head was vibrating in the form of Infinity Symbol.

This afternoon, I visited a park around my office. Somehow when a bird chirped, it matched the vibrations in my head. Then on the way back to office, I started to hear some kind of sound that also vibrated inside my head... like a sound of ground movements

Is this normal?

Thanks for all the additional replies and suggestions, will be back to address them in a bit when I get some time and the storms pass here.

Ok Im gonna go over a list of things that I seriously doubt people do not take into account.

Some of the Rules:

1. DO NOT and I mean DO FLIPPING NOT !!!! Ever move energy within your own body it is basically like getting a nail gun and letting off a few shots at your body.

I was able to move energy quickly while meditating, using it to relax, loosen muscles in my body and bring some relief to my various injuries

This ^ is exactly why you do not ever move energy within your body. As specially the way you say quickly is also just plain face palm moment. Some of the energy centers in your body can withstand a certain amount of energy flow, when you move it quickly its like.... um this explains it better

Basically it's like ramming a tank through the front door of your house and in the process destroying the house as well.

2. Never mix meditation with energy movement, meditation is used to stabilize your energy flow and circulation at its own natural rate. So if an individual starts cranking up the flow bad results are bound to happen which basically refers to rule 1.

Meditation should be more of blending the internal and external together by that I mean your physical body and energy body. Evening out the flow, output and input until they are so balanced that there is no difference, which is where the reference to Ying and Yang come to mind. Having the physical body in perfect circular flow/harmony with the energy body.

3. Do not store too much energy it can cause nerve damage, short circuit of any electronic device you come in contact with and lets just say you zapping people or yourself. So it is important to have an output handy for example feel as if the energy is coming out of your hand and going into the air. Eventually it will feel like heat is radiating from your palms or finger tips, during some occasions almost as if heat is surrounding your whole hand. Different results for different people but yes always have an output source. Your hands are natures output channels which should not cause any problems with energy.

Anyway those are some of the rules energy training wise etc.

Now to the problem at hand I do not know how much damage you did to your system Hiker, so I can not say exactly at how much time your recovery will take. After my damage I did not do any energy manipulation for at least 6 months, I was playing with a balloon and then decided to create an energy ball in my hand. Positive results of feeling a ball spinning in my hand. However, it blew up in my hand and a nerve was damaged which showed on the surface of the skin. Took 6 months for my body to repair it.

Oh another fun time when I tried moving an object moved it 1-3cm then ended up with a headache and vomited fun times But.... I have not tried doing any energy moving or manipulation for at least 4 years now sense those 2 incidents. Mostly just do meditation which does not involve energy manipulation keeping it all natural

I can recommend some things that may help you.

1. Stop all energy manipulation and circulations you are currently doing.

2. Meditation wise start off from baby steps. DO NOT move energy while you do it.
Just close your eyes take a breath in and a breath out while lying in bed, count the breaths eventually you will pass into sleep. However, once you wake up write down at what breath you stopped before you passed into sleep. Now keep repeating this and try to go each time 1 breath higher then you did last time. It is a natural state of meditation and helps the body heal on its own. If at any stage you get a headache stop the meditative breathing and go back to regular daily flow of breathing.

3. Listen to soothing music before sleep music can work wonders for your body, not many people are aware of it but anyway. Just nothing too crazy something that helps you relax.

That is all I can give you for the moment and hope you take it easy. Each individual has different rates at which their systems are healed up and fixed. But.. anyway please stay safe.

Best of luck and hope it helped a bit.