Sleep Apnea and Meditation

By on November 6, 2009 in Meditation, Spirituality

Question:

Sometimes when I meditate I stop breathing. How is this different from sleep apnea? Is it dangerous?

Answer:

No it’s not dangerous. When the breathing rate decreases or is temporarily suspended in meditation, it is because the mind is experiencing profound silence and the mind’s correlation with the body means that the body experiences deep rest. That rest produces reduced respiration and heart rate which improves one’s health. The stoppage of breathing in sleep apnea on the other hand is not healthy  at all.

The moments of suspended breathing in meditation is also different from sleep apnea for the simple fact that during  meditation one is awake not asleep. If your body  needs to breath more  during  meditation you will.

Love,

 

Deepak

 deepakchopra.com

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Time Magazine heralded Deepak Chopra as one of the 100 heroes and icons of the century, and credited him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine." Entertainment Weekly described Deepak Chopra as "Hollywood's man of the moment, one of publishing's best-selling and most prolific self-help authors." He is the author of more than 50 books and more than 100 audio, video and CD-Rom titles. He has been published on every continent and in dozens of languages. Fifteen of his books have landed on the New York Times Best-seller list. Toastmaster International recognized him as one of the top five outstanding speakers in the world. Through his over two decades of work since leaving his medical practice, Deepak continues to revolutionize common wisdom about the crucial connection between body, mind, spirit, and healing. His mission of "bridging the technological miracles of the west with the wisdom of the east" remains his thrust and provides the basis for his recognition as one of India's historically greatest ambassadors to the west. Chopra has been a keynote speaker at several academic institutions including Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Divinity School, Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Business School and Wharton.His latest book is "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul."
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2 Responses to Sleep Apnea and Meditation

  1. Darshan November 5, 2009 at 9:47 pm #

    thnx for solving this query..it gave ans to lot que in my brain reg meditation.

  2. uchenna November 11, 2009 at 8:15 am #

    hi dr deepak……i don,t know the best way to express this issue….i am afraid that the deeds of my ancestors is still plaquing the whole family….girls can,t get married and stay married,the young men strieve and work as hard as others,but still dipressed and can barely find thier footing.while a few in the family have all they want and have other clamoring around them for help that still have them running around in circles…i know i have a role to play in liberating the family as i recently went through a life changing experience last year while meditating.i am not spiritually mature and don,t want to jump into things..as i am worried as to how to handle myself when attacks comes from them..can u enligthen me as to how to go about this transformation….