nephthys_ said:
The feelings of being tired, especially dizzy, sounds to me like the liver/gall bladder (element of wood) cannot fully process the toxins/metabolites that come from the around the body after a yoga session. This then puts further strain on the kidney system, both on processing urine-bound toxins and in aiding the liver.
I have experienced this myself and couldn't understand why for the longest time. Once I corrected the imbalances, I no longer experienced the dizziness. It is just another sign that the element of wood and water are weakened and unable to keep up with a certain workload.
On the positive side, it means you did the yoga asanas correctly because otherwise you wouldn't have felt that way.
While yoga of all kinds is necessary for long term balance and health, it can be counterproductive in this way.
The solution is to prioritize the movements that specifically heal the organs associated with the elements of wood and water. For wood, this generally means the side stretches, twists, and maybe even the pose where you hold your legs down while sitting cross-legged. For the element of water, this includes anything that stretches the lower back or back of the legs.
You should pick out those movements specifically from the hatha packet and do those. Don't worry about doing an incomplete yoga routine, as this is only temporary.
In addition to this, you should practice qigong specific to the elements of wood and water.
For the qigong, look up on Youtube "5 Element Qigong Practice for Wood (Liver and Gall Bladder)" by Mimi Kuo-deemer. Also look up the one for water. I think there are two versions, one long and one short. Just look at the short ones, which are about 2 minutes in length. They should be one general movement for each element. Repeat these movements as much as you want, but at least try 10 reps each and do it for both elements.
I cannot imagine you feeling signs of dizziness from these specific exercises alone, considering you are boosting the same parts of the body responsible for toxin removal. In the case that you experience minor dizziness, then try to eat and drink, which will allow the liver better ability to detox. If the dizziness is ever particularly bad, then you should cut back. I would do the qigong and yoga movements at different parts of the day, for example, to prevent it from being too much.
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When you said you were vegetarian, this actually lays out another pathway that could be hurting your elements of wood and water.
Vegetarianism, unless you eat lots of beans or eggs daily, can quickly become insufficient in nourishing the body, since you subtracted all the heavier foods. While a heavy food does place a certain load on the liver to digest, it should prove to be a net positive for the body, especially if you eat a small portion and following the correct dietary concepts.
Given that you are experiencing these sort of symptoms,
you should eat meat for its greater ability to restore the structure of the body. Eat about 4oz to prevent stagnation, and of course make sure to eat plenty of veggies. Pork, egg, turkey, white fish, sardine, and liver would be the best for your condition. Red meat works as well, but only indirectly for your conditions.
I am unsure why you are having stomach pains. These could be related to the liver energy pushing upwards, in the same way it hurts the head. Make sure to chew well, don't over-stuff yourself, try to eat clean whole foods. Also make sure you are eating cooked, warm foods. It is possible you may have been eating too much raw, cold, or dry foods, which the stomach does not like.
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While the lifestyle changes plus the above-mentioned exercises would set the stage for recovery,
I think it would be in your best interest to pursue professional TCM assistance, even if it means going back to the same clinic.
While the encounter may have been awkward, if the results of the treatment were positive, then perhaps you should just bite the bullet and go back. Perhaps you could ask them to write things down for you, such as the diagnosis and any lifestyle directions they give. Otherwise, maybe try to find another place to go to.
I think any emotional discomfort experienced there would be a small price to pay for relief from your symptoms, so I would encourage you to go again. If you meant the acupuncture itself was physically painful, yeah some points can feel like that.
You can opt to skip the acupuncture in favor of just getting an herbal prescription, as well as their insight to your current health state. This would be yet another item to tip the scale towards recovery.