DAY 7: A HOLOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE

Day  7: The Holographic Experience

DO COBRA 5 TIMES A WEEK

• flexible spine
• strong back muscles 
• opens your heart and throat chakras -- stimulating communication and energy
• keeps you young FOREVVEERRRR

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Phew, so glad to be back in class. Never want to miss another day. 

Today we talked about miracles. The miracle of walking. The miracle of drinking. The miracle of sitting.

THE MIRACLE OF THE BODY, OF OURSELVES.

Everyday, I take for granted everything I do; from being able to roll out of bed in the morning, to sitting (or squatting) on the crapper, and taking my shoes off at the end of the day. These actions require a complex sequence of events to occur within our body’s nervous system. Every movement requires a calculation of weight, distance, and location and then the act of actually carrying out this calculation. Typing on this computer keyboard is an insanely complex process. First of all, I type at 70 - 80 wpm, pretty freaking fast, but that’s not the point! My brain knows exactly where each little key is located on the board, it also knows exactly the order in which these letters go to make a word, and then it also uses all ten fingers to control this process and create a legible sentence. So with each millisecond, my nervous system and brain are working together to move my fingers, write a learned language, and use a learned technological process to share this knowledge. It’s CRAZY! And yet, here I sit almost everyday, using these processes without thinking twice about them. It’s incredible how much we can do with our bodies, with our minds, that we don’t even notice! Coordination is one of the greatest miracles ever.

THENERVOUSSYSTEM

We have two different types of nervous systems: central (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral (the rest of the body). The cells in our nervous systems are called neurons which send signals to one another through a synapse: the space between two neurons where they relay messages to each other. In typing on this keyboard, my neurons must be sending thousands of messages to each other and my brain thinks of words to say (relaying of messages) to typing them on this board (relaying of messages). I’m confused already. All I know is that I better get my neurons a big present for Christmas because I owe it to them for all the work they do for me! Hmm maybe lots of wine after I finish this yoga class!!! Alcohol does slow the synapse time for the neurons.. maybe they’d appreciate a break?!

The central nervous system is divided into two categories: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The parasympathetic system is engaged when the body is relaxed, the heart beat is slow, pupils are small, and the blood flow is focused in the centre of the body for digestion. The sympathetic system is engaged when we are in flight or fight mode -- STRESS. The heart beat is fast, blood flows into all extremities, pupil’s are wide, and there is lots of sweating involved. The one problem with the sympathetic system is that it is very intense; it gives us a lot of power and shoots extreme amounts of energy into the system. While this is healthy when confronted with dangerous situations, the sympathetic system cannot stay engaged in the body for a long time or else the body becomes completely depleted of energy! Stress, one of the main components of the sympathetic system, is overabundant in urban life. The busyness of everyday leads people’s whole bodies into constant states of intensity. If people have no way to expel energy, they turn into an exploding bomb and can fry all their internal systems. This is why some people, who look very healthy and good-looking when their 50, suddenly die of a heart attack. They were probably so stressed at work, and had no way to switch to their parasympathetic mode, that their internal organs just gave up. A constant sympathetic system also gives rise to depression and a feeling of hopelessness. If there is no time for relaxation, the body has no way to expel the extra pent up energy and the internal organs have a hard time dealing with all of it. 

In yoga, the last asana, suvasana or relaxation, is the most important part of the practice. All you have to do in suvasana is lie down on the floor, close your eyes, and NOT FALL ASLEEP! Most people find it annoying and hate the fact that they can never relax, or that they pass out right away, However, it is the main asana that totally relaxes the nervous system. The fact that they cannot relax in the asana only proves that they are so deep in their sympathetic system that they cannot shift to their parasympathetic system anymore. 

Try to lie down in a darkened room, place a blanket on top of you, close your eyes... can you relax without falling asleep? The whole point of relaxation is to be alert, end mindless thoughts, and not move for the entire time. I bet you 5 bucks you can’t do it for 15 minutes. Don’t move a muscle! And don’t think about what to make for dinner. Quiet your mind, quiet your body, stay conscious, and relaaaaxxxx. 

TAKE A CHILL PILL .. DUDE!