Dear Friends of Camels, Yoga and Enlightenment, Here’s an in-depth review of a Yoga Camel Trek that Gitesha and I facilitated in the Flinders Ranges of outback South Australia. Check it out. I invite you to join us for this Yogic outback adventure next year. (cameltreksaustralia.au/#!about1/c1sdw) Recently Karen, a friend who’s participated in several Enlightenment Intensives with me over the last 20 years invited Gitesha and I to facilitate the spiritual development aspects of a Yoga Camel Trek she and her husband Paul organised. Karen and Paul run a camel trekking company in the Flinders Ranges of outback South Australia (cameltreksaustralia.au/). Each day Karen, who is a qualified Hatha Yoga Teacher, would begin the day by leading the group in an early morning Hatha Yoga session. This would be followed by Danyse, a food educator, author and Ayurvedic chef extraordinaire, who prepared incredibly delicious healthy meals for the pleasure of our palates, the well being of our bodies and the opening of our heart (alkalinealive.wordpress/book/). Gitesha and I would then facilitate a morning session of meditation, healing and spiritual growth activities. After lunch, bushman and cameleer expert Paul, would take the group on a camel and walking trek into the bush for several hours. Following dinner, Gitesha and I would facilitate the evening program around the fire-light of the camp fire. In the days following the trek Gitesha and I were inspired to write a few words in review of the processes that we shared during this outback yoga retreat. It’s now been two weeks since our journey with camels, yoga and each other has come to a completion. Gitesha and I wish you continued health, happiness and love in your life. In this email we will review some of the teachings and techniques that we introduced to help you further your development in healing and spiritual growth. Yoga, with its many and varied techniques was the primary focus of the Yoga Camel Trek. And it should be said that for Gitesha and I, Yoga is not a part of any religion but a non-religious secular practice for healing the body-mind and the awakening of human consciousness to the unique miracle of life. Below is a brief summary of what Gitesha and I covered during our time together. It does not include the wonderful teachings that Danyse, Karen and Paul shared with all of us. For a more in-depth look at any of the subject areas we covered you can: Google the selected topic on the internet; follow the provided links; visit your local book store or public library for books on yoga; download the free book, Science of Meditation by Swami Kripalu from my web site book store < selffoundation/Documents/Science_of_Meditation.pdf >; or contact Gitesha and I for workshops, retreats, private sessions or personal instruction. Here’s a list of the subjects that we covered followed by some instructions and thoughts on the subjects. Pantanjali and The Yoga Sutras Ashtanga Yoga The First Yama: Ahimsa Atah....Now....Presence Breath Alternate Nostril Breath Presence, Breath, Healing and Anahat Nad Anahat Nad Healing Prayer Meditation Meditation as Medicine Who Am I Relating Dyads: A Communication Meditation Shat Karma Neti Trataka OM Chant Mantra and Toning Pantanjali and The Yoga Sutras Patanjali was a Yoga master teaching in India about two or three thousand years ago. His teachings were eventually collated into a text of 196 short paragraph length explanations known as The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras, when threaded together create a systematised approach to the experiential practise of Yoga. These teachings on the practice of Yoga have for the last several hundred years been considered the definitive classical text and scripture on the study of yoga. Atah....Now....Presence The first word of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is ‘Atah.’ It means ‘NOW.’ Indian scripture traditionally begins with a phrase that explains or summarises the entire scripture. If you can understand the authors intention in that first word or phrase there’s no need to read the entire scripture. Patanjali is saying here that being in the state of Presence or Now is the ultimate aim of Yoga. Of course if you are only understanding with your intellect or mental aspect of your beingness then you have more work to do. Ashtanga Yoga Patanjali systematised or organised the practice of Yoga into eight steps. He used the Sanskrit term Ashtanga to describe this approach. Ashtanga means eight. The 8 Steps / Ashtanga Yoga 1 Yama Restraints 2 Niyama Observances 3 Asana Postures 4 Pranayama Breath Control 5 Pratyahara Withdrawal of the Senses 6 Dharana Focus of Attention 7 Dhyana Meditation 8 Samadhi Enlightenment The First Yama: Ahimsa The Sanskrit word ‘ahimsa’ has been variously translated as ‘non-injury’, ‘sensitivity’ and ‘kindness.’ It’s the first and most important step of Yoga. At every Enlightenment Intensive Retreat that I facilitate I always remind participants that when they return home it is not the spiritual experiences they may have encountered at the retreat that is important but how kind they are to others. Here’s a very helpful Relating Exercise that can help you reflect on the first Yama. A: What is ‘non-injury’, ‘sensitivity’ or ‘kindness?’ B: Tell me an injury you have done to another. C: Tell me how you could treat others better. You can learn more about the Relating Exercises from my book, Knowing Your Self. There’s a link to Amazon books on my home page: < selffoundation/index.html >It’s available on Amazon as a print book or Kindle. Breath Breath meditation techniques are ancient and universal practices for focusing attention and eliciting peace and well-being. Breath is a useful meditation focus because it is an ongoing activity within the body. It is always there as a potential object of your meditative attention whenever you chose to focus on it. There are hundreds of variations to breath meditation techniques. The one we learned and practiced is a very simple, ancient and profound meditation technique that focuses your attention on the breath as it inhales and then exhales. And as with most breath meditation exercises it can be done lying down or sitting comfortably with your eyes open or closed. In this practice the inhaling and exhaling breath becomes the focus of your attention. Any thoughts that arise are noticed, but not wilfully engaged. You notice the thoughts as you would notice clouds floating across a blue sky, without trying to change or chase after them. If you become aware that your attention is following thoughts instead of your breath, gently bring the attention back to the breath. As you become comfortable and more familiar with this simple breath awareness meditation you will be able to use this technique anywhere and at any time. You won’t need to only be in a quiet environment to relax, focus and elicit the relaxation response in the body. You can be driving in your car, sitting at your desk, or engaged in any activity and under any circumstance. If you will keep your attention on the inflow and the outflow of the breath for fifteen to twenty minutes twice each day, you teach the body to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which brings about a healing and relaxing state of body mind. Alternate Nostril Breath Alternate nostril breath or anuloma viloma in Sanskrit, has been practiced for thousands of years in the teachings of yoga. Simply translated it means ‘alternate nostril breath’ or breathing alternatively through each nostril. It is a method, say the yogis, for purifying and healing the body, calming the mind and soothing the emotions. It balances and strengthens the subtle energy channels in the body. These energy channels, called nadis in the science of yoga, are called acupuncture meridians in Chinese medicine. This technique requires that you intermittently hold your breath. If you have never done this method before or you have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, I recommend that you seek the advice of a physician or your health care practitioner before beginning this practise or any other that involves holding your breath, vigorous breathing or anything other than gentle awareness of breath. Sit or lie down and take a few long, deep, relaxing breaths from both nostrils or your mouth. Let the sound ‘ahhhhh’ be expressed and felt as you exhale. Close off your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril to the count of two. Close the left nostril with the right fourth finger and hold your breath for eight counts. Both nostrils are now closed off. Open your right nostril and exhale for four counts. Inhale through the open right nostril for two counts. Close off the right nostril and hold the breath for eight counts. Open the left nostril and exhale for four counts. This constitutes one round. The inhaling, holding and exhaling can be done to a rhythm of counting as I’ve just described or you can do it spontaneously according to the rhythm of your body with regards to how long to inhale, hold and exhale. Experiment and see which way that you prefer, counting or spontaneous. As you learn and practice these breath meditation and relaxation techniques you may want to experiment and explore your own variations. You may want to combine different elements. You may want to focus on your breath while silently repeating the Healing Prayer that Gitesha taught you. Or you may be drawn to run along the beach as you follow your breath, singing out loud a sound that spontaneous arises. Wonderful. Let your inspiration and body be your guide. Presence, Breath, Healing and Anahat Nad First of all: PRESENCE. Be present in the NOW. When you attempt to be PRESENT you notice the BREATH. Noticing your breath flowing in and out takes you out of your thinking mind. Its in the mind where all the trouble is! That simple choice to pay attention to your breathing is fundamentally and profoundly HEALING! Breath is the bridge to Presence. Go to the breath first and everything will follow! Intend to stay with the breath for longer and longer periods. Just this simple focus on breathing will begin to shift you into awareness. Stay with it. Let distractions fade into the background. Pay no attention to the distractions. Commit to focus primarily on the incoming and outgoing breath of life. That sharpens your capacity for awareness. You become more adept at ignoring the distractions. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, sounds, memories, plans for shopping and dinner, debates and arguments in your head … all of that comes and goes. Let it pass through you and pay no attention to it. Do not give it the power of your attention, which is your power, your life force. When you keep withdrawing life-force from mental-emotional content of the mind, the content begins to wither away, like a drying out desert. Whatever you feed with your life-force, will grow and magnify. Dwell on your problems, they surely will flourish and blossom. Feed instead your capacity to be present via the breath, and soon your difficulties begin to wither and wane in the growing strength and radiance of your full presence in the NOW. By regular dedication to the practice of conscious breathing, more and more awareness begins to build. Awareness is essential. It makes it possible to choose consciously where to focus: In Love or in fear? Where am I coming from? What do I give my precious life-force to? What do I want to strengthen and expand in my life? In which energetic field do I want to hang out and spend my every moment? In Love or in fear? Without enough awareness it is impossible to be conscious of our internal driving mechanisms, they remain unconscious and therefore hidden and automatic, they have a life of their own and run the show. In a habitual, self perpetuating and uncontrollable way they are in charge of our life. We have given our power away. The choice point is NOW. Take a conscious breath NOW. Let yourself stay with it for a little longer. Take a break and breathe. Whilst you read on…breathe. Give this basic healing practice to yourself every day. It is the best nourishment you can get. And it is absolutely FREE! Anahat Nad Healing Prayer I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. This simple and powerful approach to healing engenders prayer, repentance and forgiveness in oneself and others. It is based on ancient Hawaiian wisdom (Ho’oponopono): I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. By taking 100% responsibility for the creation of our reality, and with sincere regret of what was created in ignorance (I’m sorry). Petitioning the Divine to uncreate it (Please forgive me). And out of the acceptance of forgiveness arises love (I love you). Love for the Divine, for Self and for Others, and with gratitude for the healing received (Thank you). Love and gratitude restores the alignment with our true nature. Here are suggestions for introductory lines to this Prayer Mantra: In all the ways that I have created this difficulty... Whatever is held in consciousness with regards to this... Whatever there is within me, that is manifesting as... In whatever way, since the beginning of time, my thoughts, words or actions have contributed to this problem... I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. This Mantra lends itself to be repeated over and over, addressing ever deeper layers of negative belief patterning, right to the core. It is also effective for problems you perceive in the life of another. With regular application it becomes an attitude to life, a Living Prayer. Here are some powerful examples: For whatever is held in consciousness, that insists on continuing the dream of separation and denies Oneness, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. For all the attempts to refuse, diminish, suppress and negate the truth of the infinite loving shining Presence within, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. For not acknowledging who and what I truly am and for believing that I am other than Love, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. In all the ways that I have contributed to fear, pain and unhappiness, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. Whatever there is within me that is fuelling conflict and disharmony, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. Whatever there is within me that is manifesting as repetitive problematic situations in my life, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. Meditation Meditation heals. Meditation frees you from your mind. Meditation is the key to balance, harmony and the basis for life enhancing relaxation. Simply breathe in and out. Do that now for a few moments. Let the breath flow and simply notice it. In and out, in and out,………………………………………………… Theres really nothing you need to DO. Just BE. Let the body relax into the chair. Or you can sit on a cushion on the floor, or lie down, if you prefer. Let the body relax, a little bit more with every breath. Letting go of muscle tension greatly enhances relaxation. Use the breath to let go some more. With the in-breath, fill the body with life-force, with the out-breath let go of stresses, tensions, thoughts, feelings, anything that you feel you no longer need, in order to come to a resting place within yourself. Notice the body feeling, notice the sounds, the breath, any movements in the body. Notice emotions, thoughts, sensations... and let it all drift past. Be the witness, the observer of what rises in your consciousness, and let it pass. It rises and it passes, and you are the the witness. If you get stuck in some pocket of thought, take a deep breath and bring your attention back to observing and letting go. Continue to deepen into the space behind the thoughts, underneath the emotions, tapping into the spaciousness of Presence, of stillness, of peace-fullness, of wellbeing. Expand into the clear sky that is empty of clouds. Dive into the vast depth of the ocean of your brilliant consciousness, into the empty everywhere-ness that is full of radiance and infinity loving grace. In our meditation sessions at the retreat we combined guided meditation with silent meditation. And we wove healing elements into the practice of meditation. You were guided to become aware of areas in your life that would benefit from healing in some way. For example a difficulty within yourself, a difficulty in relation to others, in your life circumstances, or an unhappiness of any kind. If any such difficulty persistently occupies your mind during the meditation, it helps to keep letting go and breathing out the thoughts and feelings involved in the specific difficulty, to let it ease away. It could be helpful to include in a quiet internal way the Anahat Nad healing prayer mantra: Im sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you. When enough letting go of mind content has happened, meditation takes you automatically into the very depth of your being, into the core of yourself that vibrates in centred stillness, where all your needs are met and where your true Self is eternally waiting for you to finally come HOME. Meditation as Medicine Dr. Herbert Benson, MD and his colleges at Harvard University were among the first modern researchers to conduct scientific studies on relaxation and meditation. His studies of several meditation techniques revealed several key factors that induce the relaxation response which is the physiological and bio-chemical responses in the body to a state of peace, calm and relaxation. The meditation techniques he studied came from the Indian sub continent and had philosophical, metaphysical and religious overtones. Eliminating these overtones of religion, he devised a simple meditation exercise that reliably induced the relaxation response if individuals practiced the technique or a similar one on a regular daily basis for 15 to 20 minutes twice each day. Thus one could reverse the adverse effects of the fight or flight stress syndrome. The four key factors that Dr. Benson found for inducing the relaxation response during a meditation period were: 1. A quiet environment free from distractions and interruptions. 2. A comfortable sitting posture, sitting on either a chair or on the floor. 3. A passive mental attitude during the meditation session. A passive mental attitude means that you do not chase any thoughts that arise in the mind. You simply observe them and let them go. 4. A meditation object to focus your attention on during the exercise period. The Benson meditation exercise used a word as the focus of meditative attention. You can choose any word that elicits within you a feeling of calm, peace and tranquillity. The words, ‘peace’, ‘love,’ ‘joy’ are some common examples. You can also use a word or syllable that has no particular meaning but that has a pleasurable or peaceful sound to you. It might be a sound like, ‘yooo’ or ‘ahhhh’ or ‘mahhh’ or ‘haaaah’ or ‘ommm.’ The word or syllable that you choose becomes the object of your meditation. It is best to choose a quiet environment for the fifteen to twenty-minute meditation session. Either sub-vocally or out loud, continually repeat the word or syllable you’ve chosen as your focus of attention. Keeping your attention on the repeating word or syllable helps shift your thinking mind from logical, externally based thought to an introverted subjective feeling state. When you notice your mind wandering away from the object of meditation, gently bring your attention back to the object. Keep a passive mental attitude and do not berate yourself if you find yourself or your mind thinking of other things. Simply bring your attention back to the object or sound. Your continued practise of this meditation technique will calm the mind and will elicit the relaxation response in your body. Who Am I The self reflection, ‘Who am I?’ is a 10,000 year old yogic meditation. And though it has a long Yogic tradition it’s also a universal contemplation on the meaning and purpose of life found in cultures and spiritual traditions spreading across our planet. Reflecting and wondering ‘who am I’ seems to be a universal part of human consciousness and is no doubt encoded in our dna. Carl Rogers, the 20th Century renowned clinical psychologist and the father of modern humanistic psychology said that the fundamental question beneath all the problems that people brought to him was “who am I and what’s the purpose of my life.” Ramana Maharshi, the ‘who am I’ Indian guru who lived in the first half of the 20th Century said that to “know your self, you know everything.’ During our Yoga Camel Trek retreat we experienced the two person exercise called a ‘relating exercise’ to support the self reflection, ‘who am I.’ The listening partner said to their contemplating and communicating partner, “Tell me who you are.” After five minutes the roles reversed and the listening partner became the contemplating partner and vice versa. This is a powerful process that teaches and supports good communication habits of non judgemental listening, honest communication within an interpersonal environment of non interruption. Of course you can do this ‘who am I’ meditation on your own by staying open to the consciousness of who you are right here and right now. You can do this during your day by finding a moment (in fact, find many moments during your day) when you can take a little time to be open to directly knowing your self. It may be while you are walking down the street, or waiting in a queue or driving to work, exercising or washing the dishes. Just stay open as you reflect ‘who am I.’ It’s a meditation that can be like waking up from a dream. The notion or metaphor of waking from a dream is not an uncommon way of expressing the reality of enlightenment. David Hawkins, a psychiatrist and modern spiritual adventurer has written several books on consciousness. In his book, The Eye of the I, he writes: “It is as though one had forgotten and now awakened from a dream. All fears are revealed to be groundless; all sorrows are foolish imaginings. There is no future to fear nor past to regret. There is no errant ego self to admonish or correct. There is nothing that needs changing or bettering. there is nothing about which to feel ashamed or guilty. There is no other from which one can be separated. No loss is possible. Nothing needs to be done, no effort is required, and one ifs free from the endless tug of desire and want. The experience of a participant at an Enlightenment Intensive retreat that Gitesha and I regularly facilitate related this to us: “Its slippery, this sense of myself. I chased it like a cat chasing a ball on a string. And when I grabbed it I realised that I AM HERE! I am here and there is no better company than my self! I had to giggle. My body moved automatically to show its gratitude to the world. My eyes widened. My mouth slipped into a smile. My muscles relaxed and I felt light. I felt a desire to give my love to others. To bring light to them. I felt like I could connect with any soul on the planet. And connect so deeply, that others would be injected with my wonderment and joy.” And here’s another person describing their contemplation on ‘who am I’ during another Enlightenment Intensive: “It’s like I’ve awoken from a dream. My life changed dramatically. I met ME, the true me, for the first time. Now I just enjoy every moment that I have and I am grateful to share the truth of me with all living things. And my relationships have improved, especially with my family.” You can see by the words written above that awakening to ‘who you are’ or the state of enlightenment is a profound experience that puts you firmly on a path toward changing your life for the better. It inspires you to improve your life and the way you relate to the world and those around you. The final step of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga is Samadhi or Enlightenment. This is the ultimate goal of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. It’s a state that sages, mystics and pursuers of Truth all agree can’t be described in words because it is beyond words. Zen Masters say, ‘Pointing at the moon is not the moon.’ Describing the ineffable is only pointing at It. Relating Dyads: A Communication Meditation Communication exercises are not generally thought of as a meditation practice. This one is. Meditation is a sustained and one pointed focus on what you put your attention on. In this exercise your attention is either on your partner when you are listening to them or on yourself, when you are self reflecting. This is an active meditation and one that engages you to enter into life and living. It has profound beneficial effects on your well being. The Communication Meditation exercise, also known as a ‘relating dyad,’ is normally done with a partner and is not meant to be a solo self-reflective activity. The other person can be a total stranger, your best friend or your spouse. The two people sit opposite each other. One person gives the other a specific instruction such as, “Tell me how you want to be loved” or Tell me a problem you’re having in life” Or “Tell me who you are.” After giving the instruction the person listens without interrupting for a prearranged amount of time, usually 5 minutes. At the end of five minutes the listener acknowledges the speaker by saying “Thank you” and the roles reverse. This goes on back and forth for usually forty minutes. It is a very simple but extremely effective exercise that relieves the burdens of emotional and mental stress accumulating from ineffective and poor relating habits. People really like the dyad process even though some find it personally confronting because they feel listened to and understood. They feel safe and supported by the formal dyad structure and guidelines in which one can speak honestly without being interrupted or challenged. People experience expanded states of consciousness with respect to the topic they are contemplating upon and they develop functional communication habits and listening skills at the same time. The dyad process is a modern Western communication exercise that embraces the Eastern principles of complementariness, the yin and yang union of opposites. It combines the principles of Eastern self reflection and the Western psychological approaches of honest communication and effective listening skills. It is both a meditation that dives deep into silence and solitude and an expressive communication exercise that supports you to reach out to another in order to bring about understanding between yourself and another. You can learn more about the Relating Exercises from my book, Knowing Your Self. There’s a link to Amazon books on my home page: < selffoundation/index.html >It’s available on Amazon as a print book or Kindle. Shat Karma During our Yoga Camel Trek we learned two Shatkarma techniques: nasal cleanings and candle glazing. The Shatkarmas are yogic practices purifying and cleaning the body. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is an ancient classical yogic scripture that describes the shatkarmas. In that book it says that only when the body is purified and cleansed can one be ready for the higher practices of yoga. There are six categories of Shatkarmas with each group containing one or more practices. Here’s a summary each group. 1. Neti is nasal cleaning using water or string. 2. Dhauti is a cleansing of the digestive track by swallowing and removing a wet cloth. 3. Nauli is abdominal massage. 4. Basti is colon cleaning. 5. Kapalbhati: is a rapid exhalation and inhalation. 6. Trataka is eye gazing without blinking. Neti There are two types of neti. Neti with water and neti with string. The neti practice with water is a very useful and practical way to cleanse the nostrils of allergy pollens and dust. Always mix warm water with a small amount of table salt so the salt balance in the water is comparable with your bodily fluids. This saline solution will be easier on the body than ordinary water and not cause any stinging or burning disturbance to your nasal passages. The string neti is a more advanced nasal cleaning practice that cleanses and awakens the nervous system. It’s said that neti helps to maintain nasal hygiene by removing dirt and bacteria trapped in the mucus linings of the nostrils. I’ve found that it stops my hay fever reactions of sneezing and excess nose blowing during the spring hay fever season Others claim that it has alleviated their symptoms of rhinitis, migraine, headaches and sinusitis. It’s said that the shatkamas increase the energy flow in the body so there is more awareness and thus your capacity to think, work, taste, feel are expanded. Trataka The classical yogic text, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika gives only a brief explanation of trataka. It says, “Looking intently with an unwavering gaze at a small point until tears are shed is known as trataka by the practitioners of yoga.” The practice of trataka is a meditation that is said to enhance your ability to concentrate. Through it’s practice you can increase the power of memory and bring the mind into a state of awareness, attention and focus. Many claim that the one pointed focus awakens psychic powers by simulating the pineal gland known as the ajna chakra or the ‘third eye’ in the spiritual anatomy of yoga. Eye gazing exercises have also been used to strength eyesight. Trataka is deceptively simply. You concentrate on an object without blinking. The object is often a candle but it can also be a picture, an object like a statue or something in nature like a tree or the clouds. It can also be another person as in a two person tantra like exercise known as a relating dyad in which one person is the self reflecting partner and the other is the listener. OM Chant Mantra and Toning We did some chanting during our time together. We chanted the sound OM and we also did some spontaneous free form sound chanting. Chanting, for Gitesha and I, is not connected to any religious teaching or spiritual dogma. It is a secular or universal technique that brings about healing to the body-mind in the same way that meditation is not religious but medicinal. Its positive effects on the nervous system brings about physiological and biological changes in the body-mind that induce peace and relaxation. When we chanted Om or any of the other spontaneous sounds, those sounds were not a part of any ceremonial religious ritual from our point of view. Those sounds were not words with particular meanings but were rather intonations. They were a music that transcends the barriers of age, race, religion, culture and even species. We were making sounds like cicadas and frogs on a summer night or the song of birds in the early morning or the camels calling out to their herd. Yes, chanting has been a part of ceremonial religious activity since time immemorial. And it’s a part of both public ritual and solitary prayer that can be spoken or sung out loud communally or sub-vocalized in private. And though it does have those religious implications like the ceremonial use of bread wafers and wine for Catholics, wine and bread, in and of themselves are not religious but food and drink to nourish the body. Philosophically, Hinduism teaches that ‘OM’ is the symbol of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality or the Absolute. But let’s not get caught in any philosophical debates, uncertainties or confusions of the mind. When we chant ‘OM’ or other spontaneous sounds our intention is direct conscious experience and the healing power of music and sound. Medical and science research shows that music helps to reduce the bodies stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol. It effectively lowers the blood pressure and heart rate in the body eliciting the bodies relaxation response. Cardiologist, Stephen Sinatra, M.D is a firm believer in the mind-body connection. He wrote that music, like meditation, can have a favourable influence on the health and well being of your body. Sound and music healing has become a therapeutic specialty in the science of medicine in the 21st Century. Dr Alfred Tomatis, a French ear, nose and throat specialist believes that the ear is the most important of all our sense organs. The ear controls the bodys sense of balance, rhythm and movement and is the conductor of the entire nervous system. Making those long extended humming and vowel sounds like “OOOOoooommmmm” or “AAAAaaaaahhhh” or “EEEEeeeeeeee” is called toning. When we do it communally with other people it creates a feeling of unity and well being. It helps to release stress and repressed emotions. It energises the body and restores health to the mind, body and spirit. But to experience these benefits you have to make those sounds. Thinking about them or resisting because of social inhibitions will not give you the beneficial results that toning, singing and sounding offers. Toning and singing is a form of Pranayama, the fourth step of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, written about 2000 years ago. Today science experiments and medical research understands the power of such prananyama practices. Studies have found that toning releases endorphins so you just feel better. It’s been found to relieve insomnia, help with digestion, assist in good breathing and to boost the immune system. So don’t just sit there make some noise. You’ll feel better.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 21:14:24 +0000
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