Semantics versus Substance

I recently conducted a workshop on “Heal the vagus nervous system to heal the body and mind”. This is how I presented the theme:

“One of the parasympathetic nervous systems, Vagus, manages our ability to control stress, anxiety, depression, body image issues, and behavioral disorders (OCD, ADHD...). Vagus nervous system represent the mind body connection. Sensitizing this system by mindful diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness and meditation is found to heal mind and body. In this one hour session, we will explore the benefits of deep diaphragmatic breathing to sensitize the Gut Brain Axis (GBA) and the role of meditation and mindfulness to create Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) to calm and relax the body and mind”

I was surprised when twenty five percent of the people did not show up on the day of the workshop. I had the chance to talk to one of them. “I will be judged if I had attended”, he said. “The idea is not entirely deal with the issues we may face, it is all about prevention and to be proactive”, I said. I had been there many times and I realize the semantics is as important as substance and the purpose. “May be you should’ve said, breathing exercise to relax”, my friend told and I heard her.

A week after the workshop, a young man (who attended it) came to me and said, “The breathing worked like a magic, I am able to focus, relax and get off the gloominess of anxiety. Why our physicians and therapists do not encourage these ancient wisdom”. I have an answer and being a hypothesis I would rather not spell it out.

Anyway, I took “Healing the Vagus Nervous System” as the theme of my classes for the past one month. Vagus nervous system is a wandering bidirectional system innervating the internal organs in the gut area. There are five things we may be able to incorporate in our yoga practice, life, to achieve this. This is a practice to stay away from sympathetically active flight, fight, freeze or faint to parasympathetically active realm of feed, relax and happy.

1    1. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing massages internal organs and activates this bi-directional wandering nervous system. It also massage thyroid, parathyroid, thymus ad prostate glands. It sensitizes the manipura chakra (No…the solar plexus energy center!)

          2.  Recreate, Strengthen and Maintain spinal curves: There are number of simple pose combinations (therapeutic sequences) to achieve this: Cat-Cow-down-dog; pyramid-crescent lunge; bridge(s)-apanasana.

3    3. Detox poses extending upper thoracic area: Anytime when you flex and rotate the lower abdominal area, it is a detox pose. The best way to recognize them is look for the word “parivritha” in it. These poses amplify the internal energy that will seek a path to move up through Gut Brain Axis (GBA). Mindfully executing these poses tone GBA

4    4. Engage the chin lock, if possible, while executing poses: Locking the chin helps to massage the vagus nervous system passing through the neck.

5    5. Be mindful in breathing and poses. Practice SWOT breathing to counts of 4-4-6-2. There definitely seem to be a reason why the military folks are using this breathing to help those feet on the ground.

I am planning to continue the theme for another week. Hope to see you.

P. S. Help your students, friends, colleagues to discover their soul, the purpose of their life. Our soul, creativity and talents are like timid wild animals. Seek them gently with care to ground them. Try to connect with them and accept them with love. Our goal is to help them to discover that purpose. The rest will fall in place. It means a lot when you say Namaste,

So,

Namaste!

Jay.