The Mind & Body Hook Up 

Modern medicine.  Can't live without it.  For many people they wouldn't not be alive without some intervention they've encountered during their lives.  Think penicillin, vaccines, psychotropics, analgesics, HIV/AIDs cocktails, and chemotherapy.  These interventions save and improve lives.  No doubt.  These are treatments that are being done TO the individual. 

Like oversized shears at a ribbon cutting, the mind and body got separated way back in the early 1600s due to Rene Descartes.  He proposed that the mind and body were separate (dualism) and the distinction was reinforced by science.  Since then, we've been trying to reconnect the two, slogging uphill, dragging the Western medical establishment. 

Traditionally, other cultures have practiced mind/body medicine.  It's been done by all societies via the spoken word, sound, prayer, phrase or movement.  Take a look at meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong, Christian and Islamic prayer, mantra, and chanting.  They were historically and still are used for personal introspection, connection with a higher power (God, spirits, the divine), cultural rituals (rites of passage, purification rites) or healing (gonging, drumming, chanting). 

The body spends most of its time warding off attacks by the outside world and internal landscape not only physically, but  mentally, spiritually and psychically.  It's what it does for a living (hah, pun).  Enter the mind.  The mind's thoughts can control changes in the body, such as oxygen consumption, heart rate, blood pressure and rate of breathing.  The fight or flight response ramps up the system and the relaxation response calms it down.  Healing is inhibited by the flight/flight and enhanced by the relaxation response which allows the immune system to operate efficiently.      

And, here is where it gets important fascinating.  When the mind is quieter with less noise and activity, it is more receptive to thoughts coming in.  Once the mind is in quiet mode, you can affect physical changes by visualization.  Really?  Yes.  Think of the person that has lost a limb, but still feels pain.  The brain is still wired for the pain, even though the appendage is gone.  The brain can be rewired through visualization because the brain treats visualized images as real as daily experiences.  With practice, we can build and strengthen new neural pathways.  Ten million North Americans of all ages admit openly to practicing some form of imagery or meditation, to reduce stress, boost the immune system, and cope with life threatening illnesses. (1)

How can we use this information?  You can learn about relaxation and imagery through a variety sources-- books, CDs, workshops and personal sessions with a specialists.  My friend and colleague, Jayne Robertson, of Desert Yoga Therapy, just released Optimal Healing(2) which introduces you to working with the breath and guides you through relaxation and visualization all to relaxing music composed by her brother, Ken Robertson.  This is a perfect gift for yourself or someone who is dealing with a health challenge. 

It's easy.  Sit quietly, recite a phrase (could be a word, phrase or prayer), then visualize yourself being at peace, whole, healthy, content  or __________ (insert your wishes here).  No refrigeration or prescription needed, only good side-effects, and it'll cost you less than your Starbuck's Trenta Cup latte(3). Take that CVS!   

(1) http://healing.about.com/od/visualization/a/imagery_shafer.htm

(2) Go to CDBaby or iTunes or see Jayne right here talking about her CD.  Hi, Jayne!  

(3) To satisfy the unquenchable gullets of America's brand-name coffee drinkers, Starbucks will introduce a 916ml Trenta cup. That's more than the average capacity of the human stomach, and enough caffeine to stand in for a defibrillator. http://gizmodo.com/5735822/the-new-starbucks-trenta-cup-is-bigger-than-your-stomach

Not really, but almost.  I'm subbing a bunch this summer as our awesome teachers take some well-deserved time for trainings or family vacations.  Ann Austin, Westside Yoga Studio, and Devorah Blum  have generously offered to accept my passes whenever I'm teaching their classes.  

What's a class pass you ask?  Many of my students have found it most economical and convenient to purchase a 10 or 5 class pass with me ($100 and $55, respectively).  That's $10 a class.  Can't beat that.  

This is a great opportunity to check out Yoga Studio Ganesha or Westside Yoga Studio when I'm teaching.  Check my schedule and calendar for my dates.  Any questions?  Let me know.     

Get Your Dharma Here

I subscribe to Tricycle's Daily Dharma.  I know, I know, the last thing you need is more in your inbox.  But, I find these little daily missives helpful.  You can subscribe to them here   You could spend hours that you don't have just exploring their website.  I'm signed up for the Buddhafest Film Festival.  Here's one I thought you'd enjoy.

Lovingkindness on the Long Path

It's a given that we don't want to feel the fear of unworthiness, but at some point we have to understand that it's more painful to try to suppress our fears and self-judgments, thus solidifying them, than it is to actually feel them. This is part of what it means to bring lovingkindness to our practice, because we are no longer viewing our fear as proof that we're defective. Without cultivating love for ourselves, regardless of how much discipline we have, regardless of how serious we are about practice, we will still stay stuck in the subtle mercilessness of the mind, listening to the voice that tells us we are basically and fundamentally unworthy. We should never underestimate the need for lovingkindness on the long and sometimes daunting path of learning to awaken.

-Ezra Bayda, "The Three Things We Fear Most"

  [Back to Top]