Yoga for Central nervous system health, heart health and overall vitality

 

There is some  information about the brain that you may not be aware of that is important. First of all the Central Nervous System is the brain and the Spinal cord. Second the brain changes throughout our life, the term for this being- neuroplasticity. Third, we build new neural Pathways throughout our lives and we can actively affect this process!       In recent research I came across the work of Dr. Roger Sperry, (Nobel Prize Recipient for Brain Research)   -let's focus on these two points-

 

• “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine” Dr. Roger Sperry

• “Additionally, Dr. Roger Sperry demonstrated that 90% of the brain’s energy output is used in relating the physical body to gravity. Only 10% has to do with thinking, metabolism, and healing.” 

 

Movement of the spine brings better brain health! These are reasons posture and optimal body Mechanics (particularly spinal alignment) is essential to health and vitality- healthy nutrition for the brain and energy output of the brain!

 There is a saying in Chinese culture- :You will live as long as you can arch your back". This makes good sense when you understand the relationship of nourishment and stimulation to the brain.  

 

Think about this in relation to the Asanas (poses) in yoga, all of which are strengthening and/or stretching the muscles along and within the spine to some degree.  “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine”  Balance poses in Yoga, where you challenge yourself to balance on one foot or one foot one hand etc…90% of the brain’s energy output is used in relating the physical body to gravity.

 

Meditation, Ideally Yoga is moving meditation; quieting the mind. narrowing the focus, controlling the thoughts, and therefore giving the mind a rest or at least the focus (economy) necessary to build new neural pathways. The longer I do yoga the less separation there seems to be of mind/body/brain/heart/energy.  Through continued practice over time all of this becomes integrated and a natural understanding, knowing/ intelligence develops over time.  The brain is throughout the body and the body has it's own intelligence. This is far more than gaining muscle development and knowing the names and mechanics of postures (asanas). It is building new neural pathways, gaining control over the mind and body, it is training the intuition so that eventually the yoga practice begins to be naturalistic, and organic;y evolving. In other words you train till you can practice with mindfulness but very little "thinking". 

  

This is also why Shavasana, is so important, you are resting the brain as well as the body, “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine” giving the spine time to restore and reset.  Shavasana using blankets and bolsters are often better for people who are injured or elderly or need to improve posture.  In meditation and some restorative yoga this is also true. Conversely, this is not so true the way many of us “relax” seated in chairs that foster poor alignment, watching TV or movies, drinking alcohol, etc… none of this is even approaching the healthy relaxation needed for restoring health of mind and body.

 

Another aspect of the brain is Neuroplasticity

- in this article How Training Changes the Structure of the Brain, Dan Peterson states;   "On the most basic level, learning a new skill or improving a skill involves changes in the brain.  There are a few different ways that our brains adapt to picking up new skills and changing environmental conditions.  The first involves a rewiring of the networks of neurons in the brain.  Each skill or action that an athlete performs involves the activation of neural pathways."

Knowing the brain is very plastic and that each repetition in practice affects the brain brings light on the importance of “mindful daily practice” to ensure that the pathways being laid down in the brain are reinforced with the right neural connections.  This processes being optimum when the mind is quiet.

~ “Do not allow past experiences to be imprinted on your mind. Perform asanas each time with fresh mind and with a fresh approach. If you re repeating what you did before, you are living in the memory, so you are living in the past. ” ~The light on life, B.K.S Iyengar Having a distracted mind, or careless practice isn’t just wasting your time, it can actually be steps backwards from attaining new skill, depth and understanding.This clarifies the abilities of an experienced yogi (daily practice over years) to perform yoga postures as compared to persons who do yoga at 1 or 2 classes a week.

 The other aspect of brain health has to do with the quiet mind. 

Research around the brain activity patterns of experts has been done by Brad Hatfield at the University of Maryland.  His research around expert marksmen... "has shown that their brains are, in fact, ‘quieter’ and more economical than the brains of novices.  In effect, they tune everything else out so thoroughly that only the most essential  brain areas associated with the task are turned on and working.   Novices, on the other hand, exhibited not only more brain activity, but  activity that suggested communication between areas of the brain associated with motor control and areas associated with conscious, cognitive thought and analysis.  Several studies on athletes and clutch performance of skilled tasks have associated a certain type of quiet, focused brain state with successful performance.  In effect, a quiet brain is an expert brain."

Conversely  "It has been theorized that high stakes cause athletes to overthink and become self-conscious about their movements, which in turn causes them to revert back to the rigid movement patterns of a less-experienced performer.  This has been observed in disciplines from rock-climbers to weightlifters to piano players.  The mind can get in the way of the body smoothly carrying out what it  already knows how to do." Dan Peterson

There is also a relationship to the quiet mind and the metabolic/systolic heart rhythms-   

At the Institute of Heart Math http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/introduction.html  research shows "positive emotions create increased harmony and coherence in heart rhythms and improve balance in the nervous system and conversely: disharmony in the nervous system leads to inefficiency and increased stress on the heart and other organs..
The heart  a  complex,  "processing center with its own functional "brain" that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways. These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body’s major organs, and ultimately determine the quality of life." ~Institute of Heart Math 

Moving beyond the soreness and moving when there is pain.

 Move your body in new ways, build strength, increase your flexibility  and you will be sore.   This is actually a very good thing!

  When you move deeper/more the body will feel “sore” for 24-48hours (while the body is changing); the best remedy for soreness is to move again!  with-in 24-48 hours.   This is how you move beyond soreness. Remember consistency is the key to progress. Practice 4-6 times a week.

 Try enjoying this soreness- it is a clear sign that you are changing, enjoy feeling the muscles, enjoy remembering how your body moves and feels- Enjoy being ALIVE and Vital enough to be able to get sore! See it as a challenge to move (literally) beyond.

• Yoga Asana (any vigorous exercise, sweating) is Stimulus for change. 
• Change happens in the body (it becomes stronger, more flexible) during the 24-48 hours after. (1st decay of old cells and 2nd Growth of new cells)
• If there isn't re-stimulus after 48 hours the body begins to lose that progress  (Decay)

 

To quote Dr. Harry S. Lodge co-author with Chris Crowley of, Younger Next Year and Younger Next Year for Women: "Exercise is healthy stress...When you exercise fairly hard you stress your muscles . You drain them of energy stores and you actually injure them slightly. The stress of exercise is good because it tears you down to build you back up a little stronger....It is a signal to your body that it needs to repair the damage and then some.  It needs to make the muscle just a little stronger. To store just a little more energy for tomorrow. To build a few more tiny blood vessels inside the muscle. To get a little younger."  .... " At rest, only 20 percent of your blood flow moves through your muscles: in a trained athlete, that rises, with exercise, to 80 percent. Picture it: torrents, rivers of blood flooding through your muscles with exercise, picking up the cytokines, the messengers of inflammation and repair, growth and healing, and taking them to every corner of your body....Every joint, every bone, every organ, every tiny part of your magnificent brain gets it's bath of C-6, and then the wonderful, rejuvenating C-10 each time you sweat. That's the right balance, good decay triggering growth."

 I recommend this book for understanding  how one can avoid 70% or more of disease and  70% or more of the negative affects of aging; empowering you to live an active, independent life longer.  It is also motivating and funny. We are likely to live a  much longer life than previous generations. Will it be active and independent until near the end?  or will we become increasingly helpless and dependent on "care" for years or decades of our life?  It doesn't have to be all downhill after 40, 50, 60,70 years old you can create a younger body now, and maintain it to very late in life.  ~Move it or lose it.~

 Pain is another thing all together; we tend to stop moving due to injury/pain. Rest it, stop all exercise. This is a huge mistake, keep moving, exercising all the parts you can (remember you are increasing oxygen and blood flow to the whole body)! Pain is our teacher, so do continue to move, even move the injured parts in the range of motion you are able without pain, move through soreness and to the edge of pain. If you measure the pain from 1- 10, (10 being most severe), continue to move (slowly with the breath and mindful focus) up to the 1-2 range of pain and learn. This is where to check alignment:  are you breathing correctly? is the joint supported with correct, balanced muscle engagement? Are the spine, shoulders and hips in alignment? Do you feel energy spiraling through the limbs and torso?  Move with alignment and energy in mind, noticing what feels better and doing that!   To think and focus of building new strength and flexibility in improved alignment, rather than focus on what isn’t working. This is the mindset for healing. Homeopathy, Arnica, herbs, Epsom salts baths, essential oils, and acupuncture are some options for healing, but for goodness sake keep on moving!

 Of course if the pain is 8-10 range all the time, seek medical attention. Yet keep in mind, more and more people are getting results from yoga, physical therapy and exercise thereby  avoiding surgeries and other procedures that may or may not help. 

My Teacher, James Cardinale, recently when I mentioned shoulder pain (in the 4-7 degree range) had me do handstands. I was very surprised to realize there was no pain in doing handstands! Later, even just thinking of handstands, I aligned my shoulders better throughout the day! I discovered the pain was coming from how I was holding my shoulder while at the computer and reaching to the back seat of the car to lift out stuff! Changing those habits and doing head and handstands are healing - healing more than just that shoulder too!

"The body is a treacherous friend. Give it its due; no more.  Pain and pleasure are transitory; endure all dualities with      calmness, trying at the same time to remove yourself beyond their power. Imagination is the door through which disease as well as healing enters. Disbelieve in the reality of sickness even when you are ill; an unrecognized visitor will flee." 

         ~Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri______________