THE IMPORTANT OF BREATH

 

                              THE BREATHING PATTERN

                       THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATH CAN BE APPRECIATED BY OBSERVING SOME OF THE MIND'S PROPERTIES, FOR THE MIND TENDS TO FILTER MANY EVENTS OUT OF CONSCIOUS AWARENESS IN ORDER TO AVOID A CONFUSING BARRAGE OF SENSATIONS. THIS ALLOWS IT TO FOCUS ON THE MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. IN OTHER WORDS, A NEW PATTERN OF THOUGHT OR A NEW ACTIVITY INITIALLY ATTRACTS MUCH CONSCIOUS ATTENTION, BUT WITH FREQUENT REPETITION IT BECOMES UNCONSCIOUS AND HABITUAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WALKING IS EFFORTLESS FOR AN ADULT, IT REQUIRES LITTLE OR NO CONSCIOUS ATTENTION ALTHOUGH THE CONSCIOUS MIND CAN EASILY INTERVENE IF NECESSARY. HOWEVER, THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATING THE MOVEMENTS OF WALKING INTO THE MIND TOOK YEARS OF TRIAL AND ERROR BEFORE IT BECAME HABITUAL AND COULD BE RELEGATED TO THE UNCONSCIOUS.

                   THE INTERNAL ORGANS (FOR EXAMPLE, THE HEART, KIDNEY, LIVER) RESPOND IN A SIMILAR MANNER. BIOFEEDBACK RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT SOME OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THESE ORGANS, PREVIOUSLY LABELED INVOLUNTARY, CAN BE CONSCIOUSLY CONTROLLED WITH TRAINING, ALTHOUGH MUCH PRACTICE USUALLY REQUIRED TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN CONSCIOUSLY CONTROLLINGV THESE ORGANS.

                    BREATHING IS UNIQUEAS A PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION BECAUSE FEEDBACK SIGNALS FROM THE LUNGS AND FROM OXYGEN AND CARBONDIOXIDE IN THE BLOOD OFFSET THE RATE AND DEPTH OF VOLUNTARY MUSCLES. FOR EXAMPLE, DEPENDING UPON ONE'S PROFICIENCY IN DEALING WITH THE BREATH, THE RATE AND DEPTH OF BREATHING CAN BE ALTERED, BUT INVOLUNTARY REFLEX ACTIVITY LIMITS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THIS CAN OCCUR. THESE REFLEXES ACT AS SAFEGUARDS, AND ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE NEED TO BREATHE IS FUNDAMENTAL. THIS IN PART REFLECTS THE KEY ROLE PLAYED BY OXYGEN IN METABOLISM, FOR WITHOUT OXYGEN THE BODY CANNOT BURN FOOD AND GENERATE ENERGY.

               MODERN SCIENCE HAS COME TO UNDERSTAND MANY OF THE PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF BREATHING, FROM THE MUSCLES AND ORGANS WHICH TRANSPORT OXYGEN INTO AND THROUGHOUT THE BODY, DOWN TO THE MOLECULAR REACTIONS OF METABOLISM. HOWEVER, THE PURELY INTELLECTUAL APPEAL OF THESE COMPLEX PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS HAS LIMITED THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY'S CONCEPT OF THE BREATH TO THE PHYSICAL LEVEL ONLY, EVEN THOUGH THE MOST CASUAL REFLECTION INDICATES THAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BREATH EXTENDS BEYOND ITS PURELY METABOLIC FUNCTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SUGGESTS THAT THERE IS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND THE BREATH, FOR INTENSE EMOTIONAL STATES APPEAR TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN BREATHING. THE SOB OF GRIEF AND THE TREMBLING BREATH OF ANGER ARE COMMON EXAMPLES. IN ADDITION, PHYSICAL STIMULI SUCH AS PAIN AND EXERCISE CAN ACT TO CHANGE BOTH THE BREATH AND THE EMOTIONAL STATE.

                    ONCE THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE STUDIED, A WHOLE SERIES OF QUESTIONS ARISES, WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EMOTIONS AND THE BODY AND BREATH? WHAT IS THE UNDERLYING VEHICLE? DOES THE BREATH INTERACT WITH OTHER REALMS OF THE MIND? CAN EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL STATES BE ALTERED BY CHANGING THE BREATHING PATTERNS?

                      THESE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WHICH SCIENCE OF BREATH ADDRESSES. EACH CHAPTER DEVELOPS ONE ASPECT OF THE CENTRAL THESIS THAT THE BREATH IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE BODY AND MIND, AND THE AUTHORS WEAVE TOGETHER THE DIVERSE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES OF THE WEST AND THE RICH EXPERIENTIAL INSIGHTS OF THE EAST INTO A THOROUGH AND BALANCED EXPOSITION. AFTER THE BASIC TENETS OF THE BOOK ARE OUTLINED IN THE FIRST CHAPTER, DR.ALAN HYMES PRESENTS THE PHYSIOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF THE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT FROM AN UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE, AND EXAMINES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF VARIOUS BREATHING HABITS. A DISCUSSION OF THE NOSE (AN OFT-MALIGNED BUT RARELY UNDERSTOOD ORGAN) AND THE UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT FOLLOWS IN A CHAPTER BY DR.RUDOLPH BALLENTINE. HERE, THIS PORTAL IS EXAMINED IN TERMS OF THE PREPARATORY FUNCTIONS IT EXERTS UPON THE INCOMING AIRSTEAM AND THE COMPLEX PATTERN OF NERVOUS ACTIVITY AND ENERGY FLOW WHICH THIS EVOKES. IN THE FINAL CHAPTER, SWAMI RAMA DESCRIBES THE VEHICLES FOR THE BODY/MIND INTERFACE: PRANA, ACCORDING TO THE ANCIENT YOGIC TEXTS, PRANA IS THE MOST SUBTLE UNIT OF ENERGY. SWAMI RAMA DISCUSSESS ITS ORGANIZATION INTO A PRANIC SHEATH, OR ENERGY FIELD, WHICH UNDERLIES THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE BODY AND WHICH IS POTENTIALLY UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE MIND.

                    THE GOAL OF SCIENCE OF BREATH IS TO PRESENT THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE BREATH IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT CAN BE APPLIED AS A TOOL FOR PERSONAL GROWTH. TO THIS END, A SERIES OF PRACTICAL EXERCISE AND TECHNIQUES FOR SYSTEMATICALLY WORKING WITH THE BREATH AND CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF PRANA IS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL. THESE SERVE TO EXPAND BREATH AWARENESS, FOR A WE OBSERVE THE WAY IN WHICH WE USE OUR BREATH, VARIOUS MORE BENEFICIAL ONES. JUST AS A CHILD OVERCOMES HIS CLUMSINESS BY BECOMING AWARE OF HIS BODY AND LEARNING TO WALK, SO DOES BREATH AWARENSS GRADUALLY BRING BREATHING UNDER GREATER CONSCIOUS CONTROL.

                     AS THE BREATH IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE BODY AND MIND, IT CAN INTERVENE IN THE ACTIVITIES OF EITHER LEVEL. WITH INCREASED AWARENSS AND CONTROL OF THE SUBTLE ASPECTS OF BREATHING, THESE INTERVENTIONS CAN AFFECT DEEP PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES. SCIENCE OF BREATH, THEN, OPENS UP NEW AVENUES OF BEING TO THE CONSCIOUS MIND,  PROVIDING A POWERFUL TOOL IN THE PURSUIT OF TRULY HOLISTIC HEALTH AND PERSONAL GROWTH.

THE NATURE OF MAN

 

            

                                 THE MULTI LEVELED

                                     NATURE OF MAN

                                       THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN SCIENCE HAS FORCED US, SLOWLY BUT SURELY, CLOSER TO THIS POINT OF VIEW. WE HAVE FOUND IT INCREASINGLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SYUDY THE PHYSICAL WITHOUT BECOMING AWARE OF PHENOMENA THAT ARE NON-PHYSICAL, WHICH WE MIGHT EVEN CALL "ENERGY". WE END OUR STUDY OF ANATOMY BY BEGINING TO STUDY THE  ACTIVE INTEGRATION OF AN ORGANISM AS A WHOLE. AND THIS LEVEL OF BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING ALWAYS INVOLVES ENERGY.

                              NEWTONIAN PHYSICTISTS WE INTERESTED ONLY IN MECHANICS. THEY WERE CONCERNED PRIMARILY WITH UNDERSTANDING HOW ONE PHYSICAL BODY MOVED IN RELATION TO, AND WAS AFFECTED BY, ANOTHER. IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, HOWEVER, ELECTROMAGNETISM HAS BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, AS HAS THE STUDY OF NUCLEAR FORCES. MORE AND MORE WE HAVE COME TO GRAPPLE WITH THE QUESTIONS, "WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATTER AND ENERGY, BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL REALM AND THE REALM OF ENERGY? 

                                WHAT, IN FACT, IS ENERGY? IF WE CAN'T SEE IT, IT'S NOT MATERIAL, IS IT SCIENTIFIC TO TALK ABOUT IT? OBVIOUSLY, ENERGY IS CRUCIAL . IT MAKES US MOVE, IT MAKES OUR LIGHTBULBS GLOW. WHEREAS OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART MACHINERY OF A CENTURY AGO BURNED COAL TO MAKE STEAM AND PUSH PISTONS, OUR MACHINERY OF TODAY HAS BECOME MORE SUBTLE, CHANNELING ENERGY THROUGH THE TINIEST OF CIRCUITS TO PERFORM ELECTRONIC MIRACLES. HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THIS PHENOMENON?

                          EINSTEIN SEIZED THIS QUESTION AND FORMULATED AN ANSWER. E=MC2 SPECIFIES A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY AND MATTER. IT ALSO STATES THAT THEY ARE INTERCONVERTIBLE. MATTER CAN BE CHANGED INTO ENERGY. THE MOST DRAMATIC APPLICATIONS OF THIS JAPAN. YET EINSTEIN'S FORMULATION ALSO STATES THAT ENERGY CAN BE CONVERTED INTO MATTER. THE PROCESS DOESN'T ONLY MOVE IN ONE DIRECTION.

             IN SANSKRIT, THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING INVOLVING ENERGY IS CALLED PRANA. ADVANCED MEDITATORS OF PREVIOUS AGES FOUND THAT THERE IS NOT ONLY A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GROSS PHYSICAL BODY AND PRANA, BUT THERE IS ALSO A RELATIONSHIP BETWEE PRANA AND THE NEXT HIGHER LEVEL, THE MIND.

                  INTUITIVELY, AND IN OUR EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MIND AND ENERGY. AT TIMES WE EXPERIENCE A GREAT DEAL OF VITALITY AND CLARITY  OF MIND, WHILE AT OTHER TIMES WE EXPERIENCE A LACK OF "MENTAL ENERGY". VARIOUS SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY HAVE FORMULATED THIS IN MORE PRECISE TERMS. FOR EXAMPLE, FREUD CALLED THIS ENERGY LIBIDO.

                 ACCORDING TO ANCIENT YOGIC TEXTS CALLED THE UPANISHADS, THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF EXISTENCE FORM A CONTINUM - THE PHYSICAL, THE PRANIC, THE MENTAL, AND THE HIGHER LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. THESE LEVELS ARE LAYERED, ONE UPON THE OTHER. IF THE MIND WANTS TO AFFECT THE BODY. IT ALTERS THE FLOW OF ENERGY OR PRANA. IF THE BODY AFFECTS THE MIND, THIS TOO IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH AN EFFECT ON THE FLOW OF ENERGY, WHICH IN TURN HAS AN IMPACT ON THE MIND.

                   PRANA IS CALLED THE VITAL LINK BETWEEN PSYCHE AND SOMA- "VITAL" BECAUSE ENERGY IS THE VERY BASIS OF LIFE AND VITALITY. WHEN A PERSON DIES, THE ENERGY LEAVES. THE BODY IS STILL THERE, BUT THE PRANA DEPARTS. HERE WE RETURN TO THE MATTER OF BREATH BECAUSE BREATH IS THE VEHICLE FOR PRANA. WHEN SOMEONE DIES AND THE VITAL ENERGY DEPARTS, WE SAY THAT PERSON HAS "EXPIRED". ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN SOMEONE EXPERIENCES INCREASED MENTAL ENERGY AND CREATIVITY, WE SAY THAT PERSON IS "INSPIRED". WE INDICATE THROUGH OUR LANGUAGE AN INTUITIVE RECOGNITION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INSPIRATION, EXPIRATION, AND THE VITAL ENERGY NECESSARY FOR LIFE AND CREATIVITY.

                 YET THIS VITAL AREA OF OUR EXISTENCE IS NEGLECTED IN THE WESTERN STUDY OF MAN. THIS IS AN INTRIGUING SITUATION WHEN WE STOP TO THINK ABOUT IT, FOR IF IT IS TRUE THAT BREATH INFLUENCES BOTH BODY AND MIND, THEN THE RHYTHM AND THE RATE OF THE BREATH WOULD REFLECT NOT ONLY ONE'S PHYSICAL CONDITION, BUT WOULD ALSO HELP TO CREATE IT. IT WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT INDICATION OF ONE'S EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL STAE. THEREFORE, WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE A PERSON COULD BE JUDGED FROM HIS BREATHING. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS. YOGIS SOMETIMES APPEAR TO "READ MINDS" SIMPLY BY OBSERVING THE QUALITY OF A PERSON'S BREATH.

                   CONSTANTLY CONFRONTED WITH THIS RATHER OBVIOUS INFORMATION, IT IS BIZARRE THAT WE CONTINUE TO IGNORE IT. HERE IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES PLACE CONTINUALLY IN THE PLAIN VIEW OF EVERYONE, GIVING AWAY THE ESSENCE OF OUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STATES, GIVING AWAY OUR SECRETS, SO TO SPEAK, YET NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION. THE MOST FASCINATING AND REVEALING KIND OF INFORMATION IS BEING BROADCAST, BUT NO ONE IS RECEIVING.

                    WE ARE ALWAYS BUSY WITH OUR THOUGHTS, WHICH WE SHOVE AROUND LIKE BRIC-A-BRAC IN OUR HEAD. WE REGARD THEM AS OUR MOST INTIMATE TREASURES, NO DOUBT BECAUSE OUR OVERWHELMING PREOCCUPATION IS WITH THE MATERIAL WORLD, AND THOUGHTS ARE THE MEANS BY WHICH WE CONSCIOUSLY PROCESS OUR EXPERIENCES AND INTERACTIONS WITH THE UNIVERSE OUTSIDE OURSELVES.

                    YET IF WE WERE TO BECOME AWARE FOR PRANA AND STUDY IT, WE WOULD FIND IT IS JUST AS COMPLICATED AS THE BODY AND ALMOST AS COMPLICATED AS THE MIND. THERE ARE, FOR EXAMPLE, DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF ENERGY, DIFFERENT PATTERNS THROUGH WHICH ENERGY CAN FLOW. THESE VARY TREMENDOUSLY, BOTH QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY.

                    IN THE UPANISHADS, THE PRANIC LEVEL IS DESCRIBED AS SECOND BODY WITHIN THE PHYSICAL BODY CALLED THE "VITAL SHEATH". THE UPANISHADS SAY THAT IT TAKES ON THE SHAPE OF THE PHYSICAL BODY. IF WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER, SEEING PAST EACH OTHER'S PHYSICAL BODY, WE WOULD PERCEIVE A SUBTLE BODY INSTEAD, A BODY OF ENERGY.

                     NOT ONLY IS MATTER BEING PUSHED AROUND THROUGH THE VEINS AND ARTERIES AND RESPIRATORY PASSAGES OF OUR BODY, BUT CHANGES IN ENERGY STATES ARE ALSO TAKING PLACE. ENERGY IS BEING CONSUMED IN ONE PLACE AND PRODUCED OR STORED IN ANOTHER. IT IS BEING SHIFTED FROM THIS POINT TO THAT, SO WE MIGHT, SAY THERE IS AN "ENERGY FLOW". IF WE COULD STAND BACK AND LOOL AT THIS CONTINUALLY SHIFTING PICTURE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAP OUT AN OVERALL PATTERN OF FLUX. EVEN THOUGH MOST OF US ARE NOT ABLE TO DO THIS, WE CAN STILL UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETHING OF THIS SORT IS ACTUALLY CONSTANTLY HAPPENING.

                     THIS INNER ENERGY FLOW IS SUCH A DELICATE AND INTRICATE THING THAT SOME EXPERTS HAVE SPENT THEIR ENTIRE LIFETIME IN ITS EXPLORATION. IN THE ANCIENT LITERATURE OF THE YOGA TRADITION, ENTIRE BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ON THE SUBJECT. THESE TEXTS DESCRIBE FIVE MAJOR FORMS OF PRANA, EACH HAVING ITS OWN FUNCTION. THE PRANIC SHEATH HAS AN EXTREMELY COMPLEX ANATOMY, COMPOSED OF PATHWAYS CALLED NADIS THROUGH WHICH THE SUBTLE ENERGY FLOWS.

BREATHING MECHANISM

 

                         RESPIRATION AND THE CHEST: 

                      THE MECHANICS OF BREATHING

                           FEW BASIC PHYSIOLOGICAL FUCTIONS HAVE ESCAPED THE ATTENTION OF MODERN MAN TO THE DEGREE THAT BREATHIG HAS. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART, FOR INSTANCE, IS KNOWN TO EVERYONE, LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE PREVALENCE OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. SIMILARLY, PREOCCUPATION WITH THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS IS OBVIOUS FROM THE BEWILDERING ARRAY OF COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS AVAILABLE TO TREAT THEM. IN CONTRAST, EXCEPT FOR DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING, THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS HAVE BEEN LARGELY IGNORED. CONSIDERING THAT ANYONE CAN READILY MODIFY THE FLOW OF BREATH, WHEREAS CONTROL OF OTHER INTERNAL ORGANS IS LARGELY INACCESSIBLE TO THE AVERAGE PERSON, THIS IS ALL THE MORE SURPRISING.

                     KNOWLEDGE OF THE DYNAMICS OF BREATHING, HOWEVER, NEED NOT REMAIN SHROUDED IN IGNORANCE. BY UNDERSTANDING A FEW BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HOW THE RESPIRATORY PROCESS OPERATES AND INTERACTS WITH THE BODY AND MIND, ONE CAN READILY GAIN CLEAR AND INTENSELY PRACTICAL INSIGHT INTO PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN LEVELS OF PHOSIOLOGICAL  AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, FOR THE MOVEMENT OF MUSCLES TO TRANSPORT AIR IN AND OUT OF THE BODY IS ONLY THE GROSSESST MANIFESTATION OF THE BREATHING PROCESS. THE EFFECTS OF BREATHING EXTEND TO THE WORKINGS OF THE HEART AND LUNGS AS WELL AS TO SUBTLE PHYSIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS SUCH AS THE MOLECULAR PROCESSESS THROUGH WHICH THE BODY'S ENERGY PRODUCTION IS MAINTAINED.

                               CELLULAR RESPIRATION

                    ALL ORGANISMS - HUMAN, PLANT, OR ANIMAL- ARE COMPOSED OF A MULTITUDE OF TINY INDIVIDUALS LIVING UNITS CALLED CELLS, AND IT IS THESE CELLS AND THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE ORGANISED INTO SPECIFIC TISSUES AND ORGANS THAT FORM THE PHYSICAL BODY. THE VERY LIFE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS CELLS AND THEREFORE THE BODY AS A WHOLE ARE DEPENDENT UPON A CONTINUOUS SOURCE OF ENERGY.

                    WE USUALLY THINK OF THE FOOD WE EAT AS SUPPLYING OUR ENERGY NEEDS IN TERMS OF A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATE, PROTEIN, AND FAT, BUT THESE NUTRIENTS ARE ACTUALLY USELESS THEY CAN BE CONVERTED INTO A FORM WHICH CAN BE USED BY ITS CELLS.IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT WE BURN CARBOHYDRATES IN THE BODY, BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IF CARBOHYDRATES IS BEING BURNED IN MY TISSUES, WHY DOESN'T MY FAT SIZZLE? WHERE DOES THE SMOKE GO? IF I EXERCISE VIGOROUSLY IN A DARK ROOM, SHOULDN'T I BE ABLE TO SEE MY BODY GLOW FROM THE FLAMES PRODUCED BY THE BURNING CARBOHYDRATES? WE OFTEN HEAR THAT THE BODY IS 88 PERCENT WATER. HOW CAN I BURN CARBOHYDRATES IN THAT MUCH WATER WHEN I CAN'T EVEN GET A CAMPFIRE STARTED WHEN THE WOODIS A LITTLE DAMP?

                      IN A FIRE, ENERGY IS RELEASED IN THE FORM OF HEAT AND LIGHT. THE REACTION INVOLVES THE BURNING OF CARBON-CONTAINING SUBSTANCE. IF THE PROCESS IS EFFICIENT , THE END OF RESULT IS THE FORMATION OF CARBON, DIOXIDE, WATER, AND ASH, ALONG WITH THE RELEASE OF ENERGY.

                      THE  HEAT ENERGY, IN A FIRE CAN BE USED TO DRIVE A MACHINE SUCH AS A STEAM ENGINE, BUT AN AUTOMOBOLE ENGINE IS DRIVEN BY A MORE RAPID BURNING PROCESS, GASOLINE EXPLODING IN A CHAMBER. A COORDINATED SERIES OF CONTROLLED EXPLOSIONS IN MULTIPLE CHAMBERS CALLED CYLINDERS TUNRS A SHAFT, WHICH IN TURN SPINS THE WHEELS OF THE  CAR.

                    HOW THEN DOES OUR BODY HARNESS ENERGY?

                            CELLS MUST HAVE ENERGY, BUT THEY DO NOT RUN ON EXPLOSIONS. INSTEAD, ALL LIVING ORGANISMS CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS MEETING THEIR ENERGY NEEDS FROM A CONSTANT SUPPLY OF FUEL BY SLOWLY COMBINING IT WITH OXYGEN. IN A RAPIDLY BURNING SYSTEM, OXYGEN PRESENT IN THE AIR COMBINES INSTANTLY WITH FUEL SO THAT A READILY VISIBLE FIRE RESULTS. THE PRODUCTS OF THIS BURNING ARE CARBON DIOXIDE VISIBLE FIRE RESULTS. THE PRODUCTS OF THIS BURNING OF THIS BURNING ARE CARBON DIOXIDE, WATER, HEAT, AND LIGHT, AND IN RAPIDLY BURNING SYSTEMS, THIS REACTION CAN BE QUITE DRAMATIC, SUCH AS A FIRECRACKER EXPLODING. HOWEVER, WHEN FUEL IS CONSUMED MORE SLOWLY, ENERGY IS PRODUCED AT A SLOWER RATE,YIELDING A STEADY FLAME. IF THE RATE OF BURN IS EXCEPTIONALLY SLOW, THERE MAY BE NO LIGHT VISIBLE AT ALL. BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS - ALL LIVING ORGANISMS - ARE ESSENTIALLY BURNING FUEL AT A VERY SLOW RATE.

                           THE FUEL THAT WE USE BIOLOGICAL COMES FROM THE CARBOHYDRATES AND FATS WE EAT. THIS ENERGY RELEASE MUST TAKE PLACE UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES TO KEEP IN A FORM THAT IS BOTH USEFUL AND SAFE. THAT IS WHY THE REACTION TAKES PLACE IN TINY SUBMITS WITHIN THE CELL CALLED MITOCHONDRIA. THESE CONTAIN A SERIES OF SPECIALIZED PROTEIN MOLECULES OR ENZYMES, CALLED THE CYTOCHROME OXIDASE SYSTEM, WHICH TRANSFER THE ENERGY RELEASED FROM THE OXIDATION OF OUR FOOD TO A STORAGE MOLECULE CALLED ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE, OR ATP. FOUND IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT NATURE, FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES ATP MAY BE THOUGHT OF AS THE BASIC UNIT OF ENERGY STORAGE FOR CELLS. IT HAS THE ABILITY TO DELIVER ENERGY WITHIN THE CELLS OF THE BODY, WHICH IN TURN MAINTAINS THE CHEMICAL REACTIONS NECESSARY FOR THE CELLS TO FUNCTIONS NORMALLY.

                    THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF RESPIRATION, THEN, OCCURS WITHIN THE CELL WHERE NUTRIENT FUEL IS BURNED WITH OXYGEN TO RELEASE ENERGY, THE NOSE, TRACHA (WINDPIPE), LUNGS, CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, AND THEIR ATTENDANT MUSCLES ALL ACT TO TRASPORT OR MODIFY OXYGEN FROM THE SURROUNDING AIR TO MAKE IT READILY AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUAL CELLS. EACH OF THESE ORGANS PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN DETERMINING OXYGEN SUPPLY, AND THEREFORE ENERGY AVAILABILITY, TO CELLS AT VARIOUS LEVELS WITHIN  THE BODY. CONSEQUENTLY, A CHANGE IN FUNCTIONING IN ANY ONE OF THESE SYSTEMS COULD POTENTIALLY AFTER THE COURSE OF ENERGY PRODUCTION WITHIN THE ENTIRE BODY.

BREATHING PROCESS

 

                                

                                      BREATHING HABITS

                     WE HAVE SEEN THAT THE BREATHING PROCESS HAS AN INFLUENCE UPON VARIOUS LEVELS OF THE ORGANISM, FROM SUBTLE MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS IN THE ENERGIZATION OF ATP BY OXYGEN, TO THE GROSSER PHYSICAL MOVEMENTS WHICH PROPER AIR IN AND OUT OF THE LUNGS. OF THESE LEVELS THE MOST VISIBLE, AND THE ONE WITH WHICH WE IDENTIFY MOST CLOSELY, IS THE PHYSICAL MOTION OF THE CHEST ABDOMEN. TO BREATHE IS BEFORE ALL ELSE TO MOVE AIR INTO AND OUT OF THE BODY, AND THE MOTION OF THE CHEST AND DIAPHRAGM IS THE ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP IN DETERMINING THE AMOUNT AND MANNER IN WHICH OXYGEN IS DELIVERED FOR RESPIRATION.

                     THAT THE QUANTITY OF AIR TAKEN INTO THE BODY IS IMPORTANT IS OBVIOUS. NOT ENOUGH AIR AN CONSEQUENTLY INSUFFICIENT OXYGEN TO MEET THE BODY'S ENERGY DEMANDS WILL RESULT IN A REDUCTION, OR EVEN CESSATION, OF CELLULAR FUNCTIONING, ENDING IN DEATH. LESS OBVIOUS, BUT OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, IS THE QUALITY OF THE BREATHING PROCESS, THAT IS, THE MANNER IN WHICH AIR IS INSPIRED AND EXPIRED. IDENTIFYING WHETHER BREATHING IS DIAPHRAGMATIC OR THORACIC, CONTINOUS OR INTERUPED BY PAUSES, RHYTHMICAL OR IRREGULAR CAN BE OF MAJOR SIGNIFICANCE IN DETERMINING ONE'S PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL STATE. BY LOOKING AT A SINGLE SPECIFIC BREATHING CHARACTERISTIC OR GROUP OF CHARACTERISTICS, WE CAN THEN SPEAK OF DIFFERENT BREATHING MODES OR HABITS. EVERYONE HAS HAD SOME EXPERIENCE WITH A DISCRUPTION IN BREATHING PATTERN ASSOCIATED WITH PAIN OR POWERFUL EMOTIONS. A SOB OF GRIEF, A STARTLED GRASP, AND THE DEEP TREMBLING BREATHS OF ONE IN ANGER ARE FAMILIER EXAPLES OF HOW EMOTION CAN AFFECT BREATHING. BUT THE RELATIONSHIP EXTENDS BEYOND THIS, FOR A CHANGE IN THE BREATHING PATTERN CAN ALSO ALTER AN EMOTIONAL STATE AS WELL AS BREATHING PATTERN CAN ALSO ALTER AN EMOTIONAL STATE AS WELL AS EFFECT PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE BODY. AN EXAMINATION OF SOME COMMON BREATHING IN THE BODY. AN EXAMINATION OF SOME COMMON BREATHING HABITS WILL CLARIFY THIS.

                   DURING AVERAGE DAILY ACTIVITIES, MOST PEOPLE PREDOMINANTLY EMPLOY A VARIANT OF EITHER CHEST OR DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. THE MAXIMUM INHALATION OF THE YOGIC COMPLETE BREATH CAN BE PERFORMED FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME AS A BREATHING EXERCISE OR DURING HEAVY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHEN OXYGEN REQUIREMENTS ARE HIGH, BUT IT IS OTHERWISE RARELY ENCOUNTERED.

 

                   OF THE VARIOUS TYPES  OF BREATHING, THE ONE BEST SUITED FOR EVERYDAY RELAXED FUNCTIONING IS DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. HERE, LUNG EXPANSION IS FOCUSED ON THE LOWER, GRAVITY DEPENDENT AREAS OF THE LUNG WHERE OXYGEN EXCHANGE CAN PROCEED MORE EFFICIENTLY. THE DIAPHRAGM PERFORMS ITS FUNCTION WELL, NOT ONLY IN ADULTS, BUT ALSO IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN WHERE TI IS THE SOLE MUSCLE OF INHALATON. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THE MOST EFFICIENT BREATHING PATTERN,  THE DIAPHRAGM, AS IT CONTRACTS, PUSHES THE ABDOMINAL ORGANS DOWN AND FORWARD, AND THIS RHYTHMICAL MASSAGE GENTLY COMPRESSESS THE ABDOMINAL ORGANS, PROMOTING IMPROVED CIRCULATION.

                    IN ADDITION TO BEING AN EXCELLENT REGULAR MODE OF FUNCTIONING, DIAPHRAMATIC BREATHING HAS SHOWN POTENTIAL AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL IN DEALING WITH SEVERAL ABNORMALITIES. ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OF UNKNOWN CAUSE) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO RESPOND FAVORABLY TO A DAILY REGIMEN OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. THIS IS ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGING WHEN ONE CONSIDER THE NUMBER OF DEATHS PER YEAR IN THE U.S. FROM HEART DISEASE ALONE THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH RELAXATION EXERCISES, HAS RESULTED IN IMPRESSIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ANXIETY STATES IN AT LEAST ONE STUDY, AND THIS REPRESENTS A MODE OF TREATMENT FREE FROM THE POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICATIONS. THE APPLICATION OF SUCH A SIMPLE, SAFE, AND INEXPENSIVE METHOD AS AN ADJUNCT TO OTHER THERAPIES IS AN EXCITING ONE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.

INHALATION AND EXHALATION (BREATH)

 

                                   THE MECHANICS OF 

                                            BREATHING

             PREVIOUSLY THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM WAS DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF LEVES WHICH ARE NOT READILY VISIBLE TO THE CASUAL OBSERVER: MOLECULAR INNTERACTIONS, MICROSCOPE TRANSPORT, AND INTERNAL ANATOMY. THE FOCUS OF DISCUSSION NOW SHIFTS CLOSER TO THE BODY'S SURFACE IN ORDER TO STUDY THE ORGANIZATION AND ACTION OF THOSE STRUCTURES WHICH CREATE THE DRIVING FORCE FOR MOVING AIR IN AND OUT OF THE BODY.

                     IN LOOKING AT THE BODY, SEVERAL ANATOMICAL DIVISIONS BECOME READILY APPARENT: THE FOUR LIMBS, THE HEAD, AND THE TORSO. EACH COMPRISES A DISTINCT ANATOMICAL UNIT. SINCE IT IS THE TORSO WHICH CONTAINS THE ORGANS RESPONSIBLE FOR MOVEMENT OF AIR INTO THE BODY, A WELL AS THE OTHER MAJOR ORGAN SYSTEMS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTRIBUTION OF OXYGEN, IT IS HERE THAT A DISCUSSION OF THE MECHANICS OF BREATHING MUST BE CENTERED.

                    ONE CAN SUBDIVIDE THE TORSO INTO THREE REGIONS, THE THORAX OR CHEST, WHICH HOUSES THE HEART AND TWO LUNGS, THE ABDOMEN, WHICH BEGINS IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE DIAPHRAGM, AND WHICH EXTENDS FROM THE ORGANS OF EXCRETION AND REPRODUCTION. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS DISCUSSION, THE PELVIS WILL BE CONSIDERED AS ESSENTIALLY CONTINOUS WITH ABDOMEN.

                    LOOKING ONLY AT THE SUPPORTING BONE, MUSCLE, AND SKIN, WITH THE INTERNAL ORGANS REMOVED, THE TORSO CAN BE VIEWED AS FORMING A ROUGH CYLINDER, SLIGHTLY FLATTENED OUT, SO THAT IT IS WIDER THAN IT IS DEEP WHEN SEEN IN CROSS SECTION. THE BONY SPINE, OR VERTEBRAL COLUMN, WHICH RUNS VERTICALLY THROUGH THE BACK PARALLEL TO THE LONG AXIS OF THE TORSO "CYLINDER" PROVIDES STRUCTURAL SUPPORT FOR THE WHOLE TORSO, ACTING AS A FRAMEWORK AROUND WHICH OTHER TISSUES AND ORGANS ARE GROUPED. THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN ITSELF IS COMPOSED OF A NUMBER OF SMALL INDIVIDUAL BONES CALLED VERTEBRATE. THEY ARE STACKED, ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER AND ARE SEPERATED BY DISCS OF SHOCK-ABSORBING TISSUE. THE FIRST TWELVE OF THESE BONES WITHIN THE TORSO, THE THORACIC VERTEBRAE, EACH ATTACH TO PAIR OF RIBS, ONE ON EITHER SIDE. THE RIBS ALL TRAVEL PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, CURVING IN FORWARD AND DOWNWARD DIRECTION. THE FIRST TEN OF THESE JOIN IN THE MIDLINE AND FUSE WITH THE STERNUM, OR BREASTBONE, TO FORM THE RIB CAGE. A SERIES OF SMALL JOINTS CONNECT THE RIBS AND VERTEBRAE, THIS ALLOWS THEM TO MOVE SLIGHTLY IN A HINGED FASHION, SOMEWHAT LIKE A CURVED BUCKET HANDLE MOVES. THE RIBS, ALONE WITH THEIR ATTACHMENTS TO THE STERNUM IN FRONT AND VERTEBRAL COLUMN IN BACK, FORM THE WALLS OF THE THORACIC, OR CHEST, PORTION OF THE BODY CYLINDER.

                    BECAUSE THE RIBS GRADUALLY INCREASE IN LENGTH OF CURVATURE FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THORAX, THE WIDEST PART OF THE THORAX OCCURS AT ITS LOWER MARGIN. ATTACHED TO THESE LOWER RIBS AND TO THE STERNUM AND VERTEBRAL COLUMN IS A TOUGH, FLAT SHEET OF MUSCLE, THE DIAPHRAGM, WHICH IN EFFECT DIVIDES THE TORSO CYLINDER INTO TWO SMALLER CYLINDERS, ONE STACKED ON TOP OF THE OTHER, THE CHEST CAVITY ABOVE AND THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY BELOW. THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ABDOMINAL CYLINDER INCLUDE THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN AND ITS SUPPORTING MUSCLES IN THE BACK AND THE FLOOR OF THE PELVIS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE RELATIVELY INFLEXIBLE, AND FIXED, AND THE ABDOMINAL CONTENTS WHICH LIE JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE DIAPHRAGM, EXTENDING PARTLY INTO THE CHEST CAVITY. SEVERAL OVERLAPPING SHEETS OF MUSCLE, EXTENDING FROM THE RIBS ABOVE TO THE PELVIS BELOW, FORM THE FRONT AND SIDES OF THE ABDOMEN. 

                      THE DIAPHRAGM, WHICH SEPARATES THE CHEST AND ABDOMINAL CAVITIES, IS NOT FLAT IN ITS RESTING POSITION, BUT BILLOWS UP INTO THE CHEST CAVITY SOMEWHAT LIKE A PARACHUTE OR DOME. FOR THIS REASON ITS MOVEMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTLY VISIBLE AT THE BODY'S SURFACE, AND ONE HAS TO INFER ITS ACTIVITY AT THE BODY'S SURFACE, AND ONE HAS TO INFER ITS ACTIVITY BASED ON THE EFFECTS ITS MOVEMENTS HAVE ON OTHER BODY TISSUES.

                  IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE DIAPHRAGM ARE THE RIGHT AND LEFT LUNGS, AND NESTLED BETWEEN THEM, THE HEART. THE LUNGS DO NOT ACTUALLY TOUCH THE DIAPHRAGM DIRECTLY, FOR THEY ARE COMPLETELY COVERED WITH A VERY THIN DOUBLE LAYER OF TISSUE KNOWN AS PLEURA. NORMALLY, THESE TWO LAYERS ARE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, SLIGHTLY MOISTENED BY A SMALL AMOUNT OF PLEURAL FLUID WHICH ACT AS A LUBRICANT, ALLOWING THE PLEURAL LAYERS TO FREELY SLIDE OVER EACH OTHER.

                     THE INNERMOST PLEURAL LAYER COMPLETELY COVERS THE OUTSIDE OF EACH LUNG, WHILE THE OUTER LAYER COVERS THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CHEST WALL AND THE THORACIC SIDE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. SINCE BOTH PLEURAL LAYERS ARE IN SUCH CLOSE CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, A MOVEMENT OF THE CHEST WALL OR DIAPHRAGM WILL BE TRASMITTED TO THE LUNGS, AND VICE VERSA. IF, FOR INSTANCE, THE LUNGS WILL FOLLOW, EXPANDING IN THE PROCESS. THESE ARE, IN FACT, THE TWO MAIN MECHANICS BY WHICH AIR MOVES INTO THE LUNGS.

                  AIRFLOW INTO TEH LUNGS OCCURS WHEN THE STRUCTURES SURROUNDING THEM EXPAND AND PULL THE LUNGS ALONG WITH THEM. THE RESULTING SUCTION PULL AIR INTO THE LUNGS FROM THE UPPER AIRWAYS TO THE TRACHEA AND BRONCHIAL TREE, INTO THE ALVEOLI. THIS IS THE PROCESS OF INHALATION. 

SVASTIKASANA, SIDDHASANA, PADMASANA (MEDITATION)

 

                                        SVASTIKASANA

                                     (AUSPICIOUS POSE )

                      IN ANCIENT TIMES, THE SVASTIKA WAS A SYMBOL OF DIVINE BLESSINGS. IN THIS POSTURE, THE HEELS AND ANKLE  BONES ARE NOT ALIGNED. BEND  THE LEFT LEG AT THE KNEE AND PLACE THE SOLE OF TOP OF THE LEFT CALF, AND PUT THE OUTER EDGE OF THE FOOT AND THE TOES BETWEEN THE THIGH AND CALF MUSCLES. THE BIG TOE SHOULD BE VISIBLE. PULL THE TOES OF THE LEFT FOOT BETWEEN THE RIGHT THIGH AND CALF SO THAT THE BIG TOE IS VISIBLE. PLACE THE HANDS ON THE CORRESPONDING KNEES, JOINING THE FINGERS IN THE FINGER LOCK.

                                         SIDDHASANA

                              (ACCOMPLISHED POSE)

                  A FAVORITE OF YOGIS, SIDDHASANA IS CALLED THE ACCOMPLISHED POSTURE, OR THE POSTURE OF ADEPTS. IN IT ADVANCED YOGIS MEDITATE FOR HOURS AND HOURS AT A TIME OR PRACTICE ADVANCED PRANAYAMA TECHNIQUE. PLACE THE LEFT HEEL AT THE PERINEUM AND THE RIGHT HEEL AT THE PUBLIC BONE ABOVE THE ORGAN OF GENEARATION. ARRANGE THE FEET AND LEGS SO THAT THE ANKLES ARE IN ONE LINE OR TOUCH ONE ANOTHER. PLACE THE TOES OF THE RIGHT FOOT BETWEEN THE LEFT THIGH AND CALF SO THAT ONLY THE BIG TOE IS VISIBLE. PULL THE TOES OF THE LEFT FOOT UP BETWEEN THE RIGHT THIGH AND CALF SO THE BIG TOE IS VISIBLE. THIS IS THE FINEST OF ALL POSTURE, BUT IT COULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ADVANCED.

                              PADMASANA (LOTUS POSE)

                   PADMA MEANS "LOTUS". IT IS A SYMBOL OF YOGA BECAUSE JUST AS THE LOTUS GROWS IN THE WATER BUT KEEPS ITS PETALS UNTOUCHED BY THE WATER, SO DOES THE YOGI LIVE IN THE WORLD AND YET REMAIN ABOVE. IMMENSE BENEFITS ARE DERIVED FROM THIS POSTURE. TO DO IT YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR PLACE FIRMLY ON A CUSHION (OR A FOURFOLDED BLANKET OR A PILLOW) BEND THE LEFT LEG AT THE KNEE JOINT, TURN UP THE SOLE AND PLACE THE FOOT FIRMLY AT THE RIGHT GROIN. SIMILARLY, FOLD THE RIGHT LEG, TURNING UP THE SOLE AND PLACING IT FIRMLY AT THE LEFT GROIN. BOTH HEELS SHOULD PRESS FIRMLY AT THE LEFT GROIN. BOTH HEELS SHOULD PRESS FIRMLY AGAINST THE ABDOMINAL WALL. PLACE THE HANDS ON THE CORRESPONDING KNEES AND ASSUME JNANA MUDRA ( THE FINGER LOCK). APPLYING BANDHAS LOCKS IN THIS POSTURE IS COMPLICATED, AND WITHOUT EXPERT GUIDANCE THEY SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED. APPLYING BANDHAS IN PADMASANA FOR A LONG TIME DEFINITELY DISTURBS THE INTESTINAL MOVEMENT AND CREATES GASTRIC PROBLEMS. AS AN EXERCISE, HOWEVER, IT IS ONE OF THE FINEST FOR THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES.

                       MAITRI ASANA (FRIENDSHIP POSE)

                   FOR A MODERN MAN IS IT SOMETIMES MORE CONVENIENT TO SIT ON A STRAIGHT-BACKED WOODEN CHAIR, KEEPING THE HEAD, NECK, AND TRUNK STRAIGHT AND PLACING THE HANDS ON THE KNEES. THE LEGS SHOULD NOT BE CROSSED BUT FIRMLY PLACED ON THE GROUND BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES DESCRIBE THIS POSTURE.

THE AWARENESS OF BREATHING

                          THE IMPORTANT OF BREATH 

                                  AWARENESS IN MEDITATION

                         BREATH AWARENESS IS AN ESSENTIAL OF MEDITATION. AUTHENTIC SCHOOLS OF MEDITATION TEACH BREATH AWARENESS BEFORE LEADING A STUDENT TOWARD ADVANCED TECHNIQUES OF MEDITATION, BUT SOME OF THE MODERN SCHOOLS HAVE FAILED TO GRASP ITS SIGNIFICANCE. THIS IS WHY THEIR TEACHERS ARE UNABLE TO LEAD THEIR STUDENTS TO DEEPER STATES OF MEDITATION.

                       THE MIND IS IN THE HABIT OF IDENTIFYING ITSELF WITH THE OBJECTS OF THE WORLD, AND IT DOES NOT BECOME AWARE OF INTERNAL STATES AS LONG AS IT REMAINS IN THIS DISSIPATED CONDITION. WITH SYSTEMATIC DISCIPLINE, HOWEVER, THE MIND STARTS TRAVELIING INWARD TOWARD THE MORE SUBTLE LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND WHEN ONE ATTAINS A STATE OF PERFECT STILLNESS AND TRANQUILITY, THAT WHICH IS BEYOND THE MIND REVEALS ITSELF.

                IN LEARNING TO MEDITATE, TRANSQUILITY OF MIND IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IS BREATH AWARENSS, THE PRIMARY STEP IS TO FIND A STEADY, COMFORTABLE, AND EASY POSTURE. TH SECOND STEP IS T DEVELOP CALM, SERENE, AND EVEN BREATHING. THE THIRD IS TO CALM AND STEADY THE MIND, WHICH IS THE ONLY MEANS FOR EXPERIENCING THE DEEPER LEVELS OF BEING. THE FOURTH STEP IS TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE CONSCIOUS MIND, FOR THIS CONTROL CAN MAKE ONE DYNAMIC AND CREATIVE. IN THE FIFTH STEP, THE INVOLUNTARY SYSTEM AS WELL AS A VAST PART OF THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND, INCLUDING THE MEMORY, ARE BROUGHT UNDER CONSCIOUS CONTROL, AND IN THE SIXTH STEP, THE MIND BECOMES AWARE THAT IT IS CONDITIONED BY TIME, SPACE, AND CAUSATION. THROUGH MEDITATION, THE MIND CAN BE TRAINED TO REMAIN AWARE OF THE PRESENT MOMENT, THE DOOR TO ETERNITY. IN THE SEVENTH STEP, CONSTANT AWARENESS IS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF MEDITATION, AND THE HIGHEST STATE OF TURIYA IS ATTAINED. THIS STATE IS FULL OF BLISS, PEACE, HAPPINESS, AND WISDOM.

                   AFTER SERIOUS OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF ITS FUNCTIONINGS, YOGIS HAVE FOUND THAT THE MIND FORMS THE HABIT OF BEING CONDITIONED, EITHER BY REMEMBERING PAST EXPERIENCES OR BY IMAGINING THE FUTURE. THERE IS NO TECHNIQUE WHICH HELPS IT TO BECOME AWARE OF THE PRESENT EXCEPT THAT OF MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION. BUT MEDITATION IS NOT A METHOD OF ALLOWING THE MIND TO ROAM AIMLESSLY. IT IS A CONSCIOUS EFFORT OF COORDINATING THE BODY, THE BREATH, AND THE MIND. IN THE MONASTIC TRADITION, TEACHERS DO NOT TEACH THE ADVANCED TECHNIQUES OF MEDITATION UNLESS UNLESS THEY SEE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STILLNESS OF THE BODY AND SERENITY OF THE BREATH DEVELOPING IN THE STUDENT.

                    WHEN A STUDENT LEARNS TO STILL HIS BODY, HE BECOMES AWARE OF MANY TREMORS, TWITCHINGS, AND MOVEMENTS THAT HE WAS MOVE, BUT NO ONE HAS TAUGHT HIM HOW TO BE STILL, AND SITTING STILL IS VERY IMPORTANT, FOR THE LEGS MOVEMENTS THERE IS IN THE BODY, THE STEADIER THE MIND WILL BE. ALL OF THE TREMORS OF THE BODY ARE CAUSED BY AN UNDISCIPLINED AND UNTRAINED MIND. WHEN A STUDENT EXAMINES HIS BEHAVIOR, HE FINDS THAT NOT A SINGLE ACT OR GESTURE IS INDEPENDENT. THE MIND MOVES FIRST, AND THEN THE BODY MOVES - AND THE MORE THE BODY MOVES, THE MORE THE MIND DISSIPATES. WHEN THE STUDENT HAS LEARNED TO BE STILL, HOWEVER, AND BEGINS PRACTICING THE TECHNIQUES OF BREATH AWARENESS AND MEDITATION, HE DISCOVERS HE CAN HAVE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OVER HIS BODY, BREATH, AND MIND.

                          SO THE FIRST THING ONE MUST LEARN IS TO SIT STILL. THE RIGHT POSTURE IS ONE THAT MAKES ONE STEADY AND COMFORTABLE. AND IT IS ONE IN WHICH ALL OR MOST OF THE BODY PARTS ARE FREE FROM THE PRESSURE OF OTHER BODY PARTS.

                              SUKHASANA (EASY POSE)

                      SITTING WITH THE HEAD, NECK, AND TRUNK STRAIGHT, PLACE THE LEFT FOOT BENEATH THE RIGHT KNEE AND THE RIGHT FOOT BENEATH THE LEFT KNEE. EACH KNEE RESTS ON THE OPPOSITE FOOT. PLACE THE HANDS ON THE CORRESPONDING KNEES AND APPLY THE FINGER LOCK. THIS IS A POSTURE FOR BEGINNERS.