Meditate: Let's get physical

More of you report (see chart update below) weird and wonderful coincidences as a result of your meditation - for an explanation of how/why this is happening click here

More of you are looking younger/better/happier according to what your're being told by friends/family. How is that happening? Click here.

Not all of you make use of the meditation photo but those who do may have noticed that it enhances the energy of your living space. In a public Q&A in Holland Park School in 2000, here's what Shri Mataji had to say when asked about the photo.

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SAHAJA YOGA PUBLIC PROGRAMS

SAHAJA YOGA PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN RUSSIA - ( APRIL 2017) www.SahajaYoga.org.ru

You, Yoga, Meta-Health & Sahaja Yoga

You, Yoga, Meta-Health & Sahaja Yoga

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​"Yoga" by Hellogreenway - Own work. Licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons


September is National Yoga Month and up and down the country, fans of yoga will be enthusiastically twisting and stretching at free coordinated events in studios, gyms and other venues . All this  to draw attention to the health and well-being benefits of the practice of yoga. As well as the fact that our health is ultimately our own responsibility.

How much responsibility is something that may be lost on many of us. If you're impatiently stuck in traffic and another driver cuts out in front of you and you react angrily then  that's you: 0; blood pressure: 2 .  If you tend to be cynical about a lot of things in life then that's you: 0 ; possible future dementia: 3 .

So our temperament, moods and lifestyle has a big bearing on our health. Something that is perhaps not fully acknowledged by the conventional medical understanding of why the body gets sick. With a mission of changing this understanding, is a non-profit  organisation called Meta-Health, who are the sponsors of the Yoga Health Foundation which is the organiser of the National Yoga Month.

According to Johannes R. Fisslinger , the founder of the Meta-Health University, knowing what "..emotion, stress-trigger, belief or thought , social and lifestyle connection" underlies illness and disease is the key to the body's self-healing.

For anyone with a passing familiarity of traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurveda(traditional Indian medicine), the Meta-Health diagnostic model sounds very much like the holistic approach which is the basis of those two ancient traditions as well as much of complementary and alternative medicine (CAMs).

But the validity and acceptance of CAMs by mainstream healthcare has met with only very limited success. If you're lucky you might be able to get some acupuncture done on the NHS. It is this barrier that Meta-Health University is trying to overcome by seeking to train conventional medical practitioners and alternative therapists in a method which they claim marries CAM to science.

Some indication that the tide of medical understanding may be turning in their favor, comes in the form of recent research led by Anna-Malia Tolppanen, PhD, of the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, and published in the journal Neurology. It shows that if you usually believe that others are motivated by selfish interest then you are more likely to develop dementia later in life than other people who are more trusting. This it seems is what being cynical about a lot of things in life will do for you.

However, merely establishing a link between cynicism and dementia is not the same as explaining exactly  how a negative temperament  will cause illness. And this where Sahaja Yoga can provide some insights.

In the field of yoga, the concept of an energetic system consisting of 'chakras'(spinning wheels of energy) and 'nadis'(energy channels) is well known. This system(see below) is similar but not identical to the energy meridian system of acupuncture. The chakras have been linked to the endocrine gland system, so, for example, the photo-sensitive pineal gland in mid-brain is linked to the agnya chakra, which is sometimes referred to as the 'third eye'. The three main nadis, left , right and centre are linked to the left and right sympathetic nervous system and the para-sympathetic nervous system respectively.

According to Sahaja Yoga, it is these chakras which catch and carry the imprint of patterns of thought, emotions and temperament and then transmit them as effects, via combination and permutation onto  the endocrine system. The endocrine system, along with a stress-induced imbalance on the left and right channel  in turn transmit this as  causes into the physiology, from which illness then directly arises.

Research conducted Dr. Katya Rubia, Professor of Cognitive Neurosciences at King's College, London as well other research, has shown the beneficial effect of the practice of Sahaja Yoga meditation in the treatment of a range of mind-body (psycho-somatic) illnesses such anxiety, depression, attention-deficit disorder and drug abuse.

In this perhaps lies the clue to the discriminating original purpose of yoga that may have been lost in the way it is currently practiced: it was to correct a specific presenting condition in a student-patient by using a specific yoga asana(posture) to bring about a balance in a chakra and effect a cure. If a patient came with a heart condition, then the teacher-doctor would be unlikely to urge the student to run the gamut of asanas all the way from those that help eye problems to those designed to correct mis-alignment of the spine.

This could be a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

So, while enjoying your twisting and stretching this month make sure that your yoga teacher understands the purpose and effect of an asana and why you in particular should or should not be doing them. We are responsible for our own health.

Superhumans are really coming - unpacking 'Junk' DNA

Superhumans are really coming - unpacking 'Junk' DNA

 Superhumans are really coming. Remember where you read this first.

Like pieces of a jigsaw, advances in the understanding of the human genome, chronicled in two recent books: The Gene and Junk DNA are rapidly giving a clearer picture of how illness and aging can be tracked back to genetic malfunctioning.

This does tend to suggest that if the malfunctioning was not there, then illness and aging need not be the inevitable facts of life that we currently assume them to be.

Although, the likes of CRISPR gene-editing would suggest that it will be as a result of break-throughs in medical technologies that will move us along the path to an illness-free youthful old-age, what has been discounted is the evolutionary free-pass to such a state that Nature herself may be trying to hand out.

In his book, the Gene, Siddhartha Mukerjee, using his own family history as a framing device, traces the development of the science of genetics ; touching along the way , ideas about the perfectibility of human beings that surfaced in Eugenics, a field permanently tainted by it's many negative associations.

Nessa Carey, in her book, Junk DNA looks at the DNA that make up our genes. She shows that human biological complexity is not down to the superior number of genes that we have compared to lower animals, since we share roughly the same number of genes as them. But rather our difference rests on the much higher percentage of DNA in our genes  that apparently do no useful work, compared to the DNA which code for protein and are thus the building blocks of our bodies. The ratio is 98%: 2% . That 98% is what is to referred to as 'Junk' DNA.

Professor Carey then goes on to explain how this non-coding Junk DNA in fact has a regulatory function ; telomeres being one example. The function of telomeres has been implicated in cell senescence and therefore has a direct connection to the human aging process.

So from these two books we get the possibility of the perfectibility of human beings via the genes and that the place from which this is likely to come is the 'dark matter' of our genes, the junk DNA.

If Nature built us with a certain biological potential, visible within the genes, then, like the process of fetal development or the development of a rose bud into a rose , Nature must have a device in situ for realising that potential. No human  intervention required.

That in situ device, knowledge of which has been gained from the pursuit of a science of another sort, is called the kundalini.

The sanskrit meaning of kundalini is 'a coil' , which by association with 'snake' is suggestive of a potential energy that can convert into a kinetic force.

The kundalini is said to reside at the base of the spine in the sacrum* (latin for 'sacred') in three and a half coils - a detail carrying some mathematical significance.

When 'She' ('kundalini' is a feminine noun in sanskrit) is 'awakened', in a manner similar to the spontaneous germination of a seed, She travels up a central channel corresponding to the spinal column and 'pierces' the bone at the top of the skull, through the fontanelle* (latin for 'little fountain').
 
The feeling a lot of people immediately get when this happens is of a cool breeze (pnuema ) above the head - a kind of subtle 'baptism'.

That this process is linked to curing, health, wellness and rejuvenation is hinted at (or hidden in plain view) in the familiar symbol on the side of medical emergency vehicles or ambulances in some countries. That symbol is the Rod of Asclepius (Greek god of healing and medicine) showing a snake entwined on a rod:

Published medical research on Sahaja Yoga Meditation, which is based on kundalini awakening, shows it's positive effect on:

• Depression
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
• Drug addiction
• Epilepsy
• Asthma
• Menopause
• Anxiety

 And this could be just the beginning of the noticeable effects of  kundalini.
 
Here are two quotes from two separate texts in the yoga tradition that refer to the anti-aging and rejuvenating effect of kundalini . The first is about 400 years old and the second could be over a thousand years old.

"..fragrance in the Prana enters the central (Sushumna) nerve along with the Kundalini. Then the spiritual nectar situated at the crown of the head spills into the mouth of the Kundalini and then gets absorbed throughout the body including the ten Pranas. (6:246-248).

Body gets rejuvenated The skin which covers the lustre of this nectar and is brightened by it is shed and all the organs show their bright aura. (6:250, 252-253). Now even Death is afraid of it (the body) and the aging process gets reversed and the yogi gets back his bygone childhood and he looks like a boy."

- Gyaneshwar

* 106 * Sudha sarabhi varshini - She who makes nectar flow in all our nerves from sahasrara i.e. she who gives the very pleasant experience of the ultimate

* 745 * Jaradwanthara viprabha - She who is the suns rays that swallows the darkness of old age

- Shri Lalita Sahasranama

So since aging and illness are in the genes , the kundalini appears to be using the Junk DNA as her box of tricks to pull out hitherto unknown human potential and capability.

The following is an excerpt of the transcription of an audio recording from January 30th 1982, where the founder of sahaja yoga, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi(1923 - 2011) was live translating a 2000 year old sanskrit text about the future of humanity. 


"...that will be the state of human beings. Their old age will disappear, their body will remain as it is and they will have a body which is divine. What a promise! So don't worry too much about your bodily comforts. All right? Then maybe some of you, if you want, you can fly in the air also, with that, with that body. Also they can become subtle and can enter into the body(of others to cure them)"


Marvel Comics Stan Lee must have been tapping into something when he came up with the idea of superheroes being able to fly (fantastic four's human torch) and shrink themselves (antman).

It's time to unpack that Junk DNA.

   * See Gray's Anatomy

The 100-Year Life

The 100-Year Life.

If the prospect of hang-gliding in your 60s, dating in your 70s or acing a term paper in your 80s, grabs you, then there's some solid academic backing for the idea in the form of a recent book, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, by Lynda Gratton (co-author: Andrew Scott), Professor of Management Practice at London Business School.

Citing evidence that we are not only living longer but also remaining in better health as we do so, Professor Gratton goes on to argue that as a result of this youthful old-age, we, as a society, need to rethink our 3-stage life playbook of  education-work-retirement.

That may be the difficult part. Life is so fast-paced and everything has become so short-termism that it's the rare individual who manages to live their life based on a 5-year plan, never mind a 10, 20 or 30-year one. We live as chance and opportunity dictate.

Inevitably, then the only real actionable ideas offered in this thesis is around the familiar subject of financial planning. Think Pensions. Mckinsey carry an interview with Professor Gratton about her book here.

Ultimately, perhaps, the books main success may be in lending legitimacy to two current fringe  debates(depending on where you stand).

The first is anti-aging and the possibility of real biological youthful old age, suggested by the work of people such as Aubrey de Grey, who is mentioned in the book. The second is the possibility of a peaceful and adaptive change to the social order. An example being the advocacy for a Universal Basic Income - not mentioned in the book (See the result of the  recent Swiss referendum on UBI - Wall Street Journal 05 June 2016).


All this goes to show that, given a sufficient passage of time and accumulation of collective experience, even the most initially laughably farfetched ideas gain acceptance. This has been particularly noted in the realm of the advancement of scientific knowledge.

In an NIH published essay entitled: "Paths to acceptance. The advancement of scientific knowledge is an uphill struggle against 'accepted wisdom' " , author, Howard Wolinsky notes:

Unfortunately, scientists do not always follow a path of pure logic, as the German physicist Max Planck (1858–1947) once observed, "[a] new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."

That this holds true outside of science is shown by even the journey of the idea of UBI. In a recent FT article, Money for Nothing, the origin of the concept of a basic income is traced to 15th century Humanist Scholar , Thomas More. And the title of his book? Utopia: a word that has come to carry a ring of ridicule about it.

Thomas More could have just as well described his idea of a perfect social order using any of the dictionary synonyms for Utopia, such as 'Shangri-La' , 'Nirvana', 'Heaven on Earth'. But by the measure of his 7th century South Indian antecedent, Shri Kaka Bhujandar, who had ideas along similar lines, Thomas More's version would have been lacking in both conviction and visionary imagination. Why?

Whereas Thomas More confined his fantasy to a social, political and legal restructuring and couldn't have believed it would come true, Kaka Bhujandar makes the biological potential of human beings central to his projection into an ideal social structure (envision Aubrey de Grey championing UBI). And, as a practioner of a reputedly highly accurate form of ancient Indian astrology, believed it would come true.

Here's a translation, including some commentary (by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi) of part of the writing of Kaka Bhujandar on an end to illness and old age and the coming about of  an ideal society:

"Then all your diseases will disappear so fast with this Yoga that you won't need anything like a hospital. In the beginning, these great yogis, you people also, only by touching people, you can cure people. It's a fact. Like the Ardhanari Nateshwara is the Shiva that will be the state of human beings. Their old age will disappear, their body will remain as it is and they will have a body which is divine. What a promise! So don't worry too much about your bodily comforts. All right?"

"In the new Yoga system, when it will manifest in the different countries, in the new age, the administration will be governed by people who have their own powers of Yoga. Depending on how far you are in your Yoga, and their qualities as Yogis, that will be the determining fact. They will be able to create a society, which will completely fulfill their desires and their necessities and people won't need to have money accumulated with them. The poverty and sickness will be completely finished and in their absence the country, the samada, the society will be healthy and restful and without any anger."

 (The extended 20 minute 1982 audio recording of this live translation is here )

Reasons for anchoring these predictions in the present times are based on a short extrapolation of current trends such as UBI, technological-enablement(Robotics & AI), anti-aging & longevity, meditation/mindfulness, sahaja yoga and China geo-politics. Yes, China. Apparently the bright sunshine of a happy human future may be temporarily obscured by China geo-politics and one can't help but cast the mind to present territorial disputes in The South China Sea which are simmering away in the background at the moment but could burst on to centre stage. Let's hope not.

A few explanations of terms may make the above excerpted passage clearer.

The term 'Yoga' does not refer to the physical exercises commonly associated with the word yoga. It refers to a changed state of human awareness ie an evolutionary refinement of CNS (human central nervous system).

The clue to this is to be found in the original source book of yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, wherein, yoga is definitively described thus:

योग: चित्त-वृत्ति निरोध:
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

— Yoga Sutras 1.2

That is : ' The cessation of the flactuations of the mind generated by thinking activity is yoga'.

In Sahaja Yoga, this non-thinking awareness comes about by the spontaneous working of an innate but initially dormant energy of kundalini. This energy is understood to reside at the base of the human spine in the sacrum and emerges, on awakening, at the fontanelle at the crown of the head.

The reference to 'new Yoga system' indicates a prior version that perhaps may not have been fit for mass evolutionary purpose. And indeed in the secretive, historical practice of kundalini yoga it was just a few people who were able to achieve it's goal. Two notables were , Dnyeshwar , a Marathi mystic poet and  Baba Shri Chanda, the son of the founder of sikhism. ( See letter to Atul Gawande : The Future of Aging - prevention, reversal and palliative care).

Sahaja Yoga, on the other hand, could be an example of Nature doing a massive-scale parallel processing computing problem in evolutionary terms to scale-up a local solution (unique incidences of realisation of kundalini potential ) to global level ie en-masse kundalini awakening. (See: Cool Breeze above the head ).

"Ardhanari Nateshwara is the Shiva" refers to the iconic representation of the idealised individual having perfect balance and integration  of the gentle (feminine) and strong (male) characteristics also represented in the symbol of yin-yang.

"Then all your diseases will disappear so fast with this Yoga that you won't need anything like a hospital" ( See Sahaja Yoga medical research: here )