Saturday, October 27, 2007

Pranayama, Asta-Anga Yoga, Kundulani Yoga, Asta-Anga Yoga and Hatha Yoga

It would be a good to first clarify some of the terms one often hears often but gets confused.


Yoga means to yoke with the Divine - the First Principle of your existence! Actually Yoke is nothing but goes back to the word Yoga. "K" and "g" are Guttural sounds and "a" and "e" can be confused in transliteration of sounds from one language to another language. Yoga basically aims to having zero mental modification - calming of the mind and transcending of the mind - and touching the core of your existence - the Soul or the First Principle.


Pranaa-yama means control of life current, since the word "yama" means control and the word "pranaa" means "life current". This life current is what makes up the sum total Physiological, Psychological forces, etc., of which we know some of them, like breath and respiration, metabolism, mind, etc.


It is one of the important steps of Yoga Philosophy of India, in realization of one's Self! In a way it is complementary to the Philosophy of Vedanta. The prior is a practical approach and the later is a theoretical approach.


Vedanta is a theory on meta-physics on Consciousness and what constitutes a Self and helps one stretch his or her identification with microcosm of Body, Senses, Mind, Ego and Intellect to the macrocosm of Universal Presence and Manifestation of the Consciousness called Brahman, which means which is ever growing present and stronger First Principle on which all other Scientific and Material Laws hold true. It is that summum-bonum of all existences, animate or in-animate. This philosophy helps individual see the Unity in the Plurality and the Eternity of the Self.


Yoga is a very ancient Philosophy and has been found its presence as far in time as around 3000 BC, and as far flung as in Aum In Crete And America and Aum Sign In America! Please see my postings on Aum in Crete and Aum in America. In recorded History it was first outlined and documented by Pannani, which is called as Asta Anga Yoga.



Asta Anga Yoga has following eight steps: (1) Yama, (2) Niyama. (3) Aasans, (4) Pranayama, (5) Pratihaar. (6) Dharna, (7) Dhyana and (8) Samadhi. Yama is ethical and moral conduct and Niyama is practice and observations. Pranayama we know. Dharna is basically a "single minded flow of thought on an object, thought, sound, smell, visualization and tactical senses". For now we will not go into details of these words. Dhyana is basically loosing of the "I" or "Ego" principle which one experiences in a deep sleep state but here one is awake! Samadhi is basically nothing but a conscious slow and volunteered death in a belief for the total liberation and the merging with the Brahman to get one self out of the cycle of Life of Births and Deaths - as per the Hindu Philosophy of Reincarnation of Soul according to the Karma Theory.

Kundalani Yoga is nothing but an extreme form of Pranayama where one experiences a Physiological and Psychological Metamorphosis recorded by Western Medical Science also. It is said to be a double edge sword, and if not properly followed under the guidance of a learned and experienced Guru, one can loose one's self to a permanent insanity!


Hatha Yoga is nothing but a physical preparatory steps focusing on Asans and some Pranayama mainly, lesser than Kundalini Yoga, to reach Raja Yoga, which is Total Mind Control. So it is a subset of Astanga Yoga with more practical aspects.


The Mind is compared to a Charioteer, and the two Horses are Breath and Metabolism, which form the 3 legs of a stable stool called Body. Usually Mind becomes slave to thoughts and desires, conscious or unconscious, and hijacks the metabolism and the breath. So when one is angry for some reasons, his mind is very agitated, blood pressure, pulses and heart beats are high, and breath is very heavy and forceful. But when one is lost in the serenity of something creative, like painting, music, singing, writing, and even some focused, like the thinking of great thinkers, the breath almost stops and metabolism comes to its lowest operating point. Need less to say the prior is associated with stress and co-related to high levels of Cortisol (a form of Harmone produced in Adrenal Gland on top of kidneys) and stress related diseases touching all aspects of body. The biggest nerve complex is Vagus nerve arising from brain which touches most of internal organs, and diseases of these organs if the stress persists for long time without any abatement. Then the brain's endocrine system is also affected in a complex chain and feedback cycle, The cardiovascular, the lymphatic, the para sympathetic and the sympathetic systems are also affected. Body needs endorphins for its well being and well keep, besides other neuro-transmitters like Serotonin, which controls the moods, energy level, thoughts, sleep cycle, and the physiological process like hunger and sexual drive.



So the theory of Pranayama says that through the breath control, one can control the mind and metabolism! There is nothing new to people who have read Dale Carnegie's books on Art of Public Speaking and Don't Worry, Start Living, and Lamas classes for prenatal care. The Art of Leaving focuses on this aspect. At Harvard Medical School, and in one Nova show, they showed Tibetans Monks doing meditation, and controlling their brain waves and their body physiology. In fact they were are in snow, almost naked, and their bodies were covered with wet clothes, and then they showed steam coming out of their bodies!


Tantra Yoga has many parts, including touching parts of Kundalani Yoga, Vedanta in form of Kashmir Shaivism, and to the grosser form of Sexual Union Principle, found popularized in the West without much of understanding, and which is the basis of Khujaroah Temples, besides the Magic, Toxication and the Non Veg Part. More on this some other time!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Anatomy of Metabolic Respiration

Human brain always abstracts a complex process and only when one dwells into an area, does the complexity and intricacies of an area is revealed. It is like doing a research or a meditation on a subject. Without much ado, lets dwell into the science of respiration.

When we say Metabolic Respiration, we do not mean the mechanical respiration that transpires in pulmonary passage from nose and mouth to lungs. Here the metabolism process is of two types: (1) Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen Exchange between Blood and Lung's Alveolar sacks, where Pulmonary Vein's Capillaries and Pulmonary Artery's Capillaries make a passage like a two trees meeting on top of each other over branches of each other - one root and trunk is the Pulmonary Vein representation and the other root and trunk is the Pulmonary Arterial representation, and (2) Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Exchange between blood and cells over a capillary mesh of arteries and veins all over the body.

The exchange of chemicals between blood and cell membrane happens because of osmosis which is dependent on: (1) Chemical Density Potential Difference, (2) Electric/Ion Potential Difference , (3) Pressure Potential Difference and (4) Permeability - which is a function of previous factors in a complex feedback cycle. If the cell has a lot of deposits of impurities, the cell can become less permeable.

In breathing , where Carbon Dioxide rich blood - the blue blood in veins - pumped from the Heart to Lungs via Pulmonary Artery, gives out its CO2, and the same blood now absorbs O2 in the lungs and Oxygen rich blood is returned to the Heart via Pulmonary Vein. After reaching the Heart, in the right side Atrium, the red blood is pumped to different parts of the body via Arota and its arteries. The oxygen rich blood now reaches cells and the O2 is delivered via the cell membrane along with other food nutrients necessary as fuel for the cell to metabolize and generate energy for the cells to ensure their functionality. Like all muscles tissues need this to provide motor and locomotive functions. The oxygen is carried in a compound Iron compound called Hemoglobin, which gives the red color to the blood in artery. The Vacuoles in the cell are the food and waste storage units and the Mitochondria is the energy generator for the cell.


There are two types of metabolism: (1) anabolism which provides energy by converting complex molecules into simple molecules via two pathways and (2) catabolism which consumes energy to make complex molecules for growth and regeneration of cells.


Cellular Respiration are of two types: (1) Aerobic, where Glucose with Oxygen is broken down into Water, CO2 and Energy and (2) Anaerobic, where Glucose without Oxygen is broken down into Lactic Acid, which happens when someone exercises beyond a point - due to the lack of oxygen in proportion to the energy required during an exercise.


In Anabolism, the first pathway, Glycolysis, requires no Oxygen and is referred to as Anaerobic Metabolism. In lower forms of organisms, Glycolysis is the only method for harnessing energy. The second pathway is called the Krebs cycle, also called Citric Acid Cycle, occurs inside the mitochondria. In the Kerbs cycle, Carbohydrate/Glucose, Protein/Amino-Acids and Fatty Acid/Lipids/Glycerides are broken into waste products and energy. The waste side products are Urea, Lactic Acid, Water and Carbon Dioxide, which are discharged by a cell into the blood stream. Also, when cell metabolises nutrients into Energy, Water, Salt and Urea are also discharged as sweat. This process is called Perspiration, and is also a skin cleansing and nourishing process.

The carbon-oxide rich blood - the blue blood - now is carried back to the heart via veins to the left side atrium of the heart, from where the blood is pumped to the lungs, via Pulmonary Artery. In the lungs the Pulmonary Artery blood dislodges Carbon Dioxide and Pulmonary Vein blood gathers Oxygen, thus completing a cycle of Cardiac-Pulmonary Circulation.

The blood which is still rich in other waste products, like Lactic Acid, Urea, and water is carried to Kidneys from the Heart and here the filteration happens to extract the excess water and other wastes.

Some key points to take are: (1) increased oxygen level means increased energy level - provided nutrients are available, (2) the brain is the most demanding and sensitive consumer of this energy, except when one is exercising or jogging where muscular system demands a lot of energy, and (3) breathing, respiration, and perspiration play a key part in cleansing of the body.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Welcome to Yoga World

Is Yoga a religion, a philosophy, a way of life, a way of physically exercising the body, a way to relax your body, a way to quiet-en your mind, a way to nourish your soul, a way of new thinking, a way to heal yourself, or a way to keep yourself healthy. Or is it just the ultimate cool fad that is the in-thing to talk about? The later statement should be just left as unanswered but the first question, with all answers are definitely true.

Before I say anymore, Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation techniques have been scientifically validated at Harvard Medical School and some other leading American, European and Indian medical institutions. So this should be enough to quiet-en all the disbelievers.

To an uninitiated it is hard to believe, and to someone having some positive impression, it is a subset of the all the above mentioned, and most probably more so at the grosser level. But to an advance practitioner of Yoga, it is a thing that can only be experienced. The journey for which has barely begun for me, but magically some insights and experiences have come to me, which I wanted to share with the rest of the folks. Hence I am penning down my thoughts.

Yoga may be a way to achieve many amazing powers though promised by Patanjali. I do not know about it but I know some amazing things that can be done, which an average person would not believe. For example, people who do Kung Fu, Karate, and Kalari, an ancient Indian Martial Art from Kerala, from which Kung Fu and Karate has derived, use a form of Pranayama, breath control, along with Dharna, a single pointed focus and meditation, to channel-ize their energies in their strikes.

Budhhist Monk Budhhi Raja, went to China in 500 AD, and established the temple of Shaolin, where he developed Kung Fu to defend himself from attacks from the soldiers of the local King. This was based on Kalari but adapted to local situation. One should go and see a Kung Fu Show by the Shaolin Temple Monks, or tricks performed by the Kerela Kalari Folks, then they would realize that some of things they do are really amazing and supernatural. I saw one in San Jose in 1998 much before I became a Yoga Practitioner and a Yoga Teacher.

In Discovery Channel, many years back, there was a show, where US Cops, were learning Karate combined with Karali techniques. There was this frail looking woman, and three cops were holding her, one from back and two from the sides. The fourth cop would come then and strike her with a long wooden rod on her stomach and then on her neck - needless to say that it was with a lot of force. First the demonstration came on her stomach, and she was all smiling during the blow and nothing happened to her. This was not surprising as I could also stand this since my boxing days in school. The trick is to tighten the stomach muscles and hold the breath, which is also part of Pranayama. The second demonstration came on her neck. The moment the blow was struck, she was all fine, and in a flash, she all collapsed and crumpled on the floor. I was shocked and so were the other participants. Then the most amazing thing happened. The next second she was all smiling, standing, and when repeatedly asked if she was OK, she kept answering positively that she was all fine. I still do not know what trick she used!

Acupressure and Acupuncture also go back to Yoga and have the same principles. In fact the other use of Karali is in treatment of patients, and is a lost science of Ayurveda. It is like the Touch Healing you see in some church gatherings on Television.

For me learning Yoga was a necessity to help my son, who had a head injury and had lost 1/3 brain from three places. At that time, as if there was a divine intervention, I got a visit from a swami in Coimbatore Ayurveda Dharamshala, where I was staying for 8 weeks to get my son treated, after some of his 5 surgeries, along with my daughter. I only knew naught of Yoga and Pranayama was a strange world that did not make any sense to me. There a swami passed by our cottage and I approached him just to see any new knowledge and guidance could be derived from the meeting to heal my son. He asked his assistant to teach us Pranayama, and the same evening she came but to be frank, I did not learn anything and my children also came with blank memory of the short training they had.

The same trip, while visiting my mother in Kanpur, I went to my neighbor’s house and their his daughter, whom I had seen as a little baby when I was in IIT, showed me a book. This book was on Pranic Healing by a western educated doctor from Los Angles who was talking about Chakras, subtle energy centers located over Nervous Plexus centers, where the nerves come, meet and depart like a hub, with Sanskrit like names. For me this was a first introduction to the subject and most intriguing but to a desperate seeker of knowledge to get some help to cure and recover his son, this was a skeptical window to some hope. He was using Pranic Healing in the hospital in LA and validated that it was helping his patients and this knowledge was shared among his colleagues. Kundalini Yoga has this aspect of focus on Chakras, and has also been recorded by modern medicine to be a phenomenon which they can not understand. Actually Pranic Healing was kind of used by me in recovery of my son during his Coma, inspired by some mythological stories of Shiva, a Mughal king's story on recovery of his son when all doctors had given up, and hearing some talk by Dr. Deepak Chopra the night before in the US when on the same day in India he would fall. In hind sight, Positive Thinking, Invoking the Divine Mind, Controlling of Pranas, Mass Prayers and Touch Healing are all connected and the same. Harvard University did publish a research on affect of Mass Prayers on sick and dying patients. Now there are many medical doctors all over the world who have turned to Pranic Healing, Yoga and Meditation to help the sicks. In fact Acupressure and Acupuncture is also connected with all this, as also mentioned before when discussing on Yoga.

Yoga is not a miracle and I am yet to experience a lot of benefits, but whatever I have experienced is good enough for me to talk about. I have been able to almost cure an auto immune disease which is incurable by Western Medicine, and I tried Radiation, Chemo, and many Ayurvedic treatments.

People often say, Yoga is not as good as some weight bearing exercises or some cardio-vascular aerobic exercises, which is not true. Yoga, has: (1) Stretching, (2) Weigh Bearing, (3) Cardio-Vascular/Aerobic, (4) Asans for Acu Pressure/Acu Puncture, (5) Breath Mastery and (6) Mental Meditation. Instead of going to a gymnasium and doing things on expensive machines, in Yoga one makes the body a machine and does exercise with all the benefits derived from the machine, but much more and with more meaningful benefits. Please mind Yoga is not there to build a body like Schwarzenegger!

The difference between Yoga and any western exercises is like the difference between a "love making" and "mechanical sex". Between and during doing Yoga, one is also meditating and relaxing.

The only draw back of Yoga is that it takes a long time but is very rewarding and relaxing. It is like being forced to take a vacation and rejuvenating yourself. Then one can incorporate some of the Pranayama techniques during other activities, and while sitting and just before sleeping!

So Yoga can help in the following things:

a. Weight Loss
b. Stress Management
c. Calming of Mind
d. Depression and Anxiety Disorders.
e. Back Problems, Spondylosis, and Nerve Pinching Issues
f. Muscle Aches
g. Joint Pains
h. Arthritis
i. Toning of Body
j. Blood Pressure
k. Auto Immune Disorders
l. Skin Diseases
m. Improve Running Stamina and Speed
n. Improve Swimming Stamina and Speed
o. External and Internal Massage of Organs
p. Improve Meditation - Dharna
q. Transcending of Mind - Dhyana
r. Anti-ageing and slowing of Ageing Process
s. Increased production of Endorphins - a morphine like neuro transmitter in the body for the felling of wellness and well being.
t. Improved Eye Sight
u. Singing
v. Apnea,
w. Insomnia
x. Flexibility
y. Respiratory Disorders and Infections
z. Improve Immunity
A. Cholesterol Reduction
B. Respiratory Infections and Disorders, like Cold, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Asthma and Bronchitis.
C. Straightening of Spinal Chord helping Posture and Height.