Got a brain?

Just how does our brain and heart actually work and are they connected, to each other, to yourself, to other people? What does it mean when your yoga instructor says things like 'melt your heart to the floor' or when your mum says 'use your brain!'. In Bodywork school we are currently studying the Anatomy, which include looking at the nervous system, how the sensory and motor responses actually work. How is the brain and heart made? What exactly the functions are, and how they work. The brain is our control and command centre for our whole body, its the central nervous system and is located with the cranial cavity of the skull and consists of the cerebral hemispheres, diencephalon, brain stem structures, and cerebellum.

Here is what neuroscientist Paul MacLean describes The Triune Brain described here in wikipedia .He names the prefrontal cortex as the '4th brain', allowing for empathy, creativity, advanced intellect/genius, compassion & higher human qualities. This follows three earlier brain layers; the Neocortex (planning, cognition), the Limbic System (Old Mammalian brain home to emotion and learning), and the ancient Reptillian brain (R Complex in this picture, home to reflex/automatic action, survival). Each brain structure transcends the previous, utilizing its qualities rather than being controlled by its capacities.

 Ever felt like you were really in sync with another being, ever considered you were part of their vortex, within their cortex?? Ever been in tune with your real self, predicted things before they happened, made random thoughts and then POW they are happening in real life. Our brain is powerful, we were all born with this intelligence. TURN OFF THE TV AND USE IT. Get in my vortex and have a good swim about!

"All new patterns of nature are built out of creating old patterns in new ways.” Each structure of the human brain builds upon the previous one. Previous structures are not abandoned, rather they come to be utilized in a different, way. Transcendence is the ability to go beyond limitation and constraint". With spiritual intelligence/awareness, we can begin to use our creativity to integrate new ways of being, rather than bounding us up in a false sense of self, we are still evolving and we can evolve into BEING. 'A New Earth' is a great book by Tolle, highly recommend to read this if you are interested in awakening your brain and your BEING and LIVE!

Here is a cool animation animation (thanks Lene!) about how the left side of the brain, interacts with the right side.

"A human being is part of the whole called by us universe , a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty... We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive." - Albert Einstein

The heart functions as a double pump and is made of cardiac muscle. It contracts involuntary, the right heart is the pulmonary pump (right heart to lungs to left heart). The left heart is the systemic pump (left heart to body tissues to right heart), both pumping blood around the body filled with oxygen and nutrients.

In "The Biology of Transcendence" it describes how the heart's electromagnetic energy arcs out from and curves back to the heart, forming a torus shaped field that extends a number of feet away from the body

The picture here is a computer projection of this field. Using magnetic resonance imaging, in actuality, the arcs of energy of a living human heart are not perfectly symmetrical like computer models project, but are constantly shifting, living forces.

Contemplating and feeling this energy field is awe-inspiring (((♥))) Know that nature's way is not the man-made ideal of perfection. Only the ego could hold such a rigid idea, such a fixed 'thing' of what it is to be 'perfect'. Start to connect to your heart, look outside the science box aswell as understanding. Start connecting with other hearts, send our your positive energy fields, go to a yoga class and feel that amazing energy bounce off every being in there into your field, return the goodwill :)

Feed your brain and your heart with love, knowledge, more love, creativity, even more love, learning, and good nutrition based on fresh, organic wholefoods. Eliminate processed foods from your diet, and try to eat more vegetables, nuts and grains. Read, be in nature, do yoga, connect with other beings, show kindness, meditate, sleep and LOVE, these are all ways in which we can look after our heart and brain.

Get sending those vibrational qualities out into the world and lets strive to evolve into a world less consumed by ego, less hate and less Paris Hilton.

The following set of Kundalini Yoga exercises opens, clears and balances the Heart Chakra (energy vortex), which is the 4th Chakra, of the Tantra Kundalini 7 Chakra System. This Chakra is called the Anahata Chakra, meaning "unstruck sound". It is located on the spinal cord directly in line with the center of the chest. The Heart Chakra governs the respiratory and circulatory organs and systems and is associated with the attributes of love, compassion and forgiveness.
This kriya activates the Heart Chakra and overall is excellent for improving and strengthening the heart and lungs. It promotes better circulation and helps detoxify the system. It also helps soften one’s character and makes one more loving and kind. Even though the yoga poses and exercises in this kriya are not complex, the set itself is not the easiest, so take more rest as required and Do Not Overdo it!

Chest Fly Kundalini

Sit up straight with your legs crossed (sukh asana).

Bring your arms out to the side with the palms facing forward. Arms are parallel to the ground.

As you exhale rotate your arms forward, keeping them straight almost to the point where the palms meet (but don’t clap). The pectoral chest muscles will contract.

Now rotate your arms back as you inhale thus expanding and stretching your chest area.

Start off slowly at first to stretch and warm up your shoulders, then find a good rhythm and continue at a comfortable pace, use breath of fire and continue for 3-5 minutes.

Always remember to take your rest and focus inside after yoga exercises, or take savasana.

The question is that do you think with your heart or with your head? Or do you feel with your heart, think with your head? Think with your heart, feel with your head? Feel with your heart and head? What about the male form, do they think with their naughty bits???? How does the sensory to motor repsonse work then??


I'm dizzy. My hair hurts. My skin feels tingly. My vortex is going crazy and my energy field is booming, don't you want to come? My motor responses tell me to...



Just for today take a breath, and just BE.
Notice if your decisions come from your head or your heart? (or willy)

Namaste,
The Raw Yogini





NB: This piece was adapted from a piece I wrote last year.