4yoga

Research: Chanting Om Shown to Deactivate the Limbic System—a Known Treatment for Depression
In a study conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in India, chanting Om was found to have a similar effect as the implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS). The VNS, which requires invasive surgery and affects the vocal chords, has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of both epilepsy and depression. But the same areas of the brain are affected with the chanting of “Om.” Both implantation of the VNS and ‘OM’ chanting produce limbic deactivation, the opposite of what happens when we are depressed or fearful or traumatized.
The researchers compared 15 seconds of “OM” (5 – O; 10 – m) to 15 seconds of the sound “Ssssss…” and to 15 seconds of rest. Using fMRI, as well as other measuring methods, the researchers found significant deactivation in the amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus and thalamus during ‘OM’ chanting. The “ssss” task did not produce any significant activation/deactivation in any of these brain regions. It is theorized that like the VNS, ‘Om’ chanting creates a vibration sensation around the ears that is transmitted through the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. This transmission would then deactivate the limbic system.
Bangalore G Kalyani, Ganesan Venkatasubramanian, Rashmi Arasappa, Naren P Rao, Sunil V Kalmady, Rishikesh V Behere, Hariprasad Rao, Mandapati K Vasudev, and Bangalore N Gangadhar “Neurohemodynamic correlates of ‘OM’ chanting: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study” International Journal of Yoga. 2011 Jan-Jun; 4(1): 3–6.

I would like to share a quote from Erich Schiffmann:

“Think of it like this: The farther you are from knowing your truth and experiencing the love that you are, the unhappier you will be; the closer you are, the happier you will be.  Keep it simple. It works like this because goodness is at your core and happiness is the feeling tone of your original nature. It is not elusive.  It is not someplace other than where you are, nor is it something you evolve or transform into or earn.  It’s right here, yours already. Feel you. Bask in the exquisite experience of being alive, of conflict-free high energy peace, and become thoroughly familiar with the core tone of who you are.” 

I used this quote from Swami Rama recently in class and thought I would post here for contemplation/discussion!

The goal of life is not the drama being played, but the lesson that it offers. Every human being is the playwright of her or his own drama. Most people forget this. They think the dramas of their lives are created by God, or by others, or by the chance of mathematical probability in an inconceivably vast universe. They also fail to remember that the drama of life is just that, a play that is momentarily being acted out for a desired result. Instead of understanding life as a play, they take life to be the ultimate. Then the lessons promised by the drama are missed and a great deal of pain and sorrow is experienced.

So it is. This is how our individual development is shaped. We create and recreate dramas that we fail to see as such dramas. We mistake them to be the ultimate, and get tossed about in the turmoil of pain and pleasure. Finally the day dawns that we turn toward another perspective. We are able to step back and watch the drama from a distance. The pain diminishes and the wisdom and humor of the drama become more apparent.

~Swami Rama

Hi everyone,

4yoga would like your feedback on our class schedule.  We have several questions in mind; answer any that apply to you, including those we may not have thought to ask.

• What would be your ideal Saturday class offering? Morning? Afternoon? Flow? Basics? Something else?
• Would you like the Sunday 3 p.m. beginner’s class to continue, perhaps as a Beginners 2 class, building on the first sequence?  Or would you like it to remain open to those brand new to yoga?
• Is there anything else you’d like us to offer (keeping in mind that, at least for now, we don’t have a space for weekday evening classes)?