Contemplation: The Mind in the Yoga Sutras – 2
[Exploring Life] The Five States of Mind: Pantanjali (2nd century B.C.) is a pioneer of the mind. The uncharted terrain he ventured into was the inner landscape of the mind. His method was the direct observation of his own mind. In this sense, Pantanjali was both scientist and artist of the inner realm of existence. [...]
Spiritual Endeavour: Learning to Trust the Flow of Ancient Rhythm
[Exploring Life] We are immersed in a culture that confuses education with learning. More precisely, we ritually submit ourselves to courses that have been prepared by someone else and trust that the instructional delivery these courses will inspire learning. In a bizarre twist, we sometimes incorrectly think of education as being synonymous with learning. Learning [...]
Mental Degradation: Multitasking and the Inner Athelete
[Exploring Life] In Mental Degradation: Multitasking I explored the possibility that multitasking, or the ability to simultaneously process tasks, is a delusion. What really happens in the brain is a rapid shifting of attention between a series of tasks that creates the illusion of simultaneity. This constant shifting of attention is also the basis for [...]
Spiritual Practice: Religion – Emergence of a Third Way
Religious belief is often characterized as being inflexible and closed. The source of the beliefs that give rise to a religious system lies within the interpretation of “sacred” doctrine that in some manner originates in an all powerful being, or God. The doctrine is considered to be an untouchable, while the interpretation of it may [...]
Functional Fitness: Functional vs. Dysfunction Exercise
[Exploring Life] One of the most important principles in a functional fitness program is the even, coordinated development of the muscles. Unfortunately, many exercise programs tend to treat muscles as if they exist in isolation. Strength exercises that isolate muscles can be dysfunctional with respect to the proper functioning of the body. Balanced muscle development [...]
Optimal Breathing: Stress
[Exploring Life] What makes you hold your breath? describes the importance of optimizing our breathing pattern in order to promote healthy digestion as well as calming the nervous system. The authors recommend that the stressors that are the root cause of holding the breath be identified as they happen. This brings us to the threshold [...]
Mental Clarity: Awareness
[Exploring Life] When we become entrenched in our conceptual orientation to the world we limit our ability to perceive and apprehend it from different perspectives. All concepts are, at best, assumptions about reality. Any concept is therefore something less than reality itself. At the same time, we use concepts to construct meaning. If our minds [...]