NERVOUS SYSTEM

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS MADE UP OF MANY NERVOUS ENTITLES. THESE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS-NERVE CELLS AND NERVES. NERVE CELLS CAN GENERATE IMPULSES AND THESE ARE CARRIED BY THE NERVE FIBRES. THE NERVES WHICH CARRY IMPULSES TO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM ARE THE SENSORY OR AFFERENT NERVES WHILE THOSE CARRYING THE IMPULSES FROM THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TO THE MUSCLES ARE MOTOR OR EFFERENT NERVES. THE BRAIN WHICH IS LOCATED SAFELY IN THE SKULL IS THE MAIN CENTRE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. BIG BRAIN [CEREBRUM]: MOST OF THE BRAIN IS COMPOSED OF THIS.THIS IS GREYISH COLOURED WITH MANY CONVOLUTIONS OR FURROWS RESEMBLING A WALNUT WITH ITS OUTER COVER REMOVED. MANY CENTRES ARE LOCATED IN THIS. INTELLIGENCES,DESIRES,EMOTIONS,MEMORY, IMAGINATION POWER ETC ARE DERIVED FROM THE BIG BRAIN.THIS IS SEAT OF CONSCIOUSNESS.IN THE PRANAYAMA TECHNIQUE,THERE IS A LARGE PARTICIPATION OF THIS PART. SMALL BRAIN[CEREBELLUM]: THIS IS LOCATED BELOW AND ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE CEREBRUM.MAINTENANCE OF THE BALANCE OF THE BODY AND VOLUNTARY MUSCULAR MOVEMENTS ARE ITS IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS. LONG BRAIN[MEDULLA OBLONGATA]: THIS IS LONGISH AND IS LOCATED O N THE LOWER MOST PART OF THE BRAIN. THE CONTROL OF THE IMPORTANT LIFE-SUSTAINING FUNCTIONS SUCH AS BLOOD CIRCULATION,BREATHING ETC.IS CARRIED OUT BY THE CENTRES LOCATED IN THIS PART. APART FROM THIS,THE WORKING OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS CARRIED OUT INN THE BODY THROUGH THE NERVE FIBRES AND NERVES. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: THIS INVOLUNTARY PART OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS A CHAIN OF KNOTS OF NERVE CELLS SITUATED NEAR THE VERTEBRAE. IT REACHES UPTO THE WAIST IN THE CAVITIES OF THE CHEST AND THE ABDOMENT.THESE KNOTS OF NERVE CELLS AND NERVES ARE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AND SOME OF THESE KNOTS OF NERVE CELLS ARE CONNNECTED TO THE NERVES OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTROLS IMPORTANT ORGANS SUCH AS THE INVOLUNTARY MUSCLES,HEART,STOMACH,LUNGS ETC.THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTROLS PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS SUCH AS BLOOD CIRCULATION,BREATHING,ETC. THE INFORMATION GIVEN HEREE ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND ITS WORKING IS OF A VERY ELEMENTARY NATURE. THE WORKING OF THE BRAIN AND ITS NATURE IS SO COMPLICATED THAT MAN’S INTELLIGENCE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THEM FULLY SO FAR. DURING EVOLUTION,MAN’S CEREBRUM CONTINUED TO BECOME BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BECAUSE OF THIS,HE PROGRESSED BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. NOT ONLY IT IS BIG IN SIZE,IT IS GREAT IN ITS FUNCTIONING ALSO.IT CAN BE SAID TO BE THE ORIGIN OF WORLD’S CULTURE AND CULTURED LIFE-STYLED. THIS GIFT OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS BEEN ACQUIRED ONLY BY HIGHER ANIMALS.IN NORMAL TIMES,THE CONTROL OF BREATHING IS DONE BY THE BREATHING CENTRE. IN PRANAYAMA,THE SAME WORK IS BROUGHT UNDER VOLUNTARY CONTROL. BECAUSE OF THIS,THE WORK AND AREA OF CONSCIOUSNESS [CEREBRAL CORTEX]HAS BECOME EXTENDED. THE BREATHING PROCESS WHICH IS IN THE HANDS OF NATURE,IS TAKEN OVER BY THE VOLUNTARY CONTROL SITUATED IN THE BIG BRAIN,AND THIS PROVES THE SAYING THAT THE SON[PRANAYAMA]EXCELS THE FATHER[NATURE]. DUE TO THIS CONTROL,BOTH THE AREA OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND ITS CAPACITY ARE INCREASED. PURIFICATION OF THE CONSCIOUS LEVEL,EXPANDING ITS AREA AND MAKING CONSCIOUSNESS ALL-PERVADING IS THE ULTIMATE AIM OF YOGA AND ,IN ACHIEVING THIS, PRNAYAMA HAS A LION’S SHARE. THERE ARE BODY-MIND LEVELS RANGING FROM THE SUBTLE NERVE CELLS TO THE GROSS BODY PARTS IN THE HUMAN BODY. THE SEEDS OF THER GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS LIE IN THE IMPULSES OF THE MIND.THESE MENTAL IMPULSES ARE THE PRODUCTS OF INBORN TENDENCIES AND URGES. TOELIMINATE THESE URGES AND THEBY TO REDUCE MENTAL IMPULSES- IN OTHER WORKS,TO BRING ABOUT MENTAL STABILITY- IS THE PRIME OBJECTIVE OF PRANAYAMA. “STOPPING” OR “CONTROLLING” BREATHING-IN AND BREATHING-OUT i.e.ARRESTING THE PRANA THROUGH POORAKA,RECHAKA AND KUMBHAKA,IS A VERY GROSS PICTURE OF PRANAYAMA. THIS, THEN,IS THE EXTERNAL BREATHING;HOWEVER,THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF PRANAYAMA IS THE EFFECT OF THE DISCIPLINED EXTERNAL BREATHIG ON THE INTERNAL BREATHING OR INTERNAL RESPIRATION. THE CONTROLLING AND DISCIPLINING OF PLRANA AT THIS LEVEL WOULD BE THE REAL PRANAYAMA. THIS IS THE CORE OF PRANAYAMA.THE EXCHANGE OF OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE,ACCEPTANCE OF THE GASEOUS WASTE PRODUCTS BY THE BLOOD ETC.OCCUR IN THIS AREA[INTERNAL BREATHING].IN PRANAYAMA ,LACK OF CATABOLISM AND NON-REQUIREMENT OF ANABOLISM ARE CREATED DUE TO THE STABILITY AND RELAXATION OF THE BODY AND EFFORTLESSNESS[CONSCIOUS DIFFERENTIAL RELAXATION]GAINED IN THE ASANAS. AT THE SAME TIME,THE DISCIPLINED,PORPORTIONATE,RHYTHMIC AND PLEASURABLE POORAKA-KUMBHAKA-RECHAKA MAXIMISE THIS STATE AND THE SPEED OF METABOLISM IS BROUGHT TO NEAR NAUGHT[ZERO]. THIS CONDITION IS THEN CREATED EVERYWHERE[i.e.IN EVERY ATOM AND MOLECULE,IN EVERY HAIR AND NAIL IN THE BODY.THE INNUMERABLE,BIG OR SMALL AND OF VARIOUS TYPES OF IMPULSES EMANATING FROM THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BODY AND GOING TO THE BRAIN,GET ENTANGLED WITH EACH OTHER AND ALSO ENTANGLE THE BRAIN. SUCH IMPULSES BECOME LESS AND LESS BY PRANAYAMA. AS A RESULT OF THIS,THE LEVEL OF THE MENTAL VIBRATIONS,THE REACTIONS OF THE BRAIN ETC.BECOME VERY LOW. WITH IT,DUE TO THE PROPORTIONATE POORAKA-KUMBHAKA-RECHAKA IN PRANAYAMA,THE IMPULSES GOING TO THE BRAIN BECOME DISCIPLINED,RHYTHEMIC AND PLEASURABLE AND,AS A CUMULATIVE EFFECT,THE M IND BECOMES IMPULSE-FREE,CALM AND STABLE,AND SSBECOMES FIT FOR MAKING IT ONE-POINTED FOR DHARANA. DURING PRANAYAMA THE MIND BECOMES STABLE. WITH ITS LONG PRACTICE,EVERYDAY,A TIME COMES WHEN THE BREATHING STOPS ON ITS OWN AND THE NECESSITY OF PERFORMING PRANAYAMA IS NOT FELT. THIS STATE IS CALLED “KEWALA KUMBHAKA” THIS KUMBHAKA TAKE PLACE NATURALLY. THEREFORE,THIS KUMBHAKA IS GIVEN THE HIGHEST RANK.THIS KUMBHAKA IS LIKE PATANJALI’S CHATURTHA KUMBHAKA.WHEN SUCH A KUMBHAKA OCCURS EVERY NOW AND THEN,MENTAL STABILITY BECOMESSECOND TO NATURE AND AS RESI;T “AANANDO JAYATE CHITTE PRANAYAMI SUKHI BHAVET” [GHERANDA SAMHITA 5/57] i.e. THE MIND BECOMES PLEASANT AND THE SADHAKA BECOMES EXHILERATED. WHAT MORE CAN A COMMON MAN DREAM OF ?

ANTARANGA YOGA

DURING THE LIFE STRUGGLE IN THE STREAM OF EVOLUTION,THE CEREBRAL CORTEX,DUE TO ITS INCREASING USE,HAS PROGRESSED MORE AND MORED. IT’S COMMAND-GIVING FRONT PART[PREFONTAL AREA OR LOBE] HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF THE APPLICATION OF INTELLECTUAL WISDOM. PRANAYAMA FURTHERS THIS DEVELOPMENT.IN THE BUSY ACTIVITIES OF THE BRAIN,PRANAYAMA CREATES STABILITY.IN OTHER WORDS,THE FICKLENESS OF THE WAVERING MIND IS ELIMINATED AND THE HIGHER INTELLECT IS TABLISHED. THIS STABILITY IS A MUST FOR THE PRACTICE OF DHARNA,DHYANA AND SAMADHI STATES OF ANTARANGA YOGA. THE PRACTICE OF ANTARANGA OF YOGA “PURIFIES THE HIGHER INTELLECT AND BRINGS ABOUT SELF-REALISATION[SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT]”AND,THEREFORE,IN THE PRACTICE OF ASHTANGA YOGA,PRANAYAMA HAS ACQUIRED A UNIQUE PLACE. IN THE SAMADHI-LIKE STATE,ONE ATTAINS”MENTAL MODULATIONS ARE STABILISHED AND THE ACTIV E LIFE FORCE[PRANA] IS DISABLED” STATE.MANY GAIN THE GOOD FORTUNE OF THE BRUSHING EXPERIENCE OF SUCH A STATE IN THE KUMBHAKA OF PRANAYAMA.