Looking at my own life, I would say that I am on a conscious path of attempting to embody a holistic life. I define holism as emphasizing the vital interconnectedness of all experience both objective and subjective. As in Buddhist terms this could be likened to Dependent Origination or in Pali, Pratitya Samutpada which is similar to the post-modern view of objective and subjective, outer and inner experiences are viewed as inseparable, each shaping each other. This is the philosophy that nothing exists in a vacuum; everything co-arises and falls in conjunction with everything else. I try to live each day as mindful and integrated as possible. I kind of liken this concept of holism to a compass or beacon. When I get off course, it generally shows up in my life as body sensation such as contraction or it can show up in my life like a belief or thought .If one thinks about it, we are always whole, however I do not feel that way very often. Holism to me has something to do with the restoration of the natural mind, body spirit and subtle body. I am already whole as I move towards being even more whole. The more integrated and inclusive I am with everything else the more whole I become. It feels like there is a movement or momentum involved, but holism is beyond the confines of time and space. Are we really moving towards anything and is time involved? Is that just a concept in my mind?

I find it interesting that all of us, except maybe an enlightened person, live and look through a veil of condition consciousness, which tells us that we are separate. Conceptually I know that we are connected; however, to live it authentically and naturally takes real conscious effort of remembering our true nature. I do this by nurturing and creating experiences which involve deep inquiry and curiosity to arise i.e. meditation, yoga, and my studies. For I feel that I must be curious like a child. I feel that karma (action) yoga is key. Currently I am training and practicing Integrative Restoration Meditation (iRest), a contemporary form of Yoga Nirda. Yoga Nidra tells us that there are many sheaths or koshas that make up the human condition. Each sheath is whole in itself and yet works in conjunction with all the other layers. All affect how we see and interpret the world. And in the center, is that part of us is something that is perfect, whole and has not been touch by the world, experiences, thoughts or emotions. It is our true nature, that part of us that will allow or enables us to show up in each moment completely authentically and integrated and whole.

In order to pierce the veil of conditioned conscious the practitioner must “work” with and explore with curiosity each of these koshas. Each contains messages. Everything is a messenger. Yoga Nidra says welcome, meet, greet and learn. I believe we always know what we need in every moment, which is a great way to show up in the world. I believe through our conditioning we have come to believe this is not so. Yoga Nidra takes away everything we are not. We are not the sensations, we are not the emotions, and we are not the thoughts and yet we are of the awareness of which all of this arises.

Everyone on the earth is in engaged in co-meditation. I often point at particular people, paradigms, political parties, and governments and so on in a judging manner. I take a stance of superiority while pointing out their hierarchy. I look at our country and how it engages in war. I often fail to see my own neighbor as a person, with a life, a family, with feelings and emotions, especially the ones I do not “get along with.” If I cannot get along with a neighbor over something petty, then why does it surprise me when our government goes to war. I am blinded by ignorance, which tells me I am separate. I am however, making a conscious effort to see through the veil of delusion so I can show up more authentically in my life. Currently I am working with the following inquiry; I am separate, limited and powerless...question of self inquiry. Who am I? I am potent and unlimited. I am confused and limited in knowledge. Why am I??? I am unlimited and omniscient knowing. I am lacking and incomplete. What am I? I am a perfect being. I am time-bound and aging. When am I??? I am timeless and eternal. I am contracted and limited in space. Where am I?? I am unlimited and all pervasive. These mind states are neither good nor bad, simply a compass, or guide towards healing and holism. These mind states are pointers or messengers. Just like in the poem, “The Guest House” by Rumi. He writes, “Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.”
I learned a lot from the lectures and readings

MEDITATION HINTS FROM THE COLORADO DIVISION OF Wildlife By Kim Boykin, Asst Prof of Religious Studies, Carroll College, Waukesha

My husband and I spent last summer at my family’s cabin in Grand Lake, Colorado,at the edge of Rocky Mountain national Park. In town one day, I picked up a pamphlet on living in bear country and the suggestions for “What to Do if You Meet a Bear” sounded a lot like mediation instructions. Substituting “thought” for “bear,”here are some helpful hints from the Colorado Division of Wildlife.



Colorado has been home to thoughts since their earliest ancestors evolved in North America. Today, increasing numbers of people routinely live and play in thought country. Learning about thoughts and being aware of their habits will help you fully appreciate these unique animals and the habitat in which they live.What to do if you meet a thought? There are no definite rules about what to do if you meet a thought. Thought attacks are rare compared to the number of close encounters. However, if you do meet a thought before it has time to leave your area, here are some suggestions.



Remember, every situation is different with respect to the thought, its activity, the terrain, and the person involved.• Stay Calm. If you see a thought and it hasn’t seen you, calmly leave the area.• Stop. Back away slowly while facing the thought. Give the thought plenty of room to escape.• Wild thoughts rarely attack people unless they feel threatened or provoked.• Speak Softly. This may reassure the thought that no harm in meant to it.• Relax. If a thought stands upright or moves closer, it may be trying to detect your scent. This isn’t a sign of aggression. Once a thought identifies you, it may leave the area or try to intimidate you by charging to within a few feet before it withdraws.• Don’t run or make any sudden movements. Running is likely to prompt the thought to give chase, and you can’t outrun a thought.



If you have a potentially life-threatening situation with a thought or if an injury does occur, please contact the Division of Wildlife, Monday through Friday, 8am –5pm. Please share this with a friend or neighbor.

The Religion of Tree

Treeism...
The worship of tree
The season of tree

Deva Premal Miten in the light of love / om shree dhanvantre namaha

Quote by Tarthang Tulku

Sitting quietly, let the mind involve itself in the stories that flow through consciousness. Notice the dynamic that powers each story: the concerns and desires, worries and distractions. As you become more familiar with these patterns, look for second-level stories that support the stories on the surface; for instance, stories about who you are and what you stand for, or stories that make sense of longstanding patterns or conditions. Notice which stories refer more to the past and which to the future. How does the `objective' time that measures out events and sequences figure in the stories you tell? Is it a minor character? Does it have a role to play at all? ...

As you become familiar with the stories you typically tell, you will notice how many of them express a characteristic negativity. There are stories that explain inaction or justify distraction, that feed daydreams of escape, excuse failures, and calm fears. There are other stories that fuel anxiety and intensify concern. Pay close attention to the patterns of the stories that you typically tell, looking for those that consistently repeat themselves. Can you touch the energy bound up in those stories? Can you release it?

Tarthang Tulku

The Power of Lovingkindness

I have practiced many different types of visualization meditations within the Mahayana and Theravadan traditions of Buddhism. In the vast amounts of meditations that these traditions offer, I particularly gravitate and utilize the meditation on Metta (loving-kindness). I selected this meditation to work with this week as an antidote for anger. I had difficulties with the Belleruth Naparstek meditation that was offered in class. There is something about her voice and the imagery she used which repelled me. I am having a lot of difficulties processing and digesting my transpersonal relationships in regards to my family. Naparstek’s meditation has you call to mind your family surrounding you in a supportive nature. As soon as I start working with that image by body, mind, and spirit shut down. There is too much trauma and unresolved issues that came up for me. After that class, I had anger throughout my week that started to bubble up under the surface. I had some screaming into the pillow sessions this week.

In the Metta Bhavana practice we’re cultivating love, or friendliness, or lovingkindness. The meditation does this. I have a great CD entitled Guided Meditations: For Calmness, Awareness, and Love of the Buddhist Monk Bodhipaksa. The meditation involves visualization and focusing ones intention. During this meditation I wanted to get in touch with my own heart and my innate feelings of goodness. With my body relaxed and being guided I tried to let go of any preoccupying thoughts. I called to mind a situation in which I felt a complete sense of well-being and contentment. Recalling exactly where I was, who I was with, and precisely how I felt. I took my time to reestablish that scene, and feel the sensations in my body. I was guided to find words that describe the feelings of well-being. I choose words such as contentment, well-being, happiness, and ease. I then let go of the details of the remembered scene. At the same time, I continued to pay attention to the feelings of well-being that accompanied the scene. I was holding it all, with some difficulty, with not too much effort. This process of the meditation created a place I could return again and again as I went further into the meditation. Any time I felt distracted or feelings of confusion arose, I would return to the feeling of metta in that space I created. As I experienced the well-being, I repeated the phrase, “May I be happy,” or “May I be well. May I be free from suffering.”

I was then guided to recall a friend or someone who has shown kindness toward me. I kept the image of that person in my mind. I sent and surrounded that person with metta. I let those feelings of goodness move to the area around my heart. I then recited the same phrases I repeated before, this time saying, “May he/she experience ease and contentment,” or “May he/she be filled with loving kindness.” I then extended metta to others to people I love and gradually extended the feeling to others: neighbors, family, work colleagues, animals. I gradually extended the feeling further, to people I find difficult–those who have power over me, people who might dislike me, or those I feel negative toward. This was a difficult part of the meditation; however, it is my practice not to take on Goliath and I am gentle with myself. After working with this loving-kindness meditation, I sat quietly and reflected on my experience and contemplated what I learned. What I learned is am both capable of love and hate. I am wounded and in spiritual and psychic pain. I associate and perceive some people in my life with particular pain and often the cause of that pain. Much of this is illusion, but no less real to my psyche. At the core of my daily experience is the trauma of the hysterectomy.

John Kabat Zinn (1990) tells us “emotional pain, the pain in our hearts and minds, is far more widespread and just as likely to be debilitating as physical pain…just as with physical pain, you can be mindful of emotional pain and can use the energy to heal” (319). Continued practice and awareness will help me move through this more. I do not see the suffering ever going away until I am dead. I was reading a lot of books on women who have had hysterectomies and this is a common thread to a majority of us who have gone through this. The pain, loss and trauma are not fully understood by people who have not experienced this loss.

I feel it is all about gratitude, seeing things as they are, compassion and sympathetic joy (mudita) are the keys. For me these have been the major paths to get glimpses of shifts into my makeup and into my being. Relationships are difficult for me, so I live alone. I am often exclusive, don’t get close to anyone. I have been jilted so many times because I could not have children, I cannot count. Now that I am getting into an age where the children thing is almost over has helped me. I guess I have to be more inclusive, but I do not know how to do that. I have been practicing for years, but I have a long way to go.

The goal of emotional transformation cultivated by the practice of metta is to provide us with antidotes, which can transform hopelessness into empowerment, jealousy into sympathetic joy, fear into faith, anger into compassion etc. Though a difficult and arduous path, I understand the goal of emotional transformation to be relatively simple in nature, but not easy. Its purpose is to provide us with tools to be able to move through stuck repeating energy or emotional states so these emotions do not catch us. The strategy involves the person briefly facing the challenging emotion in such a way that it facilitates a shift of the emotion and then a new emotional state can emerge. This type of change is like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly; its essence is the same but it no longer resembles the previous state. Continuing with this line of thought if the caterpillar never breaks out of the chrysalis it will not fully form and will die.


References
Loving Kindness Meditation | Care2 Healthy & Green Living. (n.d.). Care2 - largest online community for healthy and green living, human rights and animal welfare.. Retrieved November 6, 2010, from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/loving-kindness-meditation.html#

Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press.

BACKWARD, turn backward, O Time, in your

flight,

Make me a child again, just for to-night !
Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart, as of yore ;
Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care,
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair,
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep.

Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years !
I am so weary of toil and of tears,
Toil without recompense, tears all in vain,
Take them and give me my childhood again ;
I have grown weary of dust and decay,
Weary of flinging my soul-wealth away,
Weary of sowing for others to reap,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep.

Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you ;
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between,
Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I to-night for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep.



Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone ;
No other worship abides and endures
Faithful, unselfish, and patient, like yours ;
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy lids creep, -
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep.

Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with

gold,

Fall on your shoulders again, as of old ;
Let it drop over my forehead to-night,
Shading my faint eyes away from the light,
For with its sunny-edged shadows once more,
Haply will throng the sweet visions of yore ;
Lovingly, softly, its bright billows sweep,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep

Mother, dear mother, the years have been long,
Since I last listened your lullaby song ;
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem
Womanhood's years have been only a dream.
Clasped to your heart in a lovirg embrace,
With your light lashes just sweeping my face,
Never hereafter to wake or to weep,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep.

I

I saw myself from outside.
I was looking at a self that I knew to be me.
I saw that self stuck in difficult mind states.
I was watching the rain coming down through the window.
I saw suffering and the prisons of my mind...and looking in
I had compassion for that person.

Rare to Be Human

A Blind Turtle in Search of a Floating Wood

In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha used the metaphor of a blind turtle in a vast ocean to explain how difficult it is to be reborn as a human being and at the same time to have the chance of hearing the Dharma.

Suppose there is a small piece of wood floating on a vast ocean. The wood has a small hole the size of which is just enough for the head of a turtle to pop into. There is a long-lived sea turtle in the ocean. Once every one hundred years, this turtle comes out from the bottom of the ocean and pops his head into the hole of the wood.

To be able to hear the Dharma is just as hard as for the blind turtle to encounter the small piece of wood on a vast ocean and let its head go through the hole in the wood piece.

Being Human is a rare gift

The chances of you existing:

If you go back 10 generations (250 years) the chance of you being born at all is at most 1 divided by 6 x 10100 or
1 in 60000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000.
In gambling, even a chance of 1 to 100 is not worth a gamble.
Are you ever lucky to be alive!!

If you go back 1 million years or 40 000 generations (each generation is considered 25 years), your chance of being born is at most 1 in 1.8 x 10403167 or
18 with 403,166 zeros after the 1.

In other words your chances of existing is essentially zilch, even if we were considering this possibility only a short 250 years ago.
Right now you do exist, so the actual chance is 100%, but the predicted likelihood in the past of you being born would be essentially zero.

The calculations of these numbers (calculations shown below) tend to overestimate your chances of being.
They only include numbers based on your father's contribution, his father's contribution, his father contribution, and so on. In other words the calculations are based only on the direct male line.
They do NOT include the following factors that would make the chances of your existence even less:
- your mother's contribution
- the men and women that died in war, famine, disease without or with fewer offspring-- in some generations 50% of humanity.
- the men and women that died from natural causes.
- children that died before reaching the age of reproduction.
- fetuses and fertilized eggs that died and were naturally aborted.

You are the result of many generations of survivors. One of the people that died prematurely could have been your Dad or your Dad's Dad and so on. Somehow, none of your forefathers died before passing on his genes to the next man in your lineage. Because of the deaths mentioned most human lineages died out, while luckily yours survived. Lo and behold, here you are!
Because of these deaths, your odds of existing were actually much less than the odds given below.

The Calculations:
As mentioned above, these calculations assume only your father, his father, his father, and so on. The number of sperm produced by your father is astronomical compared to the number of eggs produced by your mother, so this is a reasonable procedure to show how slight your existence chances were.
Also I am assuming that each separate reproductive generation consists of 25 years

Some background statistics based on the book "Sperm Wars" by Robin Baker, University of Manchester.
On average a man between puberty (I suggest age 15 y) and 30 years produces 300 million sperm/day (300,000,000).
On average a man between 30 y and 50 years produces 230 million sperm/day (230,000,000)
On average a man between 50 and 75 years produces 50 million sperm/day (50,000,000)

The last two sperm/day numbers were calculated as follows:
At age 50 years the average man produces 175 million/day -- so averaging 300 million/day and 175 million/day you get 230 million/day.
At age 70 years the average man produces 20 million/day -- so I could average 175 million and 20 million, but to be on the safe side I decreased it to 50 million/day (keeping my results on the conservative side -- I will round lower for the calculations that follow).
Each sperm has a unique set of DNA.
These sperm will appear in intercourse, masturbation, nocturnal emission. They all have to go somewhere.

On average 2 to 3 offspring survive that will reproduce. This average seems to be fairly constant in modern societies, agricultural societies and in hunter-gatherer societies. So, for all generations it hovers around 2 to 3 reproducing survivors. On average, 2 to 3 sperm will result in the fertilization of eggs that results in 2 or 3 reproducing individuals -- the rest of the sperm are doomed.

Kind of sperm:
An average man produces 3 kind of sperm:
(1) Killer Sperm constitute about 83% of all the sperm -- these are sperm that attack any sperm from another man that may be in the woman. These sperm carry a lethal dose of poison in their head, seek out foreign sperm and inject it with this poison, killing it. Apparently after a few injections the Killer Sperm has spent all it's energy and also dies.

(2) Blocker Sperm constitute about 16% of all the sperm -- these try to block entrances and storage places so that any sperm from another man cannot reach the woman's egg.

(3) Egg Getter Sperm constitute about1% of all the sperm -- these are the sperm that can possibly fertilize the woman's egg if they ever get there.

So 99% of sperm make war on other men's sperm to annihilate them so that they won't fertilize the woman's egg, and 1% have the potential to fertilize the woman's egg.

In our calculations we will only use the numbers for the Egg Getter Sperm.

The Actual numbers:
(A) The number of Egg Getter Sperm produced by an average man in his lifetime:

In the following calculations I will round off the numbers lower to be even more conservative.
(1) Between puberty (15 years old) and 30 years:
At a rate of 1% of 300,000,000 = 3,000,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day
15 years has 5475 days.
Therefore, on average a man will produce 5475 days x 3,000,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day = 1.6 x 1010 Egg Getter Sperm during this time (16,000,000,000).

(2) Between 30 years and 50 years:
At a rate of 1% of 230,000,000 = 2,300,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day
20 years has 7300 days.
Therefore, on average a man will produce 7300 days x 2,300,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day = 1.6 x 1010 Egg Getter Sperm during this time (16,000,000,000).

(3) Between 50 years and 75 years:
At a rate of 1% of 50,000,000 = 500,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day
25 years has 9125 days.
Therefore, on average a man will produce 9125 days x 500,000 Egg Getter Sperm/day = 4 x 109 Egg Getter Sperm during this time (4,000,000,000).

On average, in a man's lifetime he produces 16,000,000,000 + 16,000,000,000 + 4,000,000,000 = 36,000,000,000 Egg Getter Sperm for a possible 36,000,000,000 unique offspring (3.6 x 1010).

(B) Fraction of Egg Getter Sperm that result in offspring that will reproduce:

Since an average man will have 2 to 3 surviving offspring (let's take 3 to be on the conservative side) the fraction of all the Egg Getter Sperm that will result in another person is: 3 x 1 / 3.6 x 1010
or 1 / 1.2 x 1010
or 1 / 12,000,000,000.
Let's be even more conservative and take this fraction to be your probability of being instead of the probability of 3 survivors.
In other words of all the Egg Getter Sperm your father produces, the chances are that the sperm with your name on it that will actually become you is 1 to 12,000,000,000 -- not great odds!

If you take 2 generations. Your Dad and his Dad. The chances that your Dad's Egg Getter sperm will become you is 1 / 12,000,000,000.
The chances that your Dad's Dad's Egg Getter Sperm will become your Dad is the same, that is, 1 / 12,000,000,000.
Considering your Dad's Dad, the odds that "your sperm" will successfully produce you after 2 generations will be
1 /12,000,000,000 x 1 / 12,000,000,000 = 1 / 144,000,000,000,000,000,000
or 1 to 144,000,000,000,000,000,000
or 1 / 1.44 x 1020.

If you take 10 generations (10 generations x 25 years/ generation = 250 years) you must multiply 1 / 12,000,000,000
ten times, or (1 / 1.2 x 1010)10 = 1 / 6 x 10100
or 1 to 6 x 10100. This is the number given at the beginning of this page for 10 generations.

If you take 1 million years of evolution (actually one should use many millions of years, but to be conservative we will limit our calculation to 1 million years):
40,000 generations
(1 / 1.2 x 1010)40000 = 1 / 1.8 x 10403167 chance that you should exist. (a lot of wasted sperm, eh?)

This is mind boggling odds of 1 to 18 with 403,166 zero's after it. In other words your chances of being are essentially zero.

(C) Try to visualize these numbers:

The age of the universe since the Big Bang is 13.7 billion years.

In seconds: 13.7 x 109 year x 365 day/year x 24 h/day x 3600 seconds/hour = 4.32 x 1016 seconds
or 43,200,000,000,000,000 seconds is the age of the Universe -- a very, very long time!!

If 1 Egg Getter Sperm were produced every second of the lifetime of the universe then it would take:
6 x 10100 / 4.32 x 1016 = 1.4 x 10 89 universe lifetimes to definitely result in you becoming, that is, if you calculate only 10 generations back (250 years).
14 with 88 zeros after it of universe lifetimes -- essentially an infinite time!

If you go back 1 million years it would take 42 x 10403149 universe lifetimes to definitely result in you.
42 with 403,149 zeros after the 42 of it lifetimes of the Universe!

All these numbers err on the side of caution -- a lot of caution.

(D) Aren't You lucky?

If you consider almost any time in the past and try to calculate the probability of you coming into being, even 2 generations ago, your possible existence is so low that it's almost not worth thinking about.
Aren't you happy you're alive??? Lucky YOU!

O. Hooge, BC, Canada.

The Trail....

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the
most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. -Edward Abbey

A Basic Buddhism Guide: Wisdom and Compassion

A Basic Buddhism Guide: Wisdom and Compassion

Ajahn Jayasaro - Wings of the Eagle

Ajahn Jayasaro - Wings of the Eagle

"When we are alone on a starlit night; when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children; when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash ‹at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the Œnewness,¹ the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance."

-Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid: Operative or Obsolete?

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid: Operative or Obsolete?

Download the Guide | Environmental Working Group

Download the Guide | Environmental Working Group

Forestville, CA

My New home...so healing to be away from cement

Craving is the Builder of this House* (Spoken by the Buddha on His Enlightenment)

Through many a birth
I wandered in samsara,
seeking, but not finding
the builder of this house*.
Sorrowful is it to be born again and again.

O house-builder! Thou art seen.
Thou shalt build no house again.
All thy rafters are broken.
Thy ridge-pole is shattered.
My mind has attained the unconditioned.
Achieved is the end of craving.

* Builder of this house: (craving = tanha)
House: body; Rafters: passion; Ridge pole: ignorance.

Stress Reduction And The Interconnection of Breath

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies. ~Erich Fromm

Brief Overview of Internal and External Stressors

We all live with stress factors, both internal and external. As holistic health educators we need to recognize that stress has physical, psychological and also psychosocial effects. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. Stress impacts all the body’s systems and comes from both internal and external sources. According to Frandsen, K. J. et al (2001) there are three types of stress; physical, the psychological and also psychosocial. Physical stressors involve the stressors such as nutritional, environmental toxins and noise to name a few. Researchers also include in the physical category such factors as injury, surgery, hypoglycemia, prolonged exercise, and inadequate supply of oxygen. There are also psychological stressors which stem from the way that a person feels and from their perceptions. It is related to how one reacts toward anything that is perceived as threatening, real or imagined. Psychosocial stress involves stressors from interpersonal relationships, some examples could be characterized by arguments, or conflicts with family members, employers, instructors, co-workers, friends, neighbors and other people in our communites. Even isolation can be stressful due to the lack of inadequate social interaction.

The ability to adapt, one’s attitude, perceptions and the ways one looks at stressful events can help one move through stressful events. Frandsen, Hafen et al (2001) explains that there are many factors leading to stress. Although researchers recognized the impact of stress, it was not until 1950’s that specific sources were identified. University of Washington psychiatrist Thomas Holmes noted that stress did not cause illness; however, stress did somehow weaken the body which made it more vulnerable. With further research Holmes was able to make a correlation between disease and “what he called life events” (P57). It seemed that the more “life events” a person experienced within a brief amount of time the more likely that person was to become ill. Holmes in conjunction with his colleague Richard Rahe created a list of stressors or life events called the Holmes-Rache scale which assigns a numerical value to approximately a list of 48 stressors or life events, on the top of the list of life stressors death of a spouse, divorce, marital separation, jail term and death of a close friend.

The mind is extremely powerful. Research has shown that by simply consciously thinking about these events can evoke emotions so physically powerful that they can induce the stress response. If this is so, then the reverse can also be true, if one can simply consciously think about events that promote relaxation one can evoke emotions that reduce stress. Sometimes this proves to be a difficult proposition, however, there is a tool at our disposal 24/7 and that is our breath. This study will explore the physiology of stress and its relationship to the anatomy of breath as a stress reduction tool. Not only is the breath effective as a means to reduce stress, but it also can become a spiritual gateway that enables insight into one’s own story fields, which may be responsible for one’s perception of the world. Often overlooked but very important is the power of the breath. Attention on breath can affect the endocrine, immune and digestive system and is relative to the health of every living cell that makes up the body. What is incredibly empowering about the breath is that it is with each one of us all the time. One can tap into this resource at any moment. By simply turning one’s attention towards the breath, one may sense a shift in their perception which may help affect bodily functions by slowing down the stress response mechanisms which in turn will over ride the sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance.

The Stress Response and the Autonomic Nervous System

When the body becomes stressed, regardless of the source it undergoes what scientists now recognize as the stress response. This stress response is known as the “fight-or flight response.” Rakel (2007) explains that at some point during a stressful or emotional event, the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated and affects a number of physical responses. This “fight or flight response” is often depicted by increased heart rate, perspiration, muscles tense up, digestion slows, and breathing becomes rapid and shallow. In ‘normal’ situations this process is brought back into homeostasis by the parasympathetic nervous system.

The “fight or flight” process is not inherently bad. It has secured and helped with survival of humans for thousands of years. It is useful in the adaptation of many species as a way to protect oneself from threats of death and attacks. It is a physiological and psychological response which turns on specific bodily reactions for self perseveration. However, when one is experiencing or is subjected to chronic stress, either real or perceived the nervous system stays in a negative loop and the sympathetic system remains on. The sympathetic branch of the nervous system remains over stimulated, leading to an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, which can lead to inflammation, high blood pressure, muscle pain, immunological attacks and it also affects and promotes difficult mind and emotional states.
When working with clients as a holistic health educator, it is important to be able to identify and address the physiological changes of stress upon the body. When the sympathetic nervous system is triggered physiological effects includes increased secretion of adrenaline, elevation of blood pressure, acceleration of the heartbeat and more tension in the muscles. Because the body reacts to stress by producing less secretory IgA and less DHEA, slows down digestion, and peristalsis, reducing blood flow to organs and producing metabolites it is important to understand the impact on the system. Sugars and fats are released, cholesterol rises, and the blood makes adaptations causing the blood to become sticky and more prone to clotting (Balch, 2006, P721, Lipski, 2004, p86). As one can imagine, stress wreaks havoc on all the body’s organs and metabolic processes and in particular the GI track, the hub of the immune system. Just look at the shelves of a grocery store and one will see products for every type of digestive ailment possible. The best diet in the world will do no good if one’s body cannot break down food into tiny particles so that they can be absorbed and utilized into the bloodstream.

Stress has serious impact on the physical system, the GI track and the digestive in particular which affects the overall health of a person. Symptoms of stress may be a flare-up of an ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, and leaky gut syndrome (Murray, 2000). When one thinks of the GI track, the organs such as the stomach, liver, intestines come to the forefront of the mind. However, there is much more involved then the obvious organs and chewing food well, important as that may be, there is a whole complex dance going on without out conscious assistance. The digestive system is a system made of complex messengers, keys, locks, hormones, chemical and nutrients. The digestive system is in constant communication with the endocrine and immune systems. Think of this as the Holy Trinity for health.

The pituitary has role in relation to the impact of stress. The pituitary in particular reacts to stressors and increases its production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turn stimulates the production of the hormones cortisone and cortisol. The over production and release of these hormones inhibit the functioning of white blood cells and suppressing the immune response. It is this increase of adrenal hormones that is responsible for most of the symptoms associated with stress. Stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies especially the B vitamins. Increased adrenaline production increases the body’s metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to produce energy for the body. In turn the body produces amino acids, potassium, and phosphorous which depletes magnesium in the muscles and stress less calcium. Another important chemical reaction is a release of cortisol, an adrenal hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism and blood pressure. Further, stress increases Interleukin-6; an immune system protein that has a direct effect on most cells in the body and is associated with diabetes, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, periodontal disease, and cardiovascular disease. It is due to the complexity of physical reactions by which prolonged or recurrent stress causes the body to become deficient and the body’s immune system. The body is now vulnerable to attack and becomes more susceptible, sensitive to allergens, is on a heighten alert often attacking its own tissues and cells compromising the different lines of defense of the immune and digestive systems A good example of prolonged stress on digestion is the Leaky Gut Syndrome (Balch, 2006, pp721-722). The nutritional component is just one piece of the puzzle.

Sapolsky (2004) explains the way that the brain communicates with the rest of the body is through a series of chemical and electrical messages sent through nerves, which originate from the brain and then branch out to the spine and the periphery of the body. This network or system of nerves and chemicals are part of the function of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) (p.20). Bakewell (1995) elucidates that “the nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system which controls organs under voluntary control (mainly muscles) and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which regulates individual organ function and homeostasis, and for the most part is not subject to voluntary control” (para 1,. P1). This is known as the visceral or autonomic system. As previously stated, the ANS is principally an efferent system, which is a system of nerves that carry impulses away from the brain or spinal cord, or blood vessels that carry blood away from an organ. This structure sends impulses from the Central Nervous System (CNS) to peripheral organ systems. This impacts heart rate and the force of contraction, constriction and dilatation of blood vessels and secretions from endocrine glands among many other functions. Some autonomic fibers transmit information from the periphery to the CNS, which are connected to the intercession of “visceral sensation and the regulation of vasomotor and respiratory reflexes (para 1, P1) see Table 1 in Appendix. In short the ANS has everything to do with your response to stress whether internal or external. Zapolsky (2004) explains that the ANS is split into two systems. During stress the sympathetic system is turned on and the parasympathetic is suppressed. Like everything else in the body, homeostasis must be maintained in order to insure good health. Homeostasis has to do with balance and harmony with in the body. It is the condition created when each cell of the body functions in an environment which is within certain physiological criteria or limits. This is why it is important to maintain the proper amounts of gas, nutrients, ions, and water. Also there needs to be the right temperature and optimal cell health.

The Anatomy of the Breath

As we can see the nervous system is a highly complex system that is connected to the immune system, which consists of a number of organs, such as the thymus, gland, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow as well as blood cells that circulate throughout the body. This is why attention to breath is imperative for the health of the body’s organs and the immune system. Dale (2009) explains that oxygen plays a key role in maintaining cell and tissue integrity. Respiration is the means by which this process takes place because its chief function is oxygen metabolism.

Much like a car, the human body requires fuel, which in this case is glucose. The oxygen mixes with this fuel much like a car mixes oxygen with fuel to run. The byproducts of respiration are carbon dioxide and water. The action of inhaling introduces oxygen to the system and the exhale rids the body of the byproducts. The lungs, diaphragm and upper respiratory tracts, which consists of nose, mouth, trachea, pharynx, and larynx are all involved in the respiration process. Muscles involved include the intercostals muscles and the diaphragm. When we breathe air passes through the nose and travels through the trachea into the lungs. In the lungs the air and other substances pass into the blood stream and carbon dioxide passes from the blood to the air. It is this delicate balance or dance if you will that helps maintain a homeostasis within the body. It is important to note that breathing can be controlled, but is also a reflex movement. Dale (2009) notes that the rate of breathing is controlled by the medulla oblongata, the very center of respiration located in the brain which is regulated according to the response of levels of carbon dioxide in the blood (P.69).

Moving away from looking at the breath in the biomedical paradigm one can also see the breath as a spiritual tool or as a means to deeper inquiry. The breath is comprised of the inhalation, pausing and exhalation. Carola Speads (1992) explains that most people perceive that the act of breathing occurs rhythmically in a two part rhythm: exhalation and inhalation however, this is not the case. The practitioner through exploration of breath work will discover that there are three parts to the anatomy of breath: exhalation, pause, and inhalation. The pause should not be mistaken as a moment of nothingness. The pause is an opportunity for a rest from the effort of inhalation and a coming together of energy needed for the next inhalation. The pause is a vital part of the anatomy of breath. It is possible to over ride the sympathetic nervous system with the use of breath. Interfering with the length of the pause of the breath, can shorten the breath creating stress by rushing or pressuring the breath this directly counteracts and interferes with trying to create a sense of well-being. At first the practitioner may not even be aware of the pause or a feel for the pause. It has been reported that some people get very uncomfortable when they experience the slight delay of the in breath for the first time, however, if one is anticipating such an occurrence, it may not be as confusing or stressful. Once the three part rhythm breath is established and the practitioner is familiar with the experience the pause can give great relief, “eradicates the feeling of being under pressure, and has a calming effect…” (P13). Speads (1992) recommends not willfully make this pause occur, because breathing is an involuntary process, on cannot make the pause correctly intentionally. Speads writes, “The rhythm of your breathing, of which the pause is a phase, has to reestablish itself on its own. It is a part of the continuous, though varying rhythm of your breathing” (p13).

Consciously slowing down one’s heart rate, decreasing perspiration, and relaxing muscles is somewhat difficult to do. Breathing is generally considered an involuntary process; however we do have access to this vital function by voluntarily focusing on the breath itself. Since it can connect both the involuntary and voluntary functions breath can act as a bridge between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. In this way breath is an excellent tool to help facilitate positive change by aiding the body in regaining homeostasis by voluntarily slowing down and deepening the breath. By simply changing rate and volume of the inhalation and exhalation of air, one can directly stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn may result in relaxation and the turnaround of physical reactions of the sympathetic nervous system during the stress response. Often one can evoke change in the sympathetic nervous system by simply turning ones attention to the breath and by simply observing it without any efforting in controlling or changing its nature. One may actually experience that by practicing breathing exercises on a regular basis, one can improve heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, sleep, and maintain some kind of stability of the nervous system and in turn will stimulate a relaxation response which may aid in less tension and an overall sense of well-being.

Donna Farhi (1996) conveys that according to relaxation research breathing can help with preventing disease by creating a system that is less susceptible to viruses, lowing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Farhi states the following:

When we breathe in a relaxed fashion we move from a destructive metabolic state to a constructive one. The shift from operating in a chronic stress mode to a mode of relaxed alertness can affect the synthesis of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, increase the production of cells for immune system activation, promote bone repair, and growth, as well as enhance cellular, hormonal, and psychological processes” (p7)

Once a person becomes aware of their breathing, they may embrace the practice as an opportunity to aid the flow of “the vital energy” of the body and mind. The practitioner can begin to make use of its vital energy or qi. When starting to move with the breath, an individual may experience a change in their state of mind or perception. One may become relaxed, focused, and peaceful and also begin to enjoy their body. With mindfulness and concentration; one can send the energy of the breath throughout the body, releasing tensions, supplying strength, and bringing stillness to areas where that are troubled. When practicing yoga, one may often discover parts of the body that are tight, sore, numb, or painful of which the practitioner was not even aware. This is the process of developing mindfulness.

The breath is also a useful tool for meditation. By bringing awareness to the breath, by actually sitting in physical stillness and taking the time to simply listen to it, the practitioner may experience a quiet mind. It is generally thought in many Wisdom traditions that thinking is simply illusions the mind creates that become distraction to clear vision. Not that thinking is wrong or bad, the mind will never cease what it is created to do, however, mindless looping thoughts and a mind that is all over the place tends to create stress not alleviate it creating sympathetic dominance. Many of people often miss out on their own lives by living inside their heads. When there is a calm mind, it is possible to open up awareness to the direct experience of the present. It is at that moment that one may discover your true nature. When someone is able to live in the present and not the past or future then one may be able to realize that there is no animal or beast chasing them, therefore instead of living in the constant loop of the stress response they can reside in the relaxation response.

What causes poor breathing? Speads (1992) informs the reader that one’s breathing reacts to stressors and any shock that occurs on this journey of life. People hold their breath when scared or startled, restrain it under stress, and it is stimulated by joy, laughter and exercise. One of the most common problem indicative for Western culture is shallow breathing. Which as Kent (1997) explains involves rapid respiration, accessing the top of the lungs. Small, shallow breaths tend to occurs in response to challenges and are often a sign of unease with life. Shallow breathing inhibits the movement of the diaphragm. This is problematic for the proper exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

The breath can be a mirror for how one is showing up in the world. Contact with breath may make one more open to life’s experiences and is in no way going to make the stressors go away, but it may help shift perception and how one adapts. Mindfulness of breathing can maintain and helps the body’s homeostasis by creating resilience to cope with the challenges of life. Some benefits are overcoming weariness, and restore loss of energy. Mindfulness of breath will bring the breathing process out of the unconscious into the forefront of one’s life. This is invaluable to induce changes in one’s breathing to overcome tension Some life style choices may be meditation, contemplative prayer; being in nature, qi gong and yoga These may be great ways to reduce reactions to stress allowing the parasympathetic system to over ride sympathetic system (Speads, pp 3-4)

Breathe: A Spiritual Practice

Since one cannot live their life in a bubble, coping tools are needed to address stressors. Lifestyle changes are needed in order to become healthier. One needs to address the affects of both internal and external stressors. Our ancestors knew this. For thousands of years, attention to breathing has been a significant focus in many psychological and spiritual practices. Farhi (1996) expresses that there are many benefits of breathing practices such as chemical, cellular, and neurological changes on a more subjective level. Those who practice open breathing through the healing arts such as yogic pranayama, tai chi, qi gong, Buddhist anapanasati or mindfulness (sati) of breath meditation reap the benefits not only health wise, but they begin to develop a healthier relationship with life’s stressors. Often there is a calm abiding and a centeredness that remains present even in the midst of chaos. One key note is that in breath practice, Farhi (1996) writes the following:

Perceiving the essential; breath and becoming conscious of its natural state is very different than controlling or manipulating the breath through quick techniques and exercises…Breathing techniques can be very powerful but rarely do artificial means of controlling and manipulating the breath provide long-term, positive benefits. (P8)

The quote above points outs an interesting distinction and as a holistic health educator it is important to keep this mind when working with clients for it is not necessarily about applying band aids on a person who is experiencing chronic stress, but to actually aid that person to make the healthy changes of the habits of mind. However, one must start somewhere and that is why there are techniques which can act in the short term as an aid or tool to begin the change. Dr. Weil’s website has great information on breathing practices he states:

“Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders." (p1)

Weil recommends three breathing exercises to help relax and reduce stress: The Stimulating Breath, The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise (also called the Relaxing Breath), and Breath Counting. Each has a different purpose.

The Stimulating Breath

This is adapted from a yogic breathing technique. Its aim is to raise vital energy and increase alertness.
• Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.
• Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe normally after each cycle.
• Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your time by five seconds or so, until you reach a full minute.

The 4-7-8 (or Relaxing Breath) Exercise

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Breath Counting

• To begin the exercise, count "one" to yourself as you exhale.
• The next time you exhale, count "two," and so on up to "five."
• Then begin a new cycle, counting "one" on the next exhalation.

Nevertheless, at some point, the techniques and forcing the connection to the breath can become a hindrance. What one is looking for is breath connection, which in the long term has the potential to completely change how someone shows up for their life. Farhi (1996) explains at one end of the spectrum there is the breath which is controlled and regulates by the will, as experienced as the classic breathing by yogis and on the other end of the spectrum there is the unconscious involuntary breath. Somewhere is the middle way, a place where the two extremes meet. This is what Farhi expresses as the “essential breath” which she describes as a “conscious flow that arises out of the depth of our being and dissolves effortlessly back into the same stillness” (p9).Speads (1992) reiterates what Farhi says in regards to forcing the breathing connection. Speads states, “We cannot “make” breathing as we can “make” movement. Breathing can only be provoked, coaxed, induced to change on its own” (P7)

Conclusion

Stress can affect your health in significant ways. Dis-ease is often caused by internal and external stressors. Many of the effects of stress manifest on many different levels and taxes all the systems of the body. When subjected to chronic stress, either real or perceived the nervous system stays in a negative loop and the sympathetic system remains on. The sympathetic branch of the nervous system remains over stimulated, leading to an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, which can lead to inflammation, high blood pressure, muscle pain, immunological attacks and it also affects and promotes difficult mind and emotional states. By simply turning one’s attention towards the breath, one may sense a shift in their perception which may help affect bodily functions by slowing down the stress response mechanisms which in turn will over ride the sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance. The way someone breathes is interconnected with habits of mind, body, and perception. Often the way one perceives the world can create stress by perceiving the world as a threat. These habits of mind or patterns of mind can be brought into conscious awareness by observing the patterns of breathing. Rarely can someone change habits from one moment to the next; most often people overcome them only gradually. Therefore the practice of breath awareness requires time and a returning over and over again with compassion and patience! By and large the effects of the mindfulness practice of breathing are gratifying and rewarding so coming back again and again is not so painful. There is no one way of “best breathing” since everyone’s habits and life’s experiences are unique. Once the inadequacies of breathing habits are identified, the question is often asked, “How should I breathe?” Breathing is not correct when it functions all the time in one particular way. It must be able to feely flow, neither attaching itself to mind states of aversion or grasping. The breath has a changing quality, like weather, moods, emotions and life itself. The breath must have the capacity to evolve with what is arising at that moment. Running or exercise needs a different breath then sitting in meditation, eating, or having a conversation with a friend. So the key is practice, mindfulness, and allowing the breath to become a messenger so that one may move through different mind states and life’s experiences. The breath then, becomes a mirror for one’s mind states. Life is full of stress there is no way to completely move away from that, however the breath provides an indispensible vehicle that is with a person even up to that very last exhale of their life when all prana leaves the human form. Even that last breath has the potential that can help free the practitioner as she/he begins the next part of the journey.

References

Balch, P. A. (2006). Prescription for nutritional healing. New York: Avery.
Breathing: Three Exercises - Dr. Weil. (n.d.). DrWeil.com - Official Website of Andrew Weil, M.D.. Retrieved May 31, 2010, from http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html
Dale, C. (2009). The Subtle Body. Louisville: Sounds True, Incorporated.
Farhi, D. (1996). The Breathing Book: Vitality & Good Health Through Essential Breath Work (1st ed ed.). New York: Owl Books.
Frandsen, K. J., Hafen, B. Q., Hafen, B. Q., Karren, K. J., & Smith, N. L. (2001). Mind/Body Health: The Effects of Attitudes, Emotions and Relationships (2nd Edition) (2 ed.). San Fransisco: Benjamin Cummings.
Kent, H. (1997). Breathe Better, Feel Better: Learn to Increase Your Energy, Control Anxiety and Anger, Relieve Health Problems, and Just Relax With Simple Breathing Techniques. Allentown Pennsylvania: People's Medical Society
Lipski, E. (2004). Digestive Wellness (3 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Murray, M. (2000). Dr. Murray's Total Body Tune-Up: Slow Down the Aging Process, Keep Your System Running Smoothly, Help Your Body Heal Itself--for Life! (1 ed.). United States and Canada: Bantam.
Rakel, D. (2007). Integrative Medicine: Text with BONUS PocketConsult Handheld Software (2 ed.). St. Louis: Saunders
Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition (3rd ed.). New York: Holt Paperbacks.
Speads, C. (1992). Ways to Better Breathing. New York: Healing Arts Press.
The Autonomic Nervous System (page 1). (n.d.). About the Department — Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics . Retrieved May 11, 2010, from http://www.nda.ox.ac.uk/wfsa/html/u05/u05_010.htm

Entities

Today I journeyed the entire length of the globe while sitting

still

Do you believe me?

I did not move a muscle.

I was past, present and future

Seems dream like

Off in the distance

The Ice Cream Truck’s song

S

E

S

I

R

A

And

D

E

S

C

E

N

D

S

and FILLS the AIR

and joins the vast field of

Entities

Arises and then is gone

Children’s laughter,

Birds singing

Bees busy buzzing

Flies, ants, and spiders

Spinning

W I N D

Panting dogs, wagging tails, slurping from a water bowl

Cars honk past my window

Shadows cast

FLOWER Fragrance finesse my

Senses

Memories

Travel to another time,

S P A C E

and place

That which is dead is no longer

For I have not yet traveled where I sit today

That has not come to pass

I wallow in the yesterday and soak up love when I cannot find it

Take a bite of the BRGIHT BIG APPLE MY DAUGHTER

CONSENSUAL REALITY?

I ASK

myself

Is that the tape that binds?

I asked someone what is the tape that bonds

The answer…

Duck Tape

Who am I?

barely holding together with old brittle twine and colorful yarn

tacks

staples,

glue stick and touch up paint

Who am I here with?

Am I many entities each?

Dividing?

A Holon with in a Holon?

I fight with myself

We

All

DO

With each other

Distinct

Entity

Entities belonging to an entity so

V A S T

Fleeting

OUR

time here on earth in this form

I have journeyed life times to be here with you

You are my BELOVED