Using Body-Mind Intelligence to stop Mental Oscillations and resolve Human Problems

Nature has built into human bodies a way to elicit a relaxation response reducing the speed of mental oscillations and reversing the natural sympathetic dominance. This way we can take life off its natural autopilot and enable our prefrontal cortex to take charge of life and run it as an executive with attention focused on the business of life.

 Natural sympathetic dominance underlies many physical, mental, learning, activity, attention, and behavioural disorders. Eliciting relaxation responses can prevent or reverse these disorders.

 Yoga prescribes practices involving conscious effort consisting of one, two, or all three of the following steps:

1. Conscious regulation of the movements of the body;
2. Conscious regulation of the breath, which interfaces with the body and the mind; and
3. Conscious regulation of the mental traffic to focus attention on a mental object unrelated to genetic compulsions. Contemplative learning and research result from the creation and maintenance of a one-pointed focus of attention.  It must be noted that the first two steps neuro-physiologically facilitate the third resulting in a superconscious state of contemplation. 

Our genes being the source of the unconscious genetic memory, the distracted mind can be said to be driven by our DNA using the subcortical brain stem and limbic brain hijacking or enslaving the PFC the thinking prefrontal cortex, to serve the four genetic compulsions. This defines our human condition. Life then is in the grip of genetic compulsions of selfish and divisive survival, sustenance, procreation, and herd or ego identity.

The practice of yogic discipline enables the PFC to free itself from the slavery of the DNA and duly discharge its executive functions in running the entire business of life.