Evolution of the human system

 

According to modern science, nerves start from the brain and spinal cord. According to yoga, nadis are similar to nerves, but they start from the base of spine, the muladhara. The nadis carry prana to every part of the human body. Brain comes later than the mula. Our first feelings and sensations come from there; our fundamental feelings are older than our brain. Mula is the source, it´s a single cell having all the layers in it. The most predominant layer is prana; it is energy and sensations.

Our energy is depending on what is in the mula, in the earth that we came from. Were the early sensations challenging or free gives an impact on how our system evolves. But we are not fixed we are changing. Energy depends also on the space that we have, space in our heart. We have to give importance to our past, but always remember that it is not fixed, we can work to change it by changing our attitude.

We all have similar amount of energy, but we have clouds that are on the way, this happens in every cell of our body. The space is different, it´s significant how much space you feel you have inside you, do you feel free or tight. Mula  is partly energy and matter. This combination of matter and space determine mula, it´s always changing.

In the Pranayama level we have five fundamental pranas: Prana, Apana, Vyana, Samana and Udana.

Prana is responsible of breathing, how we get energy. It is the chest area, lungs. Prana is that which is distributed to every layer of the body, it´s the nourishment we have after digesting.

Apana is lower abdominal region, responsible for elimination and also for pregnancy. Energy depends on how our physical and emotional elimination works. Often we are stuck with emotions, we cannot let go.

Sometimes we hold our emotions, we don’t want to let go, and we reject elimination. Sometimes we don’t want to receive compliments, we reject prana.

Vyana is the distribution channel that has to work well. If something is blocking it is affecting prana and apana, depending on where the knot is.

Sometimes we don’t have control of what we get, but we can influence what we do with it.

        Elimination                     Nourishment

        Apana                                Prana                        IN BALANCE

        Exhale                               Inhale

        Prithvi                                Akasa

Samana is responsible for digesting physiological and psychological elements; it is situated in the navel area. Udana in throat area is responsible for communication.

We cannot increase prana, but we can let it flow more smoothly, by taking away obstacles we can regulate its flow. That will give us more space, take away the tightness, the constriction = dukha, and give balanced flow to prana, more space = sukha.

When we get more space in the heart we have sukha, nothing is an obstacle. If we enjoy what we are doing there are no obstacles. The obstacles are not outside, but inside us. Our knots can be anywhere in our body. There are certain places in the body that hold energies. If knots are in the navel area, the energy is not flowing smoothly, it gets suppressed, and we feel very tired, the distribution of prana is prevented.

The heart area is also very important, and specially the connection between heart and navel, Akasa and Prthvi. Prthvi is the structure and Akasa is the space. Quality of space is determining the quality of prana.

What is in our Prthvi and Akasa is influenced by the Mula we come with. The Prthvi and Akasa of our ancesters influence our Mula.

Prana is defined by the space Prthvi allows, if its structure becomes tight flow of prana is narrower. Nadis take prana through the channels to every level of the body. When we get older we become drier, Vata starts to dominate and the passage gets drier. We need to maintain the liquidness of our body. We get loss of prana if the structure is rigid. In burn out the whole system dries out. Importance of what structure brings us, what it does to the space inside us.

Prana is bringing lightness to every part of our body. That light is already within us. Prana switches on the light. When something is light it feels warm. When there is warmth, prana flows. Warmth is also in the emotional level, it`s happy, relaxed, alive, pleasent feeling which makes our potential manifest, our creativity and memory will improve. The movement of prana is fine when you feel warm, not only by temperature.

Follow the breath, consentrate on prana, doing the movement with the flow of prana. Quality of prana is revealed through quality of breathing.

Prana is life force. The most settle element, it manifests in its space. The element of space has a function, expansion and contraction. Breath is in every cell, it is expanding and contracting. Pranayama is conscious breathing.

Manomaya is the intellectual level, including our education and learning. We remember because of our memory= smrti. Smrti is related with patterns= samskara. We all have our own mind, mental faculty, our patterns are established in our memory. Some issues we learn consciously and some come unconsciously, much cultural behaviour is received unconsciously, and sometimes we realise them when we are abroad in a different culture. Smrti and samskara are strongly connected. Memories are linked with associated feelings and habits. In Manomaya we observe and develop habits.

Asana is a new pattern for body where function is more important than form. With yoga we try to replace one samskara with other and smrti can be replaced with other.

Vijanamaya is containing what is deeper inside us. It has our vasanas = impressions from our past that influence us. Some impressions leave a big mark inside us; others pass quickly, depending on the incident and our sensibility. What the act is is not as important as how we

We are not just a physical, physiological body, but we have different kind of energy levels, different components that make us human beings. We all are unique individuals, changing dynamically all the time, which is an important fact to accept. During menopause changes occur at all levels. Understanding these layers through Yoga philosophy may clarify situation in life to many women.

As human beings we all have five important domains, levels, layers, structures in yoga philosophy called Panca Maya. Panca = five, Maya = domain, that spreads and moves everywhere. The layers are interconnected, what happens in one level influences the others. The five layers are: Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijanamaya and Anandamaya. (Taitrya Upanishades chapter two).

Annamaya is the physical, physiological part of us. It has weight, shape and texture, it is gross and definable. Annamaya is nourished with food. It has seven dhatus, which are fundamental support structures for our body. The whole system of dhatu is to produce the best seed in order to sustain life. Matter has a time limit, consciousness has not, body has a time limit and consciousness knows it.

Annamaya is the container of all the other mayas and needs some warmth to work. It does not need to be perfect in shape, but good in function; it’s more important how it works than how it looks. In one maya exist the others.

Evolution of the human system:

According to modern science, nerves start from the brain and spinal cord. According to yoga, nadis are similar to nerves, but they start from the base of spine, the muladhara. The nadis carry prana to every part of the human body. Brain comes later than the mula. Our first feelings and sensations come from there; our fundamental feelings are older than our brain. Mula is the source; it’s a single cell having all the layers in it. The most predominant layer is prana; it is energy and sensations.

Our energy is depending on what is in the mula, in the earth that we came from. How our early sensations were, challenging or easy, give an impact on how our system evolves. But we are not fixed - we are changing. Energy depends also on the space that we have, space in our heart. We have to give importance to our past, but always remember that the past is not fixed, we can work to change it by changing our attitude.

We all have a similar amount of energy, but we have clouds that are on the way, this happens in every cell of our body. The space is different, it’s significant how much space you feel you have inside you, and do you feel free or tight. Mula is partly energy and matter. This combination of matter and space determine mula, it’s always changing.

Annamaya leads to Pranamaya, our energy level. Food we eat gives us energy. Pranamaya is changing according to many things like seasons or depending on the task we are going to do: we can have a lot of energy for one job, and none for another one. In the Pranayama level we have five fundamental pranas: Prana, Apana, Vyana, Samana and Udana.

Prana is responsible of breathing, how we get energy. It is the chest area, lungs. Prana is that which is distributed to every layer of the body, it’s the nourishment we have after digesting.

Apana is lower abdominal region, responsible for elimination and also for pregnancy. Energy depends on how our physical and emotional elimination works. Often we are stuck with emotions, we cannot let go.

Sometimes we hold our emotions, we don’t want to let go, and we reject elimination. Sometimes we don’t want to receive compliments, we reject prana.

Vyana is the distribution channel that has to work well. If something is blocking it is affecting prana and apana, depending on where the knot is.

Sometimes we don’t have control of what we get, but we can influence what we do with it.

It is important to have Prana and Apana in balance:

        Elimination                     Nourishment

        Apana                                Prana                        IN BALANCE

        Exhale                                 Inhale

        Prithvi                                Akasa

Samana is responsible for digesting physiological and psychological elements; it is situated in the navel area. Udana in throat area is responsible for communication.

We cannot increase prana, but we can let it flow more smoothly, by taking away obstacles we can regulate its flow. That will give us more space, take away the tightness, the constriction = dukha, and give balanced flow to prana, more space = sukha.

When we get more space in the heart we have sukha, nothing is an obstacle. If we enjoy what we are doing there are no obstacles. The obstacles are not outside, but inside us. Our knots can be anywhere in our body. There are certain places in the body that hold energies. If knots are in the navel area, the energy is not flowing smoothly, it gets suppressed, and we feel very tired, the distribution of prana is prevented.

The Prthvi and Akasa of our ancestors influence our Mula. Prana is defined by the space Prthvi allows, if its structure becomes tight flow of prana is narrower. Nadis take prana through the channels to every level of the body. When we get older we become drier, Vata starts to dominate and the passage gets drier, matter limits space. We need to maintain the liquidness of our body. We get loss of prana if the structure is rigid. In burn out the whole system dries out. Importance of what structure brings us, what it does to the space inside us.

Prana brings lightness to every part of our body. That light is already within us. Prana switches on the light. When something is light it feels warm. When there is warmth, prana flows. Warmth is also at the emotional level, it’s happy, relaxed, alive, pleasant feeling, which makes our potential manifest, and our creativity and memory will improve. The movement of prana is fine when you feel warm, not only by temperature.

Follow the breath, concentrate on prana, doing the movement with the flow of prana. Quality of prana is revealed through quality of breathing.

Prana is life force. The subtlest element it manifests in is space. The element of space has a function, expansion and contraction. Breath is in every cell, expanding and contracting. Prana is conscious breathing.

Manomaya is our intellectual level, mental faculty, learning and remembering things, for us to behave in the world. In this philosophy, the mind is a function, present in every part of our body; it’s not an organ. We remember because of our memory= smrti. Smrti is related with patterns= samskara. We all have our own mind, mental faculty, our patterns are established in our memory. Some issues we learn consciously and some come unconsciously, much cultural behaviour is received unconsciously, and sometimes we realise it when we are abroad in a different culture. Smrti and samskaras are strongly connected. Memories are linked with associated feelings and habits. In Manomaya we observe and develop habits. Asana is a new pattern for body where function is more important than form. With yoga we try to replace one samskara with other and smrti can be replaced with other.

Vijnanamaya is our fundamental behaviour, our personality, our deeper patterns form fundamental base for our behaviour. This level includes our samskaras, our habits. It has also our vasanas - impressions from our past that influence us. Some impressions leave a big mark inside us; others pass quickly, depending on the incident and our sensibility. What the act is not as important as how we take it. Vasanas influence our samskaras, our deep behaviours and our strong patterns. With yoga we can find tools for change; to change our attitude, to grow out of our difficult experiences, to let them become lighter. Our predispositions  - svabhavas for situations are different and they are very difficult to change.

Mahat influences Vijanamaya. Mahat has Vasana and Svabhava in it. To balance our mahat, we need faith, Sraddha, conviction and support that hold us. Sraddha is something valuable, which is lifting us.

In Vijanamaya we have our conviction to life. The more positive Sraddha we have, the easier it makes our life. Intense sraddha leads us to confidence and not to fear. Every person in this world has access to Sraddha. It is a gift of survival, individual and collective. Sraddha is the sunlight in us that we have to follow.

Anandamaya is the deeper domainof emotions. We have to resolve Vijanamaya to reach Anandamaya. Sraddha generates fire, Agni. Changing samskaras from negative to positive requires heat, unless we have heat, we cannot transform. In Anandamaya we have our fundamental feelings, we don’t know it in its full capacity. It is impossible to repeat in any form, or to remember or to put in words. It is experience. It is beyond senses.

All of this Panca Maya is a matter of manifest but we are not only manifest beings. We also have the unmanifest in us, the self, Purusa, which is the sixth layer, Cinmaya, our life force. In that we are all the same, it is unmanifest and it is not changing.

take it. Vasanas influence our Samskaras, our deep behaviours and our strong patterns. With yoga we can find tools for change; change our attitude, grow out of our difficult experiences, let them become lighter. Our predispositions = svabhavas for situations are different and they are very difficult to change.

Mahat influences Vijanamaya. Mahat has Vasana and Svabhava in it. To balance our Mahat, we need faith, Sraddha, conviction and support that hold us. Sraddha is something valuable, which is lifting us.

In Vijanamaya we have our conviction to life. The more positive Sraddha we have, the easier it makes our life. Intense Sraddha leads us to confidence and not to fear. Every person in this world has access to Sraddha. It is a gift of survival, individual and collective. Sraddha is the sunlight in us that we have to follow.

We have to resolve Vijanamaya to reach Anandamaya. Sraddha generates fire, Agni. Changing samskaras from negative to positive requires heat, unless we have heat, we cannot transform. In Anandamaya we have our fundamental feelings, we don’t know it in its full capacity. It is impossible to repeat in any form, or to remember or to put in words. It is beyond senses.

4. Methodology

In this chapter there is first an explanation of Yoga therapy solutions to the most common symptoms of menopausal period followed by the methodological issues in this study.