Subject: Taming the Hedgehog
Taming the Hedgehog
OR
Reaxing the Lower Brain
Buddha (reportedly) compared the mind with a monkey - always restless agitated and far removed from any peaceful contemplation - taming the monkey is said to be the hardest thing in the world.
I suggest : we let the monkey play - however it seems comparatively easy to relax the lower brain ... I call it the hedgehog brain ...
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I want to talk about the soft palate (at the top and back of the mouth) and the nasal passages and the region behind this.
When I do breathing exercises
"breathing in aware of the in breath
"breathing out aware of the out breath
"breathing in letting go of the in breath
"breathing out letting go of the out breath"
I am easily aware of the cold and warm sensation in the nostrils back down to the throat ... particularly sensitive in the soft palate and the region behind this ... You can check this yourself - would be a good idea - and then you will sense the region of the mouth and nasal cavities which I am talking about ... (the first time you become conscious of the incoming cold air, you may overdo it and give yourself a dry throat).
Im not sure if this area is where smells are sensed BEST ... but, they certainly are strong there, (and though the parfume maker may sniff in various very specialised ways - beginners smell directly in this same area) - so if you have problems finding the area - then grab a rose and sniff it ...
Now, smelling .... for food, sex and danger on an animal level is just about the most important thing. I speculate also that breathing was the first rhythm which needed a brain to sense and regulate it, and even if it was not the first, it still needs a mass of nervous cells to regulate all the different functions of breathing.
And the part of the brain which senses the breath information sits exactly behind in contact and nearby to this area of the nasal passages -- directly in contact and nearby in the same way that the upper brain is near the eyes and ears - (rather than inefficiently being in the feet and having to lay twice the amount of cabling through the body) - the nearer the better, and where better than near the receptors in the nasal cavaties.
So the theory is SIMPLE: relaxing this area around the soft palate is the MOST DIRECT AND MOST NATURAL way to relax the lower or hedgehog brain.
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What I now want to suggest is that this part of the brain is ALSO responsible for our BASIC existence feelings and many of our animal responses - Im talking about existence angst and the basic feelings of being at comfort in ones skin - (we are talking about something far deeper than lack of social recognition or ego and identity or sexual disturbances or even sense of purpose in life etc ... these are shallow in comparison ...)
To feel at peace and comfort in ones own skin means being able to feel like a human being and real person, and be content and satisfied as just that ...
... my theory is that its the upper brain which has this habit and obsession of always seeking confirmation and recognition of ego images and the subsequent identity crisis and etc etc ... all the complications and innovations of the new individual in society ...
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A small point is that by relaxing the soft palate you soon become aware of the tension in the upper teeth - particuarly the upper back teeth - ... An idea to help relax these .. its like you need to connect the circuit .. so gently close teeth together and simply be aware of the lower teeth.
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"breathing in being aware of the area of the soft palate
"breathing out being aware of this area
"breathing in letting go of this area
"breathing out letting go of this area"
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If you swallow you will recognise that food and drink contact the throat around 5 cms. further down than the breath .., I speculate together they cover an area of 10cms ... and probably an equivalent area of nerves to sense this - i.e. I suspect the top 10cms. of the spine (and medulla) are those areas connected with the sense of smell and taste in the nasal passages and throat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medulla_oblongata
"The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem. ... The medulla contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers and deals with autonomic functions, such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.""
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pons
"Within the pons is the pneumotaxic center, a nucleus in the pons that regulates the change from inspiration to expiration"
and a picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Medulla_oblongata.gif
my first posting
my new forum
thank you
Robinsm
PS.
Taste the taste in your mouth, its so normal for you, that you have ceased to be aware of it, dont concentrate on it - just being aware is enough to start, ... then smell, ... its 90% always the same - but thats a good point - its a constant in our changing lives - here are things which are really real and secure ... ideas (and egos) are so insecure, they always need new definition, new confirmation, ...
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PS a thought about hedhehogs
we believe this world is built essentially of solids ... smells and noise are vague and only secondary to us
We think: “we are all solid shapes, and solid shapes make noises and sometimes even vague smells”
I bet my hedgehog thinks. “essentially everything is a smell, and these solid smells make noises and sometimes even vague shapes”
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PPS.
My motivating experience is that relaxing the soft palate improves my singing a great deal .. (or i dont know what other people say, but i enkjo it more!)... so I relax it a lot and find that it relaxes easily, ... and I feel it relaxes the top of my head and the back of it ... and I dont know why!
... just in my experience the soft palate is very sensitive, easy to find ... and a sort of trick ... to help relaxing at a fundamental level
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