A journey through Physiology, Poetry, Symmetry and Yoga
For weekly insight and inspiration — check out my newsletter!
“But your god-self dwells not alone in your being. Much in you is still man, and much in you is not yet man, but a shapeless pigmy that walks asleep in the mist searching for its own awakening.” -Khalil Gibran
Physiology
Two of the most ancient systems in our bodies are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. They work in consort, and regulate opposing aspects of our physiology.
Sympathetic: stress response, fight/flight/freeze, increased heart rate, bronchiole in lungs dilate, pupils dilate, digestion inhibited, functions not critical to immediate survival shut down
Parasympathetic: rest, digest, relaxation, restores body to state of calm, muscles relax
The sympathetic nervous system is great at dealing with moments of punctuated stress. If an animal attacks, our pupils dilate, we become alert and ready to make split-second life or death decisions. Once the threat is dealt with we return to a state of rest and digest. The problem in the modern era is that we are constantly in a state of minor stress — the body seldom has a chance to return to its calm parasympathetic state. These two bodily systems are extremely complex, and they…
