This week my friends a short but sweet post, and a 12 minute audio meditation and journalling practice awaits you for getting In-between the signal and the noise to enquire what is stirring beneath?
However please read the post first to have some context.
Lately, l’ve noticed this longing bubbling underneath the surface and this gentle inner voice nudging me to follow my intuition in creating more quiet moments to hold the space for myself as go about my day.
This week it came into clear focus whilst sitting in my car on Thursday (l’m blessed in that l only work two days a week). So as l was driving to my eye patients around the beautiful countryside and landscapes of Suffolk and Norfolk. Something happened……
I decided to have no sound, no sat nav, no phone, no music, no podcast. Just me and my natural environment. Immersed in and holding myself in a different kind of space. l was aware that l was beginning to listen differently, in-between and beneath the sound of the car. Even with the somewhat noise of the road, something was stirring. A feeling of having time to reflect on what was arising out of me, without the overwhelm and bombardment of information coming through the internet waves.
Pondering on this experience, l was reminded of the concept of Nada Yoga. So yesterday l felt drawn to picking up my Jivamukti Yoga book. One of the five tenets of this particular method is dedicated to ‘Nada Yoga’ which refers to the ability to cultivate a deep inner listening, listening within to hear the all universal sound of creation itself.
There are many interpretations of what this Nada Yoga means throughout various yogic scriptures. One of my favourite interpretations is from Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati:
Salutations to the Nadam, which is the inner guide and the inner life, the dispenser of happiness to all! It is the inner guru appearing as nada (sound). One who is devoted to the inner guru, the nada, the inner music, obtains the highest bliss.
As my mind was focusing on the road, it was also giving me subtle prompts to ponder on. One of them being, is this feeling of having more frequent periods of withdrawal from noise an aging thing? Or could it be that l’m already feeling the affects of long term exposure to technology? Perhaps so, as research has shown that certain signals and frequencies ‘referred to as ‘white noise’ can disrupt the readiness responses in the brain that influence our responses, perceptions, actions and interactions.
This inclination to take a step back and out of the interaction of busyness and noise could then be seen as a form of practising pratyahara- the going within and shutting out as many external sounds as possible to allow an inner sense of calm to emerge. However, in order to achieve that successfully, you first have to refine your ability to listen to the sounds around you, once you start to develop and refine a deeper level of listening, then you can start to turn inwards. Please listen to the audio for the practice.
As we grow more dependent and spend more time interacting with technology this practice becomes even more vital so we can balance our nervous systems.
But l’m not just talking about our smart phones, TV’s, laptops or even looking at the internet. I’m also talking about how your household appliances maybe affecting you? From how many you have? To where you position them? To even where the router/s are?
Why? Well because it’s not only when we use these technologies that we are at risk but when these devices are idle. Laying Idle these devices still transmit fluctuating radio waves which carry electromagnetic radiation which can damage the DNA inside of cells.
Even considering how far you live from Mobile masts and oh yes my new favourite pastime in restaurants and public places. Whilst most devices carry and omit lesser frequencies the fact is they still OMIT them.
Recently, chatting with my cousin, whose wife is an Engineer researching this topic for her research in Canada. We found ourselves at Lunch at a busy restaurant in Sloane Square on the busy Kings Road, in Chelsea, London. As we were discussing this topic deeper, he reached into his bag and took out the device below. An instrument I had never seen or used before. He began to record the strength of waves omitting from equipment/devices around us as we sat and had lunch. After we finished lunch l was astonished by what information we had gathered.
Verdict - not good at all.
So the bigger questions here are:
Is being consistently being connected to this technology radically disrupting patterns in the brain responsible for concentration, intuition and connection? Contributing to some of the potential areas of the brain that are normally involved in and damaged by Dementia and Alzheimers? If that’s a possibility does that mean that potentially we may see the disease start earlier in life due to the exposure of technology from an early age. Does that mean the Millennial generation will be more susceptible?
Simple Prompts, practices and actions to use as preventive measures/ to help restore those areas and Neurons of the brain which are reducing in functionality because of overwhelm and over exposure and to harmonise balance.
- Schedule time away from technology.
- Declutter and review devices in the home.
- Make a note of what you find helpful and what don’t you need and give it away if possible?
- Schedule time in nature, on the water, at the sea with no tech.
The essence of all beings is earth,
The essence of earth is water,
The essence of water is plants,
The essence of plants is man,
The essence of man is speech,
The essence of speech is sacred knowledge,
The essence of sacred knowledge is word and sound,
The essence of word and sound is Om.
Chandogya Upanishad
Photo from my progress in growing and nurturing my cornflower seeds this week.
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