Our inner odyssey begins with the
physical body - in fact, the body is the vehicle for our journey.
The complex symphony of the body
is conducted by a system of glands known as the endocrine glands, which secrete
hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones have a profound effect on all the
body's functions - growth, metabolism, digestion, energy level, heat,
sexuality, and also on the mind. Over or under secretion of various glands can
cause mental disturbances and negative emotions such as anxiety, hatred, anger
or fear, which destroy health and peace of mind.
The most mysterious gland in the
human body is the pineal gland, located directly in the center of the brain.
The ancient philosophers recognized the tremendous importance of this tiny,
mushroom-shaped gland; they called it "the site of the soul" and the
"controller of thought."
Long ago, in the evolutionary
past, some undeveloped creatures such as lizards actually had a third eye in
the top of their heads, which was very sensitive to light and regulated the
natural cyclical rhythms of their bodies. Gradually, over millions of years of
evolution, this "eye" descended into the brain, and the pineal gland
in human beings is the vestige of that primordial "third eye."
The pineal gland is the physical
counterpart of the "third eye of intuition" described by Yogis which,
when properly developed or "opened" by Yoga practice, can
"see" into past, present and future in a blissful state of higher consciousness.
Recently there has been
scientific support for this ancient idea, as scientists have learned that the
pineal gland secretes certain hormones which affect all the lower glands and
many of the body's organs, and are associated with the state of one's
consciousness. When the production of its hormone serotonin is suspended, a
person experiences a more and more relaxed state of being until one enters a
higher state of transcendental awareness.
Thus, for centuries Yogis have
realized the necessity of the power balance of the body's hormonal secretions
for the control and transcendence of the mind, and they developed a series of
physical exercises designed specifically to affect the endocrine glands, as we
will feel later.
The physical body is called
"Annamaya Koss" which means "made of food". This material
vehicle is the machine of the mind which the mind uses to operate in the
physical world. Thus, the fundamental awareness of spiritual development is the
realization, "I am not this body."
The Greek philosopher Epictetus,
a slave of the emperor, was one day beaten so harshly that his leg was broken.
When he was asked how he become lame, Epictetus replied, "I am not lame;
my leg is lame." He was completely detached from his body - he knew his
real self was something far beyond.
If the physical body is a
machine, who is the controller? The manipulator of this body is the first of
the five layers of the mind - the conscious mind.
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