MANTRA
MANTRA
and the
NERVOUS
SYSTEM
A deep sound-based practice can
help you deliberately flip the
switch between fear and love.
Our nervous system
has two primary
functions.
T
he sympathetic nervous
system is our circuitry of
fight/flight/freeze. When we
are fearful, our bodies demand
that we use our energy to defend and
protect. “Me first” is the imperative, our
attention hones in on perceived threat,
and our thoughts and actions reflect the
scared animal within us. towards us, and our ancestors survived
because they also could act fast to
protect themselves. However, most of
us live in a constant state of alert. This
chronic stress is responsible for
innumerable health issues, not to
mention the breakdown of open,
curious, effective communication
between us and our loved ones.
times of distress. Thankfully, we can
jump out of the way when a car swerves The parasympathetic nervous system is
our circuitry of rest/digest/repair. When
we feel safe and at ease, we can
regenerate. Our tissues repair
themselves and digestion occurs on
By giving ourselves
the invitation to
saturate in the
inner sound, we
give our nervous
systems a chance to
receive soothing, Our sympathetic nervous system is a
restorative protective mechanism designed to
medicine. engage only in occasional short-burst
34 www.yogicherald.com March 2019