Part Eight: Training the Mind/Brain (series: PNS/SNS)

[Notice: The series are a personal effort in understanding the brain/mind and how it will apply to my life and practice of the fighting/marital arts. Any errors or omissions are mine alone and do not reflect on the sources from which I draw my thoughts and understanding. If you find any please allow me the human condition of making errors and provide me the information I need to learn, grow, and prosper.]

PNS or Parasympathetic Nervous System and the SNS or Sympathetic Nervous System are systems of the brain that keep us alive in lethal environments. We need them both and you will find in what follow that breathing keeps these two systems working in our favor.

Breathing, inhaling and exhaling fully, both energizes and relaxes. It first activates the SNS and then the PNS, back and forth, in a gentle rhythm. It gives you a feeling of centeredness and aliveness much like an athlete gets when they are in the zone. The SNS and PNS are the go and stop of the human mind/brain/body working in harmony.

PNS systems provide a baseline of ease and peacefulness while mild SNS activation causes us to experience enthusiasm, vitality, and wholesome passions. When the SNS system spikes it is to deal with demanding situations. This works in our favor when we run into situations that cause fear, etc. such as dangerous situations, etc.

When we perform mokuso with deep rhythmic breathing we create a peaceful mind and bring ourselves into a state of ease. This is how we can clear out our minds/brains of all the mess of he day and then allow for mindfulness and concentration toward our practice and training.

When danger comes at us and the brains systems start pumping the adrenaline and such into our systems then the ability to cause slowed, deep, rhythmic breathings can help us to remain in better control of our natural instinctive systems of protections allowing the training to take hold and "act!"

Bibliography:
Hanson, Rick and Mendius, Richard. The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha's Brain: Happiness, Love & Wisdom. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2009.

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