34 y/o American yogi
Elliot is a naturalist and explorer; he prefers to work outside as a landscaper and is actively writing music, stories, and creating art in his own style.
The Rib cage is a primarily protective structure, encircling the heart and lungs. In your human body, normally you have (yes, if you can read this, you are human) 12 thoracic vertebrae connected to 24 ribs. The rib cage is also known as the Thoracic cage and is a core section of the human skeleton, provide support for neck, thorax, upper abdomen, and back. The word costal comes from Latin, where costae means rib.
The 7 highest pairs of ribs are known as the true ribs, because they attach to the sternum, the T shaped bone at the front of the chest. The 5 lower pairs of ribs, are known as false ribs because they connect to the costal (rib) cartilages above them. 2 of these ribs are known as floating ribs, because they do not attach at the front, and connect only to the lower thoracic vertebrae. The 5 lower ribs are what allows for respiration as the cartilage expandeds. The upper ribs are more functionally protective and attach to the sternum, the armored frontal plate for the heart and lungs.
The sternum has 3 primary parts:
The Xyphoid process at the bottom – cartilage that normally becomes bone as an adult, is located at the same level as T6 and attached to the 7th rib and remaining lower ribs through their attachments to the 7th rib.
The Gladiolus in the middle – this is the primary structure of the sternum, is flat, and is attached to the pec majors. It attaches to ribs 2 through 6.
The Manubrium at the top of the rib cage – This articulates (moves) with the clavicles, or collar bones. It forms the base of the jugular.
At the floor of the Thoracic cavity the diaphragm expands and contracts and separates the lungs from the abdominals and organs. The top of the rib cage connects directly to the neck through the scalene muscles, and SCM. The serratus runs along ribs 1-8 and is the muscular outline of the ribs and connects the latimus dorsi and shoulder blades to the pectoralis major. Underneath the serratus you have the intercostals, which is a group of muscles intertwining in the ribs. All of these muscles play a role in breathing, if only for structural support of the rib cage and diaphragm.
Overall, the rib cage is one of the more elegant and multifunctional support structure for the human skeleton, musculature, and the major organs of the chest. See some more pictures below:
Yoga is old. Really old. The word itself is a marvel to etymology, because of its origins in Vedic Sanskrit, the mother language of Sanskrit. In this context, yoga means union, joining, or adding, more particularly in the use yoking oxen and horses. In epic Sanskrit, the word evolves into a combination, connection, application, or conjunction. Both yujir yoga (to yoke)and yuj samādhau (to concentrate) are the sources for the word yoga according to Pāṇini, a 6th-century BCE Sanskrit grammarian. In the modern world, most would agree that yoga is the attempt to realize and unite with the divine and communion with all living beings. Yoga could be anywhere from 2500 years old to 3500 years old, but the real answer is that we don’t quite know.
So how and where did it start? Many scholars/historians agree that it started in Western India with speculation that the Indus Valley Civilization was the origin, which lies in India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.Of the three early civilizations of the ancient world (ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt being the other two), the Harrappans or believed inhabitants of the Indus Valley were the most widespread believed to have nearly 5 million inhabitants. So the question we should ask is, “did the Harrappans practice yoga?”. The possible answer of yes comes from this seal, found in an excavation site:
Seal of Pashupati
The analysts are unable to make a conclusion because of the lack of knowledge surrounding the Indus Valley language. But, it is possibly that this is an early version of Shiva. The relationship of the figure to the animals is unknown, but widely speculated upon. One thing we can definitely agree on is the seated position of the figure, so some type of postural study, possibly religious, was occurring at the time.
Whether the Indus Valley civilization practiced yoga, we start to see the Vedas spread between 1500BC and 500BC, which is where yoga and mantras start to become popular. The Rigveda is considered by many to be the oldest, but was surely a huge step for the spread of yoga. So it is at least 2500 years old, surely older, but no one really knows how much older, or how widespread it was.
The beauty of yoga’s history is its connection to other religious traditions and human history. Between 200 BCE–500 CE philosophical schools of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism were taking form and a coherent philosophical system of yoga began to emerge. Even before that yoga was practiced and appreciation, if not worship, of animals in connection to the spiritual has been the foundational findings of anthropology and study of the ancient world. Sanskrit words for poses were created later, but poses were given names of animals far before Darwin and modern science arrived leading to the possibility that ancient yogis, or Rishis (truth speakers) knew about concepts of evolution.
Because yoga is ancient, its origin is often obscured, but we are sure that civilization gave birth to the practices and beliefs. What has evolved into asana, relaxation, breathing exercises, and detached meditation we know as yoga started with the most ancient of philosophies and religious practices thousands of years ago.
Anxiety is something that yoga vigorously attacks. Anxiety is essentially a lack of presence and ability to act in the present moment due to the consequences of the past or expectations for the future. Yoga has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety and seems to be more effective than meditation in the scientific literature, but long-term studies are still needed for determining obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety attacks. I know people with PTSD that practice and they say yoga is life-changing for them. Long term clinical trials with strict controls are needed to really see the positive effects and long-term benefits of yoga on these symptoms.
Yoga forces concentration upon the present moment; it is nigh impossible to do handstands, arm balances, and back-bends without complete focus. Especially when you are pushing the limits of your own body, you need to give it the complete attention it deserves. Yoga trains the brain to ignore “what-if” situations, giving your mind the capacity to be completely present inside of your body. “What if my foot cramps?”, “What if my leg hurts?”. These no longer become possible because you are reacting to the feeling in your foot and leg rather than predicting an outcome.
But it’s not your fault that you are anxious. American society feeds on it, telling you about the things that you need to prepare for and all of the bad things that could happen to you and have happened to others. The news is an amazingly good example. They literally go around finding things to make you startled and uneasy so that you listen to their advice and keep watching. Commercials are another good one. They tell us what we need these things and that if we don’t have them, our lives will not be complete, happy, or fulfilling. American culture also tells us that we should be busy on our cell phones so that we look important, which leads to an inability to focus on what is actually happening in our lives. All of these sources lead us further away from the truth that is inside.
Really, peace and contentment is something that you cultivate and grow. The more time you spend being present, discerning feelings as they pass, and bringing yourself to a place of gratitude, the more ability you will have to over-rule anxiety. Being grateful that you are alive can help alleviate the anxiety over work, take time to consider the circumstances of your life and how lucky you are. It doesn’t come naturally and consumerism fights your ability to be content with what is.
It comes back to the dopamine, serotonin, and over-exciting the central nervous system. Anxiety is almost 100% created by a perception, but is accompanied by physical symptoms like muscular tension (which yoga definitely helps), problems with concentration (which yoga definitely helps), and fatigue/restlessness (which yoga definitely helps). People with symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder claim that yoga helps, though long terms studies have yet to be done on reducing obsession. One of the most debilitating symptoms of anxiety disorder is fear of death, which is one of the most important parts of yoga. In yoga, Shivasana, or final corpse pose is a meditation upon death and liberates the mind and soul into the present.
All of this comes back to yoga as a treatment option for anxiety, possibly more effective than any other for its symptoms. Being content with the present is about breathing and finding beauty in the small things around you, not buying cars and houses or throwing huge parties and getting wasted. Anxiety is fought by sitting still for a few minutes in the morning, taking a walk in the afternoon, and regular yoga practice will be sure to expedite anything you are already doing. The bliss of not worrying about anything comes from breaking away from the things that you think you need, and detaching from them. This is how the detachment taught in yoga is the ultimate freedom, especially from things such as anxiety.
This concludes the three-part section on psychiatric drugs and the clinically proven effects of yoga on DSM spectrum disorders of anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity.
Electrolytes are extremely important for the human body and cellular activity in general. Have you ever had a cramp? Ever done exercise until muscle failure? Ran a triathlon or marathon? Then chances are that you have needed electrolytes before and felt a lack of them in your body.
Really, electrolytes are what your body uses to carry electricity from your nervous system to your muscles. The human body is mostly water (blood), so there are certain chemicals that the body uses to spread electrical charge using ions. The major electrolytes are:
Potassium – the most common radioactive chemical in the human body, this is completely necessary for all cell functionality. Key for nerve transmission, K is also a part of the pump mechanism that each neuron in your body uses (the brain alone has over 20 billion nerves) and is used to close cell membranes
Calcium – the most common metal in animals, used for bones and shells and an important signal mechanism for cell cytoplasms
Magnesium – This is an extremely important reactant, used by the body for DNA, RNA, and ATP synthesis. Is used to calm excited nerves
Chloride – salt, helps regulate firing of nerves by controlling the fluid into and out of cells, found in all bodily fluids
As you can see, all of these chemicals are extremely important conductors and regulators of electricity, which is how the body sends signals. These chemicals are found in almost all life, including plants and animal nervous systems and could be considered basic building blocks of life.
Yoga is something that cultivates life-force, that grows and strengthens nervous connection. Supplementing electrolytes and ensuring that the body has enough fuel is extremely important, especially for yogis that sweat often and heavily with their practice. A proper amount of electrolytes in the bloodstream can really make the difference between a great asana practice and a mediocre one.
This is how drinking too much water can dehydrate you, water is not the only thing your muscles need to function. You need these salt-like chemicals to conduct the electric currents flowing from your brain, through your spinal cord, and down into your muscles through your nerves.
Here are the electrolyte sources that I use to replenish:
bananas
coconut water
sliced mangos
sea salt
spinach
avocado
dark chocolate
olives
almond milk
Magnesium is found mostly in leafy greens and I put sea salt on meals often. Far and away, coconut water and bananas are the most effective foods for me. What do you use to replenish after yoga, or a tough sweat intensive workout?
Kale is fresh and nutritious and in season right now during winter because it loves frost and chill. Cultures around the world use the kale plant in various quality dishes and praise it for its versatility, as well as its health benefits and nutritional properties. Kale can even make good chips (crisps if you’re british).
Some people really don’t like the taste, but I don’t mind it in salads, or cooked with some light oil. It can really fluff up a salad! Cooking of course alters the nutrient properties, but there is so much awesome stuff in Kale that you are still getting massive amounts of nutrition in both ways of consumption.
Here are the nutritional properties of the flower-like veggie, they are pretty incredible:
Beta Carotine – interesting nutrient, small amounts seem to be really healthy
Vitamin K – super good for us, from leafy vegetables (photosynthesis), greases the metabolic passageways
Vitamin C – anti-oxidizer, necessary for metabolic reactions and is a powerful enzymatic enabler
Calcium – combined with phosphate to form hydroxylapatite is the mineral of our bones. It is also extremely involved in neural functionality, including action potential release in muscles and neurotransmitters. Too much can be bad and it is regulated by vitamin D (sun exposure)
Sulforaphane – has possible anti-cancer properties
Indole-3-Carbanol – is the subject of on-going Biomedical research into its possible anticarcinogenic,[3]antioxidant, and anti-atherogenic effects. Inverse relationship to prostrate and breast cancer because of increased estrogen regulation.
Magnesium – essential nutrient for every cell (allows for photosynthesis in plants)
There are also Phosphorus, Potassium, Maganese, and several other trace minerals, including all the electrolytes and Vitamin B6. Kale is basically your multivitamin’s ingredients in raw form, similar to broccoli. Most could stand to eat more.
Like anything else, moderation is necessary, so find some balance among other food groups and don’t go kale crazy.
Daily consumption might not be a bad idea, especially for heart and artery health due to its digestive and anti-oxidant properties. Green drinks, Kale/almond ice cream, omelets, find a way to make the taste insignificant. It’s always interesting how nutrition inevitably becomes biochemistry.
Shiva is the god destroyer, his matted hair and ash smeared face sit silent in meditation or flow eternally in his cosmic dance of death. From his matted hair flows from the Ganges river in India and he often adorns himself with snakes, particularly cobras. He lives far secluded from the other gods in his abode in Mount Kailash, which is a real mountain from which many of the rivers in Asia begin. It is on top of this mountain that the destroyer of ignorance, suffering, illusion, and sadness finds his eternal meditation with his wife Parvati and sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. He is a simple herdsmen and yogi at certain times with his family, and at others he slays demons to protect the equilibrium of the universe. He also wears a garland of skulls, to show his victory over death and holds a three forked trident to represent the meeting of three worlds, immediate, internal, and external.
Shiva is a powerful god that creates change through chaos and destruction. The symbols of Shiva are extremely powerful, they bring a stoic freedom to find peace in each moment knowing that someday the moments will end. He is a part of the Trimurti and makes way for Brahman to create through his destruction. Vishnu preserves the continuous cycle; some claim Vishnu as the primary deity, called Vashnavism, and some claim Shiva as the primary god, called Shaivism. Together, they complete the cosmic cycle of death, rebirth, and life. Shiva is the cosmic dancer, and often slays demons with his trident while playing the damaru. Shiva is also well-known for playing the flute.
The final pose in a yoga asana series or sequence is devoted to Shiva. In Ashtanga in particular, the final meditation is focused on the death of the individual and release from the cycle of Samsara. He is the patron god of yoga and is one of the primary focal points of the philosophical traditions. Death is undoubtedly the primary reason yoga is practiced, whether it is to ensure a long life, to improve health and vitality, or to find meaning in life. Yoga helps us to come to terms with our own mortality and know that one day, we will stop breathing. But in that cessation is the beauty of the unknown and the release from this world that grants freedom that is unequaled.
The next time you are in Shivasana, meditate on your own death. It is very powerful and drops me into a deeper Samadhi every time, minimizing distractions. There are also many powerful chants used before class to destroy obstacles and invoke the presence of the great transformer. If you have different ways of showing love for Shiva, or ways that you know Shiva to be different, let us know!
Let me ask you a question. Do you think that the drugs out there are more complex than your body? The body is capable of healing itself, yet we are so quick to turn to products and outside assistance to fix us. My hypothesis is that depression cannot be healed by drugs, it can only be healed by the individual’s mind, though drugs can give the mind a bit of a jump-start. I recommend yoga as the best cure for depression, here’s why.
There are neurological reasons why yoga is incredibly good for your psychological functioning. There are four neurotransmitters (transmit nervous information via nerves) and one hormone (transmits chemical information via bloodstream) in particular that can provide us with tremendous insight into the neurological benefits of yoga. Please note that this is theoretical.
Five of the primary molecules of the conscious nervous system:
GABA – primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in vertebrates (the nervous system’s primary function is to inhibit).
Dopamine – very active in conscious behavior such as: motivation, pleasure, cognition, memory, learning, fine motor control, and neuroendocrine control (hormones). This is possibly the most relevant neurotransmitter when we discuss waking consciousness, as dysfunction causes severe psychological illness.
Serotonin – regulation of cellular growth, healing, intestinal regulation, also pertains to mood, appetite, memory and sleep. 90% of our Serotonin is in our alimentary canal or gut. It is commonly targeted by anti-depressants and is popularly associated with happiness.
Epinephrine – both a hormone and a neurotransmitter that is activated with fight/flight mechanism. Basically ACTH starts a chain reaction that leads to mass spread of Cortisol and Adrenaline (another name for epinephrine) to activate with the entire sympathetic nervous system for the fight/flight. Adrenaline, though popularly thought to be the sole culprit behind this activation, is simply one piece to the puzzle.
Cortisol – a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex, activated in response to stress and increases blood sugar, suppresses the immune system, and aids in high level metabolic activity (breaking down fats, carbs, proteins). This is extremely important in maternal care and landmarks important events in youth and separation from the mother. Is likely key to psychological maturity and ability to cope with stress.
Now let’s talk about real life. Every day, when you wake up, you are actually shutting your brain down. It is more active when you sleep. GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, focuses you to see only what is in front of you, thank goodness. Now you are able to react to the current situation without distraction. But you also have memory and an abstract ability to plan, which is stored in the entirety of your body, not simply the brain. Then there are literally hundreds of thousands of the bodily processes that you are not aware of. Suffice to say that the waking brain is really filtering out a ton of crap for you to be able to react to the moment. This is GABA, inhibiting synapses that are constantly ready to fire, allowing us to get rid of the fuzziness and start to see clearly. Yoga increases the efficiency of this system, it allows for more focus and longer concentration.
Dopamine is your pleasure/reward system. Right answers get awesome candy right? This is the regulation of desire, craving, addiction, fine motor control, and most importantly learning. Yoga allows for vast improvements in learning and in the proprietary motor control system, which are key to the abolition of distractions, cravings, and destructive behaviors.
Serotonin works closely with dopamine, which is really used to regulate mood, memory, appetite, and sleep all of which are inter-related. Dopamine and Serotonin actually follow a very similar passageway in the brain which leads to believe that they are intertwined in the formation of habits, routines, pleasures, dislikes, and overall happiness. Quite literally, quality of life. Dieting and sleeping in a balanced manner will most likely lead to optimization of this system.
Epinephrine and Cortisol belong together. I just wanted to make the point that adrenaline (epinephrine) is just a small piece of ultra-intense consciousness during fight or flight. Epinephrine is one link on a huge chain that sets of throughout the body and ultimately causes a lot of wear and tear, especially if accidentally activated daily. Staying away from chronic stress and general overstimulation of your sympathetic nervous system is extremely important to longevity. Small doses are great and healthy, but all day, every day is too much. That’s why god took the 7th day off.
Overall, yoga vastly increases the efficiency of muscular systems, so it is likely that the entire nervous system is receiving incredible benefit. Replenishing 700 million lung alveoli with vast amounts of oxygen to travel into the bloodstream and throughout the body, cleansing muscles, sweat glands, and inner organs while simultaneously rebalancing hormones, neurotransmitters, and cerebral spinal fluid to bring about a centering of consciousness for reactivity to the present sounds pretty healthy to me. And we do it so that we can take each and every moment as it comes.
Some pharmaceutical drugs and what they do:
alprazolam – xanax – binds and potentiates GABA inhibitors, which causes massive relaxation in muscles and nervous system, which can help deal with panic attacks, but do not improve symptoms, simply masks them.
zolpidem – ambien – potentiates GABA inhibitors for sleep, easily can cause amnesia or hallucinations in overdose
fluoxetine – prozac – blocks serotonin from leaving your brain
sertraline – zoloft – blocks serotonin from leaving your brain
If you want to add to this list then please feel free in the comments. I’m going to jump into more about Serotonin and Dopamine in part two about Hyperactivity/Bi-polarity. Part 3 will be anxiety. What do you think is the neurotransmitter or hormone most responsible for happiness?
I am constantly seeing advertisements for “secrets to weight loss”, “fat burning tricks”, “slim down”, or whatever with a supplement. To me all this is pretty silly, because weight loss isn’t really a secret. It takes a little time, discipline, and willingness to just ignore everyone else about it.
Everyone wants to feel secure in the way that they treat their body, workout, etc, so they have their excuses, reasons, and stories and they want to feel validated about what they do. In order to validate themselves, people will often try to bring down what you do, or claim superiority. Get prepared for this, because everyone thinks they are a genius when it comes to working out, losing weight, or trying a new diet. Just listen shake your head, smile, then leave and ignore them.
Fruits and vegetables. Eat more vegetables; they help your body to digest everything else. Especially broccoli. Did you know they make broccoli tips into vitamins? Vitamins are expensive and they have less nutrient density and are harder for your body to completely assimilate. Ya, so eat the broccoli. This might mean a couple smoothies, some grilled veggies, omelets, whatever you need to do to eat less meat. Not eating meat everyday is okay, I swear it! You could go like a few weeks without eating if you had to. If you have to eat meat, eat chicken and just know that pork has about 2x more density, and beef has 3x density. Accordingly, they take more time to digest and can slow down the rest of the process, especially if the meats are packaged and processed because of the chemicals and additives used to store the meat for long periods of time without spoiling. They slow down everything because that is what the chemicals are made to do.
Sleep as much as you need to. For some people this is 4 hours, for some its 9. It oscillates between 6 and 8 for me. This is really important, it replaces neurotransmitters, replenishes hormones, gets some deep tissue rest and REM for the big guy upstairs.
Drink enough water to make your pee almost clear. For me this is about 2-3 liters, when I don’t practice hot yoga. When I practice, it is 5 or so. At first, it’s okay to drink even more. This will allow your body to keep your metabolism and circadian rhythm on a good trajectory, water is used as a primary regulator of heat. I hear people say they don’t drink a lot of water and I start thinking about colon cancer. Seriously.
Be social about it. Don’t workout alone, don’t do everything by yourself, it’s not healthy and can lead to depression. Meeting other people in running groups, yoga classes, workout places, gyms, wherever you are can be fun. If you are just friendly, I can almost guarantee that the other people are capable of being friendly too right? Because they are probably stoked to use their body too. People are nice if you give them opportunities to be nice.
Find ways to be happy using your body. That does not mean that you have to go doing crazy things. Walking is the second most beneficial activity I know of and its pretty awesome. It gives your body a chance to move through its primary functionality, to stand upright and move your hips and shoulders side to side. I think cavemen probably walked and hiked around a lot, so you know it’s good. The most beneficial activity I know of is yoga, it actually purifies the inner organs and gives you a bit more control over the body and mind. But anything that you enjoy, your body enjoys. Unless that’s climbing mount Everest. Your body does not enjoy that.
Be prepared to change your mind and habits according to what you need, but these general guidelines will have you losing weight if you are not already doing them. It’s really simple, it just takes time and effort.
The ankle is the base and primary support structure for the lower body to rest upon. Ankles allow for agile mobility, massive weight support, and the repeated pressure of walking and jogging.
The primary bones and major support structures of the joint are: the tibia, the primary bone that connects the inside of the leg to the ankle and forms the shin; the fibula, the secondary lower leg bone that is on the outside, or is exterior to the tibia; the calcaneus, which forms the back of the heel; and the talus, which is the centerpiece between the calcaneus and the tibia.
The primary tendons and ligaments (ligaments connect bones, tendons connect muscles and bones) of the ankle are the Achilles tendon, connecting the back of the calcaneus to the gastrocnemus, the calve muscle. There are arrays of tendons all along the top and bottom of the foot, with the primary nerve canal running on the inside of the ankle and through the arch of the foot. There is a significant amount of fascial tissue and softer tissue inside of the ankle socket to allow for greater surface area through pressure.
Here is a great video to get an overview of ankle functionality that is really well done and illustrated: Ankle Anatomy
We still have a little detail to add about the arch of the foot and the ankle’s spring like functionality. Here is a good look at the springing action of the ankle. We’ll cover the arch of the foot in our foot anatomy post 🙂
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