The Science
With the technological advancements and research over the last 30yrs in neuroscience, including neurophysiology, neuropsychology and neuropharmacology we have vastly expanded our understanding of how our brain is programmed and maintains various autonomous systems that essentially make up the experience of our everyday lives. From mental health, to digestion, to physical capacity, our life day to day is a construct of perception, interpretation, and actualization within our brain.
There are many theories, exercises, suggested foods, and drugs that propose to offer better health and function of the brain, and our bodies. But what IS a healthy brain? From what point or base line do you measure or gauge what that means? Is a healthy body marathon ready and addicted to CrossFit? In America mental health disorders are as common as hairstyles, and diet related health problems plague our families in epidemic proportions. What we think is "normal" may not be a healthy normal at all. Understanding how to approach this is posssibly the bigger question.
First let’s take a look at the average modern American brain as it functions day to day. As most are obsessed with living their best life, there is an undeniable compulsion to get the most out of every moment of every day. We feel depressed if we can’t or FOMO keeps our blood pressure high for an evening or weekend to the point of exhaustion by Sunday bedtime. If we analyze the actual patterns day to day, we spend most of our lives in a panic. Short breathing patterns with 1-3 second exhalations on avg. and a high heart rate with a compulsion to maintain a pace that is essentially a cortisol and adrenaline breakfast, lunch, and dinner 5-7 days a week.
Even the typical rest state of the modern American is essentially in fight or flight mode, just comatose from carbs, and sugar, or the favorite sit com. For those who keep the pace with fun and adventure they find a somewhat acceptable format for the adrenaline and cortisol driven base line that have become the norm we are striving to maintain. Most don’t ever think about these things until there are medical problems with themselves or a loved one. With healthier bodies mental exhaustion and disorders such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, despair, insatiability, and a variety of compulsive neurotic tendencies have become our stasis. This has to change.
As many in the medical community believe that our delta brain waves simply decrease naturally starting at infancy, there are others that propose it is a condition of modern life and not necessarily the “normal” at all. It is without a doubt the current majority, and with systematic force our children are being programmed by the age of 6-8 to shut down midbrain function in favor of high beta perfmance and perceived maximum productivity that our society demands of us. Some propose that we are unknowingly creating generations of disfunction and disease in our brains, and through inadvertent programming from childhood on we are essentially disconnecting our unconscious mind, hypothalumus and thalumus, reducing it further and further as we age giving way to diseases like alzheimers and dementia.
The hypothalamus and thalamus are organic regions in our brain that maintain our autonomous systems. Heart rate, unconscious breathing rate, endocrine/hormones, digestion, and others are controlled by this area of our brain. Hormones like oxytocin, DHEA, and dopamine are produced, stored and regulated by the hypothalamus as well as cortisol, adrenaline, and cytokines. Although once believed that we had no control over this part of our brain, and that genetics would set the baseline for those functions we now know that not only can this part of the brain be reprogrammed, it can also be strengthened and maintained beyond levels we could have imagined.
The importance of the hypothalamus and thalamus has been extremely undervalued in modern science primarily due to our limited ability to do empirical research on the midbrain and its functions. With advancements in nanotechnology and neuropharmacology we now have significant data providing greater explanation as to what this part of our brain does, and how it responds to stimuli i.e. life. However, if you went to your doctor today and asked, how do you develop better midbrain function and maintain it, even a 2x PHD might only suggest doing some cognitive exercises with memory development and maybe some recommendations for taking nutritional supplements.
The science behind the practice at Advaya International is very old. With advancements in modern research and our abilities to study deeper into the brain we are now able to see very clearly and understand why this practice is effective, and how our brains respond to it as well as the effects on our daily lives. The exercise, technique, or practice by which you can directly develop the hypothalamus and thalamus has not been easy to understand until recent years. Developing a stronger midbrain as well as the entire brain/mind is in fact the most important thing you can do for yourself and in living your absolute best life.
There are numerous benefits to developing the midbrain. Increased memory capacity, creative organized thought/problem solving as well emotional intelligence, sex drive, and immune system response all become much stronger with practice at Advaya. Higher fluid intelligence is another key side effect of developing the hypothalamus and thalamus, which is a result of compounding brain waves in coupling that allow for much greater use of our outer cortex to create and experience a better life for ourselves and others.
A deeper explanation of the science and practice can be found here. There are numerous studies available on a variety of neuro-topics, and now with google people can easily research and understand the specific functions of the hypothalamus and thalamus region along with rest of the midbrain. Unfortunately, it is not common knowledge yet as to how the disorders of the midbrain develop and why, as well as how to remedy this epidemic. As you read about the practice at Advaya you will understand why it is essential to practice every day, as much as possible. No teachers or hierarchy, no degrees or certifications. Just practice.
