Yoga & The Reflexive Nervous System
with Rich Logan

Seeing Structure: The Reflexive Nervous System as it Relates to Yoga with Rich Logan

Long before you feel the heat of flame burning your hand, your body takes note of sensations at a base level.  The body reacts before the brain has even had time to think, “ouch”.  We are hard wired to protect ourselves at a primal level.  Ancient neural connections keep us safe through reflexive actions.  Just maintaining balance as you walk down the street requires an acute set of reflexes that monitor the feedback from muscles and tendons long before the signals reach our brains. 

The time it would take an electrical impulse from the big toe to reach the brain and back again would leave us at a crippling pace to meet the pavement without stumbling forward and backward. That’s why we learn over time, through a series of checks and balances in the neuromuscular system, how to ambulate(so the brain can think of more important things like, “where can I get a good mocha latte”).

What happens when our reflexive habits become too strong?  Are my hamstrings tight, or are the impulses from my nervous system over compensating?  Yoga helps us find the balance between too much of a good thing(hyperactivity) and a deadened nervous system.  And the parallels between the physical manifestation and spiritual reality can be astounding.  Not to say that a tight hip will bar your way to heaven, but it’s a bit easier to move toward your spiritual goals when the body is more willing to let go.

This class will be designed as lecture and experience of different ways the reflexive nervous system works and ways we can understand, if not override, how it can hold us back unnecessarily. 

Appropriate for those looking to deepen their understanding of the practice, and teachers and teachers in training. $60