Interesting article:
Vagus thinking: Meditate your way to better health, from the 18
July 2013 edition of New Scientist
It talks about the importance of "vagal tone," the
relation between heartbeat and breathing, as it affects the vagus nerve.
Remember the saying, "The journey between the head and the
heart is one of a thousand miles."? Well, that is what the vagus nerve
does. Literally. It connects the brain and the heart. It is very important for
health and alertness. Recent findings show that you can improve the tone of
that nerve.
"Then there are mental benefits. People with higher vagal
tone tend to be intellectually sparkier, with a better working memory and
ability to focus their attention. Some work even suggests that the low vagal
tone commonly seen in people with chronic fatigue syndrome may account for the
cognitive slowness that can accompany the condition."
The scientist researching this has come up with "loving
kindness meditation" techniques to improve vagal tone, techniques that
remind one of Abdu'l-Baha's teachings against negative thoughts about others,
or even about life itself. As you see below, this is also a teaching of the
Quran.
"Learning loving kindness meditation
improves vagal tone," says Fredrickson. And good vagal tone improves
emotional and social well-being. So an "upward spiral" exists, in
which higher vagal tone promotes greater social connectedness and positive
emotions, which then promotes even higher vagal tone. She calls social connectedness a potent "wellness
behaviour", noting
that social isolation is associated with an increased risk of death comparable
to smoking, drinking too much alcohol, obesity or physical inactivity. If she
is correct, vagal tone is an important player in the mind-body connection, and
loving kindness meditation is a key to improving our mental and physical
well-being, deepening our personal experience, and lengthening our lives."
..."Meanwhile, if you are tempted to think well of others,
there is one thing you should know: improving vagal tone is hardest for people
who have low tone to begin with. But whatever your level, there is hope – and
regular meditation may not even be necessary. Exercise also boosts vagal tone,
although there still isn't enough research to quantify its impacts. Repeated
exposure to "excitative" music may do too. Andy Martens at the
University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, has found that hearing
positive feedback about yourself can increase vagal tone, suggesting that
anything that enhances your self-esteem might help. And Kok has unpublished
work showing that just reflecting on positive social experiences during the day
boosts vagal tone."
The health of our vagus nerve also seems to have something to do with genius, the confirmations our efforts get from others, and from the Spirit. The Baha'i writings say:
"The confirmations of the Spirit are all those powers and gifts which some are born with (and which men sometimes call genius), but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiescence."
~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
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