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Head vs Heart: Yoga as a Spiritual Practice by Gina Shelton Over the last few centuries our society has become more and more brain dominated. We start at a young age training our minds to constantly absorb, deduce and reason. While this has brought about many advances in society, it has also created an intense, complex, fast-paced, and often soulless world that contributes to overabundance, deprivation, failing hearts and weak immune systems. Modern day science tells us that life begins when the heart rhythm begins. Past that point, the heart is considered little more than a muscle vital to human survival, as it goes about its work day in and day out enabling the brain to think, to create and to control. The brain has seemingly supplanted itself as sole proprietor of the human essence, but in reality it's just an organ obsessed with staying alive, seeking stimulation, getting and doing. No matter how much the brain tells us it is the seat of consciousness, our energetic reactions don't lie. When asked to point to yourself, you would most likely point in the area of your heart. Also, when surprised with very good or bad news, we typically place one or both hands over the heart, demonstrating that our soul or essence resides not in our heads, but in our hearts. Breakthroughs over the past several decades in Western science have lead to the belief that our hearts have a central nervous system and even memories. Beyond the physical and psychological health benefits that come from listening to our heart messages, it is rational that hearts may be able to communicate with other hearts directly, exchanging messages of empathy, connection and love that, if noticed and valued, could provide direction for future action toward a different way of living together in the world. These beliefs along with some amazing data and anecdotes are the focus of Paul Pearsall's book "The Heart's Code, Tapping the Wisdom and Power of Our Energy Heart." The next adult Sunday school session will explore Dr. Pearsall's book and the idea of a different way of living, where we (re)learn to slow down and listen to our own heart and the Holy Spirit residing there. The class will utilize a variety of yoga practices and techniques that expand the opening, range of motion and circulation of the outer house of our heart, translating to deeper connection with our inner "heart-brain." The heart centered living through yoga class will begin Sunday, April 13th 9:15 to 10:15 am. The class will run 12 weeks, reviewing one chapter per week, allowing for the information, concepts and practices explored to sink in (to the heart). Sign up on the patio on Sundays. The book will be available in the bookstore. Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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