Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya
One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was go to air shows. There, I could feel the planes flying over me, even before I could see them. Having been born with a hearing impairment made me particularly sensitive to sound, and I had to figure out a way to do more with sound than just listen, because that was difficult. With this challenge, I discovered early on that sound could be felt, as well as heard. It was always clear to me that others didn't have this same relationship with sound; they were almost oblivious to it. Most people respond to music, and can dance to a beat, but beyond that hearing tends to be a lost art.
All people can relate to music; sound can soothe the soul. There seems to be something about the rhythm and beat that makes people stop and take notice — they can focus on the sound for a period of minutes, which is usually very hard to accomplish! Music may remind people of a time in their lives, or inspire a particular memory, or mark an occasion. Most people understand the power of music, at least on a superficial level. So what is it about sound that people are missing?
The missing piece is the feeling, the understanding of how ingrained sound is in all of us. Western society has become so dependent on sight that it's almost impossible to get people to look away from the TV, or a car crash, or the computer screen. Many people wear glasses to correct their vision, but only 1 in 10 people who needs a hearing aid will wear it. Why have our eyes taken over and left us unable to really listen?
I have a theory — it's one that I've been developing for a long time, but I think it's a sound one: The eyes disconnect us, while the ears connect us. Why is this important? The eyes see and filter information, and then the brain has to interpret it. The ears, however, have no filter, so although the brain is given all the data, it can interpret the information however it wants. No matter what we do, our eyes will distort and mask what is really possible, and our brains can mask and distort. This distortion makes us see things as apart from us; everything is "out there." Our ears, however, are open. Our ears give us an experience; we even can feel sound internally, if we practice, just as I did as a kid.
It's important to re-train our interpreter — the brain — to hear sounds more clearly and not rely so heavily on our eyes. Nada yoga, the yoga of deep listening, is a practice that can help us to hear and feel sound. Nada yoga encourages us to tune in to our world and to stop interpreting so much with our brains. When we take time to focus on a sound —a song, for instance — it can soothe our brains. When we tune into ambient noise and stop labeling everything as "good" sound or "bad" sound, our brains become trained to accept all sounds. When we listen to the people with whom we are in relationships, we also become more tuned in to our inter-connectedness, because they often say similar things to what we would say in a given situation.
Science tells us that all of us are vibration; the entire universe is composed most fundamentally of vibration — sound. If that's the case, it is clearly important to listen to the vibrations you can hear. That first crucial step eventually will lead you down a path of understanding everything as vibration. When you can feel that vibration, then you are connected with everything, because it's all vibration, including you. This vibration cannot be seen with the eyes; in fact, the eyes mask it and make us see things as different, separate, and not connected. Only the ears can allow us to hear, and eventually feel, our similarities — if we listen deeply enough.
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Alanna Kaivalya is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti instructor who specializes in nada yoga and deep inner listening. Born with a hearing impairment, listening closely has allowed her to create a deep sense of connectedness with her world. To invite her to teach a workshop, download her podcasts or to invite her to teach, contact her via her website: http://www.jivadiva.com .
The Benefits of Invisalign Over Metal Braces
Teeth play a major role in your looks as everyone wants to wear and see a beautiful smile. Overlapped teeth or gaps in teeth can look unattractive and also blemish your overall appearance. To correct these problems, earlier there was only one solution - Braces. Braces work by putting force against the teeth, moving them slowly over time. The braces are made of metal, plastic or ceramic.
Although braces give a remarkable result in straightening teeth, they carry with them a stigma of looking ugly while treatment is undertaken, due to their visibility. A permanent mouth irritation is also a factor. There is another orthodontist course of treatment for straitening teeth without metal braces called invisalign.
In 1997 Align Technology Company receive FDA clearance to market Invisalign as an orthodontist device. Invisalign is proposed to do the same job as braces in terms of regular tooth movement.
Invisalign braces move teeth through the proper placement of controlled force on the teeth. It not only controls the force that is applied on teeth but also controls timing of the force. At each step only specific teeth are allowed to move.
Invisalign is an invisible method of straightening teeth. Instead of wires and brackets, Invisalign uses a series of clear removable aligners. These aligners apply a controlled pressure on your teeth. To design these aligners latest 3D technology is used that simulates the stages the teeth will go through. And this technology also allows you to view your own virtual treatment model when you start, so that you can see how your straight teeth will appear when your treatment is complete. Your orthodontist will review these 3D models and will approve the treatment plan.
A strong medical graded plastic is used to manufacture Invisalign aligners. Most of the time, these aligners are worn for about 2 weeks and after 2 weeks the old set of aligners is changed with a new one. But there is no tightening or adjustment. Your teeth move through a step-by-step incremental procedure until they attain a desired or specific position.
Invisalign gives you maximum comfort and ease. And eating, brushing and flossing are no more a problem as aligners are removable. You can relish your favorite food.
Time taken by Invisalign is just half of the time of traditional braces. Total treatment time is between 9-15 months and the approximate number of aligners worn during treatment is between 18 and 30, but from case to case the time and aligners may vary.
Invisalign has also some limitations. Firstly it is a cost effective treatment, yet is more than traditional braces. Treatment cost may very according to the complexity of the case. Also, there are some cases such as over crowding, oven bites and under bites that Invisalign does not treat. Patients may feel discomfort for a few days with each new aligner. Also, Invisalign may temporarily affect the speech of some people.
Invisalign may have some limitations but it not only provides you a beautiful smile but also gives comfort during the entire process.
GYM OR YOGA- TAKE YOUR PICK
Going to gym is a fad. The whole world is catching up with it. By 2020, at least a fourth of the population in the western world will be obese. So what can we do?
Join a gym- as some friends will say. Yoga is good for health too. So is Tai-chi. That can make anyone confused. What is the best option?
Let us have a quick look at what each of these exercises have to offer.
Doing anaerobic exercises in a gym involves a lot of muscular activity. The body's metabolic activities are increased. This results in burning of extra fat. The tone of the muscles becomes better. After sometime, the body's need for food also increases. This results in the person eating more food, not less. This is a natural occurrence. So the body goes into a habit of eating more and burning more food by increasing the body's metabolism. The gym work out causes the nervous system to overwork as if the body is in a state of danger. This is the principle behind gym exercises.
Yoga or Tai-chi are slow exercises. The emphasis in them is on slowness, on calmness and on breath control. The heart rate slows down. The metabolic activity slows down. This relaxes the body and the mind. When this happens, the mind goes into repair mode. The body's natural defences kick in. Because there is no danger perceived by the body, the body's metabolic activity reduces. The body needs less food to survive. So the food intake reduces. The accumulated fat, in an obese person, reduces slowly. But the body gets rid of excess fat anyway because its intake of food reduces and the body uses up the stored food to survive. The immune system of the body becomes stronger with yoga and tai-chi.
Whatever mode of body fitness you choose, moderation is the key. Doing exercises in the gym for an hour a day could be doing more harm than good. Even research suggests that twenty minutes of gym work three times a week is enough for optimum fitness.