Vagus System Meditation

First I want to start with a tiny disclaimer. If you suspect you have a health problem, speak with a licensed health care practitioner before exploring any suggestions in this blog. Thank you.

Before I get into the actual meditation or practice as it were, what is the Vagus system? The Vagus nerve is one of the lower cranial nerves, branching out from the medulla and enervating many systems in the trunk of the human body.

Why is the Vagus nerve important? In all of my (limited) work with Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, Reiki Energetic Healing and other modalities, I have yet to encounter one body system which plays such an important role, as the Vagus system does. Primarily the Vagus nerve transmits the messages from the brain to the body (and just as crucially body to brain) regarding whether or not the organism is in fight or flight or freeze mode or in rest and digest mode. These “modes” refer to the state of mental alertness and arousal, with regard to perceived threats or safety.

Why are these modes of alertness important? Well, if we are in fight or flight mode, then our heart is pumping a bit faster and our outer (limb) muscles are receiving the lion’s share of vital oxygenated blood, because we to be ready to fight the sabertooth tiger or be able to run away. And as a result, if our body is (consciously or not) in hyper-vigilant mode, then we will not use the outer cortices of our brain as efficiently as we could otherwise, and we will not properly digest our food. Wowsers!! Right?

The Vagus nerve plays a role in the following, and this list is not exhaustive, heart rate, breath rate, gut function, adrenal / kidney activity, eye function, ear function, throat / upper digestion function, skin tone and more. What a list! Therefore if there is a way we can regulate our Vagus system, to help it to relax in this rat-race culture, why wouldn’t we want to try it? Or we could just sit around being hyper-vigilant for no apparent reason (there are reasons, we just might not realize it, which is the subject for another post). And as I mentioned, if we are in alert mode, then the reactive, instinctive, fight-or-flight centers of the brain will get the necessary blood flow. This means that the outer cortices will be used sparingly, which constricts our creative processes. In other words, we can think clearer about certain subjects if we are relaxed and digesting with ease.

Now on to the meditation. Several things one must read, and contemplate, and understand first and foremost. I am emphasizing this for a reason. I am a student of Zapchen Somatics and Therefore a student of Julie Henderson, PhD. She is the creator of this phenomenal modality. Within Zapchen, there are certain ground rules which we learn first. And these are vital.

Zapchen is a modality which can in itself start to relax the Vagus system. If you can, I would recommend finding a Zapchen teacher to work with. Personally I have been given permission to work with individuals, but I am by no means a Zapchen teacher. Anyway, in Zapchen work we learn these guidelines first.

If something is uncomfortable, don’t do it. Period. If you must do it, express your objections first – either complain or moan and groan or find someone around whom you can discharge.

If you notice your body tightening up to continue doing an exercise, stop immediately. This is a message from your body that you have had enough. This also includes your breathing. If you are breathing shallowly or too heavy to do an exercise, then stop!

And finally, you need to know your limits.. Don’t push too hard early on. Less is better than more, always do less rather than toughing it out. And if you get light headed or taste metal, then absolutely stop as you might be dehydrated.

The meditation: sit comfortably. Or you can lie down, but there is a good chance that early on you will fall asleep. Notice your breathing, is it shallow or deep? No judgment, but is there anywhere that your diaphragm is adhesed? Nothing wrong if it is a little tight somewhere.

Remember less is better than more. If you want to rest, then by all means give your body what it needs.

First, hum into your mouth and nasal passages, get used to humming into your body. Use a comfortable, easy tone. Then hum into your pineal gland (behind the center of your eye brows). Just a little, don’t over stimulate anything. Next, hum into your pituitary gland, behind the center of your eyes. Then, if this is still comfortable, resting when it feels appropriate, hum into your brain stem (this must be comfortable, if not, stop immediately and rest). The brain stem is located inside of the back and base of your skull.

If you have rested and are still awake, you can continue by humming into your thyroid gland. This is just above where your collar bones come together, below the Adam’s apple. Next we will hum into the thymus gland, which basically sits above the heart. This is an important gland for the immune system. Now rest for a few minutes, come back if you want to.

When you are ready, hum into your kidneys. For some people, you can actually feel them ache if you lead a hectic, caffeinated life. You hum into one at a time or together. This will also include the adrenal glands which are sitting on top of each kidney. Finally, if this still comfortable, hum into your reproductive glands and organs (ovaries in women, prostate in men). Then go take a twenty minute nap! I would only do this humming meditation once a week or less. We do not want to “over-treat” any organ or endocrine gland.

I hope this is beneficial.

California, Muir Woods

Day six in California. I chose to rent a car because, while the BART is a great form of public transportation, it is limited in destinations. I wanted to have options. And actually once I started driving around the Bay Area, I was much more comfortable.

On this day I opted to go visit the redwoods north of San Francisco at the Muir Woods National Monument. The drive out there was fun and a treat. Fog hung low over the Bay, not enough to make things dangerous, but enough to give me a relaxed mellow flavor. The road up to the park was a trip – I thought I had been on some curvy roads previously… Yeah, not until I had gotten to California!

I just have to say that this place is / was one of the most serene, soothing locations I have ever been to. I suspect it has to do with the old growth forest – some of the redwoods are suspected to be at least one thousand years old. Wow!!

I went by myself, which might not be the smartest thing for hiking, but I am experienced (famous last words right?) and the place was busy enough that even on the side trails I passed people every twenty minutes or so. Just walking the boardwalks was amazing. Plus I must have encountered at least two dozen different nationalities – Koreans, Japanese, many different European languages, etc. I was very happy to see that ( I think they mostly came up on tour buses).

I would recommend starting out early – parking was crazy as I was leaving in the early afternoon. But getting there early meant it was very chilly. I had been prepared, bringing many layers, but I had to use them all until I started hiking uphill. When they say that the redwoods do not allow a lot of light to hit the forest floor, they aren’t kidding.

By 11am though, spokes of sunlight started poking through, especially on the hillside trails, and the fog quickly burned off. I had not been having the easiest visit up to this point, but any worries or concerns evaporated among these peaceful giants.

I hiked several side trails, for a few hours, including both sides of the board walk, so I might have done 7 to 8 miles total. I would recommend getting a trail map though as several trails were closed due to slides. So if you plan to hike, it will come in handy.

I wanted to hike to a point where I heard you could also see the Pacific Ocean. I did not get there though, because one of the trails was closed and I got turned around trying to climb another trail. Fortunately I feel extremely comfortable in the woods – my intuition and creative juices really start flowing – so it was no problem finding my way back down to the boardwalks.

I do not have a way of getting my camera’s pics on here yet, so I will add those in a later post.

I returned to Concord via the Golden Gate bridge. I was feeling kind of tired from hiking so I just drove through. I did not get out of my car until I happened on Fisherman’s Wharf (another place I’d recommend getting to early because parking was a bear). I just walked along the pier for a while. I saw the old Maritime ship and the view of the Bay from the water was something special! What with the fog having lifted.

There are $5 and $6 tolls to use the bridges around the Bay, so I could see those fees adding up quick. This is another reason I don’t plan to live in the city. But I definitely intend to visit the Muir Woods often and hike every available trail. I will need to find a hiking buddy though if I want to do any overnights!

In Concord, I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire shopping center in Spanish (owned by Hispanics). I ate what I think was shredded pork on a panini sandwich – nice and spicy, before heading to where I was staying. They treated me very well, which is a trait I love about most Latinos – they have kind hearts if you are open to that sort of thing. 🙂

Thanks for reading.

California Day Five, a fine school

Monday rolled around and it was time to visit JFK University in the small suburb town of Pleasant Hill. If you have not read my earlier post about my California leg of this trip, go back and do so. With that as context, I continue.

I was not expecting anything spectacular considering my top choice for schools let me down so hard a few days earlier. But I had made appointments and I was determined to see what they had to offer.

When I arrived, the admissions person with whom I had an appointment had to leave early, so I spoke with someone less than informed about my specific program (counseling psychology with a somatic focus). Not the best start, but then it rapidly improved. I attended an info session with three other students and learned a lot about the program and the school. The professor giving the session was obviously a therapist as he was patient, listened well and was quite organized. I was pleased.

Then I got to speak with a professor who teaches in the somatic section and I got many more questions answered. I learned there are only three schools offering (and accredited) what I want. I already visited the first and I am not that interested in Naropa. Therefore my choices were a bit limited. Actually, she teaches for both CIIS and JFK so she was able to confirm my perspective on CIIS.

In actuality, JFK did not need to be spectacular. I found them (Profs, fellow students, staff members) to be approachable and I felt that my experience was honored. Plus they were organized and cohesive.

I learned that many of their students have jobs and / or families and I appreciate the ample life experience students will bring to the table as it were. The school does the quarter system, four eleven week sections, so my year will be full. But that also means there are four shorter vacations, which will be useful.

I am still planning to apply to CIIS, but I’m not sure why. JFK practically told me I was in if I write a quality personal statement. But I keep hearing great things about the projects and faculty of CIIS. Maybe I want to give them another chance (to help me feel supported or comfortable at their school). Time will tell. At present tough, there is a very good chance I am heading out to Ca for graduate school in a year. And I’d say I will probably be at JFK.

California Day Four

As I mentioned, day two and three were restful days. My big events on those days included laundry and going for a few mile stroll through Concord Ca. So yeah, I will resume this narrative with day four.

Oh, by the way, I should mention this for any readers from conservative areas: personally I have neither fear nor problems doing this, but I encountered some questionable responses. I did not want to stay in a Hostel. This was due to having very limited personal space, and being forced to sleep in a room with half a dozen men, potentially snoring away… Not easy right? So I put an ad on Craigslist saying I would pay fifty a night for a guest room or studio apartment. I got a response from a grandmother who said that she and her husband had never done anything like this before but they looked me up and thought it might work… And it did! I had my private space, and I could take a day off without having six other guys know how long I lay in bed. That is why I stayed in Concord, which is a sleepy suburb of San Francisco / Oakland. Plus I made some new friends in the process.

Since putting up this ad, I have heard of two resources which might also be good for this kind of thing. One is Air B & B and the other is couch surfing. Although with couch surfing, it does not seem likely to have much personal space / time either.

Back to Day Four. This day was spent in Berkeley California. I was never considering it for grad school, because if I wanted something more traditional, I could choose from hundreds of schools closer to Virginia. Instead I was visiting UCB (a.k.a. Cal) because I had a friend who is doing his post doc work there, and to give me a sense of perspective with regard to the smaller schools I am interested in.

Yes, Berkeley does have one of the country’s best Buddhist programs, but again, so does UVa. So I toured the campus with my friend, getting insider commentary on the PhD program and its selective processes. The campus was very refreshing. Walking in, we passed through some redwood trees which always feel ancient to me. Plus there were some enormous eucalyptus groves as well.

The architecture at Berkeley seemed to be a random mixture – we even spotted some concrete buildings one might expect to find in Moscow or East Berlin. It seemed to depend on how well off that particular department was as to whether it had a contemporary building. I was happy to hear that Berkeley’s main focus was on keeping professors’ salaries at competitive rates (rather than spending the money on aesthetic maintenance). Although it did lead to a few buildings seeming to need a good scrubbing.

We spent a bit of time in the football field sized East Asian Library. At three floors, that was A LOT of books in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Tibetan! I certainly was happy to see that program doing so well.

We walked around Berkeley’s popular student area full of shops and restaurants. At UVa, this area is called “the Corner.” At Berkeley, it seemed to be a little more integrated with the town, but definitely felt younger at heart. There were a couple of huge music stores with an entire basement dedicated to old records. In one, a contemporaneous hip hop show started up, so that was a little noisy for browsing and we left to check out other stores.

Returning to campus, we did the famous Berkeley Bell Tower, otherwise known as the Campanile or Sather Tower. This was definitely the highlight of the day. For me, I had primarily seen the Bay during periods of fog and haze, so getting a vast view on a clear day was special. I have a mild fear of heights, but the tower is entirely closed in with bars of steel, so I never felt uncomfortable. The Sather Tower is the third highest free standing bell tower in the world, so the view was impressive. We could see the Golden Gate bridge to the due west. But we also saw downtown Oakland, the north bay, the SF downtown skyline and the Cal stadium and hills to the East. I highly recommend the trip up there.

Then my friend dropped me off at a dinner I had heard about, which an acquaintance had invited me to. So basically I was with strangers, but some of them were Buddhist practitioners (one was an older Tibetan Rinpoche) so I felt welcome. Actually there were great conversations as many of the guests were artists or professors, authors or other erudites. It was also nice to practice speaking Tibetan. Therefore this day wrapped up late, but it was enjoyable and I learned a lot.

California sputters to start

Having a vacation be idyllic every day would be expecting too much. Especially if that vacation spans several weeks. My first morning in Ca, I had planned to visit one potential graduate school. In retrospect, I should have scheduled a day to acclimated.

Heading into town, I started to feel a touch anxious, which is not unusual. But it continued getting off the BART. I felt adrift in a foreign ocean (the Mission District of San Francisco). It was full of a variety of individuals – professionals, young, old, a few homeless people, which is always interesting to encounter. But the feeling that I was in the wrong place kept gnawing at me.

I had about a mile walk to the school, which was made longer by my getting turned around. So I started to pass more and more sketchy individuals. Not that there is anything wrong with this area, just that I was feeling vulnerable or just plain out of sorts. I am the type of individual to trust my intuition, so I should have stopped to somehow throw the I Ching to confirm that nervous feeling.

Well, I arrived at the school and things did not improve much. The security guard told me which floor to go to. I checked in with the receptionist, but the people I had been communicating with were not in. So I asked about the class I was supposed to attend. I looked it up on a sheet and went to wait in the classroom. No luck. Waiting for twenty minutes, I got very frustrated and upset by how it was feeling like I had fallen through the cracks. What was my heart saying? It wanted me to inquire more. Was there someone else I could speak with? But I was not able to speak with anyone who had specific knowledge of the program I wanted. Gggrrrr!!! I had had enough. My sense of discomfort had not eased up, so I left to find some lunch.

Luckily, later, a professor called me back and I got to ask more questions. But my initial feeling was that the place was either very loosey goosey, or they were having an off day, or Perhaps they had specific days for people to visit, and I missed them. Not sure.

On reflecting, I may still apply there and go back to visit in the winter before deciding. But I would need to have a radically different experience to change my mind.

I went back to the home I was staying in, and then I actually took the next two days off, to rest, to walk the town and to integrate all my Hawaiian experiences.

Oahu, second leg

After several fun filled and packed days on the Big Island, I had two days on Oahu, to catch my breath before flying back to California.

Considering my intention of this overall retreat / vacation is to rest down and relax, I really needed some down time. I told my Dad this fact, and he did his best to accommodate my need.

We stayed at the Prince hotel, which is quite fancy. Upon landing and arriving in Honolulu, we ate at a 24 hr Hawaiian restaurant in Waikiki, add name later, which is very very popular. We ate there twice and fortunately there was never a line out the restaurant. However, every seat was occupied. You can tell they are popular though, because they have menu items you will not see elsewhere- spam, viennese sausage, and many foreign to me Chinese names for sauces and sea food. I ordered different omelets both times and enjoyed them. Although, the Irish breakfast is a ton of food (corned beef stuffed omelet).

Later we went to the Waikiki beach, which has been dredged in some places making for pleasant swimming conditions. I wore my rash guard, not wanting to take any chances with sun burn. In the past, my Dad led a very busy life, so it was nice to have some quality time for meaningful conversations with him.

Waikiki is basically an enormous three mile shopping mall with many hotels breaking up the lines of shops. Needless to say, I spent the middle day on the beach. I wonder if there is something to the theory that ocean water, being loaded with negative ions, is rather healing and / or rejuvenating. I did not want to leave, for one reason or another.

That night, we ate with another friend, at the Surf rider Moana beach cafe (at the Hotel). This is one of the older hotels in Waikiki (it is one of the original two hotels, back when Waikiki was a heavily wooded area). Their cafe almost goes out to the waves, which perfect for watching the sun set.

Then, the next morning I took a cab to the airport. My Hawaii chapter was finished (for now).

in Muir Woods, thinking of you

the fog tickles emerald moss

tantalizing whispers deep-belly moans

ancient secrets kept hidden frozen

dry rocky soil rooted solid tight

spokes of sun stir redwood heart

boughs bark branches lips needles

dance, jiggle, sing, celebrate

life dreamily melts, flows, longing

for your warm touch, soft eyes

tender caress, kisses, wishes escape

lusting after a kind word

Pacific breezes, cool watery mist

soggy mysteries dissolve in clear light

Big Island day four

After a busy couple of days with a new friend, my final day on the Big Island was more chill. The friend I had been staying with wanted to do the Atlantis submarine tour, so we geared up for that. We arrived early, so we enjoyed a drink in the yacht club. We got to hear a funny conversation tidbit – there was a server whose English was decent, but not native. And we heard her exclaim in a surprised voice, “Oh! I’m not looking for a husband.” Then the reply, “don’t worry, I’m not looking for a wife either.” We chuckled and one of us mentioned, you could just get it all out there in the open by saying that you are a sailor… I’m just saying.

So we got on the boat to head out to the sub, along with about 30 other people. It was a mixture of Asian and Haoli (Caucasian) tourists. The guide was entertaining and good with kids, and he informed us of everything we might see at 70 – 100 ft below the surface. He went over protocol on the sub. I was very pleased with the crews’ manner – they were professional, direct and friendly, but you knew they were in charge, therefore I felt well contained. It was definitely structured well, very coherent.

I must emphasize something here.

If you are claustrophobic, this might not be a good idea. Fortunately I don’t have this issue, but once on the sub, which is a long bench with seats facing out multiple portals. I rather enjoyed it myself. The sub dropped to 100 ft but I never felt it in my ears. Plus our sub was not full (it could hold a maximum of 48 ppl).

We went by many coral reefs with an amazing diversity of fish. I was a little disappointed to not see any eels, but when we passed the second shipwreck, there was a white tipped reef shark sleeping next to the sunken sailboat, so that was a find. We were underwater for at least forty minutes.  They let one of the kids steer the boat back to the harbor which was fun.

Overall, I’m glad I went, but honestly I saw more fish by both snorkeling in Keauhou and later by visiting the Honolulu Aquarium.

The highlight of this day may have actually been to visit Peabody’s and Gisselle, a crepe and tea house. I had the best crepe I have ever encountered there – I ordered the Ratatouille crepe, perfect combination of spices, so good!! Plus we had some nice red bush tea to boot. A nice ending to my visit to the Volcanic Isle.

We returned to Hawi and enjoyed an episode of Doc Martin – a show I had never heard of prior, but which was entertaining.

I flew back to Honolulu early he next morning.
;

Big Island, day three

Day three found me pondering whether or not to do the hike we had planned. Let’s just put it like this, at times, I can be terrified of heights. And the description of the hike was an acrophobe’s worst nightmare. It went something like this: the hike is pleasant for the first several miles, going through some rain forests, then you will come upon one of the best sights in all of the Big Island – you emerge on the edge of Waipio Valley with a view of a thousand foot waterfall in front of you. That is if it is not locked in fog. Then the trail continues along the edge of a cliff, but the recent earthquake took out sections of the trail. So proceed with extreme caution. If it is foggy, do not proceed at all. By the way, this hike, the Waimeia to Waipi’o Valley, is a bit controversial, starting on private property. Look it up ahead of time.

Seriously!?! No thank you! I was very pleased when she called to tell me she wanted to change plans. I chose to go visit her in Hilo instead. The highways on the Big Island are interesting. Typically they are just two lanes. And there are no divided highways at all. Therefore the speed limit is lower and you can get stuck behind slow moving trucks for several excruciating miles.

Needless to say, I had never done this drive on my own. In the past, I had flown directly into Hilo or Kona and then stayed on that respective side of the island. My fear of heights gets worse the farther I am from my comfort zone, so this drive was not easy for me. As you get closer to Hilo, the road hugs the coast, but thankfully there are only a few places where you realize how close you are to such a vertical drop… So I made it and finding her hostel was easy.

We met up and I had secondeses (that would be a second breakfast) at a local 24 hr almost fast food joint called Cafe 100. It was very delicious. In fact it was so much food, she had to help me eat it all. Thankfully when she asked me what kind of food I ate, I answered with red meat and fish and veggies, she was on the same page. So we both enjoyed the Teriyaki Beef. If in Hilo with a good hunger, order the Hilo Boy or Island Girl platters, they are delicious and a great value.

Then we opted to head down to Volcano National Park. By the way, when visiting Volcano, no matter what the weather is in Hilo or Kona, bring warm layers and rain gear! I made the mistake of forgetting both. Hilo’s weather was sunny and pleasant, so I only realized my mistake once I got in the Park. Volcano is situated on one of the Big Island’s five mountains, Kiluea, the most active volcano in the world. Therefore we were at least 3 to 4 thousand feet above sea level.

We still had a great time in Volcano. Due to Kiluea’s being active, no one was allowed within half a mile of its main caldera (which glowed red at night). Therefore we chose to hike in a nearby crater which has been dormant for a long time – Kiluea Iki. This is a beautiful hike – going through a forest of huge ferns and passing native ginger plants with massive ginger roots. Then you hike down into the open, steamy crater and you become another small speck on this majestic lunar landscape.

I especially enjoyed kissing and being kissed in the crater. How many people can say they have done anything like that? But we were well behaved for the most part – we did not want to alarm the foreign tourists who were constantly passing us.

While in the crater, the sky started spitting, and for a few minutes I feared hypothermia. Although in all honesty, the ground was very hot (from steam), so I could have just lay down and been fine until the sun came back out! But I would have preferred to have had rain gear.

We climbed the far wall of the crater, looped around and came back to her car. Due to stopping for many pictures, we did the loop in three hours. It was very pleasant, but it was also a little strenuous on the legs.

Next we opted against visiting the Lodge as their prices are higher, and we went to the Lava Rock Cafe instead. We had cocoa to warm up and enjoyed a delicious pi’ikoi cheesecake. Pi’ikoi is a tart Hawaiian fruit and the dessert was incredible!

The weather in Volcano was cool, breezy and overcast, so we opted to head back to Hilo. We purchased a small sandwich, which acted as dinner considering the enormous platters from earlier. Then we sat on a lava rocky section of Hilo Bay and prepared to enjoy the sunset.

Instead of enjoying the sun setting over the large mountains (Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa), I noticed a huge rainbow forming behind us (opposite the sun of course). Therefore we watched the sun set as reflected off the magnificent double rainbow over Hilo. It was a very pleasant evening. Of course I was sad to see her go, but all meetings eventually end in separation. She had to catch a flight early the next morning, so we said good bye and I made the now familiar, and less harrowing, drive back to Hawi.

The drive back was easier, as I was alone on the road (it was getting late) and I was listening to music to stay awake and distract me.

Day three ended with my wishing her and all beings well.