Hatha Yoga – Cure For The Dull Brain

Modern education cannot just bypass this truth by saying that yoga is a physical or gymnastic system, or that yoga is a science of the other world. Many scientific experiments have already been carried out. Yoga is not a system which should be regarded as being beyond the scope of scientific investigation.

The activities in the brain during the practice of pranayama have been investigated, and the claims of hatha yoga have been properly substantiated. Hatha yoga talks about ida and pingala nadis, the cold and hot channels. It states clearly tat these two channels are physiological in nature. They are not abstract or symbolic, they are real. These two important channels exist within the framework of the spinal column. One channel controls the brain and its faculties of consciousness, and the other channel controls the life force and its impact on human existence. Therefore, these two channels should be properly regulated in order to ensure the balanced development of the child.

If there is a blockage in these two channels, the brain has to suffer. When a child is dull, how are you going to scientifically evolve the state of the brain? It is not enough to classify children as dull and forget about them.

A dull brain can be tackled by rejuvenating the respective nadi or channel. When a child is found to be dull, it does not necessarily mean that he has some mechanical or structural defect in his brain. Dullness may be due to a deficiency in the quantum of energy supplied to the brain. Hatha yoga is very clear about this. It states that through the practice of pranayama, the pranas are extended to every part of the brain, increasing and awakening the total functioning capacity. Circulation of the pranas is very important, not only for physical activities, but also for mental activities.
With the help of pranayama, certain electrical activities are generated within the body. In scientific investigations, it has been shown that in pranayama the brain emits special electrical energies. In the same way, while practising yoga nidra one is not just sleeping. It has been noted that during yoga nidra, alpha waves are intensified. During ordinary sleep, however, delta waves are predominant. Whether one is sleeping soundly or is in the state of yoga nidra can be properly deduced by examining the brain activity recording for delta or alpha waves.
Freeing the minds of our children
Actually, it is not the parents whom children revolt against. It is the structure which has been put into their minds. They want to be free from them, to be able to think and act according to their own nature and choosing after all, parents are also simple people, Not all are yogis, gurus or exemplary people. Parents fight because that is an emotional factor which cannot always be controlled. They are satisfied or dissatisfied with their children because that is the nature of parents, and because they don’t know that this is going to affect the child’s brain.

What can be done for children in this situation? Children should be allowed to visualise, to fantasize, to operate their minds in absolute freedom, but first they must be made conscious of what is happening in their minds. They should not practise this independently, not should they practise for a long period of time. They should practise the technique with your help and only for a short period. Then gradually step by step, they will throw out the impressions they do not like or need.

Parents are very much in the minds of children, but it is necessary for the child’s growth that the parents leave. As long as parents dominate the minds of children, they can never develop.

Mantra and Memory
The final point is the problem of memory. Memory is a great problem for children, i.e., the problem of encoding, storage and retrieval. All these processes combined are known as memory. Once you solve the problem of memory you solve the greatest problem in education. If you can find a method to improve the child’s memory, you will be introducing something truly revolutionary into the educational system. The mantra works immediately on the subconscious and unconscious planes. With the help of mantra, antar mouna and yoga nidra a very clear memory can be developed in children.