Bionics (last week!)

Would you support the development of a “bionic” person? Would your opinion be any different if this were for a military purpose?

I would not support the development of a "bionic" person. I imagine there is a situation where I would be comfortable with the use of a bionic person, but I cannot think of it presently. On second thought, to rescue someone in a burning building, I think a bionic person would be very useful. My general reason for not supporting a bionic person development is that I am assuming there would be a real person controlling the bionic person, so it'd be like carrying out the actions you desired but at an arm's length or much longer. Growing further removed from the consequences of our actions seems to be one of the biggest contributors to the current downfall of the human race. We eat food that we don't see how it was grown or raised, and we throw away often many things a day with relatively little knowledge of the impact its making on our world. We authorize wars when very often we don't experience the losses personally. We say cruel things behind the guise of an online mask that we might never say in person. I think the more ways we can have a closer interaction with what we're acting on, the better. You can see why the fire example would be a good exception to this thought.

I also wouldn't endorse bionic people for military use for the same reasons. Perhaps I'm just denying the reality of the world we live in today, but for the present moment, I'm ok with that. 

Energy Fields & Energy Medicine (week 2 of Biophysics)

Acupuncture seems like very effective energy medicine to me. I think perhaps one of the questions is how strongly can acupuncture shift energy? Since we know everything is made up of energy, perhaps there doesn't need to be such a big gap between trauma medicine and energy medicine? If an acupuncturist were truly adept at assisting the body in moving energy and the patient had the strength of qi to do it, could greater healing take place? something that might be in line with what biomedicine might consider healing? I think one of the things that comes up for me in that case is that acupuncture is aligned with nature, which is to say, it generally moves slowly like nature. Some more radical measures used in biomedicine could be thought to go against nature in some ways. I don't think it's black and white as I make it sound but in general, I believe it to be true. I think whenever we do something that goes against the energy of the body, even if it's a life saving measure, the reprecussions are quite different and potentially more severe for the long term.

Kirlian photography seems like a lot of fun to me. I'm not sure it's something I would put much weight in though as it seems like the appearance of a person in KP can change fairly easily if a person changes their energy. For some that may be challenging but for others who might more regularly flux between highs and lows, it wouldn't indicate something as profound perhaps. I'm always reluctant to make great leaps into things like the colors of KP indicating a relationship with chakras. I think the body has many colors but they don't necessarily need to tie into something like chakras. When people talk about opening or stimulating chakras it makes me uneasy because when you know people like I do who have had their chakras opened for them and it makes them very ill, you become more reserved about these things. All the same, KP seems like a more fun kind of mood ring if you will. While I'm rarely a skeptic (or maybe I am, not sure), I feel reserved about this method of potential diagnosis.

Intention- Gosh. Again, I feel I'm jaded because of my previous exposure. I watched the movie The Secret years ago and while I can get behind getting clear on what you want in life, to use intention to constantly be focusing on the future and attaining something seems like a recipe for a distracted and unsatisfied life. That said, in a fixed time, I think intention can be used to spur change and create potential healing. I think for many of us it's getting stuck in old identity patterns that holds us back from growing into perhaps happier or more balanced versions of ourselves and that by creating an intention that is very deeply connected to the things we love most, we can shift away from patterns/beliefs that have been detrimental.

Life & Living Systems (Biophysics week 1)

I know I'm a living system because I am constantly evolving in an unpredictable way. My environment influences me and the trajectory of my growth is ever changing. Even if I tried to grow only in a particular way, the way my body and mind are formed means that I will adapt to what is present so that I can survive- even if that means stressing over finals. Ah!

Thoughts on class discussion:

I enjoyed Sondra Barrett's realization that God exists and that her discovery came by way of getting deeper into the intricacies of life. One of my best friends is very much atheist and she's very bright. She cares about the planet and respects life, but still the idea that there is some great organizing force is not for her. I wonder what makes people believe or not believe in a greater force or spirituality. Is there a gene that would make one more likely to be spiritual perhaps? Or maybe it's mostly one's upbringing. How much does a near-death experience increase the odds one becomes a believer? At any rate, I imagine that being spiritual in some way is in fact beneficial for your health but if you became worried about a judgement day or similar someday maybe that would make you more nervous in day to day life which we know isn't beneficial. Hmmm...

Synthesis (Week Nine)

My E-Prime Day
This morning I woke up to what I saw to be an empty space beside me in bed. I thought to myself, "I think Blake fell asleep on the couch." I walked out to what we call the living room, and perceived with my eyes my husband in a horizontal position with his eyes closed. I think he was asleep. After talking to him, he opened his eyes and I saw him walk into the other room, I believe going to sleep in our bed. I did some yoga, cooked breakfast, ate, and rode a BART train to the 19th street stop then walked to ACCHS. I recall Jackie teaching Points Class, Kalli teaching Pathology, and Jason teaching Acupuncture Techniques. After school, I felt very tired. I travelled home via BART and exited the train at Ashby where I unlocked my bike and rode home to relax in front of the television a bit and then head to sleep.


Synthesizing Physics~ "As above, so below"

I've very much enjoyed physics class and the articles we've been given to read. A long time I ago a roommate subscribed to New Scientist and this class makes me want to subscribe so that I can read about the latest in science research and discoveries. My husband thinks it's crazy that there's no math in this class, but I've really appreciated this approach to studying physics. Thank you!

Classical Physics (Week 8)

Newton's Three Laws and Me

First Law: Maybe this is why it's so hard for me to get myself to take a vacation? I've been "in motion" for so long that it requires an especially strong force to get me to change my course! Trying to make a change to this pattern with a couple days off this week :)

Second Law: Having a good teacher push you in school helps propel you forward even if you resist.

Third Law: I recently got in a fight with my mom and her not talking to me definitely encouraged me to not reach out to her. Fortunately it ended, but it could have gone on for much longer.


Our Energy Efficient Culture

I think of this as it relates to so many people trying to sell the same thing but with a slightly different spin on it. It's like they're unable to create something new and so they simply repackage it.

Also, on the note from above with the first law: It could be interpreted that we are human beings and we can only do so much in a day (our own system of energy). So we must choose what we do wisely with that time and energy. Watch tv or study? Go have fun with friends or get any early start on my pathology paper? Bike to school or go for a hike later?


Descartes

The other night, I being a very sweet wife, watched a movie with my husband of his choosing. It was Chappie, two hours of my life that I'll never get back. But I think the producer of Chappie has Descartes to thank. It's a movie about robots becoming "human" in that they can have consciousness and become parts of society. Surprise surprise, it doesn't work out very well for this "advanced" society, which makes sense because, like Descartes' description, it vastly oversimplifies the beautiful potential of the human mind, heart, body, and soul.

"By the end, there's precious little humanity left amid all the nuts and bolts." 

...Is this a review of Descartes' idea or for Chappie from rotten tomatoes??

Chaos Theory (Week 7)

"Ordered chaos"...familiar? 

I don't think of chaos and order as happening simultaneously from one perspective. I think a chaotic process or situation can seem that way to one person and to another person it can seem perfectly ordered. I think of my houseplants. Their growth seems very chaotic to me, especially the growth of some of my more unusual succulents. I water them when they seem to need it and they get ample sunlight and yet their growth is totally unpredictable to me. Yet, when one of my plant savvy friends comes over she can explain the order or reasoning behind their seemingly bazaar growth patterns, and how I might change my actions (watering, planting container) to influence what I previously saw as pure chaos.

I also think of the process of human creation of being a mix of order and chaos. The jumbling of genes then separation of them through mitosis seems like a constant dance between chaos and order. With all the potentials for something to go wrong, it seems phenomenal that the vast majority of us exit the process mostly functional. I suppose it's a good reminder that chaos can give birth to incredible ordered things, which makes an easy segue to fractals...


Fractals as patterns of complex systems

Fractals illustrate the way a particular action can be magnified on a scale that is challenging or impossible for the human mind to comprehend but that creates something that's end result appears quite simple. They show one action on a myriad of scales. Because of the complexity of fractals and the vast amount of information that goes into creating one, they are primarily created by computers now.


Consciousness out of chaos? 

The way our minds work seems like a perfect example of ordered chaos. There is a reason behind the way our minds pull thoughts and emotion and yet it happens all too fast for us to understand without further scientific research. The article in our reading "Chaos and Consciousness" broaches the idea of our consciousness being a whole cloth of tightly knit patchwork of subprocesses, which I agree with, and then he/she adds "each made possible and supported on all sides by the totality of the cloth itself, while at the same time contributing its part to the creation of that totality." I love this idea of consciousness almost folding in on itself constantly to be recreated in every moment. I think of an image like a flower blossoming then closing then blossoming again but always with different colors, textures, and shapes.

One other idea is that perhaps rather than just one flower or layer, there are many layers to consciousness that are being reborn/changed all the time.

The Bhagavad Gita, a story often referred to in yoga gives at least one perspective to the layers that might exist. I like that by looking at a racing chariot it may not be clear how many forces align or fight for that chariot to move in a particular direction, and yet upon closer inspection that are so many factors at play that are in a constantly changing relationship.

photo credit: http://www.harekrishnayoga.com/2013/02/arjunas-chariot.html

Viiiiiibrrraaaationnnssss (Week 6)

Are all vibrations "good"? 

Anyone else hear that Beach Boys song when they hear this? Ok, back to physics...

Yes and no- ha! A classic eastern medicine answer. Vibrations are good or bad depending on the context. Vibrations that Evelyn Glennie senses and then manipulates and orders into beautiful music are great to many ears I'm sure, but perhaps not all. Some people must not care for Vivaldi, right? (not me)



Natural frequencies that resonate with one another can create powerful change. An opera singer breaking a wine glass could be good as a party trick, but a bridge crumbling in the event of an earthquake can be tragic.


Resonance in my world

When I think of resonance in my world, like above with vibrations, it isn't always good or bad. Sometimes it's wonderful. I think of the way it feels to hug my husband or just to be in his presence. Even before I knew him well it felt like his energy meeting mine was relaxing in a very subtle yet tangible way. It's curious to think about how our individual vibrations travel, or how far. And how sensitized to them can we become?

I can also think of some people who I've seen across a room or met briefly and it's quite the opposite experience. Their vibration resonates with mine in some way that sets off very unpleasant feelings. Like stirring a terrible pot.


Connections between Energy & Qi

I see the challenges with energy and qi being similar to those we have with consciousness. We "know" because we experience it, that it is present with us now as I write or you read. And yet we can't put boundaries on it, understand it fully, know when it started or when exactly it ends. Energy and qi are ver much the same. I enjoyed this passage from the reading:

"Since the scientific system of measurement is limited by our own humanness (hopefully it is early in the history of human knowledge), frustration can erupt when something as obvious and central as energy that is so clearly expressed in life, eludes today's measurement abilities." (www.doctorcal.org/energy.html)

With energy, qi, and consciousness too, it's hard to understand what is mine, yours, or its. Where are the edges? How can we compartmentalize it? Can we accept that there is something that can be influenced without being destroyed? Can be felt without being understood? Known in the present without understanding it's origin? Sounds like there need to be leaps of faith...never easy, especially for the westerner.


Last thought: Imagine if we could see the qi moving though Evelyn Glennie as well as the vibrations that move from all the surfaces she plays in this video? Now that would be astounding.

Symmetry and Sacred Geometry (Week 5)

My (a) symmetrical world

Asymmetry has been at a forefront of my consciousness since my early teens. I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a lateral deviation of the spine that's over 10 degrees, around 12 years old though they'd been watching for it long before then. My maternal grandmother has a spine like a question mark which has caused her substantial pain in her life as she never received treatment for it. My mother has a slight curve that only occasionally bothers her, and yet for some reason there was much attention given to my back as I was growing. It was like waiting for the boogie man to show himself.

Once I started wearing my brace life was all about trying to make my body more symmetrical again. Then I started practicing yoga and it again became much about how to take this funky asymmetrical spine of mine and look to create a more symmetrical & harmonious setting in my body for my organs to function well and overall circulation to be strong. To this day I still think about my asymmetry on the daily be it when I'm doing yoga, diving a car, or just sitting in class.

And now as a yoga teacher with a specialty in working with people with scoliosis, my eyes are trained to spot this asymmetry in students.

As I think of other examples of asymmetry I've appreciated, I remember my fish in college: one-eyed Joe. I had no intention of getting a fish but this little guy with one eye stole my heart. I've had a soft spot for one-eyed animals every since (gosh that sounds odd). ;)


CP Violation: CP refers to "charge, parity" of the Charge-Parity-Time theorem. CPT states that "all processes involving particles remain invariant if the particles are changed into antiparticles, the system is refected in a mirror, and time is run backward." (Rothman & Sudarshan, Doubt and Certainty). CP violation occured when Princeton experimenters observed a kaon's decay rate change when the charge and parity of the particles were changed.


Connections between Sacred Geometry & Physics & TCM

My understanding is that much of sacred geometry, physics, and TCM theory has to do with helping humans gain a better understanding or perspective of something true, aligned with nature, and yet beyond the grasp of the reasonable mind without assistance. Much of this truth these arts lay out have to do with understanding relationship between things, cause & effect, and the ripple effects that are so much more profound than our limited understanding can see.

Recently I've learned a little bit about Dr. Tan's "Balance Method" which is based on elements of the I-Ching. Part of the theory is that any part of the body can be designed to mirror another part (a gross oversimplification on my part). I think of the macrocosm reflecting the microcosm and vis versa. That elemental truth seems to present itself throughout much of the sacred geometry we explored in class. It makes sense that it would be used to heighten spiritual understanding.

Energy, Matter, and Force (Week 4)

Based off of Peter Meyers' post in Symmetry Magazine, it would seem that my body is alive thanks to Einstein's equation. Especially as someone who eats an especially large amount of plants since I'm a vegetarian, I have a great gratitude for the process of the sun's mass turning into sunlight energy that fuels the growth of the plants I so enjoy eating. The gorgeous sunny weather we've had for the last two days has been so lovely and feeling the sunlight on my skin has felt so delicious especially with the knowledge that it will help my body create Vitamin D which is useful for so many things including maintaining bone health, which as someone with scoliosis I need to be especially mindful of.

Just to have some fun with it: If the four forces were beverages...

The Red Eye, also known as a cup of coffee with an espresso shot in it, would be the Strong Nuclear Force. It's unfamiliar to most. It holds things together that might otherwise fall apart (like an exhausted desk worker). It only works on a very short distance; the consumer of such a beverage must have their cup by them at all times or they lose their strength.

The Regular Cup of Joe or coffee would be Electromagnetism. It's polarizing: you either love it or you hate it. It's still strong but not the strongest. The messenger particle of electromagnetism is the photon which travels at the speed of light, similar to the thoughts of one who has just had their morning brew.

A cup of Black Tea with milk & sugar would be the Weaker Nuclear Force. It's a bit less familiar than the cup of coffee. And the tea's messenger particles of sugar and milk (like the W & Z bosons) are heavy and slow, inspiring the drinker to consume their beverage slower resulting in less caffeine consumption (strength) than the cup of coffee.

Lastly, the cup of Rooibos Tea...Gravity. Such a subtle influence you'd hardly realize it's having any effect at all. There isn't any caffeine in rooibos tea and yet there is something in it that is gently stimulating, a bit mysterious, just like this supposed graviton particle that no one has found just yet. ;)

The function of gravity is to keep masses from going too far astray from one another. It maintains the greater community of the galaxy.

Synchronicity (Week 3)

Well I got a bit ahead of myself and wrote a bit about synchronicity in my last blog post, not realizing it was material for the following week. I guess I shall write some more. There are the times when a friend calls just as I'm about to dial them and so I pick up before it even rings and there we are able to chat. While I'm sure it could easily be considered coincidence, often it feels like synchronicity that we were both calling one another at the relatively same time. Of the examples I can think of for synchronicity at present, most of them I can see how I'd like there to be an apparent synchronicity. My favorite example, because it makes me the happiest to consider, is that of my husband and I.

We went to high school together and fancied each other but were both incredibly shy and so no sparks flew. It wasn't until a little over six years ago that I got out of a major relationship at the same time he moved back to the US from living in Italy for two years. So the synchronicity I suppose is us both entering the San Francisco dating scene simultaneously. If he hadn't just returned or I hadn't been liberated from my previous relationship the timing may have been wrong and who knows when we would have begun dating! Fortunately it seems the odds were finally in our favor.

I see connectivity as the way two things are connected, which may be when they are very clearly connected like twins or further removed like yoga students who have studied with the same yoga teacher for years but they do not necessarily know each other or live near one another. Connectivity can explain similarities and occurrences that might seem random otherwise. Like if those two yoga students took vacations to the same place (assuming their destination had a desirable yoga scene).

Quantum Mechanics (week two)

The reading for this week has reinforced for me the way we, especially westerners, like to feel that we have a grip on things. Tangible, quantifiable things appeal as do things we feel like we can understand or better yet, control.

"The only thing constant in life is change." I've heard this saying and used it myself often over the years especially when life feels unpredictable or the future seems unclear. To find certainty in there being uncertainty, a change into something different but unknown, feels like a perfect paradox. 

As a "planner" type of person, I always feel better when I feel like there's a plan: not so much a daily one but something of a life plan. Even if it's bound to change, feeling like I have direction is incredibly calming. That said, the practice of surrendering that not everything is in my control has always been an excellent practice for me as it helps me weather the unpredictable upheavals of life's events. 

Recently, I had an experience that illustrated uncertainty and causality very clearly in my life: 

I was having a bit of a rough morning and went to yoga class before school. In the yoga room, we arrange ourselves and I positioned myself in my semi-usual spot but ended up in the middle of two people who I don't usually practice near. As class progressed I got more and more of a uneasy feeling about the position I had chosen. The people around me are people I'm friendly with and yet I still felt like it was not right for me to be in that spot. My intuition was telling me to move, but I stayed put. Towards the end of practice, in a sequence I've done near daily for 6 years (as have my friends who I practiced near) the guy in front of me kicked me in the head. He had no idea I was right there behind him and he had looked over his shoulder before moving his feet. Two years ago, I would have been high enough in the pose that he would have seen me and avoided smacking me in the head. However, now, I go quite low and so his quick glance missed me altogether. 

I then wonder: Was there something about the uneasy feeling I had that made me move differently and thereby make myself less visible to my friend in front of me? Was the universe giving me those uneasy feelings to help me move out of the near inevitable karma that was headed towards me? After six years, why does this happen now? As my yoga practice was really unfolding beautifully lately, was this a universal lesson to not get too attached as now the certainty I felt previously about my practice progressing has become uncertain as I manage a stiff neck? 

I have resigned to believe that yes, I should have honored my gut or whatever feelings I had that day that felt like signs to move even if they were "irrational" perhaps. And that accepting uncertainty is the best thing to do because otherwise it's just temporarily fooling oneself, and soon enough life events will present such that it is impossible to ignore the uncertainty or to recognize that you were wrongly certain before. 

One more reflection to share: I really enjoyed the below passage from "A Wink from the Cosmos," by Meg Lundstrom. I definitely believe in there being special karma or energetic connection between people and events. One of my teachers, Robert Svoboda, wrote a wonderful book, Aghora, about his teacher in which he describe Ranubandha (I may have the word wrong as I read it a year ago when I borrowed it from a friend) which is essentially that there's a special energetic connection or karma between individuals and that if your paths cross that it's a sign that your paths crossed at another time in another embodiment. This kind of cycling back after being apart for some time idea came to mind in reading about the photons that regardless of the distance will effect one another within the same moment. Both ideas stretch my beliefs but also seem very possible as there are instances like the one described below that illustrate the connection beyond space. 

As was true with Carrie and Dan, synchronicity seems to appear often at times of personal crises and at such passage points as births and deaths. Sunbathing on a Caribbean beach with her friend Sandy, Mary found herself thinking sadly about Beth, a mutual friend of theirs who had died unexpectedly two weeks earlier. Softly, she started humming "Amazing Grace." When she finished, Sandy said, "That's so strange. I was just thinking about Beth, and `Amazing Grace' was her favorite song." Mary was stunned: she had never associated the song with Beth. They later learned that at the exact time Mary had been humming, Beth's family had been holding a private memorial for her.

Given what I've written above and believe in to a degree, yes, I would agree that the Universe is weird in its way of having an element of the supernatural and that it is at times unsettling and at times delightful.

The Meaning of Time (week 1)

What attracts me to CM: 

I've been receiving acupuncture since my teens and have always enjoyed the effects even if it comes with a prick or ten.

For the last 8 years I've been teaching yoga and the fundamentals of Ayurvedic Medicine, which I thoroughly enjoy as I get to help people live healthier and happier lives.

I'm attracted to studying and practicing Chinese Medicine to broaden my tool set, especially as it relates to herbal medicine and acupuncture and the potential to treat acute conditions.

My mentor also practices Ayurveda and TCM and teaches yoga so it's nice to see how all three can be combined and to see how powerful they can be together.


What do I honestly think of physics, really? 

When I took it in high school I loved it. One of the words most often used to describe me (at least when I was young) was logical, which fits in well to the framework of physics. I also enjoy math so that helps.


Have I ever experienced time "slowing down" or "speeding up"? 

Yes, of course. It's generally at odds with whatever my mind wants it to do :) When I'm eagerly awaiting something, time moves slowly. When I'm dreading something, time moves quickly. When I want a moment to never end, it goes by so quickly.

I think I most experience the "speeding up" of time as it relates to the passing years as I age. I suppose it's all contextual. I'm no longer the one with just a few years under my belt, and I have a lot of experience already to juxtapose whatever I'm experiencing in the moment.


Reflections on "Meaning of Time" class: 

I have always thought of time as something very fixed, and yet it boggles my mind; I am often late or challenged in approximating the way I spend my time. I can never seem to have enough of it, and it seems to be going by faster than I'd like.

The idea that time is flexible is something I don't yet understand. We set so many things by it that to have it be changeable seems unreasonable (which I never like).  I can imagine the way that time changes as it approaches a black hole but it feels just out of reach in terms of understanding. I think I would need to read more about it to better grasp the concept. Right now it just feels like someone is saying the world is flat when I know it to be round and have always experienced it as round. Hmmm

A friend posted this photo to Facebook on May 1st and I had to do a double take. How could one possibly have time for all three of those things in a day? And yet, 8 x 3 = 24. Right now life feels so dominated by the work/school part, which includes a fair amount of travel here and there, that 8 hours for the other two sounds impossible. And yet, very very desirable.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the lessons and material in class progress and encourage me to think.