The Body School: 14-Day Course: The Four Systems

The Body School: 14-Day Course: The Four Systems

The Body School Sessions are a series of best-of lectures/practices designed to potentiate your health, wellness & refinement of current body knowledge. There is no pre-req to being part of any of these programs, other than an excitement to bridge deeper teachings with the human body.

This volume is entitled The Body/Mind's Four Systems: A 14-day course into the digestive, lymphatic, nervous and endocrine systems and the nexus with your vital life energy.

Course Syllabus:

Day One: Welcome + Journaling Exercise (15 minutes)

Day One: (1hr, 11min)
- Introduction to the Course
- Anatomy & Esoteric Anatomy: How are they the same?
- Comparison of the “nadis” and the four systems
- An overview of the “chakras” and the endocrine system
- A visualization highlighting the power of the human nervous system
- Ending with a supine meditation into major energy centers

Day Two, Part One: (1:02 min)
- Introduction to the Nervous System
- Axes & Planes of the Nervous System
- The Nervous System & Common Terms Used in Nervous System Teachings
- The Basics of the CNS, PNS and SNS
- The Neuron
- Glia – Microglia, Oligodendrocytes & Astrocytes
- Stage One of Norman Doidge’s work on healing the brain

Day Two, Part Two: (36 min)
- Stages Two to Five of Norman Doidge’s work on healing the brain: neurostimulation, neuromodulation, neurorelaxation/sleep and neurodifferentiation.
- Introduction to the lobes of the brain

Day Three, Part One: (56 min)
- Grounding Introduction Om and Breath
- “Physiological sigh”
- A 9 min video share of a TED Talk on Neurogenesis (the generating of new neurons in the adult brain and clarity on this)
- 20 min Meditation for brain health & cleansing the brain

Day Three, Part Two: (14 min)
- The brain – the cortex and all of its strange bumps, grooves and gyri
- The six layers of the neocortex
- Review & Purpose of the Cerebralspinal fluid (CSF)

Day Three, Part Three: (42 min)
- The Twelve Cranial Nerves
- Introduction to the Limbic System: The thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala

Day Three, Part Four: (29 min)
- An intro to the endocrine system 101
- Hormones 101 & supportive organs to the endocrine system
- Its parallel with yoga’s chakra system
- An ending 20 min meditation and short ending breath practice (pranayama)

Day Four, Part One: (27 min)
- An article share of “your brain on meditation” – Harvard Study
- A 25 min pre-studying pranayama practice

Day Four, Part Two: (26 min)
- Making sense of why the endocrine system 101 and the chakra system are said to align in the physical and energy body

Day Four, Part Three: (24 min)
- The Adrenal Glands & their hormones
- Common diseases and disorders of the adrenals
- “Adrenal Fatigue” and The HPA Axis and why you need to know about it

Day Four, Part Four: (46 min)
- Continuation of the HPA Axis and the hormones released during stressful experiences
- HPA Axis dysfunction
- Nourishing the Adrenals
- Introduction to the sex hormones
- Dismissing the assumptions and politics of the sex hormones
- The energy anatomy around the sex hormones and second chakra anatomy
- Basic anatomy and functions of the sex hormones
- Disorders and diseases of the sex organs/hormones
- How the sex hormones embodies our joy, pleasure and creative centers

Day Four, Part Five: (20 min)
- A guided/soothing meditation into healing the adrenals

Day Five: (40 min)
- Grounding/opening breath/meditation
- Introduction to the pancreas and its role in digestion and the endocrine system
- Hormones of the pancreas
- Diseases of the pancreas
- Healing practices for the pancreas
- Foods and herbs for the pancreas

Day Six: (1hr 30 min)
- The thymus
- Hormones of the thymus gland
- The thyroid
- Hormones of the thyroid
- Diseases and dysfunctions of the thyroid
- The hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands
- Hormones of the hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands
- Suggested healing practices for the thyroid
- “Calcification” of the pineal gland – the hypothesis and potential implications

Day Seven: (17 min)
- Embodied meditation of all the teachings thus far

Day Eight, Part One: (30 min)
- Review of the endocrine system
- Review and synthesis of all the beginning material and initial inquiry

Day Eight, Part Two: (28 min)
- Review and synthesis of the central nervous system

Day Nine: (1hr, 30 min)
- The Bij Mantras (Seed sounds practice) A synthesizing practice
- An asana practice with deep inquiry – please note, I am giving verbal cues and not doing it in my own body.

Day Ten, Part One: (24 min)
- The Lymphatic System
- Brief History of the Lymphatic System
- Main Features of the Lymph System
- Example of skin brushing for the lymphatic system

Day Ten, Part Two: (15 min)
- The lymphatic system continued
- Lymphatic drainage
- Diseases of the lymphatic system

Day Ten, Part Three: (30 min)
- Lymphocytes
- Inguinal lymph nodes
- Axillary lymph nodes
- Cervical lymph nodes
- Popliteal lymph nodes
- Lymphatic watersheds
- The purpose of lymphatic loads

Day Ten, Part Four: (57 min)
- A guided supine meditation/visualization into the lymphatic system

Day Eleven: (37 min):
- Review of the lymphatic
- Other lymphoid structures and organs
- Bone marrow
- Thymus
- Spleen
- The appendix

Day Twelve: (19 min)
- Wrap of the lymphatic system
- The tonsils and adenoids
- Disorders of the lymphatic system
- Supportive practices for the lymphatic system

Day Thirteen, Part One: (45 min)
- The Digestive System
- A practice to potentiate digestion: a breath practice and meditation/journeling

Day Thirteen, Part Two: (55 min)
- The Digestive System
- The organs and structures of the digestive system
- How food travels through the body
- What is the GI tract?
- The stomach
- Gut bacteria and gut health
- Ways to support gut microbiome
- The gut-brain axis
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Day Thirteen, Part Three: (42 min)
- The Digestive System:
- The gallbladder
- The pancreas
- The small and large intestines
- The liver
- An ending practice for belly tension, visceral massage, relaxing core tension

Day Fourteen: (45 min)

Final class, breath practice (kriya) and final meditation

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Each episode will engage you intellectually and mindfully:

What is your body made up of? What is its optimal health no matter your age or condition? How is it that your body gives clues and is the place where healing can begin? How is your brain related to your gut health? What happens to our brains and all systems when we exercise, drink wine or think positively?

This course is for everyone not just "experts."

Each is a journey divided into chapters that are 15 - 90 min in length.

You can do all courses consecutively or pick and choose what part interests you.

The Body School: 14-Day Course: The Four Systems