A study published by The Lancet in October 2021 revealed ongoing long term lasting effects of the pandemic including:
It throws up a lot of fear, insecurity and so many unanswered questions.
Well, as luck would have it, modern Western psychology is starting to agree with Eastern yogic philosophies when it comes to our ability to manually override our fears.
Here is the premise:
Growing scientific research in psychology has revealed that we in fact do have this extra sense. It is referred to as 'interoception', or the 9th Sense. It is the brain's ability to collect, interpret and be altered by, receptors within our internal organs. It plays a major role in regulating our emotions including negative feelings of sadness, anxiety and even depression.
The Science of Yoga
Having spent the last decade studying and training with yogis in India, America and the UK, I learned how to manually tap into this 9th sense to override fears and create an internal atmosphere of mental health, clarity and wellbeing regardless of the challenges I am facing. The techniques I learned have become my daily practice and are what I train my clients in. They generate a high state of mental, emotional and physical safety, clarity and wellbeing regardless of what life has to throw at you.
We Are Not All Meant To Become Yogis
We are not all meant to go and live in a cave or an ashram and become a Yogi in order to overcome our deepest fears and reach our best version self.
But what if I told you that you can re- train your 9th sense to do this for you while you go about your daily life?
The Brain Body Connection
Interoception is our body's ability to 'sense' or read and accurately interpret our internal environment, being our thoughts, feelings and body sensations. It is distinct from exteroception which is the ability to read and interpret our external world.
Interoception is the interaction of the body with the brain which is constant and largely happens unconsciously.
The current body of scientific findings focuses on ways to bring this 9th Sense perception into conscious control by focusing on the beat of your own heart. Studies have revealed that by listening to our own heartbeat, we can take better care of the mind.
Interestingly, many Eastern meditation practices typically involve meditating on the heart chakra or energy centre.
Our central nervous system, particularly the brain, is primarily responsible for reading, interpreting and dealing with the information coming from our internal environment.
In 2021 Trends in Neurosciences published a "Special Issue on Interoception" paper by Moran Furman. These findings revealed new ways to "tune in" to the body and manually alter its interoceptive signals – techniques that may help treat a host of mental health problems and help us overcome our fears.
It would seem then that science and spirituality both agree. We can train ourselves to 'sense' or become aware of the signals of anxiety, stress, fear and negativity occurring within our body. Then we are better equipped to regulate or moderate the signals going to our brain to overcome our fears, regain a sense of control and safety and make better decisions about our future.
How to Train Your 9th Sense to Manually Create a State of Wellbeing
Spending just 3 to 5 minutes a day to train yourself to deliberately regulate your receptors is all it takes.
The 3 step formula I share with my clients in training them to manually regulate and override stress, anxiety and fears is: