hormones and meditation

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

I read a very interesting study this year about a research that was done on runners and meditators in their late twenties and early thirties.

the basic gist of the thing was the the runners high, which is basically believed to occur due to release of beta endorphin in the brain, is also commonly seen as occuring in people who practice mindfullness for extended periods of time.

basically, the meditators were able to achieve the same positive hormonal feeling response to the runners. but without physical exertion.

 

 

Now, having said that, I'm super keen on tea drinking.

I had wondered for ages why it might be that tea often triggers many of the same responses as meditation and qi gong in the mind and body.

i was lucky enough to find information on the effect of theanine, which is one of the constituent components of tea other than caffeine. this compound is said to calm the brain and sharpen the senses, much like meditation does.

 

I'm really keen to put out a feeler to see what other kinds of information people have about the relationship between meditation and the hormones/cns.

 

any takers?

[Yasjua]

L-theanine is truly an amazing chemical compound. I take 50-100mg 1 - 2 times per day as a bulk powder. I'm more of a coffee drinker and supplementing l-theanine completely eliminates jitters, heart-rate fluctuation, blood vessel dilation, mania and the feeling of 'crashing.' It's a well studied compound and is now known as a neuroprotective amino acid with mood-elevating and anxiolytic effects. It's found mainly in two of my favorite substances in the world - fungi and green tea.

 

 

L-Theanine (γ-glutamylethylamide), a unique amino acid present almost exclusively in the tea plant, has recently received research interest in the neuroscience community with findings of neuroprotective effects [see Kakuda (9)] and mood effects indexed both by subjective self-reports (10) and via psychological and physiological responses to stress (11). Using electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings in humans, Kobayashi et al. (12) and Juneja et al. (13) reported that activity within the alpha frequency band (8–14 Hz) increased in reaction to L-theanine ingestion when measured during a state of rest.

 

Source: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/8/1572S.long

 

I've been trying to find out more about the positive effect masturbation seems to have on my CNS, so I'm gonna check in again to see if I can learn more from other members.

[sifuaminjani]

a balance of horomones and neural transmitters has a huge role on spiritual development.

[Yasjua]

a balance of horomones and neural transmitters has a huge role on spiritual development.

I agree. Discovering the power of neurotransmitter balance was in itself a sort of awakening for me. I had chronic issues with fatigue, self-consciousness, and mild personality dysfunction that years of psychotherapy and meditation had almost no effect on. I started experimenting with natural and synthetic chemicals and discovered that supplementing my Acetylcholine and GABA levels, and regulating activity at my dopamine receptors straightened those issues out almost instantaneously. As someone who shunned science for a long time, this came as a very welcome reality check. Spirituality in harmony with an education in modern biochemistry has worked wonders for me.

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

any specific reason for masturbation rather than sex?

[Yasjua]

They have totally different effects on me. Sex primarily affects my feeling of connection to my partner. Masturbation seems to chill my nervous system out. I guess sex feels more hormonal and spiritual to me. I end every masturbation session pondering the relaxing sensations in my body, particularly my heart area and my legs.

[RiverSnake]

The Secret Smile is a very powerful technique existing in many systems.

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/9719-dr-morriss-secret-smile-breathing-basic-kap-1-giri-for-the-tao-bumbs/?hl=%20glenn%20%20morris

Edited December 11, 2014 by OldChi