Discover the intriguing connections between the brain, body chemistry, and blissfulness, as Sadhguru shares insights supported by cutting-edge research from prestigious institutions. Learn how to take charge of your personal chemistry lab to transform your life.
Questioner: You spoke about creating the best possible chemistry within ourselves. How can we cultivate that magical chemistry to enhance every moment of our lives?
Sadhguru: Numerous studies have been conducted by prestigious institutions such as the University of California, Rutgers University, Indiana University, and Harvard Medical School, who collaborated on certain research projects. One study, for example, focused on the Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya, a foundational practice taught in the Inner Engineering process. Practitioners are required to practice for a minimum of 40 to 48 days. This time frame referred to as one mandala is based on certain physiological cycles that complete themselves within 40 to 48 days.
The study found that after practicing Shambhavi Mahamudra for one mandala, the participants’ brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased substantially, and so did the levels of anandamides and other endocannabinoids. The human body has the most complex chemistry that you can find on the planet.
If you knew how to manage your system well, you would not create a chemistry of anxiety or misery, but one of blissfulness. When blissfulness is a natural choice, then why is it not happening for you? The question is whether you are a good CEO or a lousy CEO of this sophisticated chemical factory. To create the necessary coherence, it is essential to approach it in a certain way.
After practicing Shambhavi Mahamudra for one mandala, the participants’ brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased substantially.
For instance, in Tamil Nadu, even today in village houses, people store water in a copper or brass pot, which is meticulously cleaned with tamarind, adorned with vibhuti and kumkum, and treated with great reverence. A Japanese scientist has proven that water has memory. How you treat it has an impact on its molecular structure.
There are many temples in Tamil Nadu where the water flows over the deity, and people wait just to get a few drops of it. That is because the water carries the memory of the divine. In this culture, there is a whole science about how to store, approach, and treat water. This is important because the water you drink, the air you breathe, and the food you eat are not commodities – they are life-making material.
You are made of these elements. If you do not treat them appropriately, their structure will change and accordingly affect your system. We have created so many things in the modern world that cannot be rolled back, including the types of sounds, vibrations, and forces that our bodies are exposed to.
At least what you do at home, and what you do within yourself is in your hands. You cannot change the whole world, but you can change how you treat yourself, and what goes into your system. Food is not only for entertainment, taste, or nourishment – it becomes part of your body. You have great concern for your body, but when food is in a container, it is often treated carelessly.
Human intelligence holds the greatest potential in the known universe, if only we utilize it consciously.
Changing your body’s chemistry is not only about food; it is also about your thoughts and emotions. Learning to hold your thoughts and emotions in a certain way can substantially change the body’s chemistry. Scientific evidence supports this, as research at Harvard Medical School has shown.
As human beings, we are the peak of evolution, the height of intelligence, and the pinnacle of competence on this planet. But our competence, intelligence, and position at the top of the evolutionary ladder have become a problem. This is because once you attain this level of sophistication of life, having such a body and mind, you are supposed to do everything consciously. But you still want to function unconsciously.
The other creatures are not as unconscious as you are. Every animal on the planet has identified the best food for their needs, but the most intelligent species on the planet is still debating about the best food to consume.
Human intelligence holds the greatest potential in the known universe, if only we utilize it consciously. That is why we will be launching a global movement called Conscious Planet in 2024.
