Culturing the Nervous System
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s words shed profound light on the relationship between the body, the nervous system, and consciousness. He describes how the regular practice of Vedic meditation removes deep-rooted stresses from the nervous system, allowing it to function at its full capacity and realize its original design: to live life in its most refined, expansive, and blissful state. Below, we explore the key themes of his teachings, integrating his direct quotes to illuminate these timeless principles.
The Natural Mechanics of Stress Release
Maharishi explains the deep connection between mental and physical activity during meditation:
“Mental activity has a corresponding activity in the nervous system. The mental state in dreaming consciousness has a particular corresponding state of the nervous system. Waking state of the mind has a particular level of activity on the nervous system.”
Through the inward dive of Vedic meditation, the mind experiences finer states of thought, and mental activity naturally begins to minimize. As a result, the nervous system begins to rest deeply, even more so than in deep sleep. This profound rest allows stresses—deeply ingrained distortions in the nervous system—to release.
“When the mind is experiencing finer states of thought, the activity of the nervous system becomes less and less. With this, the nervous system starts to get deep rest. With this deep rest, deep-rooted stresses begin to be neutralized.”
The Role of Purification and Thought
As the body releases stress during meditation, thoughts may arise. Maharishi frames this not as a distraction but as an integral part of the process of purification:
“A thought is a signal for the mind to go ahead on a second dive. It is not that a thought unstresses this; it’s not. The unstressing of this stress is expressed by a thought. This coming out of the mind is an indication that some purification has taken place.”
Regular practice of Vedic meditation allows this cycle of inward and outward strokes—diving into transcendence and releasing stress—to happen effortlessly. Each session refines the nervous system further, gradually restoring it to its natural state of balance and clarity.
The Creation of Soma and Refined Perception
As the nervous system becomes purified, its natural functioning improves, leading to extraordinary benefits on both the physical and experiential levels:
“As meditation grows, the abnormalities are neutralized. What happens is, specifically in the system, with the removal of abnormalities or blocks which restrict normal functioning, the system begins to function normally. And this means what we eat gets digested in a way that the product of digestion is favorable to bliss consciousness.”
Maharishi refers to this refined product of digestion from the Rig Veda— soma, a subtle chemical that enhances perception, enriches the senses, and refines emotions and intellect.
“The most desirable product is produced, and this, assimilating in the nervous system, produces more enriched vision. It enriches life. It enriches the appreciation of creation. And when this appreciation reaches its height, perception is so greatly refined that the finest relative value shows up. The finest relative value is supreme value in the whole creation.”
This enriched perception eventually culminates in unity consciousness, where every object of perception is seen as infused with infinite value.
The Role of Diet and Daily Living
Maharishi emphasizes the importance of supporting meditation with balanced habits, such as mindful eating and maintaining a lifestyle that doesn’t overburden the system:
“When change of chemistry and neutralization of negative values or abnormalities in the system is aimed, it is vital that we be careful what we put in. Here comes the importance of diet.”
However, he also highlights that the emphasis should not be placed on perfectionism or overthinking these routines:
“We should have a routine where we don’t have to think every day about what I should eat, what I should not eat, or where I should meditate. It should be a part of daily routine, and we don’t make a fuss about it. Live a neat, good, graceful, enjoyable life.”
Restoring the Blueprint of Life
Maharishi explains that the human nervous system was originally designed to live the infinite value of life, but the knowledge of this design was lost over time. Through meditation, this blueprint is restored, allowing us to live life as it was intended:
“The initial design of the Creator for man had been to create a nervous system which will live the absolute value of life, which will live in his individuality the infinite value of life. The system was designed basically for that, but just because the blueprint was lost, man remained enjoying very finite, trivial values of life.”
Now, with the knowledge of Vedic meditation restored, this potential is accessible once again:
“The blueprint is restored, the knowledge of life is restored, and now is the time to start using this building to the desire of the architect. The Creator has created this machinery for living infinite value, and one should not be satisfied by living anything less than the infinite absolute.”
Living the Full Potential of Consciousness
The practice of Vedic meditation allows us to systematically release stress, refine our nervous system, and live a life of increasing clarity, bliss, and unity. As Maharishi concludes:
“It is vital that we preserve this beautiful machine from being polluted in any sense of the word, and then structure it, refine it. The natural procedure is there. We don’t have to do much about it. Just release stresses and blocks, and then we structure our future for something grand and great.”
Through regular practice, we can return to the full potential of consciousness, cultivating a life where both the inner and outer worlds are experienced as infinitely rich and deeply harmonious.