CHAPTER 2
The Secret of Your Somatic Cells
T
he human body consists of five trillion cells, an inconceivable
number. These cells are about 1,000 times smaller than the
objects in your normal world, such as a lamp. Your cells produce everything essential to living out of the oxygen and food absorbed by the
body: proteins, energy, hormones, and more. They serve as living recycling stations and mend your body after an injury. Any type of pain and
every tension you experience is dependent upon the cell’s condition.
Cells are able to move and have their own skeletons. They are active
and intelligent. They achieve connections, and they communicate
amongst each other in a manner that makes any modern telecommunication seem primitive. This book explains how we can get in touch with
our cells in a positive health-giving way. The goals are rejuvenation,
health, power, confidence, vitality, and well-being. Your physical existence begins with the cell.
The instruments to create the changes we desire are always available to
us: imagination and movement. Modern science tells us that thoughts
influence the body through a cascade starting in the brain and moving
through neuronal connections, cells, molecules, and, finally, genes.
Over time, the heart’s health matches the mood created by our recurring thoughts. The fitness of one’s blood vessels adapts to one’s level of
stressful or non-stressful perception of one’s world. Well-being is the
immune system’s barometer. Our physical, emotional, and mental
behaviors create the environment in which our cells reside, and, by
doing so, these same influences affect our genetic makeup. Our brain
cells regenerate if we move our bodies amply and with joy. Even just 20
years ago these statements would have sounded rather esoteric, yet
today, because of the emerging sciences of neuroplasticity and epigenetics, they are no longer taken so lightly. The field of inquiry into
mind-body-mind influence has come of age.
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A large part of the way in which we influence our cells takes place below
our level of awareness—unconsciously and automatically. Even so, our
intention and our efforts at understanding our bodies and our minds
matter. We can decide to support our cells with the words we speak
internally and externally, with imagery and empathy; doing so, we get
in touch with the living building blocks of our bodies.
You are a unity of cells collaborating to create what you consider to be
you. Is it worthwhile to become aware of your constituents? Satprem
(1982) quotes the Mother in the book The Mind of the Cells: “Now I see.
... It would be like a unity, a unity made of innumerable—billions, you
know—innumerable bright points. A single consciousness—made of
innumerable bright points conscious of themselves. But it’s not the sum
of all the points! It’s not that, not a sum; it’s a unity. But an innumerable
unity” (section 68.86).
Positions for Exercising
Many of the exercises in this book can be done while moving, others
seated, and some reclined. Don’t be surprised if you feel tension in a
particular spot that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the area
of focus. We often feel a reaction in the areas where we are the most
tense at the time, even if the exercise is focusing on something else. As
you continue practicing, this tension will melt away and leave you with
a feeling of integrated well-being.
To practice Constructive Rest in the supine position, lie down with
your knees angled at 90 degrees. Your feet are positioned solidly on the
ground, and your legs are aligned parallel to each other (see my books
Inner Focus, Outer Strength and Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance). Advantages of Constructive Rest include relief for your back
and easier flow of blood to the heart.
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Illustration 1: Lying supine in the Constructive Rest position
helps to relax your back.
Cells in Comparison with Sand on the Beach
The human body consists of many different types of cells, all originating from a single fertilized egg. The cells in your body today have
developed through a complex transformation called differentiation.
This process is taking place all the time as new cells are born. In the
marrow of certain bones of your body, one or two million new red and
white blood cells are produced every second. The red blood cells, or
erythrocytes, are responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. The
white blood cells, or leukocytes, are an important part of the immune
system.
Before we take a closer look at the cells’ composition and tasks, however, let’s begin our journey to the inside of the body with our first cell
imagery exercise.
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