I write this while cruising along at a smooth 100 mph towards Kyoto, contemplating the future of humanity.
For one, the huge stock market plunge in the US has me wondering if everyone's money is safe. Surely we all know that "the dollar" is just an idea we made up. But I suspect this understanding has been mostly intellectual, not a sock-in-the-gut realization that one's life savings could hypothetically vanish in a matter of moments. Perhaps there will be a surge of midlife crises as a result, many more of us realizing just how fleeting and fictional our world really is.
For another, I've been hearing a lot of talk about the imminent population collapse. Apparently, because women are having fewer children (below the replacement rate of ~2.1), we are not sustaining the older generation. This is not good news. For all the sh*t-talking we do about the devastating impact humans have on the environment, the economic consequences of a population decline will not be pretty.
(Note: this effect is especially pronounced in countries like Japan, Korea, and China, whose replacement rate is at a record low of nearly 0.74. Anecdotally, I see its effects in the Japanese population; a staggering imbalance between old and young.)
And the cherry on top: AI agents, synthetic biology, and humanoid robots are just around the bend!
Not sure what all of it means, but I am certain of one thing: things ain't going back to normal. Life on this planet will continue to get stranger and stranger. And we need to be psychologically prepared for it by learning to cool the waters of our unruly minds.
Anyways...I hope you enjoy this week's {Body} • {Mind} • {Soul} Newsletter and have a beautiful Sunday, - Ethan ॐ
Ethan Hill Owner, Yoga with Ethan
Shoulder stand before bedtime
Salamba sarvangasana – aka shoulder stand – is known as the queen of all yoga poses for its remarkable ability to prepare the body for deep sleep.
Yes: going upside-down helps you enter sleep!
Several physiological mechanisms contribute to this powerful effect:
First, inverting positions your brain below your heart, significantly reducing how hard your heart needs to pump to circulate blood to your brain. Your brain registers this shift and signals your heart to slow down, which cascades through your entire nervous system, initiating relaxation.
Second, the pose naturally compresses your throat, gently pressing on the vagus nerve that runs through this area. This vagus nerve stimulation is crucial for activating your parasympathetic nervous system — your body’s rest and digest response.
As a natural consequence of this throat compression, your breathing must slow dramatically, creating yet another signal to your system to power down and prepare for rest.
Finally, practicing in a dark room with closed eyes provides additional light-related cues that reinforce to your body that it’s time for sleep.
Practice
Note: Please be careful when practicing salamba sarvangasana; if done improperly, it can put unnecessary strain on your sensitive cervical vertebra.
Always practice shoulder stand on a padded surface, using folded blankets under your shoulders (not your neck or head).
Begin by lying on your back, arms alongside your body with palms down.
With an exhale, bend your knees and bring them toward your chest, then straighten your legs up toward the ceiling.
Press your arms firmly into the ground for support, and use your hands to lift your hips off the floor, bringing your torso perpendicular to the ground.
Support your lower back with your hands, keeping your elbows shoulder-width apart and fingers pointing upward along your spine.
Begin with 1-2 minutes and gradually build to 5-7 minutes for maximum sleep benefits.
To come down, slowly lower your legs over your head into Halasana (Plow Pose) briefly, then roll down vertebra by vertebra.
Follow with a gentle Fish Pose (Matsyasana) to counter-stretch your neck.
An unfortunate assumption non-meditators make is thinking that meditation leads to emotional detachment, resulting in a boring, stuffy life.
This delusion comes from the misunderstanding of the Buddhist’s second noble truth, which essentially states that suffering is the result of attachment.
We hear the above statement and then logically conclude “well…if attachment creates suffering, then detachment must end suffering. And since I don’t want to become detached from my life, I’ll just stick to attachment, even if that means suffering.”
Alas, if only these people knew that the opposite of attachment is not detachment…it’s non-attachment.
Non-attachment is about full engagement without clinging. It’s the ability to be completely present with your experience — whether joyful or painful — without desperately trying to hold onto it or push it away.
Think of it like this: when you’re watching a sunset, you can either frantically try to capture the perfect photo (attachment), completely ignore it while scrolling your phone (detachment), or simply drink in the experience fully, at peace with its finitude (non-attachment).
The attached person suffers when the moment ends. The detached person misses it entirely. The non-attached person experiences its beauty completely and then gracefully lets it go.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Do you still have the nagging feeling that this Universe is apathetic towards your existence? Do you really believe that the Source of all life doesn’t care if you thrive or not?
Sometimes perception puts a heavy cloud on our shoulders and convinces us that no happy ending can come of this — that we will be stuck at this level of the game forever.
But just as the tiny seed must work day and night to break through the heavy blanket of soil covering its inheritance of light, so too must you be persistent in this period of darkness.
Have faith and look up. This place does not have to be what you think it is. Reclaim what is rightfully yours, and watch the blessings and revelations roll in.
Journal
Jot down 10 things that you are skeptical or fearful of. Get it all out on paper. And then imagine looking at this list through the eyes of a wise friend. What advice might they give you?