Western science barely permits the notion of a universal energy 'force' but for many thousands of years Eastern philosophies have been pervaded by a vital sea of energy. The ancient Chinese called it 'chi' or 'life-force'. The vedic scripture of India referred to 'prana' or 'the breath of life'.
Eastern and Ayurvedic medicine were founded on the basis understanding and regulating the flow of this energy around the human body to cure illness. Yogis and mystics mediated and performed acts of physical endurance to cultivate this energy and direct it to enhance longevity and concentration. This vital life force is said to be behind the development of mental capacities and extra sensory perception.
Whether you see this energy as metaphor or as material fact in the 1960's the discovery of 'another' force became the number one goal of Soviet scientific research. Unlocking the key to the vast reserves of human potential would give them the military upper hand. "The discovery of the energy associated with psychic events will be as important if not more important than the discovery of nuclear energy," said Dr. L.L. Vasiliev, founder of Soviet parasychology.
Using Kirlian photographic techniques that were to become popular with new-agers in California, the Soviets discovered they could observe energy coursing along the pathways described by Chinese acupuncture and yogic scripture. This energy among other things responded to music, relaxation and the regulation of breathing. These findings were supported by discoveries in the west of electro-magnetic fields that bound living things within a web of energy.
It appears that there is an constant exchange of energy within us and with our environment that has largely gone unrecognised in the west. With careful training, cosmonauts and athletes were able to draw on this energy to perform seemingly superhuman feats, most notably in the 1976 Montreal Olympics where the Russians won fourty-seven gold medals and the the tiny nation of East Germany won fourty.
Similar techniques have been applied to language learning, enabling students to learn languages in weeks, not years. The techniques involve acheiving a state of relaxed concentration through creative visualisation and breathing in combination with Baroque music. Learning sessions are structured to deliver material in strict intervals which fit breathing patterns timed to music. Before you next sit down to learn a language it might be worthwhile investigating the science of superlearning.
Brett Fyfield is an expert on language acquisition and publishes a blog for Japanese language and culture lovers at blog.rainbowhill.com.au Rainbowhill Language Lab. He is currently working on an blog.rainbowhill.com.au/p/learn-to-read-manga.html e-book about manga, and growing his newsletter subscriber base. Most afternoons you will find him sitting in a rocking chair in his garden tapping away on an old notebook computer.
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