Liberating the Genetics: From Determinism to Determination [Part 1]

This article is split into two parts. In part one, we explore why there are so many misconceptions about genetic influence. In part two, we will look at specific exercises you can do, as well as taking your understanding further. According to Yogic lore and martial arts sciences, the energy body contains genetic factors which influence the physical body. Within this energy structure there are certain influences which can determine the outcome of the physical expression of this nature. We will explore how this is so.

“Nature itself has programmed our energies to a certain point. How we evolve further is largely down to our own conscious development.”

When we talk about genetics, something we need to understand is the influence they have over our physiology. The genetic components make us human, and to a large degree they makes us driven to succeed in life. They are for liberation and expansion. They have gone through millions of years of evolution. This has lead to a high level of complexity. Deep within our cells, there genes act like a kind of hardware. So this aspect of our genetics is fixed, but the expression is open to infinite possibility. Let’s see how this is so.

It is no wonder that genetic complexity can become confusing in our minds. It can appear to be a huge mess, just because it plays out in a haphazard way. But this mess can be made into a complex and beautiful symphony. By arranging the components in an organised way, the cacophony of influences in life can be harnessed for our benefit. Then you have an organised mess which is perfectly coherent. This arrangement of a potential mess and disaster is what martial arts aims towards.

We need to also understand the factors which genetics do not in themselves influence. Say for instance, you have a genetic predisposition to some sort of disease. This predisposition need not become an overwhelming influence on your experience of life. In fact, the influence over your life can be reduced dramatically depending on the kinds of martial arts or other health practices you engage in. Nor does it mean you will end up on the operating table in need of medical intervention because of this predisposition.

Genetic predisposition means there is some sort of factor which may increase the likelihood of something happening, which at the same time has to do with a whole host of other entangled factors. What this has to do with sealing your fate or determining your genetic inferiority or superiority has been debated throughout history. In fact, genetics and hereditary predisposition are so intertwined with traditions, social customs, and unconscious behaviours, that it is impossible to separate these factors. So by adapting your attitude and behaviour, it is held in traditional martial arts circles that you can actually influence your own destiny directly by adjusting these factors.

Separating the entanglement

When one factor is entangled with many other factors, this gives the appearance of all the factors being one big mess. So when everything becomes a mess in your perception, it is natural to try to control things and limit your experience of life. Many people think that by limiting their experience, they gain control over the situation. This is true to some extent, and is enough for some individuals. Others will want to liberate themselves from such impositions and controlling circumstances altogether. It is like how a bind weed attaches itself to a plant. You can separate the bind weed off so that the rest of the plant grows, or accept the entangled weed as part of the overall construct of the plant. Once you eradicate the weed, it becomes necessary to weed some more too.

Say for example, you have a genetic predisposition to stress. This is at once an evolutionary tendency, as well as being developed within the high pressure situations you were brought up in and have experienced. So it is possible to experience this evolutionary pressure as a negative thing, and to label it as bad. However, pressure is not in and of itself a bad thing necessarily. It becomes a bad thing when the mind fixates on it and inflates its influence over your experience of life. However, it is only part of the overall mixture of life. You can increase the percentage of this mixture so that whatever you materialise becomes a high percentage part stress. We will look at how this works shortly.

Increasing receptivity

Often the best way to influence the disposition of a person is when they are least aware of it. This is why certain practices and ways of life have been promoted in martial arts according the the individuals level of receptivity. From an early age, a martial arts practitioner would be put into intensive work, as well as brought up in the right atmosphere. During the early years of childhood, the young martial artist was yet to build up a wall of resistance. His involvement with martial arts was indiscriminate. It is not that you cannot remain this way later in life. You can, it is just that societal influences tend to push people into narrow identifications, to specialise into a particular role.

Say you are asleep. Your body is in a relaxed state so that you are open to rest and regeneration. In the same way, if you have brought down the stress levels within yourself, through martial arts practices or mediative exercises for instance, then your receptivity to factors other than stress is increased. You have brought your internal mixture down to those elements which are receptive to more sustainable resources, rather than reactive just to high intensity situations. When this is experienced directly, this is when the masters message can be most keenly appreciated and heard. Otherwise you remain unreceptive and distracted, or even dismissive.

It is entirely possible that you will go back to normal ways of life after a profound experience, so it is always advisable to maintain a certain level of discipline appropriate to your experience. What this means is that a profound experience can change your receptivity to things, but at the same time you will require a certain level of discipline and willpower to keep up this level of receptivity. This is why it is said that you reap what you sow, or that the process of work should be focused on rather than the results.

It is like if you cultivate a flower, you will need to do the weeding in order to flourish. Or, if you want to create a sense of wellbeing and pleasantness within your chemistry, you will need a higher percentage of oxygen to the brain, as well a lower percentage of stress hormone build up. This is one simple example. Say you bring down the stress hormone build up, by engaging in breathing exercises or martial arts forms consciously. Your body will remain the same to look at. It was just the the internal mixture haw changed. You might have a higher proportion of oxygenated blood, or an increased blood flow. The are all small examples of how things look the same, but the experience, particularly over time, changes your whole perception.

Determination over nature

Aside to being predisposed to stress, there may be many other factors, such as lifestyle, social dynamics, diet, etc., all of which may contribute to health ailments, or good health. From early childhood, many people have been told discriminate against certain things around them. In doing so they may have accidentally limited their scope for development. For example, someone might control their exposure to germs or types of food excessively. This often becomes detrimental to their overall health. There are cases where this is necessary of course. On the other hand, a more varied diet and acceptance of potentially stressful situations can build a tolerance towards what would otherwise be debilitating. So the same pressure to evolve as a species can become an inhibiting factor leading to health ailments. There are exceptions to what I am saying, but even so, it is possible to reduce the ill effects of certain disorders by amplifying the positive impact of surrounding factors.

In martial arts, it is said that the energy body can become inflated, or compressed depending on the types of activity one engages in. The energy body is in many ways describing the genetic material of the body. It can be a chaotic mess, or it can be an organised chaos. This is why according to tradition, certain warrior clans would enforce strict discipline in terms of life style and diet. They would therefore develop within the warrior a certain rigour and resilience, even under extreme pressure. The idea was to influence the genetic material of the body in an energy sense, rather than by controlling external factors. In doing so, the body would naturally become more invigorated and less reactive to external factors, which may otherwise prove detrimental. The idea was to influence the determined factors of the body, so that your actions determined natures influence.

When the genetic material is spread vastly over the body, it is felt everywhere in an extended sense. In Chinese medicine this is known as externalising the Qi. There is said to be a certain level of so called pre birther qi, which we see children externalising quite naturally and harmlessly. All that is needed is the right level of nurturing. What is lacking in modern society is what to do about the rest of the energy which enters the body after around the age of thirteen onwards. There have of course been elaborate practices developed in systems of martial arts and yoga which aim to install a sense of inner power and self liberation. The disciple who follows these practices diligently and unwaveringly will eventually gain control of nature, and liberate themselves.

The externalisation of energy after childhood is essentially survival based. This is necessary in certain situations, such as when fighting an enemy for instance. Obviously, during normal activity it just goes where nature intends it to. When this Energy is concentrated in a certain spot, usually the Hara Centre or the lower abdomen, it becomes a potent and concentrated force. The Hara Centre is the seat of the self, and it is from here that the energies gather and can be sent upwards to the brain, according to Yogic and Martial Arts tradition.

Nature itself has programmed our energies to a certain point. How we evolve further is largely down to our own conscious development. This is what the internal martial arts practices aim at. And without the necessary restraint and protective atmosphere, these internal forces of energy could easily be mishandled or overwhelm the individual. It is for this reason that such practices were kept secret. Instead of articulating this scientifically, it was often done through symbolism. For example, the awakening of the dragon when the hero arises means that when you obtain mastery over your energies, that is precisely when you need to take maximum responsibility and become fully involved in your practices. This often falls at your feet rather than being a chosen responsibility.