How our ears connect us with our brain

India Inc. yoga expert unravels the ancient Indian practice of erring pupils being made to pull their ears as punishment. In the Vedic tradition of education, disciplinary action on students was based on the principle that students made mistakes because of a lack of awareness. The Guru's job was therefore simply to address that issue in order to bring the student back on track. In the seemingly infinite wisdom of these sages, they developed techniques that increased awareness allowing students to better grasp their scholarly endeavours. How did they do it They made their students pull their ears. In last month's column, I shared some exercises that one can perform at the desk to alleviate the build-up of tension from sitting and staring at a computer screen all day. This month we are going to go into a little detail about the how and the why and we're going to develop the techniques a little further. Our ears are incredibly sophisticated structures that manipulate sound frequencies funnelling and filtering them into the ear canal, separating frequencies, creating better resolution and bringing about clarity in what we hear. The device responsible for doing this is referred to as the “Pinna”. This is the component of the ear that is external to the head and we see as these flappy odd looking projections that some people feel the need to decorate with rings and studs. Have you ever taken the time to study your ear They are totally ridiculous and if they are anything like mine, one sticks out more than the other in the most deplorable architectural manner. Grab your ears and have a play around with them. You'll notice that the lobe is softer and free compared with the upper more cartilaginous structure. There are ridges and folds that appear to be very purposeful and they are. The soft tissue that forms our ears are connected to an incredibly delicate and intricate collection of tissues inside the head called dura mater. Dura mater is a tough but thin membrane that provides a protective covering over the whole brain. Part of that membrane is a section referred to as the Falx cerebri or the Tentorium Cerebelli. This membrane separates the rear (occipital) lobe of the brain from the cerebellum providing mechanical and physiological division and support to the brain inside the bony cage of the cranium. The tissues forming your ears are connected to these membranes and as you play around with your ears there will be a sense of relief in your head and behind your eyes. The reason is that the nerves that innervate this membrane are division of the ophthalmic nerve and other cranial nerves supplying the cranium. Just like when we have a massage, the tissues are invigorated and innervated, we are doing the same to our brain when we gently pull on the ears and play with them, massaging them and the temporal regions. You can begin to understand why in the ancient days, the wise didn't judge, didn't scold, they just made the student pull their ears to enliven the minds of their students. Let's start by sitting upright with both your feet flat on the floor. Ensure your thighs and abdomen are relaxed. Start to pull on both your ears as you are very slowly micro-millimetre by micro-millimetre pulling them apart. Observe the sensations in your head especially behind your eyes, when you feel complete gradually release. Remember you're not pulling your ears off, just apart. Imagine there's a band in-between them (which I've just explained there actually is) and you're pulling that band taught. Next I want you to repeat the above but by grabbing different parts of the ear and observing the difference in the sensation and build-up of tension in the head. You can pull the lobes, pull on the tougher middle and upper parts of the ear, just do each section one at a time. Now grabbing the middle section of your ear between your thumb and the medial (inside) aspect of your index fingers' knuckle, pull one ear up towards the ceiling and the other down towards your shoulder. Now move your ears in a circular motion as though your cycling using your hands as feet and the ears as peddles. I am totally aware of how ridiculous that sounds, but just do it and carry on concentrating/observing the feeling in your head. You are pulling your ears in opposing directions in a circular motion. Once you've done that three-five times in one direction, switch and do the same in the other direction. Now massage the Tragus, this is the prominence of skin that stands in front of the canal which when you push blocks the canal preventing you from hearing. Push your Tragus into the ear canal gently occluding the ear massaging away in a circular motion. Gently massage away into the temples. Don't push into the bone, just stretch the skin and the thin layers of muscle up and down and into the TMJ (tempero mandibular joint), otherwise known as the jaw joint. When you feel complete, take your fingers behind the ears towards the back of the head and stretch the skin forming the scalp at the back of the head into the occipital region or the base of the skull into the upper neck. You can repeat this ensuring that you're not digging into the cranium, nor pushing against it, rather stretching the skin and the scalp. SCALP is a word formed from an acronym - Skin, Connective tissue, Aponeurosis, Loose connective tissues and Pericranium. Each of the components are individual layers of tissue with its own specialised function, be it nervous, cardio vascular or as an anchor/ligament for muscles. But they work as a collective and if you press to hard, you'll by-pass the layers and press it against the bone of your skull. When you lightly palpate and stretch it locally, like pulling the skin on the back of your hand, you will feel the layers come away from one another and it will be deeply relaxing. Practicing the above will give you an opportunity to increase your alertness and therefore your awareness. In last month's column, we spoke about dullness and being drained. It's a professional hazard when working hard and focussing deeply on your goals. Now you have a technique that allows you to stay fresh and can potentially prevent you from making mistakes.

Keerti Mathur is an associate at the Gait and Posture Centre at Harley Street in London and has been practicing Osteopathy for 10 years. He is part of the Art of Living faculty and a keen musician. Under the guidance of Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Keerti worked to set up India's first school of Osteopathic medicine in Sri Sri University Orissa.