Maxwell’s Demon

Maxwell’s Demon, Yogic Breathing and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Balance is fundamental to all living organisms. Cells must balance Sodium and Potassium ions, Oxygen and Carbon-dioxide, energy and so much more. In addition, your body must also balance temperature, blood pressure, immune function, bank accounts, and time.

In the great and unrelenting river of entropy, flowing towards a future of infinite disorder, life is a temporary vortex of increasing complexity, carried upstream, against the current by the exercise of awareness, analysis and action that we refer to as balancing.

Maxwell’s Demon is a thought experiment in Thermo-dynamics. The demon exercises awareness, analysis and action to reverse entropy. It opens and closes a door connecting two rooms in such a way as to only permit molecules with higher energy to pass in one direction. Over time, one room grows warmer and the other cooler. Entropy is reversed within the microcosm of the experiment, but still increases in the macrocosm.

Coming from physics to biology, I was struck by the similarity of Maxwell’s Demon and the most basic functions of a cellular membrane… selectively allowing some ions and molecules to pass in or out of the cell. Awareness, Analysis and Action at the most basic level.

One of the most critical systems in your body that must remain in balance is your immune system. If it is sluggish, you are unable to fight off infections or cancer effectively. On the other hand, if the immune system is overly aggressive, you might suffer from auto-immune diseases, like allergies, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, fibro-myalgia or lupus. But this list may need to be expanded.

A recent newsletter, published by Harvard Medical School, referred to “The four horsemen of the medical apocalypse – coronary artery disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s” and makes a strong case that chronic inflammation from a stress induced overactive immune system may be the underlying cause of all four diseases.

After reading this newsletter, I performed a quick google search for ‘breathing and chronic inflammation’ and turned up a new study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine  that found that yogic breathing for just 20 minutes was able to lower stress-related markers of inflammation.

Yogic breathing is one of the most effective methods for restoring balance to the immune system. If you are new to pranayama (breath work), I have a series of 7 free instructional videos on Pranayama on my website. Pranayama employs awareness, analysis and action to restore balance to our breath, and through the breath to the body, mind and spirit.

In closing, here are 5 of my favorite quotations on the breath.

It’s funny, but you never really think much about breathing. Until it’s all you ever think about. ~ Tim Winton

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Each breath is like a little rebirth, a renaissance that can only be celebrated if we recognize that it’s happening. ~ Cristen Rodgers

Deep breaths are like little love notes to your body. ~ Anon.

There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then there’s another way; a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity. ~ Rumi