The therapeutic value of Indian classical dance

2006·3.1 MB·English

by  Sudhakar, Kanaka

The Therapeutic Value
of Indian Classical Dance
KANAKA SUDHAKAR
Asyenaalambayet gitam hastenarthaprasdarshuyet
Chakshubhyam bhavamdarshayet padabhyam talamarchet
",{"1 Jhen reading this famous shloka from the Abhinayadarpanam one is struck by the
VV
factthattheclassicaldancesofIndiaareart formsthataremeanttoencompassevery
vestige and every potential of the human body. In the very next sholka that starts with
'Ymha hasta..• the key element of coordination between the body parts is stressed by
statinghowtheeyes,thehands,themind and the mood shouldbe inperfectharmony with
each other to create that height ofperfection which succeeds in producing rasa in a
spectatoror a rasika.
Inasense Bharatanatyamisacombinationof yoga andmantrasastra. The mudrasof
themantrasastrasarethesameasthe hand gestures of Bhararanatyam. Whendancingon
the beatoftherhythm,as in ayoga exercise.the dancer's body is rid ofits human weak
nesses.andispurified intoaconduitofthespiritualandthe beautiful.However,theexperi
enceoftheartcanbetotalonlyifavarietyofmoodsandfeelings areportrayedand variety
is the soul of the art, The yogi, by controlling his breath, and by modifying his body
acquiresthehaloofsanctity.Evenso.thedancer,whodissolvesheridentity intothe music
and rhythm. makes her body an instrument.at least for the duration ofthe dance for the
experienceandexpressionofthespirit.'- (T.Balasaraswatispeaking aboutBharatanatyarn)
Ithasbeencommonlyobservedandexperiencedthatclassicaldancebenefits thebodyto
agreat extent.Whenmyresearch into the advantagesofthis art fonnbegan.I noticed that
classical dances containallthe components ofbodyconditioning viz.strength,endurance,
power,flexibility,balance,agility,kinestheticawareness.andcardiovascularendurance.
A step-by-stepstudy was conducted on each organsystem to examine how they are
impacted byclassical dance starting fromthe muscularsystem,which hasbeentakenas
themaintrigger.
Themuscularsystem
The movements that form the skeleton of Indian classical dance forms act as muscular
triggersthatstimulatethefunctionofalltheotherparts ofthebodyinsuchaway thateach
panactsinperfectcoordination with otherparts.This psycho-physiological relationshipis
nowhere seen tobeassmoothas it isinIndianclassicaldancine
o
Butthemusclemovementtriggeriseffective aslongasthebrainand itsnervousnetwork
SanguI ,"alal Vol.XL. No.I,2006
THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF INDIANCLASSICAL DAt-OCE 27
istoned,whichhavetostimulatethemuscle,andviceversa.Inotherwordsatonednervous
systemleadsto anactivemuscularsystem.
Thevarietyof movementsandactivitiesinvolvedintheartmakevariousdemandsonthe
brain.ThiscanincreasetheoxygentransportcapacitytothebrainandimprovetheI.Q.That
is.byfeedingthemuscleswiththiskindofactivity weactuallynourishthebrain.Nomuscle
isleftunmovedinanyclassicaldanceform.Thishelpsinstimulatingthemaximumnumberof
nervecellsinthebody aswell.Thusatonednervoussysteminanagileandactive body is
akeytodance therapeutics.
Allidealmovementsystem
Indian classical danceencompassesalmostall the attributesof a perfect conditioningpro
gram.Theconditioned musclesactasan ideal triggersystem to furtherstimulate theeffi
cientworkingoftheorgansofthe body.
Thevarioushandmudrasandmovementsinvolving thedancer'shead,neck,eyes,waist,
shoulders and feet are performed simultaneouslyand symmetrically so that in minimum
possibletime.maximumnumberofmovementsisexecutedThistypeofmovementisknown
assimultaneoussymmetricmovementsystem,SSMforshort.Takingthesmallestpiecefrom
Bharatanatyam-theAlarippu,itwasobservedandcalculatedthatwithinaminisculedura
tionof3minutesatotalnumberof238movementswereperformed withoutthedancerbeing
awareofit!
Thedancerundergoingtrainingperformsinthethree different speeds- Vi/ambit,(slow)
Madhya(medium)andRuth(fast).Inthisprocesshe/she issupposedto keephis/herbody
stilland only move his/her feetandhands.Thisdevelopsasteady balance inhim/herand
tightens calf muscles and other muscles ofthe body.This isunlike other exercises where
beautyisnot3 criteria.The tighteningofthe muscles10 create beauty inspeedis (he most
importantcriteriaofclassicaldancemovementand.achildlearnsthis fromdayone.
This way the three typesofendurance-basic, general andspecific are developed with
long-tennbenefitsofthisartfonn.
TheeffectsofIndianclassicaldance asa movementtriggersystemonthecardio vascular
system(CVS):
Theheart.likeanyothermuscularorgan,needsworktostayhealthyandfit.Butthetrouble
isthatitcannotbemade10workdirectlylikeavoluntarymuscle.Itismadetoworkindirectly
through the voluntary muscle.Butthe workdone by voluntarymuscles isdirectlypropor
tionalto the workdoneby the heart.
Thefactthat notevenoneofthe 10.000skeletalmusclefibersofthebodyshouldbeleft
unused,hasbeenvery welltakencareofbythegreatseerswhocreatedourNatyaVedasand
Sastras,A detailed study has been done and every single part of the body-the head
ishirobhedasi, eyes (drishti bhedasi, neck (gre,va bhedas), Hands (hasta mudras}, feet
(pada Bhedas) etc have been dealt with so that not a single part is left unmoved. This
28 KANAKA SUDHAKAR
automaticallyhelpstheheart toadaptitselfinevery way.
Someoftheadaptationsstudied areas follows:-
ThecontentofOxidativeenzymesis3to4timeshigherinthetrainedmusclethanthe
untrained one.
Thecapillary supplyregisters anincreasein thistype oftraining
Bharatanatyam trainingstrengthens the heart.
Theheartratebecomeslower.
Theefficiency oftbe heart.asa pumping mechanism. is increased by a training in
Bharatanatyam
Inthe contextof. how the useofthe maximum number ofmuscles in the bodyhelpsto
strengthen the heart muscle. our experiments showed that the trained muscle was under
continuous vibration, pressingonthe intra muscular arteries andthus makingeachmuscle
behavelikeaminipump. Imaginethe additionof10,000extra pumpstothewholebody,thus
reducingthe workloadofthe heart andincreasingthelongevityofthe personconcerned.It
is plausible that total lifetime hours ofdance plays a role in the aerobic and anaerobic
adaptationoftheCVS.
The speciality of Indian classicaldance movements is that there is an alternation in
aerobic exercise with vigorous bursts ofanaerobic activity. Due to this there is alternate
work andrestfortheheartandthelungs,whichensuresthatthere isnooxygendeficiency
in suchan exercise.Incidentally. as the stamina ofa dancer increases. he/she experiences
less strain.
This happens because ofthe progressive strengthening ofthe lungs and the heart and a
steadyimprovementincirculation.Thereisprogressivetoningofthemuscularandthenervous
systems. Moreover.agilityofthemovementswithpractice leadstotheeconomyofeffort
General comparisonofdifferentgroups'observations
forMaximalHeart RateTest
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THE THERAPEUTIC VALUEOF INDIANCLASS1CALDANCE 29
Explanation ofthe Firstgraph maximal heart rate
Atrest,theheartisregulatedbysignalsfromthebrainreachitviaparasympatheticnervous
system.Thefunctionofthesenervesistokeeptheheartfunctioningregularlyataslowrate.
Cardiovascular trainingincreases thesensitivity ofthehean towards these nerves andthe
heartrate slows down.
Whentheexerciseprogramstarts,thesympathetic andadrenalglands,locatednearthe
kidneys.secreteachemicalsubstancethatimmediatelyincreasestherateoftheheart. But
the factisthat thishappensevenwhenthere isfear.suspense,orseeingahorrormovie.
Thedifferenceinexerciseisthattheincreaseinheartrateisalsorelatedtoincreaseinthe
Oxygendeliveryto the contracting muscles(inc.in Oxygenconsumption)thisisdirectly
relatedtotheimprovingoftheaerobiccapacity.
Actually theresponseofthehearttoexerciseslowlychangesandastheheartbecomes
fitter,theintensityoftheexerciseprogramalsoincreases.
The graph shows the maximal heart rate with dance training, which decreased asthe
intensityofthetrainingincreased withtimei.e.March2000thenNovember2000andJuly
2001
Theresponseofthehearttoexerciseslowlychangesandastheheartbecomesfitter;the
intensityoftheexerciseprogramalsoincreases.
ThecurriculumofaclassicaldanceformlikeBharatanatyarnstartswithverybasicadams
likethattadavu,Initially,itisanextremelytiringandpainfulexperience.Ascomplex.move
ments are taught, children become fitter and healthier due to asteady state and aerobic
nature ofthese movements.The dancer submits toa strict disciplineof trainingandthe
traditionalanformandfindsfreedomincreativityandexperience.Theenjoymentist01a1and
consistsofdiversepsychomotorandpsychologicalelements.(TheCVSfitnessandmuscu
larfitnessachievedduringa twoyear period wasevaluated usingstandard toolssuchas
peakflowmetertest.walkandruntest. andpulserateetc.with18experimentalandcontrol
groupchildren.)
Efficient perceptionisalteredthroughafullyplannedprogramofprogressivepractice
whichperfectsco-ordination,eliminates unnecessarymovements.accomplishesresultsar
the expense of minimum energy and conditions the muscle structure and circulation to
withstandwithoutharmtheintensivedemandmadeuponthemuscle.Thedifferentpercep
tionsstudiedwithregardtosame, were visual perception,sequentialperception.memory,
voluntarymotoroutputandbrainfunctionandalltheelementsofneurologicalmaturation.
These perceptionssharpen as theyare usedand theirefficiency canbemeasuredwith
certain standard tests.
Astudentwhojoinsacourseofclassicaldanceattheageofeightyearsisfirsttaughtthe
essentials of rhythm and the basic simple steps in which she learns how to balance in
minimumspace,and variousaspectsofspatialorientation.andsequencing.
Visualperception:Visualperceptionfunctionsentailtheabilitytorecognizeordiscrimi
nate between patternsandrelationshipsinspace.It playsanaccentuated role inlearning.
30 KANAKA SUDIIAKAR
particularly in the earliest grades. A child's perception of spatialrelationships entails the
appreciationof properties' relative position. size, contourand the orientation ofstill pat
terns.
Another concomitantof visual perceptionis visual motorco-ordination, which mayde
pendupontheadequacyofspatialperceptionsandconstant monitoring ofvisualfeedback.
Therearemanytasksinwhichachildhastoobtaindatathroughvision andthenutilizethis
data10 planandexecuteamotormovement.
During classical dance training.there are many such visual tasks.This is true for both
nritta and ubhinaya.
ThejatisofBharatanatyarnand Kuchipudiarevisuallypleasingandaesthetic.Thechild
followsGuru'sinstructionsandgraspstheexecutionofdifficult stepsanduseshis/herown
body toachievemasterthestep.The nrittaofclassicaldancingisclassified intoaseriesof
stepseachhavingitspeculiarvisualpattern-straightlines-horizontaldiagonalandverti
cal.Thenwehavecirclesinalldirections.Thentherearemovementswithspecificangles.All
of this provides avisualimaginationto thechild. in understanding shapes,space and fig
ures.
Srouentialorganization:Justaschildrenacquireaschemaforvisionandspace,aschema
for time and sequence emerges during development. Neuro-physicists have located this
functioninthelefthemisphereofthebrain.whiletheappreciationofoverallformandpattern
inthought is located intherighthemisphere.
Much of a child's information gathering and daily activity depends upon sequencing;
thissequentialorganizationiscloselyrelated tomemory.The retentionofsequentialinfor
mationisessential;forfollowinginstructionsathomeand in school.A sequentialfunction
organizesavarietyofsensoryandmotorprocesses.Thesearevisualsequences(exampleof
objects.orsymbols.)andauditorysequences(exampleofnumbers,words.ormusicalnotes).
There arealso sequences inmotoractivity,whichsuggestrelationshipbetween integrated
behaviourandalevel ofsequentialorganization.
Children with any disorder insequential organization will have trouble with memory,
complaintsofnotfollowinginstructionsorgetoverloadedwhen aseriesoforders isgiven.
Observationfrom Indian classical dancing:
ThesyllabusofanIndianclassicaldance likeBharatanatyarnissetinasequentialpattern.A
disciple of Bharatanatyam undergoes a step-by-step increase in the complexity ofthe se
quences and ultimately comes to a stage when helshe can learn the items consisting of
hundredsofsequences.Inthepreliminarysteporadage sequences.atechnicalandgeomet
ricpattern isfollowedthroughout.
Explanation 10 the secondgraph sequential perception
SomestandardtestsweregiventotheexperimentalgroupinMarch 2000.November2000
andJuly 2001.The marksweregivenrangingfrom 10to 20. Itwasseen that the temporal
THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE 31
General comparison ofdifferentgroup's observations
for Sequential Perception Test
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sequentialperceptionimprovedwith theprogressofdancetraining.ThisisbecauseIndian
classical dance involves the use of interesting andcomplex sequences of movementsand
incidents,whichare10 berememberedand performedwithconfidenceandperfection.
ThecourseofBharatanatyaminvolvesatotofcalculationwhenthechildisperforming.
There are seven time cycles andfivetypesoftime intervalsorjatts used inthisclassical
danceform.The songisusually settoanyoneoftheseventalus,Thegailortimeintervals
arecalculatedmentallysothatanycombination usedintheitemaddsuptothenumberof
beats in the toot, or its multiple.Thiscontinuous calculationgoeson inthe mind of the
performingartistethroughout theperformance.He/shehas torememberalargenumberof
steps.whichonlyhappensasaresultof animprovementinmemoryfactor.
VolumaLY motor output and Brain function: Voluntaryand fine motor controls reflect
some aspects of reorganization of the central nervous system.The constant feedback of
someaestheticcuesfrommusclesandjoints,contributetothesenseofbodypositioninthe
maintenanceofstaticpostureandtothesustenanceofdynamicmotoracts.Otheraspectsof
grossmotoractionincludefacilitationandinhibitionthatappropriatesmusclegroupactiv
ity,theplanningandexecutionofsequentialmotoractsandthecoordinationandintegration
ofmuscleactivitywithsensory feedbackandmemory.
Fine motor function is often dependent uponeye handco-ordination;sensorycues of
either type that contribute to finger agnosia (awareness ofdigit location). Adequate fine
motor function is important for manipulative activities especiallyforthe developmentof
writingskills.
Inefficiencyaffinemotorfunctionperfonnancesdirectlyaffectstheabilitytowriteprop-
32 KANAKA SUDHAKAR
erly. to copy from the blackboard. and to draw. Grasp of the pencil may be awkward or
ineffective.Some children performfine motor activitiesineffectively.atratesbelowclass
roomexpectations;theymayhavedifficultyin appearingforatestandmaybeoverwhelmed
by lengthywritingassignments.
Throughconnectionsthatclassicaldance createswhen adancerperforms.he/she devel
opsremarkablecontroloverherlimbs.Dancetrainingaimsattheuniversalskillofcontrolling
thebodyineverypositionandmovementexceptclimbing.Duetothedevelopmentofpotent
skillsinBharatanatyam,thereisarefinementoffineneuromuscularadjustmentsofawhole
hostof co-operating nerve
ThenextstageinthestudyofthedevelopmentofbrainismeNeurologicmaturationthat
occurswithclassicaldancing.
Thebehaviouralindicatorsofcentralnervoussystemorganizationandmaturation have
oftenbeenreferredtoas'softNeurologicsigns' whicharecommoninchildrenand butrare
inadults.Forthisreason,theyhavebeenlinkedwiththecentralnervoussystemmaturation.
Many of thesesigns reappear during senescence. The persistence of neuro maturational
signsbeyondtheage levelsatwhich(heymostcommonlydisappear have beenassociated
with learningdisorders. behaviouralproblemsand othermanifestationsofdevelopmental
dysfunction.
Themostfrequentlyexaminedneuromaturationalindicatorsarecommonlyseenamong
studentswhoenterthedanceclassesTheycanbeeasilycorrectedthrough Indianclassical
dancemovements.
I. Synkinetic(mirror)movements:Withthesemotorphenomena.onesideofthebody
mimics.anactionperformedbytheotherside.Thisphenomenonis commoninpre-school
children,andbecomeslessevidentaschildrenmature.Inhigh school students,synkinetic
movementsmaybeelicitedbymorecomplexunilateralacts.Persistenceoftruemirrormove
mentsinseveraldifferentareasofthebodybeyondtheageof8yearsisunusualandtends
tooccurcommonlyinchildrenwithlearningandbehavioraldisorders.
InBharatanatyam,theveryfirstbastaadavuistheopeningofonehandatthewristwhile
keepingtheotherclosed.Onehanddoesaverydifferentactionwhiletheotheropposesthat
e.g, in the7mnattadavu. Thiscan beseen in the training program ofa1l classical dance
forms.
2 Otherassociatedmovements:OtherfOnTISofunnecessaryorinefficientmovements
mayalsobeinterpretedasevidenceofaneuromaturationallaginolderchildren.Forexample
achildmayconsistently showrhythmicmouthmovements.headbobbingorfoottappingin
conjunctionwithanotheractivityconcentratedinadistantanatomicarea.
Indance trainingunnecessary movementsare continuouslydiscouraged and only de
siredfunctionsareperformedinacontrolledmanner.Ofcourse.allofit,withanaimtocreate
beaut)',
Finc:oeraznosia: Thisistoassesstheabilityofthechildtoperceiveandnametheposition
of the fingers in the absence of visualcues,The child,witheyesclosed may be asked to
TIlETHERAPEUTIC VALUE OF INDIAN CLASSICALDANCE 33
namehowmanyofhisorher fingers are held bytheexaminer.Reducedfingerawareness
appears to have some validity in prediction of educational readiness. In Indianclassical
dancethe use of the asamyutha andsamyutha basta mudrasindirectly helpsthechild to
identifythefingersthatare used to formamudra withoutevenlookingatit Notonlythat,
fromearlyon,achild istaught various uses of these mudrastodepict variouswordsand
objects (viniyogas)
Stimulusextinction:Often children are unabletoperceiveasensorystimuluswhenitis
presentedsimultaneouslywithasecondstimulus.Insomecases,moreproximalstimuliare
dominantoverdistal,orthetwopointdiscriminationmaybepoor.Forexample.achildwith
eyes closed maybe touched on a hand and then on the face and then asked each time to
locate the touch. When the hand and the face are touched simultaneously, the child may
report only the touch on the face.This is common in younger children butnot generally
encountered as theygrow old. Its persistence maybeassociated withdysfunction.
InIndianclassicaldance training stimulus ofmany kindsfoHow-thewords.thesong,
therhythm ofthedrum.thestimulusoftwoconsecutivecountsetc.Thesehelpthechildren
General comparison ofdifferent group's observations
for FingerAgnosia(100-marks) Test
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over come dysfunctional disorders.
Choreiformmovements:Involuntary rotatory andarhythmicmovements aremostcom
monly seen in the outstretched fingers or the protruded tongue.They can beelicited by
having a child close hislher eyes,extend both hands, spread thefingers,open themouth,
protrudethetongue, and sustaining thisposture forthirty seconds. Anumber ofstudiesin
olderchildren havecorrelatedsuchinvoluntarymovements withschoolfailureandbehav
ioural.problems.
Thekaranasandposesthatareheldduringarecitaloritemarenotonlybeautifulbuthelp
tocorrectthis defect.There are 108karanas andassociatedangaharaswhichare notonly
J4 KANAKASUDIIAKAR
extremely interestlng 10 learn but also build up the child's self confidence and sense of
achievement.
Lnteraldominance:Thepropensitytouseonesideofthebody preferentiallyreflectsthe
developmentofonehemisphereofthebrainforaparticularsetoffunctions.Eyedominance
isoftenestablishedbytheageof two whereashanddominanceisusuallywellestablished
bythe age ofsix. Ear and foot dominance can also beevaluated but less is known about
these. Children withdelays inestablishing cleardominance may have problems in other
areas. Mixeddominance(example.atendencytobe left-eyed andright-handed)has been
associated in some studies with an increased incidence of reading disabilities;( though
researchisstillon).Inclassicaldancewhateverisdoneontherightisimmediatelyrepealed
onthe left. Thisstarts from the very beginning. All movements and sequences have this
qualityofrepetitiononbothsides.Inthiswaylateraldominance iscorrected.
Left-riohtdiscrimin:ujon:Asenseoflateralityshouldbedistinguishedfromtheabilityto
name left and right.As childrengrowold. they become progressively competentin these
discriminationsInitially.achildmaybeabletoidentifyasymmetryof thesagittalplane.By
theageofsix.mostchildrencantell the left sidefromtherightontheirownbodycoordi
nates.Beforetheycelebratetheireighthbirthday. theycancrossthemidlioe(e.g.touchthe
rightearwiththelefthand).Bythetimetheycrosstheageoften.theycanidentifyrightand
leftpartsofanother person'sbody starting from newbases(example:turning to face left,
thenright.thenleft,andsoon).
Heretoo.theability10holddifferentposes(Forexample,IntheGaneshaposetheright
handisinkapita andtheleftpadmakosha;inNataraja,therighthand shows abhayahasta
and the left dhanda hasta, the right again shows the dumroo and the left the Agni with
alapadma bastav delightschildrenasthey executethesecomplicated sculpturusqueposes
andgetridoftheirdefect.
Problemsinleft-rightdiscriminationmaybecomplexmanifestationsofbothmaturational
andbasicprocessingproblems.Forexamplemanychildrenwithvisualspatialdysfunction
havedelaysintheacquisitionofleft-rightdiscrimination.
Thesignsofneuromaturationaldelaydescribedabovearethoseused mostcommonlyin
evaluationofdysfunctionalchildren.Theydonothavedirectimplicationsforintervention,
buttheymaysuggestadegreeofconstitutionalormaturationaldeficit Insomecases.other
forms of accompany delays in neuro maturational delays described above are used most
commonlyinevaluationofdysfunctionalchildren.Theydonothavedirectimplicationsfor
interventionbuttheymaysuggestadegreeofconstitutionalormaturationaldeficit.Insome
cases,otherformsofmaturationallagnoticedinskeletalage.dentition,emotionalmaturity.
social insight,or physical stature, accompany delays in neuro-maruration. Some affected
children havedelayedonsetof puberty
TheAccupressurebenefitsof Indianclassical danceforms
The factthat Indianclassicaldances are learnt,practiced and performed barefoot directly
TilETHERAPEUTIC VALUEOF INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE 35
leads tothe hypothesisthat such anexerciseshould havesome effectonthefunctioningof
the body because the pressureexperienced on thefeet whiledoinga.fullthrottlepracticeis
very similar to the pressure applied on the feet in the ancient system of medicine called
Acupressure.Thisisevidentwhenonehasachance toeitherwitnessadanceperformance
or heartheconstantstamping offeet standing outside adance class insession.The vigor
ousand continuoussoundofthefeetbeatingtothecorrecttimingorrhythm corresponding
to the Bolofthe Guru or the percussion instrument,bares testimonytothefactthat enor
mousthe pressure is applied on the feet inevery suchdanceclass.
To arrive at a scientific conclusion of such a practice, a study was conducted withthe
help ofAccupressure specialists.
Inallclassicaldanceforms,thebeatingofthefoot(footaccupressure)takesplacethrough
outthe performance or during a practice session as an incidental feature.Incidentally, the
dancerisleastawareofthe factthata perfectaccupressure massageistakingplacesideby
side even as he/she is learning classical dance. While doing so, the different points
regulating the variousfunctionsofthebodyareregularlypressedleadingtoapreventionof
disorder in these organic functions
Tocitefewexamples:
I. Pinealpoint:Thispressurepointregulatesthewaterbalance,managesalltheglands.
controls cerebro-spinal fluid and stimulates the growthofnerves. Any malfunctioning of
thisglandresultsinhigh blCXK1 pressure among otherthings.thedevelopmentandstimula
tionofthisglandleadstostrongwill power.Thepointofthisglandispointno.4onthebig
toe.
2 Pituitarygland:Thispressurepointcontrolsbrainpowerandenhancesourmemory.
This glandCanbecalledtheprimeregulatororthekingofallglands.Thestimulationofthis
glandalso leadstocontrolinwillpower,sight.hearing,thecreativeand appliedpartofthe
brain is stimulated and this results in the creation ofscientists,writers,poets, artistesand
philosophersetc.The pointofthisgland ispoint no.3on thebigtoe.
3. Thyroid/parathyroidgland:Thisglandisveryimportantforthedevelopmentofthe
child'sbody.Ithelpsinthe digestion ofcalcium andthuscontrolstheheat inthebodyand
maintainsthechild'shealth.Italsoincreasesthethinkingcapacity andconcentrationlead
ingtoself-controlandbalancedtemperament.purityofheartandselflessness.Thepressure
pointofthisimportantgland inthe body ispointno.8.
4. Thymus gland:This gland protectsthepersontillthestage ofpuberty. Itprotects
achildagainstdisease.Ifpressureisappliedon thispointtillthechildentershisorherteens
along with pressure onthe points ofthe other glandsas well.thechildcan remaindisease
freeandinhealthystateofmindandbody.ntispointispointno.3D,whichisunderpointno.
38.
5. Adrenal and Pancreas:This gland regulates blood and sugar levels;controls stress
activenessandcharacterbuilding.Itenhancesourperception,makesusenergeticandhelps
us build out inner energy and courage. It also intensifies the nowofblood. helps proper