36. seven minutes

I have a theory, and we are going to test it.

The time is 12:02pm. 

I’ve noticed over the years, in many different areas of life, that when I am resistant to doing something, the trick to overcome resistance is to simply begin. 

Partially thanks to the wisdom of Swami Sita, who taught me to ‘do it now,’ and partially thanks to my own experimentation, I’ve found there is a sweet spot in getting anything started. 

It’s to just give it seven minutes. 

What’s the magic of seven? I don’t have a lot of evidence-based, peer-reviewed research to support this, but I’ll be happy to make some stuff up. 

When guiding breathwork, a change happens in the practitioner’s brain after seven minutes, in which the dominant brain waves shift into a more receptive and relaxed mode. I tell people, “for the first seven minutes, you’ll likely notice your efforts in breathing, but after about seven minutes, it’s as if the body starts to breathe you.”

In the Tantric tradition of Kundalini yoga, the teachings affirm this same idea: after seven minutes of breath, meditation or mantra, brain patterns start to shift from the static of beta waves, to calmer alpha waves and ultimately to deep relaxing delta waves. Simultaneously, the magnetic force (auric field) surrounding the body increases in strength. In other words, we become more relaxed and more empowered at the same time. 

I’ve tested the seven minute threshold in my romantic life, out of necessity, to be honest. All too often I just don’t feel like getting fresh and frisky with my lover, even though he is my favorite person in the world and I know that taking time to make out, cuddle naked, or give each other some sweet loving will bring both of us pleasure, and likely lead to a post-orgasmic oxytocin flood, supporting our bond with each other and enabling us to continue being a powerhouse team in our domestic life. 

(DING! That’s the 7 minute mark writing, and I thought I had nothing to say today. Let’s keep going).

When we just decide to get in the bed and get close - for seven minutes, let’s say - it always leads to a warming up, softening, relaxing, and strengthening of the desire to take it further, into something that nourishes each of us and our union. 

My seven minute theory applies to workouts, too. When I really don’t want to move my body, I have a seven minute ‘lazy girl’ workout that I select on YouTube, and most of the time, when I get to the end, I’ll tack on another 15 minute workout because my body and brain magically got the signal that we’re just getting started - and we actually do have the energy and motivation for more. 

It got me thinking about the game ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ in a different way. You know, the game of tweens and adolescents where two kids are supposed to lock themselves in a closet for seven minutes, supposedly making out or doing something else that seems bold and wild and naughty to kids. Well, I only ever played the game once, and we spent six minutes and forty five seconds awkwardly sitting in the dark, working on the courage to do whatever we were supposed to do. I think the whole thing ended with a chaste kiss on the cheek, which is totally appropriate, as I was only eleven, but in reflection, even that silly game knew that it would take at least seven minutes for petrified kids to get brave enough to make a move. 

I’m thinking about my seven minute theory in a broader sense, in relation to the concept of immersion I shared the other day. Tantric philosophy says the seventh body is the aura, and the number seven gives the ability to uplift and feel at peace. Seven is mercy.

I was digging around about the magic of seven minutes and stumbled across this quote: 

Some scientists claim that the brain might be active for a short time after someone dies, maybe 7 minutes or more. They’re not sure what happens during that time, if it’s like a dream, seeing memories, or something else. (Haven Diaries). 

Upon further research, I found that the neuroscience of this suggests the brain is active for seven minutes after the heart stops, and the brain activity patterns are the same as those which occur during memory recall, dreaming, and meditative states. They activate just at the precise transition between one way of being and another.

Isn’t it interesting to think that maybe even for that grand change, that massive shift, that ultimate threshold, that the human brain needs seven minutes to adjust, to gain the courage to go on, to be fortified, to receive mercy and be able to continue on.

That’s kind of how it feels for me, too. Like whatever it is I am resisting, fighting, avoiding, delaying, or dragging my feet around, if I just show up for seven minutes and lean into the discomfort, right around that seven minute point is sweet, compassionate mercy - it’s a change in brain waves, an expansion in my energy body, divine support, and a renewed hunger to keep going. 

Welp, seven turned into twenty-seven, and that’s good enough for me.

Feel very welcome to join me in this seven minute experiment and let me know what unfolds for you?