Sharp Brains

Alvaro Fernandez read Executive Brain in 2005 and became all fired up about creating a company to help people keep mentally fit.

Brain Wellness, if you like. He called it Sharp Brains. You can stumble upon www.sharpbrains.com for regular support in sharpening your own brain!

Oliver Sacks reviews the Executive Brain by Elkhonon Goldbergin a book review:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2001/apr/26/inside-the-executive-brain/

Let me know what you think of the Executive Brain if you read it before I do!

I’m determined to read The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge and Magnificent Mind At Any Age by Daniel Amen MD before buying one more book on neuroscience and mental health!

Let Go of the Monkey Mind, A Reminder To Get Unplugged

 Suppose you are a master at multi-tasking. You shift from office work to social media and from a solitaire game on the computer to tweeting from your blackberry, as a matter of course.

You rarely have a phone conversation without reading your facebook homestream while you’re at it.

And you deal with business or work-related issues at home and even on holiday. After all, isn’t that the joy and purpose of technology?

You wouldn’t want to miss a phone call so you don’t leave home without your blue-tooth hands-free device.

And unless you switch it all off from time to time you’ve probably forgotten what it feels like to be completely calm and relaxed!

You do know how to have fun but you’ve forgotten what it might be like to be “unwired.” You take your wires with you even at the beach! Once your phone is waterproof it’s in the water with you!

What would a measurement of your body rhythms look like?

Would you have a synchronization of rhythms as the Tibetan monks do when they focus on their breath and their mantras in deep meditation?

Or would there be complete chaos?

The relationship between calming meditation and our body rhythms is described in:

https://staywellfireyourdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/the-rosary-the-mantra-your-breath-and-your-health/

But the converse also applies.

The unfocused thought patterns are described in Eastern tradition as The Monkey Mind.

And yes, the more we stress our minds with constant swinging and prancing from limb to limb of wires and wireless the more chaos and incoherence our bodies will demonstrate.

How often do you unplug? How often do you meditate?

What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain?

Calm and Relaxed 101. Natural Approaches You Can Start Right Away!

As promised, a simple introduction to deep relaxation so you can lower your cortisol levels (stress hormones) and release the relaxation hormones which promote healing, strengthen immunity system and help your body to keep you well.

Calm must be sought when it does not appear

These aren’t exercises requiring you to recite a mantra in a foreign tongue. Rather, they simply calm you down. Some people add a point of focus on a positive thought or word. Some people choose a thought or word which comes from their religious beliefs but any positive thought or word will do once it has no links to distressing or exciting thoughts in your mind. “Peace” and “Gratitude” are examples that might work for me.

(If an ungrateful relative or friend is a major source of stress and “gratitude” reminds you of all that the person is not, then you may want to use another word!)

Still, focusing only on the experience of breathing is quite sufficient.

“Soft belly breathing” has been used by one James Gordon MD, of the Centre for Mind-Body Medicine in the US, for both  victims of Hurricane Katrina and of the war in Kosovo.

You don’t need a hurricane or a war experience to get you started.

1.     Put your hand on your belly and allow your abdomen to relax.

2.     Close your eyes or soften your focus, looking at the floor a few feet in front of you.

3.     Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

4.     Breathe deeply into your abdomen and feel it expand to the count of five.

5.     Pause for a count of one.

6.     Exhale slowly to a count of five, allowing your body to relax and release tension.

7.     Repeat for five breaths or until you feel relaxed. §

Suggested times for this: as part of your waking and bedtime routines and just before mealtimes.

Soft belly breathing is simple, time consuming and perfect for beginners – including busy parents and those with hectic work schedules!

Yet to slow down for a few minutes takes focus and determination as many of us are used to skating around from one task to another and from one place to another, all day and most days!

Beware of brushing off your deep breathing as a luxury your schedule cannot afford. Below, a very inviting description of what you can experience daily:

“Begin by sitting comfortably with your back straight (in a dignified posture)….With your attention focused, take two deep slow breaths to begin relaxation. A sensation of comfort, lightness and well-being will settle into your chest and shoulders. As you repeat this exercise, you will learn to let your breathing be led by your attention and to let your attention rest on your breath….Your attention accompanies the sensation of each intake of breath and the long exhalation of air leaving the body gently, slowly, gracefully, all the way to the end, until there is nothing more than a tiny, imperceptible breath left. Then there is a pause. You learn to sink into this pause, more and more profoundly. It’s often while resting briefly in it that you feel in most intimate contact with your body….And then, at the end of the pause, notice a tiny spark light up all by itself and set off a new cycle of breath.

“Inevitably, your mind is distracted from this task after a few minutes…the concerns of the past or the obligations of the future…You recognize the importance of these thoughts, but while patiently promising to attend to them when the time comes, you push them to the side and come back to the person who really needs you in the present moment, that is, yourself. When this practice is taught, simple and unadorned, to a group of patients, it is not uncommon to see tears streaming down some faces. It is as if these individuals are experiencing benevolence and calm for the first time.” §§

If you’ve missed our previous articles that illustrate why adding some regular deep relaxation to your life might be just what you need, here are the links:

https://staywellfireyourdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/chemotherapy-or-meditation-the-story-of-ian-gawlers-successful-battle-against-osteosarcoma/

https://staywellfireyourdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/the-vagus-and-your-mother/

§ source: The Ultramind Solution by Mark Hyman MD

§§ source: Anti-Cancer A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber MD