Neuroscience
Thinking, too much thinking.
Did you know— we have up to 50,000 thoughts per day, and that about 80% of them are repetitive and/or negative? When we identify with our thoughts strongly, we often get into repetitive patterns of thinking about the future or the past, which leads to default feeling states not based on the reality of the moment.
A 2010 Harvard study found: About 47% of waking hours spent thinking about what isn’t going on
We can go our whole lives believing that this habit pattern of thoughts and beliefs about myself is “just the way I am” or “I’ve always been this way” or “I’ll never be able to change —Forget it.”
The bad news is, many of us deeply internalize this ‘story’ as a truth that ends up being very limiting for us.
the Good News is that modern neuroscience has shown that we can actually change how we relate to thoughts so they don’t sabotage us before we get started! Implicit in this is the idea of choice and neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to physically change its structure and functional abilities based on repeated experience.
To a surprisingly large degree—if you can see it and feel it, and you repeat it, you can become it.
Whether its 20 minutes of daily meditation, or a contemplative walk in nature to focus on an affirmation or intention, you will be amazed how this one simple step of being in the moment, will create much more clarity and peace. This is a place where better choices are made, happiness is found, and prized goals can be reached.
Want to try an exercise to check your visualization skills?
Meditation and the Brain
As Ram Dass used to say, “Be Here Now”. Truly being alive is being in the present moment, and meditation is the heart of our connection to self, and to the world.
Many of us are going so fast that just slowing down—especially while in nature—can bring immediate and profound changes to our lives.
Numerous studies now have shown strong correlation between meditation and decreased stress and anxiety.
With just 12-15 minutes of meditation per day, our parasympathetic nervous system begins to respond, our cortisol goes down, and we relax. We notice that we can begin to think more clearly. Then, we may notice we sleep better, and worry less. Meditation has real impacts to our biology, and our overall quality of life!
Benefits of breathing
The Breath is the Key
Hello! Are you breathing right now?
Chances are, you were not aware of your own breath until the above question was posed. What if you could remain more aware of your own breath, coming in and going out, as you go about your day? What would that be like? The technique that both ancient and modern teachings esteem above all others is indeed something so simple, totally free and always available—watching the breath! Working with our own breath, moment by moment, can have powerful effects on our life! Listen to how one man was cured of debilitating panic attacks using a simple breathing technique you can easily learn—
Audio player below…
— Benefits of the Breath (54 mins)
I offer free online guided group meditation via Zoom on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays each week at 7-7:45 a.m. MST (UTC-6) at this link.
Dive In To A Guided Meditation
If you have 15 minutes and want to feel more relaxed and alert, try this guided meditation: