How God Changes Your Brain

Hah. Love that.

Newberg and Waldman are clear that, overall, religion and spiritual beliefs bring a great deal of peace and happiness to the individuals who practice them.

They tell us: “The enemy is not religion; the enemy is anger, hostility, intolerance, separatism, extreme idealism, and prejudicial fear—be it secular, religious, or political.”

Now if we could just get a Surgeon General’s warning on those passages that encourage violence… :)

Neuroplasticity.

It’s the huge idea that our brains can change and that we can “re-wire” them in powerful ways.

It wasn’t that long ago that scientists thought our brains were pretty much fixed and there wasn’t a whole lot we could do to re-shape ‘em.

Now, however, we KNOW that we can systematically re-wire our brains by thinking different thoughts and performing different behaviors. This is incredibly empowering!!

How are YOU re-shaping your brain?!

Meditation.

It does a brain good. :)

As I write this Note (April 2011), Alexandra and I are approaching three years of meditating every single day. It’s our #1 blissipline and we intend to meditate every day for the rest of our lives. It’s hard to isolate the effects of meditation vis-à-vis our other practices, but I have no doubt it’s had a profound effect on both of our lives.

And, as you know, I HIGHLY recommend it.

The good news is you don’t need to trek to the Himalayas and check out in a cave where you try to levitate while meditating 20 hours a day. Researchers have proven that in as little as 12-15 minutes a day we can create PROFOUND positive effects in our lives. (For example, Herbert Benson ran a study showing how we can measurably change our genetic expression in as little as a couple months of practice!!)

Check out our collection of Notes focusing exclusively on meditation: Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are + Eknath Easwaran’s Conquest of Mind + Matthieu Ricard’s Why Meditate? + Herbert Benson’s The Relaxation Revolution.

Those Notes are *packed* with Big Ideas to help you make meditation a more consistent part of your lives. Check ‘em out if you’re feeling it!!

P.S. We also created a little biz called “Blissitations” that you might dig. Get the same audio meditation technology we use every morning plus guided meditations at www.Blissitations.com!

Meditation.

Did I mention it does a brain (and body) good? :)

Check out the Note on Herbert Benson’s great book, The Relaxation Revolution, for more amazing research on the fact that mind body practices like meditation literally change our genetic expression. Amazing stuff.

For now, know that a little is good. More is better.

And, here’s a little love from Newberg and Waldman on Benson’s research: “Today, Benson’s “relaxation response” has been incorporated into many aspects of medicine and psychotherapy because it effectively treats hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, chronic pain, PMS, insomnia, anxiety, depression, hostility, and infertility. It even lessens the side effects caused by cancer treatments and AIDS. This simple meditation also improves cognition in healthy aging adults.

Benson also discovered the same benefits could be elicited by different forms of meditation and relaxation, including yoga, Zen, hypnosis, and progressive muscle relaxation. All of these techniques utilize breathing and relaxation while the mind stays focused and alert.”

Intentions. They’re powerful.

Reminds me of how Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes it in Flow(see Notes) where he tells us: “We may call intentions the force that keeps information in consciousness ordered… They act as magnetic fields, moving attention toward some objects and away from others, keeping our mind focused on some stimuli in preference to others.”

And, it’s hard to talk about all this without mentioning Wayne Dyer and his great book, The Power of Intention (see Notes) where he reminds us: “The Wright brothers didn’t contemplate the staying on the ground of things. Alexander Graham Bell didn’t contemplate the noncommunication of things. Thomas Edison didn’t contemplate the darkness of things. In order to float an idea into your reality, you must be willing to do a somersault into the unconceivable and land on your feet, contemplating what you want instead of what you don’t have.”

So, what is your intention? What are your goals?

Let’s take a moment to capture your top goal!

Before we do that, let’s remember that, as Heidi Grant Halvorson tells us in her *great* book on the science of goal setting called Succeed(see Notes), not all goals are created equal:“As I mentioned earlier, not all goals lead to lasting feelings of true satisfaction and well-being, and that’s because not all goals satisfy our needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Which ones do? In general, goals that are about making, supporting, or strengthening relationships do. So do goals that focus on personal growth, physical health, or self-acceptance— addressing your shortcomings or, if they can’t be helped, simply coming to terms with them. Goals that have to do with contributing to your community or helping others also fulfill these needs.

Here are the goals that aren’t going to help you achieve lasting well-being: becoming famous, seeking power over others, or polishing your public image. Any goal that is related to obtaining other people’s validation and approval or external signs of self-worth isn’t going to do it for you, either. Accumulating wealth for its own sake also won’t lead you to real happiness (this is not to say you shouldn’t care about money at all, just that being rich isn’t a sure ticket to a happy life).”

Alright. With THAT in mind, let’s take a moment to capture your top goal! :)

This is the #1 most important goal in my life right now: ____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Bring that goal to mind often and let your frontal lobes help you rock it. :)

“8. Smile. Even if you don’t feel like it, the mere act of smiling repetitively helps to interrupt mood disorders and strengthen the brain’s neural ability to maintain a positive outlook on life.”

* tickle tickle *

Get your smile on, yo!

Thich Nhat Hanh (see Notes on Peace Is Every Step) tells us:“You know a smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face. Wearing a smile on your face is a sign that you are master of yourself.”

And, here’s how Robert Emmons puts it in his great book Thanks(see Notes): “An ingenious series of experiments conducted a number of years ago showed that when people mimicked the facial expressions associated with happiness, they felt happier—even when they did not know they were moving “happy muscles” in their face. Researchers have found that smiling itself produces feelings of happiness.”

Even if you don’t *feel* like it, the simple act of smiling will help you feel better.

So go for it. :)

“7. Stay intellectually active. This should be (if you will pardon the pun) a no-brainer. When it comes to the dendrites and axons that connect one neuron to thousands of others, if you don’t use it, you will lose it.”

This should be, indeed, a no-brainer!

Use it or lose it! :)

Query: Are you using it or losing it?! :)

“6. Consciously relax. I’m not talking about taking a nap, or assuming the position of a couch potato in front of your television set. I’m talking about deliberately scanning each part of your body to reduce muscle tension and physical fatigue.”

In How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (see Notes), Dale Carnegie tells us about the importance of relaxing throughout the day—reminding us that anxiety and relaxation just can’t coexist!

He tells us to “Relax in odd moments. Let your body go limp like an old sock.”

Try it right now. Go limp like an old sock. :)

Fact us, it’s impossible to be simultaneously anxious and super relaxed.

Robert Emmons puts it brilliantly: “The basic observation that positive emotions are somehow incompatible with negative emotions is not a new idea and has been demonstrated over several decades. Back in the 1950s, this basic principle of emotional incompatibility provided the basis of behavioral therapies designed to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders. One simply cannot be relaxed and stressed at the same time. Try it. You can’t. Relaxation drives out anxiety and vice versa. The Buddha said that “Hatred cannot coexist with loving-kindness, and dissipates if supplanted with thoughts based on loving-kindness.” You cannot be grateful and resentful at the same time, or forgiving and vengeful. When we are savoring the moment we cannot be regretting the past.”

So… Relax! :)

“5. Yawn. Go ahead: Laugh if you want (though you’ll benefit your brain more if you smile), but in my professional opinion, yawning is one of the best-kept secrets in neuroscience.”

Who would’ve guessed?! Yawning has huge benefits.

Check out the book for more details but seriously. Try it out.

Gimme a couple yawns right now! :)

“4. Meditate… Even ten to fifteen minutes of meditation appears to have significantly positive effects on cognition, relaxation, and psychological health, and it has been shown to reduce smoking and binge-drinking behavior. There’s even solid evidence that meditating before taking a test will significantly improve your score.”

Meditation. We went off on it before. It’s big.

Keep this wisdom from Eknath Easwaran in mind and let’s remember to warm up properly: “Meditation is warm-up exercise for the mind, so that you can jog through the rest of the day without getting agitated or spraining your patience.”

“3. Aerobic exercise. Vigorous exercise strengthens every part of the brain, as well as what it is connected to—the body. If you’re between the ages of eighteen and ninety, exercise is going to lengthen your life.”

Exercise. Did you know a good workout gets not only your body but also your BRAIN in shape?! Yep.

Check out the Note on Sparkby John Raitey where he outlines the science of exercise and tells us this: “I want to cement the idea that exercise has a profound impact on cognitive abilities and mental health. It is simply one of the best treatments we have for most psychiatric problems.”

And this: “I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters. It’s a handy metaphor to get the point across, but the deeper explanation is that exercise balances neurotransmitters — along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain. And as you’ll see, keeping your brain in balance can change your life.”

You exercising yet? Get on that!! (Pretty, please. :)

“2. Dialogue with others... If we don’t exercise our language skills, large portions of the brain will not effectively interconnect with other neural structures. Dialogue requires social interaction, and the more social ties we have, the less our cognitive abilities will decline.”

Makes sense, eh? You taking the time to have great dialogues with others?!

“1. Faith… If we don’t have faith that we’re making the best decision we can, then we will be swallowed up in doubt. And doubt, at least as far as your brain is concerned, is a precarious state in which to live. Faith is equivalent with hope, optimism, and the belief that a positive future awaits us. Faith can also be defined as the ability to trust our beliefs, even when we have no such proof that such beliefs are accurate or true.”

Faith. It’s HUGE.