THE BRAIN AND YOUR BEHAVIOUR

THE BRAIN: LEARNING ABOUT ITSELF.

It is a very common practice amongst educators to teach people about the way they think and learn to improve learning in general. So to help you improve your learning I will discuss some aspects of the brain that are relevant to improving your thinking processes.

I have always been intrigued by the way we exist inside our skulls. The very nature of who we are is actually tied up inside the grey stuff in our heads - the brain.
It is also intriguing how this grey stuff thinks and actually likes to think and learn about itself!

BRAIN WAVES

Inside the brain are powerful waves of electrical activity, you may have heard of Alpha and Beta brain waves. These are real brain activity and can be visualised using modern scanning medical equipment (electroencephalograph (EEG)).

We spend many parts of our day in different brain wave states - watching TV for example - you drop into that pleasant Alpha wave.
When out shopping and going to school we are in a Beta pattern - very alert and analytical.

Theta is perfect for daydreaming and intuitive thinking. It is the state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state of mind, memories, thoughts and facts that eluded a person in a wakeful state can be recalled. It is often in this state that answers to problems seem to appear.

Delta is the slowest of the four states where sleep occurs. At the slowest delta level, sleep is deep and dreamless.

In yogic practices the yoga practitioner can promote different aspects of these brain waves and increase the effectiveness of each.

WHY YOGA IS SO POWERFUL.

The long term practice of Yoga actually changes your minds ability to cope with your world and this is often observed in Yoga masters. Scientists have actually wired up Yogic masters to EEG machines to measure their brain patterns and are amazed at the ability they have to enter any of the 4 brain states at will!

The brain patterns also impact on the production of hormones in your body - especially the stress and aging hormone, cortisol. Another is DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) which is a chemical that helps combat the effects of cortisole. DHEA also is essential in the building of other hormones so impacts all aspects of body physiology.

Meditators actually have higher DHEA levels and lower Cortisol levels. So Yoga is a proven anti-aging practice and reduces the impact of the stress on the body.

SO WHAT HAS HORMONES LEVELS AND BRAIN WAVES TO DO WITH MY LIFE?

When we start to learn or do something new our first reaction can be one of resistance. We are asking our brain to accomodate different ideas and feelings and these can generate stress hormones and these make us feel "wrong". Now the brain seeks to protect you from this wrong and so you change your behaviour back to the old ones because you feel better there!

The Psycho-Cybernetic Mechanism (PCM) is our brain's version of a thermostat.

Thermostats, whether mechanical or existing naturally in animals, are called cybernetic mechanisms. Their job is to keep the surrounding area or body at a constant temperature.

The hypothalamus is such a device in that it regulates many of the systems in our body in the same way as a thermostat. Your blood sugar levels, water levels as well as temperature all respond to the brain in this area. It is not the only device in the brain though and it is the next one we want to focus on now - the Amygdala.

THE AMYGDALA.

The Amygdala is an almond shaped set of nuclei in the brain. It is most commonly
associated with emotions such as fear, anxiety, doubt and depression. This Amygdala is
actually the circuit that is triggered by the PCM when it senses you are out of your
comfort zone. It releases hormones like cortisol that cause you to feel doubt, fear and anxiety.

It is this guy you have to combat when you decide to change some aspect of yourself that takes you outside your comfort zone.
If you can understand the source of your fear (that feeling of wrong) and how the brain is actually working against your desire you will find change a lot easier to achieve.

Eat good quality food - preferably organic food you grew yourself!
Get lots of sleep - work out how much you need and get it every night if you can.
Meditate every day!
Yoga or some similar physical practice that gets you out in the sun everyday.
Have a network of sincere loving friends.