A curious thing about your body is that your brain is everywhere. I don’t mean nerve cells – that’s not surprising. I’m talking about structures that process information and analyse stimuli. A lot of thinking happens outside your skull, which means a lot of hypnosis happens there too.

I was amazed when I first learned that the heart has its own, small brain. I knew about the nerve clusters (“ganglions”) that make tiny adjustments to your muscles. Even so, it never occurred to me that organs might have something similar – or that the heart’s would be so sophisticated.

When I thought about it, though, it seemed obvious. The heart has to operate perfectly for decades, even centuries. It needs to respond instantly to dangers, then calm down soon after. The brain is too remote. Evolution decided that it needs command and control a little closer to the equipment.

A nice, tidy model of the heart-brain relationship.

It’s a little too tidy, which left me open for even more surprise. This is exactly what happened when I learned that most of the signals go from the heart-brain to the head-brain. If this were about controlling the heart better, wouldn’t most information go the other way?

Not only do our hearts think, they tell our heads all about it.

This insight explains so much of the human experience. How many emotions, from anxiety to love, feel like they come from the chest? When we tell people to go with their hearts or listen to their heart, we’re referring to emotions and instincts. And so many of our stories and experiences follow the pattern of ‘my head says no but my heart says yes.’

Is there any wonder about where inner conflict comes from? You have physically segregated brains telling you different things in different ways. You can experience conflict even with a single brain, but this surely doesn’t help.

Hypnosis is excellent at many things. Resolving inner conflicts is towards the top of that list.

When you feel conflicted, sometimes it’s an easy fix. Other times it’s more complicated. Either way, it helps if you relax your entire body. Being comfortable removes tension from your body, enhances circulation and improves the strength of nerve signals. This relaxes the heart and improves communication between these two brains.

A hypnotist can then remind you that your head-brain and heart-brain both want the same things. They both want you to be happy, healthy and energised. Sure, they may have different ways of going about it but they share the same goals. No body fights itself.

The secret to resolving conflict is to find the common ground. In this case, there’s plenty of it. You just need reminding.

My day began with taking a class on Brain Gym 101, led by Mari Miyoshi.

She is such a delight!

Brain Gym is this self-improvement technique discovered by Dr. Brain Paul Dennison. It caught my attention because Dennison worked as a public school teacher and reading specialist in the 1960s, researching more effective ways to help children and adults with learning difficulties. As a result, he came up with this technique.

It consists of 26 movements and works towards balancing your brain.

One of my absolute favorites was the sequence called PACE.

It begins with taking a sip of water, which nourishes your nervous system.

Sipping Water stands for E (Energy) in PACE.

BRAIN BUTTONS stands for C (Clear) in PACE.

Rest one hand over your navel. With the thumb and fingers of the other hand, feel for the two hollow areas under the collarbone, about one inch out from the center of the chest. Rub these areas vigorously for 30 seconds. If you want to add an extra level of complexity, you can also look from left to right.

Why do we do it? This stimulates the carotid arteries which supply freshly oxygenated blood to the brain. They help re-establish directional messages from parts of the body to the brain, improving reading, writing, speaking and the ability to follow directions.

CROSS-CRAWL stands for A (Active) in PACE.

Standing up, "march" in place, alternately touching each hand to the opposite knee.

Continue during the course of four to eight complete, relaxed breaths.

Why do we do this? This exercise is wonderful for improving reading, listening, writing and memory. It co-ordinates the whole brain.

The last exercise in the sequence called Hook-Ups. It stands for P (Positive) in PACE.

Start by sitting in a chair, resting your left ankle on top of your right knee. Grasp your left ankle with your right hand and the ball of your right foot with your right hand. As you inhale, place your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, about one-quarter of an inch behind your front teeth. Relax your tongue as you exhale. Close your eyes and rest in this posture for four to eight complete breaths.

Now uncross your legs, placing your feet flat on the floor. Lightly steeple the fingertips of both hands

together, as if you were enclosing a ball.

Keep your eyes closed as you continue to lift your tongue on the inhalation and lower it on the exhalation, relaxing in this position during the course of four to eight complete breaths.

This exercise connects the two hemispheres of the brain and strengthens the body's electrical energy, particularly in stressful environments such as offices. Reported benefits are increased vitality and improved self-esteem.

I plan to use this sequence to set the stage for learning and reading. It certainly had an energizing and soothing effect on my brain. I highly recommend the program!

By multitasking we mean performing two or more tasks simultaneously, switching back and forth from one thing to another or performing a number of tasks in rapid succession.

Many believe that if you do several things at the same time, it means you’re good and efficient. You don’t waste time because you squeeze every second out of life. But now this belief is rapidly changing as criticism of multitasking is mounting as a result of hard to believe facts, which drastically changed the picture.

Multitasking is managed by what are known as mental executive functions of the brain. These executive functions control and manage other cognitive processes and determine how, when and in what order certain tasks are performed.

Humans are capable of doing two things at a time especially when one of those activities is so ingrained that it can be done on autopilot. For instance, most of us can carry on a conversation while walking, drinking coffee or driving but what we can’t do is to concentrate on two things at once. When the brain is presented with two tasks at once, it quickly toggles back and forth between tasks, resulting in a loss of efficiency.

Area of Brain Involved In Multitasking –

Researchers found that the area of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex, which spans the left and right sides of the brain, helps to focus attention on a goal and coordinates messages with other brain systems to carry out the task. When focused on a single task, the right and left sides of the prefrontal cortex work together. The sides work independently when people attempt to perform two tasks at once.

Researchers also found, when subjects were asked to perform another task that they regularly forgot one of the three tasks they were asked to perform. They also made three times as many errors as they had made when attempting only two tasks. This shows that we can readily switch between two tasks but we get into great trouble when we try to juggle more than two tasks, simply because we have only two frontal lobes.

When the brain receives more information than it can handle, the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex (pLPFC) takes over. It has been found that left pLPFC is a key neural locus that limits an individual’s ability to make two simple decisions simultaneously as we have a limited capacity for mapping sensory information onto motor responses.

Conclusion –

Multitasking has taken over as culture that is influencing all. In today’s society, doing just one thing at a time seems to be wasteful. We think we are more efficient while multitasking. Research shows that it’s not nearly as efficient as we believe and, moreover, it can even be harmful to our health.

Multitasking has become a common trend among people, especially youngsters. In fact, we have become so habituated to doing more than one task at once that we do so without being aware of them. As a result, we lose our efficiency and none of the tasks so performed is up to the mark.

My husband has glioblastoma multiforme, an incurable form of brain cancer. Ted Kennedy died from it. The early challenges I am experiencing as a caregiver are disbelief, feeling overwhelmed, trying to define my role as caregiver, maneuvering a change in my marital relationship, recognizing the need for financial and legal planning, and caring for myself.

Disbelief. It is difficult for me to stay focused. It is hard to grasp what is going on. There are a few facts that I hold onto. My husbands' symptoms developed rapidly during a four week interval. From being able to speak normally, he started searching for words, and then progressing to not remembering the names of objects, substituting words and phrases which didn't make sense, to not being able to spell. He had an emergency MRI, which showed a large mass over his left temporal lobe. A rushed appointment for brain surgery was made in the next state. I was told that he would not be expected to live more than one or two years even with the tumor removed and aggressive treatment undertaken.

Overwhelmed. Initially I felt completely overwhelmed, like I didn't know whether I was coming or going. Ten days after surgery, I am going in and out of feeling overwhelmed. I realize that I'm not attentive to my surroundings, as though I'm zoned out somewhere. My center of my chest hurts. I know this to be a major sign of stress. Also my breathing is shallow. I must tell myself to breathe.

Caregiver Role. I'm abruptly being thrust into the role of caregiver, and I'm trying to figure out what this means practically. My husband's expressive language limitations cause major problems in communication and in joint decision making. I need help in defining my role. Hopefully, when we go to the Cancer Center, the social worker will help educate me.

Marital Relationship. I'm having to take over decision making and financial management. My husband needs reminders and direction. We are both distressed. Both of us become frustrated and irritable with each other. He says things to push my buttons, and I react. I'm on a sharp learning curve. I need a support group and will go to a meeting this coming week. I also need personal counseling, and my appointment is made.

Financial and Legal Planning. I need to make sure that our affairs are in order. My husband had this role before his surgery. I'm discovering that our papers are in disorder. He may have allowed his life insurance, naming me as beneficiary, to lapse. I will go to a lawyer even though my husband does not want me to, nor does he want me to spend our money on legal fees. I feel conflicted in going ahead without our discussing and agreeing to a plan, but this is the new reality of our relationship and my role as caregiver.

Self Care. It is critical that I take exceptionally good care of myself. I have my own health issues and must not get run down or stressed. Otherwise, I will rapidly decline and then both of us would need caregivers.

Many individuals treat alcohol as a solution to their life’s problems. When consuming alcohol becomes problematic and hijacks the brain, it leads to alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease that is accompanied by persistent alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake and a negative emotional state on withdrawal from alcohol.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), about 16 million individuals are living with AUD in the United States. Drinking puts considerable stress on the society through myriad ways, such as the economic burden of treating alcohol-related problems, underage drinking, alcohol-related accidents and deaths. It not only affects the individual who drinks alcohol but also his or her family who has to deal with this alcoholism.

Three stages of AUD

To reduce the public health burden and drive medical advancements in the field of treating alcohol-related issues, a continual process of research is required. Understanding the mechanism by which alcohol affects people is crucial for developing new means and tools to arrest alcohol abuse over large demographic regions in an effective way. At this point, the onset of AUD is best described through a three-stage cycle as given below:

• Binge or intoxication stage: This stage shows how drinking affects the key regions of the brain, specifically the nucleus accumbens and striatum located in the basal ganglia. The nucleus accumbens is associated with experiencing the pleasurable effects of alcohol. When this brain region is activated over and over again, it builds habits that complement the development of compulsive alcohol use and the development of relapse triggers. It also develops a phenomenon known as incentive salience that depicts how people begin to intensely desire alcohol and levitate toward drinking when exposed to alcohol-related cues.
• Withdrawal or negative effect stage: When an individual develops increased dependency on alcohol, his or her body automatically begins to inhibit the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is largely associated with the reward centers of the brain with special links to neurotransmitters that activate stress and counter stress. During the phase of withdrawal from alcohol, these functions contribute to the development of the overwhelming feeling of unease, anxiety and irritability. This further increases the cravings for alcohol and other substances. The deficit of dopamine, activation of the brain’s stress mechanisms and development of incentive salience drive the motivation to drink and the likelihood of witnessing a relapse when not consuming alcohol.
• Preoccupation or anticipation stage: In this final stage, the changes in the brain occurs in the prefrontal cortex. It is the brain region responsible for executive functions, such as the ability to systemize thoughts and actions, prioritize tasks, manage time and make decisions. The function of the prefrontal cortex can be divided into a “go” system that controls impulsive behavior and habitual responding and a “no-go” system that inhibits such responses and exercises control over the “go” system. Research has discovered that heightened activities in the “go” system or low activity in the “no-go” system can contribute to binge drinking by regulating the activation of the brain stress systems and inhibiting the response to alcohol-related cues. Furthermore, these mechanisms also control how a person experiences cravings and succumbs to a relapse.

The three-stage model of AUD not only explains how alcohol can take over the brain, but also explains the impact of quitting its habit. The changes in the neurotransmitters and other activities of the brain following alcohol cessation persist for long, even years before the brain naturally stabilizes. Recovery is not a simple task, especially when addiction is so multifaceted in nature in AUD patients. Fortunately, the disorder is treatable in the right medical set-up and individuals diagnosed with it can attain sobriety.

Brain tumor surgery is performed to remove the tumor from the brain. In other words, it's an operation done to reduce the pressure inside the brain. In case, if you are diagnosed with a brain tumor the primary treatment available to you is the brain tumor surgery. It is performed to remove the tumor, either wholly or as much it is possible. Usually, surgery is an initial step taken to treat the beginning stages and other malignant tumors. It is the widely approached treatment by all, where the tumor can be removed easily without any risk of neurological damage.

Types of Brain Tumor Surgery

Mentioned below are the common types of brain tumor surgery done till date.

1. Biopsy: A surgery performed to remove a sample of tumor tissue.

2. Craniotomy: An operation carried out to remove a portion of the skull. By doing so, it allows the neurosurgeon to find and delete the tumor as much as possible. The removed part is replaced after the surgery.

3. Craniectomy: It is similar to craniotomy. The only difference in this operation is that the portion of skull removed is not replaced.

4. Debulking: Surgery is done to reduce the size of the tumor.

5. Partial Removal: An operation carried out to remove only a part of the tumor (due to the risk of a neurological disorder)

6. Complete Removal: Surgery is done to remove the entire tumor.

7. Shunt: The insertions of drainage systems designed allows to move excess fluid from the brain to another part of the body.

8. Ommaya reservoir: A tiny container inserted under the scalp and is connected to a tube. The container is used to:

a) Give chemotherapy treatment to the brain and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding it.

b) Remove CSF to detect the presence of healthy cells.

c) Remove cystic fluid without the urge for surgery.

9. Skull Based Surgery: It belongs to the area of ​​a tumor as well as the specialized technique used in the removal of tumors in this field.

10. Transsphenoidal Surgery: A surgery performed to operate on pituitary adenomas and craniopharyngiomas.

11. Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy: It is a minimally invasive method of ablating tissues with heat. It is an efficient and safest technique used till date. It is also considered as a minimally invasive option for new or recurrent primary and metastatic tumors anywhere in the brain.

Recovery Time for Brain Tumor Surgery

Recovery time depends on:

1. The entire operation done.
2. The part of brain where the tumor is located.
3. The areas of the brain affected by surgery.
4. Patient's age and overall health.

Medical Disclosure:

The information contained in this article is presented for the purpose of educating the people. Nothing contained in this article should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any healthcare-related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly. Always consult with your doctor or another qualified healthcare professional before embarking on a new treatment, diet, or fitness program.

You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.

More and more people are going for brain enhancing products. Gone are the days when brain supplements were used only by the elderly to boost issues such as memory. Brain supplements come with lots of benefits, making them very popular among all age groups. Some of the benefits you can expect from your brain pills include reduced mental fatigue, increased focusing ability, improved memory and recall, thought clarity and improved overall brain health. People using the pills also enjoy higher processing speeds by the brain and the impressive ability to bounce between ideas and thoughts.

There are so many reasons as to why you may consider going for the brain pills. Whatever your reasons may be for the supplements, it is important that you do your best in decision making and usage to get the most from your supplement. Here are a few tips that can help you in getting the best from the brain pills you choose.

Tip 1 – Get familiar with the ingredients

One of the best ways of telling what your smart pills will do for you is to check on the ingredients. There are so many ingredients used in different brain pills and they come with different benefits to the brain. Whereas some will increase circulation within your grain to promote cell membrane fluidity, others may increase neural communication through increased nerve ending growth rate. Find out what the ingredients in your supplement do to improve your mental wellbeing so that you are able to select the best pills for the kind of results you expect.

Tip 2 – Source your pills from reputable brands and suppliers

You will find popular brain pill brands in the market and you can settle for those to enjoy maximum benefits. You also want to ensure that you buy them from suppliers you trust so you do not end up with counterfeit pills that will do little to your brain. If possible, buy the supplements directly from manufacturers or authorized dealers so you enjoy genuine top quality products in the end.

Tip 3 – Follow the directions of use

Your manufacturer knows the product better and you should therefore ensure that you follow the directions for use to the letter. High dosages do not translate into faster results so make sure you stick with the directions offered.

Tip 4 – Get a go ahead from your doctor

This is very important, especially for those not in good health or physical condition. Your physician can offer helpful guidelines on what smart pills are best for you and how to actually use so you do not end up making your condition worse.

Tip 5 – Drink plenty of water

The truth is brain supplements increase blood flow to your brain. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day makes it possible for the supplements to work effectively and also minimizes possible side effects. Dehydration is a leading cause of reduced brain performance so be sure to stay hydrated all through.

In my English language teaching experience I've found it to be highly effective to use a multi-modal approach (D. Lazear) combined with multi-media based activities for maximum effect and language acquisition on the part of the learners. I've also found it important to develop skills and abilities seated in both hemispheres of the brain. Here is what to consider and how you might approach this.

Theory of Dual Psychology

The theory of Dual Psychology or "Split Brain Theory" as it is sometimes called, states that each of the brain's two hemispheres operate independently, performing different functions. An inter-connective structure called the Corpus Callosum allows exchange of information and processes between the two hemispheres. Development of the Corpus Callosum is not uniform between men and women. In women, for example, information passes between the two hemispheres via a broad "super highway". In men however, the path is more like a machete-hacked trail through the jungle, which helps to explain why women are more intuitive and emotional while men tend more to be physical and logical.

Right Brain

Functions which are primarily seated in the right brain hemisphere include:

o Insight

o 3-D three dimensional thinking and concepts

o Art, visuals, images and graphics

o Imagination

o Music

o Control of body's left side

Left Brain

Functions which are primarily seated in the left brain hemisphere include:

o Number skills

o Written language

o Reasoning

o Spoken language

o Scientific thought

o Control of body's right side

With an understanding of these split-brain-related aspects we can then prepare a palette of activities that aid in the use and development of both brain hemispheres fostering more balanced overall intellectual development.

Summary

Knowing how the brain functions, how memory works and determining the key strengths, intelligences and learning styles of your learners are important to English and foreign language teaching professionals. It can significantly impact in the preparation of curriculum, lesson planning, use of facilities, resources and the implementation of classroom-based activities or didactics. As such, this is an area of ​​investigation which cannot be persistently ignored. Other didactics, intellectual development and intelligence theory models as well as their application to English and foreign language teaching and learning, such as the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1984), Hermann's Brain Dominance Indicator (N. Hermann), and the Triune Brain Model (P. MacLean), will be examined in this continuing series. Also, a selection of didactic activities and their application will be discussed in a sequence of upcoming article posts.

The words in the left hand column are typically associated with the "left brain thinking," and the words in the right hand column are typically associated with "right brain thinking." These are simple generalizations, designed to get you thinking about the habitual thinking patterns you use to approach your work. The more integrated we are – the more we access and use the elements associated with both sides of this list in any given situation – the more effective we can be at generating elegant solutions and creating new systems. Most individuals and most organizations lean more toward one side or the other. Certainly, in our culture most organizational systems use more "left brain" approaches and would benefit greatly by balancing out their methods.

I've developed a short quiz to help you determine your most common brain usage. Quickly scan the list for the words that apply to you in your work. Don't think about it or try to figure it out – go by initial gut instinct. Keep track of how many words in each column describe your own. You don't have to choose between the 2 columns – just check off each word that resonates with you as part of your own process, even if they seem opposite. For example, you may find you already use both detailed and big picture thinking in your work. If so, check both.

Whole Brain Dimensions Quiz (TM)

Left Brain ——————- Right Brain

Rational ———————- Intuitive

Logical ———————– Metaphorical

Fact based ——————- Aesthetic

Quantitative —————– Holistic

Sequential ——————- Synthesizing

Detailed ———————- Big Picture

Plan ————————— Improvise

Mathematical —————- Musical

Administrative ————— Correlative

Language & words ——— Imagery

Technical ——————— Visual

Analytical ——————– Emotional

Scientific ——————— Spiritual

Abstract ——————— Conceptual

Order ———————— Movement

Singular ——————— Complex

Preparation —————– Incubation

Verification —————— Illumination

Objective ——————– Subjective

Parts ————————- Wholes

Evaluation ——————- Elaboration

Deduce ———————– Expand

Accuracy ———————- Randomness

Pattern perception ——— Spatial perception

Strategies ——————- Possibilities

Safety & security ———– Risk taking

Practical ——————— Impetuous

Remember —————— Fantasize & envision

Adds ————————- Integrates

Successive —————— Simultaneous

Directed ——————— Flowing

Convergent —————– Divergent

Splits ————————- Connects

Sensing ———————- Perceiving

Cause and effect ———- Correspondence

Straight lines ————— Meandering

Verbal ———————— Kinesthetic

Isolates ——————— Interdependent

Deducts ——————— Expands

Distinctions —————– Relations

Observes ——————- Imagines

Discerns ——————– Generates

Catagories —————— Interconnections

Catalogs & labels ——- Incorporates & assimilates

Sorts & separates ——— Infuses & blends

Figures out —————– "Gets"

Concludes —————— "A-ha!"

Segmented —————– Contextual

Methodical —————— Spontaneous

Levels & stages ———— Dimensions

Lists ————————– Story

Itemizes ——————— Unites

Add up the totals on each side to become aware of your dominant thinking approach. What are your strengths? What are your dominant thinking patterns? Where is there room for expansion into whole brain thinking?

4 Whole Brain "Activation" Techniques

Opposite functions – Spend some time doing everything with your non-dominant hand. Every time you break a dominance habit, you create new neural pathways and give the brain more options. It become easier to think in new ways throughout your day, and easier to adapt, respond and create in high pressure environments.

Colored markers and unlined paper – Instead of using lined legal paper and a pen in meetings, brainstorming sessions or any other work related function, try use unlined paper and colored markers (I recommend the Sharpie fine point brand – they're vibrant and long lasting ). Without exception, once you get used to the exhilarating freedom of working "outside the lines" and the new ideas it will produce, you won't go back to being mentally boxed in. Lines have a subconscious effect on us which keep the brain locked in habitual thought patterns. By removing the lines, the brain is more free to think multi-dimensionally instead of just linearly.

Sensory Immersion – consciously engage all of your senses. Instead of coming to a situation from thinking alone, come to it form you sense of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch as well. The more senses you bring into a creative process, the more you expand your thinking and awareness, and the more information you receive.

Embodiment – become the project, problem, vision, product and act from its point of view. New ideas will flood your mind. This is easy to prove. First, try imagining new features to add to any product in a certain time period, ie, 5 minutes. You will come up with a number of features. Then, pretend you actually are the product – become the product -and start talking from it , again for 5 minutes. You will learn exponentially more about what it "needs." The act of embodying a product, process, concept, etc. will give you new insights and awareness' into the product, and therefore, potential new features, that you cannot get from just thinking about it.

In seeking solutions to complex and even abstract situations, generally we seek through the same plateau of shallow intelligence, which, by default, limits in-sight of advance nature. Conversely, functioning through a level of brain activity which promotes intelligence growth, is surly the wisest route. The question arises: how do we access and develop this potential of enhanced brain function for everyday use?

Growth of human intelligence is said to "level off" on reaching around age twenty. This age is generally when our stored or conditioned environmental mind-sets and indoctrinated belief patterns become the dominating thought force – when crystalized mental images have imprinted in our brain as personality and range of limitation or ability.Thus, by experiential association, these subjective templates join-up to comprise accepted life-style behavior, perceptions and mood-anxiety states.

Due to this "leveling off" of intelligence growth, our life feels as if running on fixed mental programming over which we have no control. But, such "leveling-off" of intelligence production need not be the continuing situation. The reality is, through the brain's reorganizing ability, we can reactivate this stalled intelligence process at any time, regardless of age, for, consciousness development adheres to no limitation or age determinant, for its expression.

Known also as human growth hormone, this innate intelligence lies in abundance within the Pineal gland in the center of the brain awaiting reactivation. I say reactivation, because, it is this gland – through non activity – which is responsible for halting production of the intelligence hormone on our reaching late adolescence. To off-set this creative intelligence deficit, a natural remedying technique, of putting the Pineal gland back to work for maximum brain potential, is the obvious solution.

The practicalities of reactivation should therefore be a means of realigning the brain with a restructuring dynamic, whereby, through the plasticity of brain stretching, new neural pathways are formed, thus bringing about expansion of consciousness and greater ability of comprehension, through advance intelligence.

While the term transcending has been with mankind for centuries, science, relatively recently, is now putting this phenomenon into relatable language, calling it neuroplasticity through neurogenesis.

Neuroplasticity is a natural brain stretching function to facilitate production of new intelligence, and, neurogenesis is the term to describe formation of new nerve cells, referred to as neurotransmitters – brain links or triggers for clicking into the dormant wealth of natural creative happiness or genius- status.

In creating new neural pathways, the brain is then in the process of bringing about general body healing and well-being restoration, plus, creating coherence or enhanced communication throughout the entire brain.

Known colloquially as "use it or lose it", scientifically this expression is termed synaptic pruning: a process where some neural connections or past experiences, become strengthened through use – through conscious living familiarity – while others die, through non use. The imperative being: creating new neural pathways in the brain for on-going consciousness or intelligence development by means of focused awareness or mindfulness.

The Remedy

In meditation, what some regard as a problem – the inability of staying focused – is actually a blessing in disguise. For, such is the progress dynamic, the modus operandi of initiating neroplasticity, neurogenesis, in the brain.

It works like this. Unable to place a physical weight on the brain like on a gymnasium bar, to exercise the brain, we use instead the mind's habit of drifting in meditation as the weight. Each aware drift followed by a subtle conscious coming back to our focal point of attention for restart – such as a mantra – is thus pushing the brain weight.

Putting this into further meditational context, it is an established fact, that, the secret of learning a musical instrument – or anything new – is spaced repetition. In meditational terms, this spaced repetition of starting and restarting after each wandering, initiates neuroplasticity activity, thereby, neurogenesis capacity. In other words, by regular restarts in meditation, the brain's ability of becoming focus-familiar creates the impetus for new neural pathways to establish in the brain.

Here, the "instrument" can be a new language, project, hobby, sporting achievement or even a relationship – something or someone we give ourselves to totally. So long as our "new" whatever involves daily spaced repetition, or attention, then the brain is creating new neural pathways of a creative nature, in this area.

This is why having as many happy, pleasant personal experiences as possible, is pivotal. The more pleasant the mental imprint of the experienced moment, the greater does our happiness bank swell. In this context, regular engagement of happiness is what brings about a natural integration or elimination of unpleasant memories, or, synaptic pruning. In other words, through non use, the imprint of engraved non desirable habits, become erased. Thus, by establishing natural happiness within consciousness, inner and outer happiness is lived spontaneously.

If we never take up music or a new project or language, meditation therefore becomes the easily available instrument of retraining the brain, of opening the Pineal gland whereby neuroplasticity and neurogenesis become active dynamics. This is the process of producing more gray matter, hence, new creative channels in the brain.

Think of a pebble dropped in to a still lake and the ensuing ripples. Such is the mantra effect in meditation for initiating neuroplasticty in the brain, and for the transformation of consciousness.