Meditation may calm the mind, but a recent study suggests it can also reshape brain activity by profoundly altering brain dynamics and increasing neural connections – somewhat similar to psychedelic substances.
As a result, meditation may help practitioners achieve a hypothesized state known as “brain criticality”, in which neural connections are neither too weak nor too strong, but at an optimal level for mental agility and function.
Mindfulness is a concentrated state of awareness that can help us see and respond to situations with clarity and without getting carried away by emotions or the constant chatter in our heads. Mindfulness enables us to: · Better manage tension and stress · Enhance objectivity, mental focus · Communicate and make decisions more effectively · Improve productivity · Quiet’s noise in the mind Meditation Meditation is the tool we use to cultivate mindfulness. With meditation, you intentionally pay attention to a particular object as a way to strengthen concentration. There are thousands of meditative techniques: Tai Chi, yoga, focusing on the breath and using a mantra are all examples. People often think that meditating “correctly” means clearing all thought from the mind. This is a myth. The mind never stops thinking – it’s when we get caught up in our thoughts that we lose mindfulness. By witnessing thoughts, allowing them to pass, and returning to your chosen object of focus, you can actually build the muscle of concentration. Think of meditation as a fitness routine for the mind. Are there other benefits to mindfulness?
In addition to boosting brain power, numerous research studies have shown significant physical benefits including: · Reduced blood pressure · Lowered cholesterol levels · Enhanced immune function · Reduced headache, migraine, back pain · Improved respiratory function Mindfulness does not require a particular set of beliefs in order to learn and practice – it is a quality of mind, accessible and available to all. Mindfulness allows us to live every moment fully without the filters of bias, judgment or emotional reaction. Mindfulness helps the body cope with physical challenges such as headaches, back pain and even heart disease. Mindfulness keeps us from reacting too quickly – it helps increase the gap between impulse and action.
About me: I have been fortunate to have engaged with body oriented practices. Hatha Yoga as a teen in the mid 70’s, Halprin Method starting in 1981, Tai Chi in the late ’80’s, Massage Therapy training in the mid 90’s, dance movement therapy in the 00’s, countless dance/movement performances, .. even contra and square dancing And they all changed me deeply, lovingly, sometimes aggressively. If you want to change how you are or aren’t engage with a body process.
“……thinking is fundamentally spatial and embodied.”
Creativity can be enhanced by experiencing cultures different from one’s own, according to a study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (published by SAGE).
Three studies looked at students who had lived abroad and those who hadn’t, testing them on different aspects of creativity. Relative to a control group, which hadn’t experienced a different culture, participants in the different culture group provided more evidence of creativity in various standard tests of the trait. Those results suggest that multicultural learning is a critical component of the adaptation process, acting as a creativity catalyst.
The researchers believe that the key to the enhanced creativity was related to the students’ open-minded approach in adapting to the new culture. In a global world, where more people are able to acquire multicultural experiences than ever before, this research indicates that living abroad can be even more beneficial than previously thought.
“Given the literature on structural changes in the brain that occur during intensive learning experiences, it would be worthwhile to explore whether neurological changes occur within the creative process during intensive foreign culture experiences,” write the authors, William W. Maddux, Hajo Adam, and Adam D. Galinsky. “That can help paint a more nuanced picture of how foreign culture experiences may not only enhance creativity but also, perhaps literally, as well as figuratively, broaden the mind.
The article “When in Rome… Learn Why the Romans Do What They Do: How Multicultural Learning Experiences Facilitate Creativity” in the June 2010 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
I remember that time I told my health care provider that since my strokes and cardiac surgery I sometimes practice putting on my clothes with one hand. She responded loudly with both postural and gestural expressions. I’m just glad I didn’t tell her about the times I wore an eye mask so I could spend the day at home without being able to see. Practicing dressing myself with limited mobility proved to be a good idea. …A few years later when the OT came into my hospital room post 2’nd brain surgery .. I already knew how to dress myself. Walking took a bit longer.
Michael J. Wilkinson, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.N.L.A., explores the science and clinical evidence behind intermittent fasting and its role in promoting cardiometabolic health. He explains how aligning eating patterns with the body’s natural circadian rhythms can improve weight, blood pressure, glucose regulation, and other risk factors, especially in individuals with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. Wilkinson highlights promising results from time-restricted eating studies conducted in collaboration with UC San Diego and the Salk Institute, where narrowing the daily eating window led to improved metabolic markers and potential benefits beyond weight loss. He also outlines practical tips for safely adopting this lifestyle approach and stresses the importance of ongoing research. [
When someone asks, “How are you?”, the common response, “OK, not bad,” often implies that health is merely the absence of disease. But if we pause to truly reflect on that question, the concept of health reveals a far greater complexity and richness. The sources challenge this limited perspective, urging us to understand health as a complex, multidimensional latent construct, much like personality or happiness, encompassing a broad array of observable phenomena.
More Than Just the Absence of Suffering
Traditionally, health is often defined by the absence of suffering, such as physical pain, anxiety, or depression. However, this view is incomplete. The sources remind us that people can experience wellness even with terminal disease or chronic pain. True health can also be conceptualized by the presence of certain positive qualities, including pleasure, happiness, joy, energy, and enthusiasm. This suggests that even when physical ailments are present, other dimensions of well-being can flourish.
What Your Body and Mind Can Do
A second crucial dimension of health is functional ability versus impairment. This isn’t just about whether your body is working; it encompasses a multitude of aspects.
The significance of an impairment can vary greatly depending on the individual, highlighting that health is not a one-size-fits-all concept. For example, cognitive impairment in three-dimensional space would be far more disabling for a brain surgeon or architect than for a writer. This dimension also includes an individual’s flexibility and adaptability to changing conditions as well as their ability to give and receive. It’s entirely possible to imagine highly functioning individuals who are still unhealthy in other ways, just as people with significant functional impairment can be very healthy in other aspects.
Finding Inner Peace and Meaning
The third, and perhaps most profound, domain of health is a subjective sense of inner peace or coherence in life. This involves a global sense of predictability (even when control is low) of one’s internal and external environment, coupled with an optimism that things will work out as best as is reasonable. This domain resonates with concepts such as: * Hardiness * Resilience * Learned optimism * A sense of meaning and purpose in life
All these concepts speak to an individual’s broad subjective perspective on life, which is a powerful indicator of overall health and well-being
The Holistic View of Healing
By embracing this multidimensional understanding, the role of a healer expands significantly. It moves beyond merely detecting and eradicating a specific disease state to encompass the entire quality of life. This broader perspective recognizes that health is about the richness of human experience, urging us to consider all facets of a person when asking, “How are you?”. This holistic approach is crucial, especially given that spiritual well-being, an often overlooked dimension, is increasingly linked to positive health outcomes.
Imagine health not as a single, clear road, but as a vast, intricate garden. The traditional view only focuses on the absence of weeds (disease). But a truly healthy garden thrives not just by lacking weeds, but by having vibrant, blossoming flowers (pleasure, joy), strong, deep roots (functional ability), and a harmonious, flourishing ecosystem (coherence, meaning). A skilled gardener, like a holistic healer, doesn’t just pull weeds; they nurture the soil, prune the plants, ensure proper light and water, and understand the interconnectedness of every part to cultivate a truly thriving, beautiful space.
“Professor Lorimer Moseley is a physiotherapist turned neuroscientist, who specialises in pain – what it is, why it exists, how it works and when it can go wrong.
Lorimer came to this very specific study after his own experience with chronic pain following a pretty gruesome sporting injury that by all accounts had been fixed by surgery.”
“Join us for a dynamic panel discussion where experts explore the contributions of Indigenous practices to modern agriculture. The conversation highlights traditional ecological knowledge, addresses gaps in food access, and proposes strategies to promote food sovereignty. Panelists examine how Indigenous wisdom and contemporary innovation create equitable, sustainable food systems, amplify Indigenous voices, and inspire collaboration for a resilient future.”
“Hilton Koppe was a beloved country GP for 30 years before an unexpected health crisis of his own forced him to reassess everything (R)
Hilton Koppe grew up knowing his parents wanted him to become a doctor and so when he got the marks to make it into medicine, they were overjoyed.
By the time he was 30, he’d started working as a country GP. Hilton then became a beloved local doctor in Northern NSW, and he worked there for more than three decades.
But a few years ago, Hilton’s own health suddenly went awry. He started experiencing constant neck pain, and then the side of his face went numb.
He was sent him for an MRI, which revealed nothing.
But then Hilton’s own GP gave him an unexpected diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, related in part to his work as a doctor.
This news up-ended almost everything about Hilton’s life.
This episode of Conversations explores medicine, Australia’s medical system, Judaism, migration, post WW2 migration, Jewish families, Australian multi culturalism, family dynamics, health, wellbeing, PTSD, trauma, mental health diagnosis, South Africa, fascism.
RichardbBrunner 