What is the Mind?
What is the reason for the remarkable complexity, speed, activity, and evolution of the brain? It is the mind. By “mind,” I mean the flows of information within the brain; a synonymous term is “mental activity.” Much as the function of the heart is to move blood...
Friday Favorite
I thought you might enjoy these murals adapted from my presentation on Positive Neuroplasticity at the Hudson Institute of Coaching earlier this month. They were illustrated by Nancy Turner, Graphic Recorder/Facilitator, phrases@fuse.net.
Creating a Field Guide to the Human Brain
Guest post by Randy Roark, Producer for Sounds True. I’ve recently returned from recording a new program with Rick Hanson in Corte Madera, California. I first worked with Rick and his co-author Rick Mendius in 2009, when we recorded Meditations to Change Your Brain...
Focusing on the Positive
Q: If you focus on the positive for long enough, does it actually make your brain more receptive to doing that? Turn it into “velcro” for happiness, to use your expression? A: Research shows that repeated practice of any positive behavior (e.g., gratitude) will...
Intention of Non-Ill Will
Here we give up angry, punishing reactions toward others, animals, plants, and things. If such attitudes arise, we resolve not to feed them, and to cut them off as fast as we can. The Buddha placed great stress on the importance of releasing ill will. In the extreme,...
Key Points of Letting Go
"Let go a little, you'll have a little happiness. Let go completely, you'll be completely happy." Letting Go of Body Sensations Ordinary breathing, focusing on exhalation, intending to let go. Diaphragm breathing. Breath of fire. Heartmath: Breathing evenly through...
Is the “Self” Real?
Is the “Self” real? What’s the nature of the sense of being that remains when parts of the psyche fall away? The answer depends on how you define “Self.” I use that word to refer to the central “I” that’s presumed in Western psychology and philosophy (and everyday...
The Effect of Relationships on the Evolving Human Brain
Your brain is the product of 3.5 billion years of intense evolutionary pressure, including 2.7 million years as tool-using hominids and over 100,000 years as homo sapiens. Human DNA is about 98-99% identical to chimpanzee DNA. But that crucial 1-2% difference is...
What is the Best Time of Day to Meditate?
What is the Best Time of Day to Meditate? In all the studies (and reviews of studies) I’ve seen on meditation, I’ve never seen anything scientific about best time of day to meditate. Maybe it exists, but I’ve never heard of it. From the standpoint of a long-time...