How To Keep Your Brain Young, And Slow The Process Of Ageing

                                                               

WE don’t have to age — or at least grow old as fast as we do. That’'s the finding of researchers in the US, where a group of specially trained lab rats equivalent in our years to 60-year-olds became as “young” and healthy as their 20-year-old companions. 

Although our bodies will inevitably decline, scientific evidence presented at the recent international Mind & Its Potential Conference in Sydney suggests that the process can be slowed down by several decades. The things that really matter to us — vitality, libido, memory, and brain power — don’t have to change much into our 70s and 80s. And how can this be achieved? Not through hormones, surgery, vitamins or stem cell replacement.

It’s all about neurogenesis, or our ability to grow new synapses and neurons in our brains well into old age, according to University of California neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, who in Sydney shared advice on how to keep our brains young. “The King of Neuroplasticity”, Professor Merzenich, 72, says that when the brain is rejuvenated it also rejuvenates everything from our skin and organ function to capacity for pleasure and energy. The aim is to “fatten” the brain so the body doesn’t atrophy.

So how do we do this? Merzenich and other leading neuroscientists gave me their best tips for longevity. One of Merzenich’s revolutionary methods would have baby boomers and gen Xers laughing: the silly walk, a la John Cleese and Monty Python. Merzenich finds new and complicated ways to move every day to give his brain huge challenges. He says the brain loves to make decisions and solve problems, and it hates safe ways of doing things. To stay young, he says, don’t make things easy for the brain. Give it big surprises. Get out of the cave. Don’t say “I don’t do that.” Try it.

Exercise is fantastic for overall health, but to specifically grow the brain, the exercises can’t be predictable or routine. So add to the mix Rumba, Tango, gentle acrobatics, and yes, even a silly walk.

Merzenich was one of the stars of eminent psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge’s groundbreaking bestseller on neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, The Brain That Changes Itself. Doidge told me that “What fires together wires together”, and new synapses and pathways are forged constantly as long as the brain is used. With a bit of brain rewiring and practice, a pianist can become a concert pianist; a stroke victim can learn to talk and walk.

The bottom line, says Merzenich, is “use it or lose it”. He warns us to stop using a GPS and other gadgets for simple tasks. “Study road maps, and force yourself to remember where you’re going and the details around you. As primitive beings we survived by roaming the landscape. So listen and look around in a state of mindfulness.” Before sleep he spends five minutes in bed recalling the details he’s seen in the streets that day, in order to stimulate memory. He says to try and remember phone numbers and email addresses rather than using your mobile.

He advocates training the brain with games. Not a big fan of Sudoku or other problem-solving fads, Merzenich has a website of scientifically proven exercises. BrainHQ.com, from Posit Science, was featured in the ABC documentary Redesign My Brain, in which Todd Sampson volunteered himself as a lab rat to test the science of brain plasticity. Sampson turned into somewhat of a genius before our eyes.

Merzenich also praises meditation, which according to experiments by Richard J. Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of contemplative practices on the brain, opens pathways in unused areas of the mind. Merzenich says we should learn languages, go back to university or do some courses — but to leave our comfort zone. He says try complex subjects you might not be good at, such as maths.

I followed his advice and three years ago went back to university. Despite being a technophobe, I chose to study technical matters such as video production, camera usage, and operating an edit suite. I was often in tears. But I did well, and noticed that my brain improved in other areas of memory and competency. The theory is that if you develop one part of the brain, synapses grow elsewhere.

New hobbies can challenge your brain with enough tension to create small squirts of cortisol and noradrenaline. Unlike dangerous chronic stress that comes from worry, small hits of stress hormones are excellent for stimulating the mind. Perhaps birdwatch and learn the name of new species. Stay curious. Travel is great. After achieving a new skill, reward yourself. Self-praise clinches the lessons and rewires the brain. Positive feedback promotes good habits.

US psychiatrist Stuart Brown was recently in Australia talking about the importance of play in brain health. Activities such as volleyball, running into the sea and ballroom dancing have been shown to trigger parts of the brain associated with social connection and increased intelligence.

Brown first recognised the importance of play by discovering its absence in the life stories of murderers and sociopaths. His research led him to prove that when we play and laugh, we release not only dopamine, oxytocins and other reward neurochemicals but also create synaptic connections.

Social interaction is crucial for wellbeing, according to the “father of social neuroscience”, UCLA professor Matthew Lieberman. He says without love, relationships and community, the deterioration of our health is equivalent to smoking two packets of cigarettes a day. Being with people helps us read facial signs, develop empathy and exercise our prefrontal cortex, which governs higher order functions. It was, and still is, crucial to our survival as a species. So turn off Facebook and go face-to-face.

Neuroscientists have proven that juggling increases thinking speed and one’s ability to focus. Michael J. Gelb, a respected creative thinker from the US, says that while juggling we increase our metacognition — the capacity to think about our thinking processes. This improves motor skills, spatial awareness and problem-solving capacity.

Most of us feel awkward trying new things, which is why we mostly don’t. Tal Ben Shahar, a prominent US expert in positive psychology, says we need to reframe our failures so we see them as “lessons”.

He believes we should not let fear make us shun new things. Developing comes from accepting our failures with grace. “Babies don’t just walk. They need to keep falling down, then they walk,” he reassures those of us who are embarking on a journey towards our full adult potential.

How to jump-start the grey matter

• Find new ways to move or walk every day
• Don’t stay in your comfort zone. Give the brain surprises, decisions and problems to solve
• What fires together wires together. Talent is not important. Practice any skill for 10,000 hours and you’ll master it.
• Stop using a GPS and contact book: memorise maps, phone numbers and email addresses
• Do online exercises such as BrainHQ.com from Posit Science
• Meditate for at least 20 minutes at a time, preferably morning and night
• Study something you are not good at; take up hobbies
• Read, read and read
• Play and increase your social contact
• Before going to sleep, for five minutes recall details of something like the house next door or a friend’s face
• Juggle to increase motor skills and spatial awareness

 By Ruth Ostrow

With thanks to The Australian
ruthostrow.com; Twitter: @OstrowRuth

Whole Body Integration – The Mind, Body & Soul Connection

By Daniel Rechnitzer

Understanding this connection is what makes Accessing Universal Intelligence possible.

There is a beautiful relationship between Mind Body and Soul, one many are unaware of.

When all three are in harmony, the “impossible” can be achieved. When they are dislocated we experience struggle, pain and suffering. The by product of which, is the world we see today.

But, how do we get Mind, Body and Soul in harmony. What does it take?

First of all, it takes a deeper understanding as to what each of these concepts refer to.
Lets begin with the concept of SOUL.

The SOUL
What does the soul mean to you?
In truth, we as human beings are ill equipped to fully grasp the full extent of this concept. All we can really do is to point to what it means. I’d like to share with you, what we at the Ui Group mean when we talk about the SOUL.
First of all, we use the word Higher Self. Others may call it your spirit, inner being or even life force or god-force. In essence we are all talking about the same thing.
To us your Higher Self is the mastermind behind all the coincidences and synchronicity in your life.

They are architects of fate if you like.

They are the sensation of LOVE within your body, and they are the driving force inside that steers you towards all that brings you happiness, fulfillment and spiritual development.
They are connected to all that is, All Knowing, they are the Genius Within.
They have a PLAN for you, which some describe through the use of the word – fate. This PLAN is a series of experiences they desire for you – that will give you (and them) fulfilment and growth.

They are eternal, and indestructible.

So then what do we mean by the term MIND?

Again, in truth, it is difficult to capture the enormity of this concept in full. We are ill-equipped to do so.

We see the MIND as that part of you that realises it’s alive, self awareness in other words.
We see the MIND as the cockpit for your soul / Higher Self. It is how they steer your choices toward experiences they desire for you, feeding you inspiration and insights.

Unfortunately, the mind is not always occupied by the SOUL, for if it were the planet would not be so out of balance. We, our intellect, our mind made identity or ego as we call it – that part of us that sabotages our growth, – actually occupies the mind more often.
The quieter the mind is the more influence the soul has over your choices and the greater your intelligence becomes.

The next is our BODY, what is its purpose?
The body houses the soul. It carries the soul from moment to moment, from one experience to the next.
It’s our vehicle! It gets us from A to B, providing us a wealth of experiences throughout life. It is our best friend!
But the body plays a dual role:

1. It provides a physical experience for the soul,
2. And to ensure this physical experience is what was intended, that is, what is in your highest good, the body plays the role of communicating back to the mind, how you are travelling, or whether Mind Body and Soul are in harmony with one another.

What most people don’t realise, is that the body is actually a reflection of the soul, not a reflection of your thoughts, to be accurate.
To ensure we are walking our Soul’s predetermined path, our soul uses our body to communicate to us. Feelings of joy and fulfillment are reminders we are on track. Pain and suffering and stagnation show us we are off track, out of sync.
Think of the body from the standpoint of your very own, walking, talking GPS. (Global Positioning System – or in car navigation)


Lets examine the language of the body even further. .
Each organ, muscle, or bone, represents an experience we as human beings can have.
For example, your eyes are the experience of seeing life.
Your hips give you the experience of moving forward, or not.
Even your bowels are an experience in life, they are the process of releasing those things that you no longer need. Your heart is the experience of a natural rhythm and harmony.
Your ankles give you the experience of flexible movement and agility, and so on, and so forth.

As such – every part of your anatomy is not only an experience of life but at the same time, the representation of how you are experiencing life in that particular area. Meaning if you are struggling in a particular are of life, that struggle is reflected in that part of your body.

• Don’ t like what you see or avoiding looking at an area of your life – expect cataracts or conjunctivitis
• Are you carrying everyone else’s responsibilities around – expect tight neck and shoulders and eventually spinal degradation
• Have financial worries – expect lower back pain, lower spine is about basic support etc etc
• Hate yourself? do you emotionally beat yourself up? – expect severe headaches / migraines

So, each aspect of our anatomy is a messenger for you to pay attention to. The blockages in your body show where you are blocked in life.
The more in sync you are with Mind Body and Soul the healthier you become! (The same applies to your baby. See them as part of your body).

Another way to understand the Mind Body and Soul connection is similar to the sun being eclipsed by the moon. Some of your thoughts and perspectives block your Higher Self from shining through. Your body becomes like the Earth that is eclipsed by the moon from the sun’s life-giving energy. Imagine what would happen if the Earth was eclipsed for prolonged periods of time. It would slowly die. As do we, if our thoughts of doubt and fear prevent our Higher Self from shining through keeping the body alive and youthful.

Aging comes from sustaining long periods of disconnection from your soul / Higher Self.
Strengthening the mind body connection rejuvenates the body, and guess how we do that? From heightening our intuition.

So What is Intuition?

You’ve probably guessed what intuition is by now.
Intuition are the messages from your Higher Self!
Hand up who has ever woken up at 3am by a brilliant idea or solution?
It’s because your mind was still enough to hear your Higher Self.
It’s our job to heighten our intuition to perceive our Higher Self over the chatter of our busy mind. In turn your busy thoughts slow down making tuning-in much easier.
But with this ability to hear these messages comes more!
The intuitive part of our brain, or what we call a whole brain state of awareness (when both hemispheres of your brain unite) affords you a 6^th sense. Our 5 physical senses perceive physical reality, where as our 6^th sense, our intuition perceives non physical reality, such as THOUGHTS.

Thereby, giving us an ability to derive information from other sources, as well as your Higher Self, {such as the Higher Self of your baby, your children, your partners, or even your business}

Hands up if you’ve had the experience of attending a concert or sporting event and you’ve literally experienced other people’s excited energy wash over you?
Hands up if you’ve ever had a thought of someone pop in, just prior to them giving you a phone call?

These are just small examples of the phenomenon we called Ui – or Accessing Universal Intelligence.

Our brains can actually switch like a radio and ‘tune –into’ a whole array of frequencies.

Get connected! Up grade your brain to perceive Universal Intelligence!

With many thanks to UI Group