According to a recent study by a group of Swiss researchers, breath means more than simple respiration – it is actually linked with the ability to make choices by exercising free will. This research is so groundbreaking because it is another proof-point that attention, when connected with the breath, activates the circuits of the mind-body connection.
Change or Chance?
Complementary and Alternative Modalities (CAM) receive a lot of press these days. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us home and socially distanced us. What do we do when we don’t have to be in traffic, physically get to work? In other words, what happened to us when some of our daily business, school, and home activities stopped or redirected? What happened to you if you were a first responder or medical personnel on the front lines?
Brain and Mindfulness in the Time of Uncertainty
“To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily quiet, still.”– Jiddu Krishnamurti
Classics withstand the test of time. The works of Shakespeare, for example, reverberate today in theaters across the world, move us and have for a few centuries. So too with mindfulness practices. Sitting in stillness, observing breath, meditating whether conscious, guided imagery, or using sound are nothing new.
Mindfulness and Our Cells
Technology moves in nanoseconds. Innovations in the medical field alone astound us. Technology allows us to venture into micro spaces unheard of a few short years ago. We can verify, quantify, and qualify biological processes reducing harm to our physical body while mending, healing in proactive ways.
The mind, too, is a part of this process. I would say that the days of seeing the mental function separate from our body and seeing our body as just a machine may be over. As we integrate within ourselves and integrate our knowledge that the mind and body, emotions, our spiritual senses, make up who we are, we see our self, our body as an inclusive operating system with many components that interact holistically. Maybe we can start asking the question: If I need to fix or heal an aspect of my heart, what impact will it have on my liver, kidney, sleep, or even my mood?
