Teach Your Brain to Focus Like a Laser!

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION

Mindfulness. Mindfulness, mindfulness meditation, mindfulness exercise, or mindful awareness, is simply the practice of paying attention to the things that come in our 5 senses, on purpose, and without judgment.

We spend much, if not most of our day with our mind drifting off into the clouds: sometimes into the past and sometimes into the future, but not often in the present “here and now”. We think about past experiences or future goals, plans, or fears. When our minds drift off into the past, the result is often sadness, depression, regrets, resentment, remorse, or other negative emotions. When our minds drift into the future, we often experience anxiety, or the “what ifs?”.

When we practice mindfulness, we pay attention to the current situation: what we feel, see, hear, smell, and taste. In short, our focus is in the present. When our focus is in the present moment, our mind is NOT in the PAST or FUTURE. Does this sound unrealistic or unattainable? It’s not as hard as it may seem.

ENTER NEUROPLASTICITY! Neuroplasticity is a way to express the concept that our brains change with experience! Neuroplasticity is not necessarily good or bad. Our brains change from the day we’re born until the day we die. This is a relatively new discovery. Until the popularization of fMRI technology and other brain scans, it was believed that our brains are somewhat static and just remain the same throughout our adult life. Now we know different.

In our brain is between 50 billion and 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons. Every time we do or think something a neural circuit fires in our brain from neuron to neuron. Remember first learning to brush your teeth? You had to focus to get the right amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush. Then you had to learn to go either up and down, side to side, or round in circles. You had to remember to not swallow the toothpaste and had to remember to get all your teeth. I venture to say that today you brushed your teeth with hardly a thought. This is because the neural pathway responsible for this action has become denser, stronger, and myelinated over time. When we do the same thing day after day, the neural circuit associated with that activity gets stronger, with the neural fibers getting larger and stronger, eventually becoming what we call procedural memory. Riding a bicycle is a good example of procedural memory created by neuroplasticity. The brain changes with experience!

This is the same process that happens when we practice intentionally focusing our attention on the present moment. As we practice mindful awareness daily, the neural circuit responsible for maintaining attention gets stronger and stronger – the neural fibers in the circuit getting larger and larger. Eventually these nerve fibers begin to develop a layer of insulation, making the circuit (behavior) more and more a part of our very personality. This is neuroplasticity in action!

Before I rant on, let me preface by saying that mindful meditation and mindful living is a simple concept. Carrying out the mindful life, however, is sometimes very difficult in the short run. Our minds are often conditioned to wander and changing this takes a little time, but is well worth the investment. As the neural fibers begin to grow and strengthen, so does our ability to focus our attention where we want it.

One last thing, before a more thorough explanation -Peer-reviewed research has shown that even 8 weeks of mindfulness practice for 30 minutes a day results in increased brain volume and mass, along with more connections. This has been validated through fMRI scans before and after the 8 week training. Other research indicates that daily mindfulness increases the function of the immune system, and can even reduce pain! In addition, there are no harmful side-effects that are commonly seen in prescription anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs. If all of this seems to good to be true, it may be worth trying and proving it to yourself!

HOW TO BEGIN

Beginning a practice of mindful attention involves doing something we do 24 hours a day from the day we’re born until the day we die – breathe! Here’s an easy way to begin:

1. Find a comfortable place to sit. Make sure you are comfortable, and have both feet on the floor. DON’T SWEAT THE DAHLI LAMA POSE! This is not a religious exercise, but a neural exercise. Our goal is to activate the neural circuit in your brain that says “pay attention to the present moment”.

2. As you breathe, focus your attention on the sensation of inhaling and exhaling – nothing else. Notice the air as it enters your nose and travels through your sinuses into your lungs. Notice the temperature of the air, the humidity of the air, or whether it is very dry. Notice anything you might smell, for example an air freshener, clean laundry, or food cooking. Notice the sensation of your lungs as they inflate and deflate. Notice your chest or stomach as it rises and falls. Notice if you can hear your inhale and exhale – notice if there’s a sound. You can even imagine your lungs as a balloon expanding and contracting. Notice the moment! Notice what you feel in your body.

3. As you begin to breathe and notice your breath, your mind will do what our minds tend to do – it will begin to wander with thoughts coming into your mind. The thoughts can be good, bad, or just neutral, but they will try to grab your attention.

4. First, what NOT to do.

a. Do not try to force or push the thoughts out of your mind. We simply can’t force thoughts out of our mind. I often compare our thoughts to small children or pets that just demand our attention. Until we recognize them they will likely refuse to leave us alone. If we try to force them out, they will probably just come back bigger and more forcefully.

b. Please don’t be discouraged or frustrated. This is perfectly normal and expected.

c. Don’t feel that you’ve failed. Your brain is acting perfectly normal.

d. Don’t get angry. Again, your brain is doing what God designed it to do.

5. Now for what to do!

a. Allow the thought to come.

b. Notice the thought. I often will see the thought in my mind as it is coming from the side. I turn in my mind to notice the thought as if to say “I see you and know you’re there”.

c. Now that you have noticed the thought, use that same thought as a cue, or a trigger, to your brain to GENTLY return your focus back to your breath. The key word here is GENTLY, and without frustration or judgment.

6. Now, as you gently bring your focus back to your breath, a wonderful thing happens! A neural circuit fires in your brain. This circuit instructs you to focus on the present moment and teaches your brain how to do it. Each time your focus is drawn away and you gently return to your breath, this circuit fires. Each time it fires, the neural fibers grow in length and width, getting stronger each time. You will likely notice after only a few days that your ability to stay focused has increased.

7. Please try to find time to practice this for 10 minutes at least a couple of times a day. You should notice increased focus and calm, with decreased depressive symptoms. This will improve over time. It is the result of neuroplasticity – the brain changes with experience.

THE BODY SCAN - NOTICING OUR INTERNAL WORLD

Our emotions are primarily and initially chemical signals in our body. These chemical signals are typically neurotransmitters and hormones released in our body in response to external stimuli (circumstances and situations that arise). When we are able to still our minds, we can often detect our emotions before they become problematic and disruptive to our lives. Once we are able to notice them, we can take steps to regulate them and calm our nervous system.

How to begin….

1. Begin by getting comfortable as in the breathing exercise. Find a comfortable place to sit with both feet firmly on the floor.

2. If you feel comfortable, close your eyes and just begin to notice your breath. Take a few deep diaphragmatic breaths, each time noticing the sensation of inhaling and exhaling.

3. Notice what you feel in your diaphragm as you inhale and exhale. Notice the air as it enters your nose and travels all the way to your lungs, filling them with oxygen. Notice what it feels like as you exhale, allowing the air in your lungs to gently leave your body.

4. Now that you’ve gotten comfortable and have taken a few breaths, shift your focus to your body, noticing whatever you notice. You may begin either from your head or your toes, but notice the sensations that come up.

5. If you choose to begin at the top of your head, just shift your focus to the top of your head, noticing any sensations you feel. Sit with that part of your body for a few seconds.

6. Now, shift your focus to your facial muscles and the skin in your face. There are over 200 muscles in your face alone. As you gently breath, notice any sensations you feel in your face – from your eyes, to your cheeks, to your lips, chin and around your face – notice what you notice. As you do, try not to judge anything you feel or see. Just notice it as if you are just observing without attachment.

7. Continue to move your focus to each part in your body. Try not to leave anything out. Go all the way to the tips of your toes, noticing any sensations.

8. If at any point, you notice something, ask yourself if you can sense any emotion you feel. Our emotions almost always are associated with a sensation in our body. The trick is to notice them as they occur.

9. As you notice sensations, and notice emotions, try to connect your emotions to any external circumstances. As you do, try not to judge the emotions or sensations; just notice them. It’s also a good idea to remind yourself that your emotions aren’t dangerous; they’re just emotions, a natural part of our life.

10. Finish this exercise with a few slow, deep diaphragmatic breaths, noticing what it feels like as you inhale and exhale.

Final Note: The goal of these exercises is not “primarily” relaxation, although that may be a result. The goal is to build the neural circuits in your brain that make it possible for you to focus your attention, in the present moment, and without judgment. We were created by God to have powerful brains. Sin, life experiences, and the world can cause this ability to diminish. Mindful meditation / exercise practice can help build neural networks that strengthen our ability to put our mental focus where we choose to place it.