As most of you know, CP begins the day with a reflective reading or a moment of silence. And Academy practices begins with ALPHA - a silent moment of visualization and focus. Why do we do this? Because this meditative technique engages the mind-body and precedes true learning.
This youtube video on Mind Science by Dan Rather describes the effects of meditation on the mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=FkXtz72hjDI&feature=player_embedded#
Silence is Key for Learning
Meditation is an age-old tradition practiced by Tibetan monks, Christian Contemplatives and many others that affords the ability to relax and enter a state of conscious awareness and being. This practice can be used to calm, alter, and redirect certain behaviors. Mediation also increases the function of the brain, which determines the mind’s ability to process. Alternatively, stress and fatigue move the brain into a primitive mode of functioning, which adversely affects its ability for higher order thinking.
Brain plasticity in the field of neuroscience has proven that the brain is malleable and has the ability to constantly evolve. Recent studies show that meditation has a direct and positive effect on our brain’s plasticity levels by raising brain fitness and wave production. Meditation increases the thickness in parts of the brain that deal with increased attention and processing sensory input, as well as reversing the effects of aging. Obviously, one can extrapolate the value this practice can have on the learning process.
So, this means that we were not born smart or average or dumb. It means WE have the ability to increase our brain's ability to learn. That is powerful!
Train Your Brain
So let’s try an experiment to increase our brain’s cognitive and plasticity levels. This is an exercise that can be altered to fit any circumstance, but as with any other training, daily practice is key.
Introduce yourself to a meditation practice by setting aside 10 minutes, twice daily (first thing in the morning, and just before bed are ideal times)– it provides the 'parentheses' of the day. Although there are many ways to do this, here is a common practice. Set a timer. Choose a word or phrase as the symbol of your intention. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Introduce and repeat your word or phrase silently in your mind. Breathe normally and comfortably. Allow the ‘jumping monkeys’ in your mind to stop. Redirect wandering thoughts by gently repeating your word or phrase.
Practice this effort for 30 days, gradually increasing your meditation time to 20 minutes at each sitting. Know that your brain can grow and experience the results.
Applications
A short silent period at the beginning of class, or at the beginning of a lesson, or at the beginning of doing homework can work to set the brain's intent by visualizing the goal. Ending your lesson time with another period of silence can emphasizes what was learned. This creates positive tracking or wiring in the brain. This technique can also be used for ‘resetting’ when necessary.
The purpose of the silent focus is to allow the brain to rewire or track the malleable parts that you have been working with. For those of you who ever made bread from scratch… it’s like letting the bread ‘rest’ after kneading it – a key to a successful process.
Onward to Alpha,
~Carol