Winter Qi Chats | Week 8
Calming your thoughts
Can you count to 100 uninterrupted? This week we learn ways to still the ‘monkey mind’ as we calm our ever active brains.
Cognition + Calm
When we are breathing slowly and feeling relaxed, we’re more apt to tap into our Vagal side. Remembering that the Vagus nerve has an anti-inflammatory pathway, we reduce inflammation as well as cortisol levels in the body. Our brain is able to better interpret input from our external environment and we feel safer. Safe is good for the brain. Safe is good for our cognition.
Still the Wandering Organ
In Chinese Medicine, the brain is considered the ‘wandering organ’ as our curiosity and imagination takes us away from our present moments. For those who meditate, your entire exercise during this time of stillness is to pull the wandering organ back to the present moment. The Chinese will often call this busy mind the ‘monkey mind’.
There are various forms of meditation that help settle and calm the monkey mind. Count to 100. Be present with your breath. Say a mantra or prayer. Etc.
But you don’t have to be seated in a criss cross position with hands in lap to train the monkey mind. Tasks that involve intense concentration have been shown to mimic the benefits of meditation. Furthermore, there are studies that show that people who work with their hands tend to have less cognitive decline. So by narrowing your Yi, intention into a set of tasks that need to be completed, you can help calm the busy mind AND increase your cognition as you age!
Neuro-Qi Tip o’the day!
Draw yourself inward
Find a task that incorporates your full attention and your hands
Click this link to learn to draw a bear
Find a time/day on your calendar when you feel this is a realistic time to engage your shoulders
*Video posts every Friday by 11:30am MDT
