#364 Being your own Trainer, Sports Psychologist & Life Coach

     The will to repeatedly put a little bit more quality, a little bit more intelligence - the "right effort" into each activity - to behave mindfully - comes from deep within us. This will is referred to as "heart", "spirit", "character", "intestinal fortitude" or "show us 'what you're made of'". If we learn to consistently dig down deep to manifest that "little extra", we are training ourselves to become progressively stronger, more competent, and more resilient. We transform ourselves into an elite individual, a champion in our chosen field of interest. In other words we intentionally remodel "what we're made of" - our mind, body & emotions - physically & functionally, for the better. Also, we become a fine personal trainer, sports psychologist & life coach to ourselves.

     "Water boils at 100°C, not at 99°C. That 1° of intensity makes all the difference. Workouts are similar ... If you aren't getting results, up the intensity!"               encouragement handwritten on Dalplex exercise room board

     “I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. That’s why I approach practices the same way I approached games. You can’t turn it on and off like a faucet. I couldn’t dog it during practice and then, when I need that extra push late in the game, expect it to be there.”         Michael Jordan, NBA MVP 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, & 1998.
     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/06/348-heart-of-mindfulness-practice.html
     and: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/basic-essential-life-skills-need-to-be.html

alan-tunnicliffe   www.dpreview.com

#360 Technology MUST be Balanced with Timeless Basic Human Skills

     Google's director of research interviewed Nicholas Carr, author of the article "Is Google making us stupid?" and the book "What the Internet is Doing to our Brains - The Shallows." Carr argued that regular use of the internet, computer games & smart phones thoroughly & effectively remodels our thinking, behavior patterns & our brains physically (neuroplasticity), with the corresponding very real danger of disuse atrophy of the neural networks that enable us to reflect deeply AND THUS weaken our ability to behave wisely - "Use it or loose it!"
     "If you look throughout the history of culture, you see that many of the great monuments of culture - whether we're talking about art, science, literature, whatever - come from people who were able to think attentively, deeply, and be contemplative, meditative, and be reflective. And if we devalue those things, and practice those things less, I think we not only get less interesting as individuals, we face a culture that is flatter, not as vibrant, and not as interesting as it used to be.
     ... inundating (oneself) with new technologies, with new information, has to be balanced with being attentive, reading, backing away from technology, even backing away from friends sometimes. It's great to collaborate, but there's also a role in the world for solitude, and I think we should encourage our kids, and ourselves, to practice that as well."
http://fora.tv/2010/06/23/Nicholas_Carr_Is_Google_Making_Us_Stupid

     Speed, quantity, meaningless fun, fast food etc must be BALANCED with - and as we mature as individuals & as cultures, progressively REPLACED by - slowing down, quality, meaning, food that's slowly prepared with love & other quality ingredients etc. Our lives have meaning; technology has no inherent meaning. We make tools / technology to improve - not distort - the quality of our lives.

     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/07/146-time-to-re-engage.html

evanrassbcglobalnet   www.dpreview.com

#357 Meditation, Yoga, Quality of Life & Neuroscience

     Scientifically validated benefits of yoga & mindfulness meditation practices include: stress reduction; reduced symptoms associated with depression, anxiety disorders, pain, insomnia; enhanced ability to pay attention; improved happiness, increased satisfaction with their quality of life.
     Sarah Lazar PhD discusses (8 minutes) the results of her brain imaging studies correlating these changes with changes in brain structure & function:

#206 Neuroplasticity - Brain Continuously Sculpted by Experience & Training

     “Neuroplasticity refers to the concept that the brain can change in response to experience, and in response to training. Probably the greatest discoveries in the last decade in modern neuroscience concern the many different mechanisms of plasticity. The brain is literally built to change in response to experience and in response to training. It’s the only organ in the body that’s really designed explicitly for that purpose. We now understand something about the mechanisms for plasticity, and they are varied. They range from new connections being formed to new cells actually growing in the brain - new brain cells, new neurons, and many other related kinds of processes. So when we talk about neuroplasticity, we talk about both the structural and the functional changes in the brain.

     It’s important to understand that our brains are constantly being shaped wittingly or unwittingly. So even if we’re not engaged in any intentional strategy to change our minds and our brains, our brains are constantly being changed by the forces around us. If we have an argument with a friend, or a family member, that will shape our brain. If we have a warm, positive interaction with someone, that will shape our brain. If we watch television, depending on it’s content, that will shape our brain in one way or another. Everything that we do literally is constantly shaping our brain."      Ritchie Davidson PhD

The Compassionate Brain by Rick Hanson PhD – Sounds True – free streaming webinar

live.soundstrue.com/compassionatebrain/event.php

Session #1 - How the Mind Changes the Brain - Ritchie Davidson PhD interviewed by Rick Hanson PhD

Photo: avec fleur   http://www.flickr.com/photos/avecfleur/2483563486/