Perceiving Life » brain

Brain Plasticity

usanajan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:19:47 +0000

I saw an amazing show recently on PBS which entailed a discussion of recent findings in the area of brain plasticity. It was fascinating! The scientist talked about the process of plasticity and how the brain can either shrink or grow. Often in the elderly there is shrinkage due to the lack of learning new things or challenges. He talked about how this could lead to a person having more trouble walking and being vulnerable to falls. It starts subtly with the person thinking about the possibility of falling, and this invites the person to look down at the ground or at their feet while walking. This is not natural. When we are babies and learning to walk, we are not looking at our feet! We look up! We want to go, to move, and we can’t wait to get there. This movement affects structures of the brain and we learn to walk effortlessly, looking straight ahead. Looking down at our feet reverses this process and alters the brain structures again – unlearning critical things we had learned so early in life.

Perception is everything

usanajan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:48:36 +0000

Today on NPR they were reporting a study by a man in Scotland who hypothesized that music may affect our perceptions about how a wine tastes. What he found was that people gave wine much more powerful ratings when they were listening to music that they liked. I think that the music affected the people’s enjoyment of the wine and the intensity of the taste. I’m sure you can read more about it at Performance Today. The brain is powerful – what we think and perceive affects everything!
I just know that I feel better when I listen to music.

Intention

usanajan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:45:33 +0000

My Alexander teacher talks about how everything is connected. The goal of these lessons is to affect the neuro-circuitry of my brain to guide me in the best use of my body. It took a long time for my body to learn these bad habits, and it is a real process to un-learn them and recall the intuitive ways in which I moved as a baby. By attending lessons regularly, and over a long period of time, the messages seep into my consciousness – moving from my short-term memory and into my long-term memory. I can affect the way I walk by using visual images of energy moving upward inside me. It starts with the intention of good use of my body and even some fun visualizations. Intentions can be very powerful. More about that later – in music, psychology, etc. For now, I am seeing many good things to come in 2009.