How To Keep Your Brain Young For Years To Come – Brain Health Part 5

In this article I want to take a close look at the last two of the four processes the optimum performance of which I believe is absolutely vital to the proper functioning of all the body’s cells.
Key 3: Breathing
Although at birth we commence to use our lungs to breathe independently for the first time, we use movement of the abdomen to inhale and exhale. This movement follows the pattern set in the womb where our lifeline, the umbilical cord, was connected to the navel.

However, we soon abandon this natural pattern of rhythmical deep breathing for one based on short, shallow breaths often associated with stress. Disturbances to vital systems such as the critical hormone balance of the brain-endocrine system as a consequence of an improper breathing pattern, inevitably have an adverse and often major impact on one’s mental health.

Key 4 Curiosity
As adults we learn to become efficient. What I mean is that when faced with a decision we generally focus what we already know and what will be most useful. What that does it shut out consideration of other possibilities and hence opportunities for new learning. Contrast this with the decision process in babies. Babies and young children are driven by curiosity and as such become experimenters, researchers and fascinated by the unexpected.

So for we adults it’s largely a philosophy of ‘we know this way works’ which is basically non-learning. For babies and young children life is a fearless exploration which throws up all sorts of challenges and changes and hence endless brain-building learning opportunities.

Curiosity, challenge and change need to be restored as a natural part of everyday life. There is further discussion in a later section on the important contribution curiosity can make to keeping your brain young for life.

Where to now?
In my view, any program that aims to keep the brain young has to foster brain health by providing the ‘right’ conditions for the brain to look after itself. In that regard it follows from the previous discussion that the most important and rewarding action I believe we can take to take is to restore and maintain the integrity of the four natural processes – sexual energy circulation, breathing, movement and curiosity. In simple, practical terms that means:
? Relearning how to generate, circulate and use sexual energy.
? Relearning how to breathe and control the breath.
? Reinstating exercise
? Being a fearless ‘explorer’ of possibilities

It seems such a simple natural strategy that one has to wonder why it’s been kept secret for so long.

In my final article in this series I’ll introduce you to a groundbreaking program that uses the ability of the brain to ‘re-engineer’ itself and can help keep your brain healthy and young forever... without you spending a single cent!