Thursday, October 1, 2009

Think Out Webinar #2: "The Biology of Awakening into Oneness Consciousness"
Guest: Dr. Brenda Sanders of NewViewonLife.com

Think out 2009 continued Wednesday night with an exciting conversation with cellular molecular biologist Brenda Sanders about four recent discoveries in brain science that we can use to our advantage in accelerating the pace of our personal spiritual development. The stress response (aka fight or flight) is in a more ancient part of the brain than the relaxation response, which occurs in the front of the brain (more recently evolved in mammals). Therefore, if we bridge these areas of the brain and draw upon the functions of the higher order brain to manage the functions of the lower order part of the brain, we can build a brain that is more compassionate and peaceful. So here are the discoveries...

1) The brain is plastic and continually renews itself, building new neural connections until the end of life.
2) In 2005, scientists discovered that some neurons are devoted to mirroring what we observe firsthand. For instance, if we love ice cream and watch someone eating an ice cream cone, our brain will light up in exactly the same way that the brain of the person eating the ice cream cone does.
3) And "what fires together wires together," meaning by combining a physical activity with a particular emotional state for a few minutes a day every day, in a month or so we can cause oursselves to feel that particular state just by performing the physical activity.
4) It only takes 12 1/2 minutes of meditation a day for eight weeks to wire yourself.

Therefore, Brenda's advice is to meditate, spend time with peaceful people, and take a walk (or garden, or dance) while you're in a state of relaxation and unity from your meditation, and bingo! you'll be wiring your brain for even more unity consciousness. But remember, the felt-sense of connection with the wider world is something to cultivate for a lifetime--you won't become a "finished" person. However, the effort itself has been shown to increase longevity, improve memory, and contributes to health and happiness--even better relationships. So enjoy!

Namaste!

You may listen to Stephanie's conversation with Dr. Brenda Sanders using the play buttons below.


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