engAGE Your Brain
By LeAnne Stuver, M.Ed., BSN, & Dr. Krystal L. Culler, DBH, MA

Most of us are very interested in getting the most bang for our buck. There are many self-help strategies and products advertised in the media that are often expensive and don’t necessarily have a proven benefit. We would like to suggest an important tool that anyone can learn to implement (including children) that does not have to cost any Money and has scientifically proven benefits for both your body and brain!

Developing a mindfulness practice is this important health tool.

Mindfulness is a concept that you probably have heard about—but do you really know what it means? Mindfulness is a general term that includes many different beliefs and practices. It is defined as a way of thinking, a mindset, and a more aware and conscious way of approaching life. It also should be thought of as a health promotion practice. It does require effort, dedication, repetition and commitment to make it successful.  

There is not one right way to practice mindfulness. You need to experiment with different types of mindfulness techniques to see what works best for you. Your mindfulness practice may include some of the following techniques:

• Breathing
• Relaxation
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Qi Gong
• Visualization

Breathing is certainly the easiest and cheapest way to get started. We all breathe, but we usually do not think much about it unless we are having difficulty doing it.  The key to making breathing a mindfulness tool is to take time to actually pay attention to your breathing. Notice how the air feels going in and out of your nose, feel it fill your chest, and feel your abdomen contract as you breathe out. Take a moment to put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen and take a few deep, slow inhalations and exhalations. Congratulations, you just started a mindfulness practice!

Mindfulness is all about being aware of what is going on inside and outside of our body right now at the current moment.  That is what happens when we concentrate on our breathing. You can sit and breathe almost anywhere. It also does not cost any money. Perhaps you would rather have some guidance for your breathing practice. There are many free breathing apps for your Smart Phone or tablet (Calm, The Breathing App, Othership, and Insight Timer, just to name a few).  There are also free videos on YouTube and options on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts. Even a few minutes of slow, deep, even breathing is beneficial to your body and brain.

Relaxation is another mindfulness practice. Relaxation is described as being free from tension, Stress and Anxiety. Relaxation and breathing work together to calm your nervous system. This benefits your body by lowering your blood pressure, improving your mood, improving your Sleep, reducing muscle tension, and improving the functioning of your immune system. Your brain also benefits from a calm nervous system by having increased focus and concentration, reduced anxiety and Depression, increased creativity, and improved memory. Just like breathing, we can learn to relax without spending any money. There are free guides on the previously discussed apps and Streaming channels if you prefer to have some guidance.

Meditation can take your mindfulness practice one step further. Meditation is often thought of as a religious or spiritual practice—but it does not have to be. It is simply sitting or lying quietly, paying attention to your thoughts, and then letting those thoughts go and calming or focusing your mind. It can include elements from your breathing and relaxation exercises.  Beginners should start with a guided meditation where a narrator guides you through the breathing and focus points. Again, there are free meditation guides on the previously discussed apps and streaming channels (Headspace has a meditation series on Netflix, as well).

All of the benefits to the body and brain from breathing and relaxation are also demonstrated through meditation. There are several added benefits to your brain from a consistent meditation practice:

• Increased neuroplasticity – the ability of your brain to change and adapt its structure and function through repeated thought and activity. 
• Increased activity in the frontal lobe (your rational brain), which leads to better planning and decision-making.
• Calming activity in the amygdala, the fear center of the brain, which results in decreased anxiety.
• Increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with positive emotions.
• Growth of neurons in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that deals with learning and memory and that also is believed to decrease depression. It is also the area of the brain that is first affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientific research supports the benefits of mindfulness in the following areas:

• Stress reduction
• Improvement in Mental Health conditions (depression, anxiety and substance abuse)
• Delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (the newest area of mindfulness research)

We hope you can see the benefits of creating a mindfulness practice for yourself. You may have to experiment with different techniques to see which ones feel most comfortable to you and your Lifestyle. We encourage you to plan time every day to practice a few minutes of mindfulness. Your body and brain will thank you!

In brain health & wellness,
LeAnne & Krystal

Resource: “How to Use Mindfulness as a Mental Health Tool” by Debbie Hampton