International Brain Awareness Week

It’s International Brain Awareness Week and we want to let you in on some interesting facts about how mindfulness helps improve your brain function. I might be on my own…but I’d love all the help I can get to ensure that my brain is running in tip top condition.

There are three main parts of the brain that mindfulness activities have been known to improve. These areas are the pre-frontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus - big words with big responsibilities:

·      Pre-frontal Cortex is responsible for executive functions such as organising, problem solving, paying attention, decision making, planning and emotional regulation.

·      Amygdala controls the fight, flight and freeze response to fearful situations.

·      Hippocampus is responsible for learning and holding memory.

With regular practice of mindfulness, meditation and heartfulness, the function of these three areas of the brain can be significantly improved. Neuroscience has taken off in the last ten years and proven that the benefits experienced by meditators for thousands of years is due to changes in brain structure and size.

Regular mindfulness not only improves the mind and body but also the brain. So why not include it in you daily schedule? Just by adding five minutes a day of at least one (or the more the merrier) of the following activities are a great way to improve your brain functions:

·      Guided meditations

·      Visualisations

·      Gratitude lists

·      Deep breathing

·      Mindful listening – separate and identify each noise you hear

·      Mindful movement – stretching, yoga, dancing

·      Practicing Kindness

·      Body scanning

·      Being present in the moment

There are so many ways to be mindful, pick an activity that resonates with you and start from there. Slowly build your mindfulness practise to become a regular part of your day and before you realise it, your brain function will be improved and you will be reaping the rewards in all areas of your life!