“Make Thy Brain Smarter and Better”

With all the mass hysteria going on in this world most people’s brains are out of balance and that’s exactly what doctors call the norm for society. Fear, anxiety, and trepidation fill the minds of millions of people around the world, and when we look at the normal population that’s what we have, brains that are out of balance. But there is a way to reset our brains and create a new normal for our brain chemistry and brain waves.

Way back in the 60’s and 70’s lots of people where interested in meditation and the effects meditation had on the brain. And all of those studies showed that the brains of Christian, Buddhists, and other monks who meditated for long periods of time were different from the average person. Even the well know
Dr. Herbert Benson did lots of studies showing that meditation could lower blood pressure and even eliminate pain.

Then many more studies where undertaken showing that the brain waves of those who meditate for long periods of time like the Christian Monks at Mount Athos were different from the average John Q public. They have much more in the way of Theta and Deep Delta brain waves compared to the average public. And these two areas of the brain are important for deep relaxation, deep sleep, and recuperation.
And studies have also shown that people who meditate for long periods of time don’t have the production of large amounts of cortisol and adrenalin in their bodies compared to the average public. Cortisol and adrenal are stress hormones which get a person ready to do battle or to run away from frightening situations. In short bursts once in a while those stress hormones are fine. But with long periods of stress those hormones produce weight gain, loss of sleep, the immune system becomes depleted, and the body does not have the ability to heal, and then disease steps in and takes over.

So it’s vital that we find ways to end the cycle stress that millions upon millions of people have everyday throughout the world. And the only way to do that is to learn meditation. As with soldiers coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, not even talk therapy or medications help when they have been exposed to traumatic events. And in a smaller way, we too have some semblance of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder going on in our daily lives. And as with the psychologist and psychiatrist helping all those men and women coming back from war, the only thing that works for them is learning meditation.

In fact there was a study done showing that within a few short weeks after learning meditation soldiers who had PTSD where smiling again, having conversations again, and were able to put their lives back together. And the same goes for people in the average public, lots of psychologist and psychiatrist are recommending and even prescribing that their patients learn meditation. And within a few short weeks their patients are felling better about life, have a good outlook about the future, and are smiling… plus their family life changes in a powerful and uplifting way.

So what we call normal when it comes to brain chemistry and EEG’s is really not normal at all, in fact it’s just the opposite. We are seeing the normal reactions of stress, that’s taking hold of the whole population of the world. So it’s important to ask ourselves one question - do we want to be normal? With all the stress and anxiety that’s going on in the world today do we want to be stressed out? Or do we want to have higher functioning brains, with more grey matter, with less stress hormones running through our bodies… and feel peaceful?

Each individual will have to make this decision on their own, because it does take time to meditate. Just sitting down and focusing on our breath, breathing in and out, and when a thought comes in just saying “I see that, but I’ll get back to that later” and going right back to concentrating on our breathing is all it takes. It’s important to do this for 30 minutes in the morning and for 30 minutes in the evening, or even longer periods of time if possible.

Personally I put in one hour of meditation every morning and one hour every evening, and at one time in my life I was very depressed. But not any more, that all changed 30 years ago when I started dedicating time to meditating every morning and night.

Plus all the little agitators in life don’t seem important anymore when we meditate. Those stimuli are there, but don’t effect people who meditate, like all the other people who don’t meditate and become stressed out… and that’s very important.

No wonder it says in all the spiritual texts in one way or another— “Be Still and Ye Shall Know My Name”.

Many Blessings to Everyoner
Dr. Paul Haider