"BRAIN, FAITH, & RELIGION" Issue of Dr. Jay Kumar Newlsetter

Did the human brain evolve to process religious and spiritual experiences? Are humans possibly biologically wired to experience the divine? Recent research in neuroscience says that just might be the case!  Explore more on the topic in the "Brain, Faith, & Religion" issue of the Dr. Jay Kumar newsletter http://conta.cc/16efUZC

 

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar 

'"DOES GOD EXIST IN YOUR BRAIN?" (AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar 3_14_13)

"Does God Exist In the Brain?" In light of the recent selection of the new Pope, neuroscience research suggests that the human need to experience spirituality and to connect with a higher power is likely wired into the human brain...even in atheists! Learn more in this insightful and engaging podcast with Dr. Jay Kumar on the recent Doug Stephan Good Day Show Read more at http://ind.pn/g7BWU.

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar 

YOUR BRAIN, LOVE, & ROMANCE

"YOUR BRAIN, LOVE & ROMANCE" is our lively topic all this month, as we gear up for Valentine's Day! Learn why your brain is the largest sexual organ in your body and why and how we fall in love. Download the latest issue of my monthly Dr. Jay Kumar newsletter http://conta.cc/UTYH3W

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar 

What Makes You Happy? (Awake with Dr. Jay Kumar 1_31_13)

Is joy different from happiness? How does our society define happiness? This stimulating and engaging conversation on the science and spirituality of happiness was my topic on the most recent Doug Stephan Good Day Show. I think you will defintely enjoy it, as you continue your quest for health and happiness! As I often say," “No external conditions are required for happiness. Happiness is who you are!" Dr. Jay Kumar

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar   

Keeping the HAPPY in Happy Holidays (AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar 11_29_12)

“True happiness is not determined by HOW much is in your life but by WHO is in your life!” Dr. Jay Kumar. With the Holidays now here learn how to use your brain and mind to help keep the HAPPY back in Happy Holidays! Tip #1 "Be Grateful for What Is!" Enjoy the recent podcast from the Doug Stephan Good Day Show, Read the full blog piece at http://bit.ly/REgqtm.

Happy Holidays to All!

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter -
 docjaykumar

 

 

 

How Gratitude Heals Your Brain, Body, & Being

With Thanksgiving nearly here and the Holiday season approaching, it's easy to forget the true meaning and purpose of this time of year. For those readers not familiar with Thanksgiving, it originally was a Native American annual feast that honored the bounty of the autumn harvest and celebrated the abundance that nature provides. Eventually the European and Native American traditions merged into what we now know as Thanksgiving. In essence, Thanksgiving is truly much more than an American holiday, as it is a way for anyone to "give thanks" and express gratitude for all that we have in life–our health, abundance, love, family, friends, and, of course, the traditional Thanksgiving feast. In this sense, Thanksgiving can be viewed as a universal celebration that everyone can enjoy and honor regardless of your nationality, spiritual faith, or cultural belief. 

However you ultimately choose to mark and honor Thanksgiving and the upcoming Holidays, I invite you to remember their original significance–that is to give thanks and cultivate an attitude of gratitude for all the abundance in your life. In fact, researchers in neuropsychology, who study the intimate connection between the brain and emotions, state that gratitude is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to experience overall wellbeing in brain, body, and being. In the past few years, neuroscientists have now begun to recognize that gratitude and compassion are among the most powerful and healthiest of human emotions. Studies at Stanford University and other universities successfully demonstrate that embodying compassion and remembering to be grateful for what we have in life can greatly outweigh any sadness, stress, or challenges we might currently experience. 

 

The reason why expressing gratitude has such a strong effect is its ability to connect you to other people. Generally, when you express thanks you acknowledge the actions of others. Being grateful enables you momentarily to expand your thoughts away from your own individual concerns so that you remember the joy and happiness that others provide. You can learn more about the Neuroscience of Health & Happiness here. Basically, when you experience gratitude or express compassion you hit the proverbial “pause button” in your mind. You shift away from your repetitive thoughts, your worries, and anxiety and begin to focus on authentic happiness, joy, and love. From the perspective of neuroscience, the part of your brain that fires when you give thanks is the left prefrontal cortex, a region just above your left eye that brain scans appear to correlate with feelings of love, compassion, and self-worth. In addition to boosting your emotional and psychological health, cultivating an attitude of gratitude has physical benefits. As you experience greater levels of gratitude, studies show that neurotransmitters in the brain release chemicals to stave off stress, depression, and anxiety.

 

One of the easiest ways that I find to generate feelings of gratitude is to make a list of all that you’re grateful for in life. Your list might include your family, spouse, partner, children, pet, or possibly even your health, the beauty of nature, and the very fact of being alive. Make copies of this list and place them by your bed, on your office desk, or on the fridge, or places where they are most visible to you. Every time you look at this list, repeat out loud to yourself one thing on your list that you are grateful for in life. Not only verbalize the statement, but truly feel it! Envision that person, place, or idea in your thoughts and connect to the emotion of gratitude and joy that accompany the memory. Like with your body, neuroscience also states that your brain is also a muscle that can be trained and developed. As you cultivate greater gratitude for what you have in life, you automatically experience a healthy attitude toward life!

 

As you enjoy and commemorate this Thanksgiving always remember all that you have to be grateful. Never forget that the greatest gift is actually your presence in the world. In the beautiful and timely worrds of Melody Beattie: "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

 

Keep on Living Your Light® as you enjoy Thanksgiving in gratitude, abundance, joy, and wellbeing.

 

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar 
 

Why Your Brain Is Wired for Compassion (Awake with Dr. Jay Kumar on Doug Stephan Good Day Show 11_8_12)

Ever wonder why you feel such sadness when watching a national tragedy on TV or why you feel so happy when seeing someone smile or laugh? The answer is MIRROR NEURONS! These neurons in your brain account for why humans feel empathy and compassion. The most amazing thing is that mirror neurons can also be developed and enhanced in the brain, which means that empathy and compassion are skills that can be acquired. Learn more in the recent podcast with Dr. Jay Kumar on the Doug Stephan Good Day Show

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter -
 docjaykumar

Contemplative Neuroscience (Part 1) 10_27_12 LMU Workshop

Thanks to everyone who attended the successful workshop last weekend on "Contemplative Neuroscience: Your Body as a Sacred Vessel." Please enjoy the podcasts to the lecture.

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter - docjaykumar