DR. JAY KUMAR

Neuroscience and global contemplative traditions both affirm the powerful health benefits of being present and living in the fullness of the here and now. Learn how you can experience greater joy, genuine happiness, and a positive outlook on life by "Being the NOW, Living in the WOW!" Learn more in the latest podcast with Dr. Jay Kumar on the Doug Stephan Good Day Show. 

Dr. Jay Kumar
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We all want to lead a happy and healthy life, but one key to cultivating health and happiness may reside in your brain, and more specifically with the power of your breath. You may be surprised to learn that recent advances in neuroscience and mind-body medicine offer a deeper understanding of how something as simple and abundant as the breath could be the possible answer for your health and happiness! A phrase I’ve always said: “How we choose to breathe, determines how we choose to live. How we choose to live, determines how we choose to heal. How we choose to heal, determines how we choose to be.”

Let’s face it, most of us do shallow, anxious, quick breathing, i.e. not connecting our breath deep into the belly. Deep-belly breathing has now been shown in numerous studies to have a significant benefit on your neurophysiology, calming and soothing both your mind and body. When you connect and focus on your breath by taking deep and slow inhalations and exhalations, your nervous system and brain waves begin to come into balance and coherence. When your brain and body are in alignment you tend to cultivate the “four C’s” of calmness, contentment, caring and creativity. 

Many ancient healing traditions, such as Yoga, meditation, and Tai Chi, have all recognized that one of the simplest and most effective tools we have to alleviate stress and create more happiness in our life is to do deep-belly breathing. (Read more about the neurophysiology of deep-belly breathing in “Breath Retraining, the Vagus Nerve, and Depression” by Dr. Fred Muench.) Recent medical studies also suggest that deep, conscious, deep-belly breathing might have the same effects anti-depressant medication!

According to a 2009 report by the Harvard Medical School, “a study compared 30 minutes of deep breathing, done six days a week, to bilateral electroconvulsive therapy and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine in 45 people hospitalized for depression. After four weeks of treatment, 93% of those receiving electroconvulsive therapy, 73% of those taking imipramine, and 67% of those using the breathing technique had achieved remission.”  

So when someone says to you “take a breather,” there might actually be some medical merit to it. I find that one of the easiest ways to achieve greater calm in your day is to focus on your breath for as little as five minutes. As Dr. James S. Gordon, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University Medical School, states, “Slow, deep breathing is probably the single best anti-stress medicine we have.”  Doing mindful, calm breathing exercises for just five minutes a day can begin to shift your emotional and mental health. So it just might be that focusing on your breathing, specifically on the quality and state of your breath, could be the key to unlock your potential for health and happiness!

WARNING: Slow, deep breathing may cause long-lasting side effects such as increased happiness, optimism, health, calm, and alertness. Consult your Self before beginning slow, deep breathing.)

Feel free to watch this Self-Guided Breathing Video to learn how to practice deep-belly breathing, alleviate stress, and experience greater happiness in your life.  Remember, happiness is not something that happens to you, but rather happiness is something you choose. 

Keep on Living Your Light

Dr. Jay Kumar

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In the last blog, I discussed the powerful ways in which Nature heals and transforms us. The key resides in our brain being able to drop in to the healing and soothing brain wave state, known as Alpha waves. This issue explores exactly what the various brain waves are along with the deep and intimate connection between our human brain and body. You may have heard the phrases “Your psychology influences your biology,” or “You can think your way into disease.” Well, scientific research now validates much of the mind-body connection and deep understanding of how your brain waves are the key to your health and wellbeing. In the growing medical field of psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI), there appears to be a correlation between the various brain waves with one’s health and wellbeing. Let’s briefly explore the four brain waves and their function in our health.

At its most fundamental level the universe is merely energy that fluctuates and manifests at various frequencies. The same holds true for all living matter, including your brain, and some suggest even the human heart. (More on that in a later blog) The machine that measures brain waves is known as an Electro-Encephalo-Graph (EEG) and organizes the brain waves based on their wave-frequency in Hertz/sec. The four commonly accepted brain waves among scientists  are: Alpha, Beta, Theta, and Delta, with some suggesting another possible Gamma state.

The brain waves are further divided into “waking versus non-waking” states of consciousness. Beta and Alpha waves are produced when we are awake, while Theta and Delta during sleep. Beta waves are predominant when our mind requires focus, attention, and alertness. They are also produced when the brain is in high stress or “fight-or-flight” mode, in turn, triggering adrenalin and cortisol into the body for survival. We experience Alpha waves, on the other hand, when our mind and body are awake yet calm and relaxed. Think of the difference you feel when stuck in a traffic jam late for your flight or relaxing on the beach hearing the waves and watching the sunset. In the first scenario, your brain is functioning in Beta waves, while in the latter in Alpha. The other two brain waves, Theta and Delta, are generally found when we are asleep, although there appear to be exceptions to this observed in the waking state of deep meditation or conscious breathing. Generally, the brain produces Theta waves during light sleep and when we dream, while Delta waves are found in deep, dreamless sleep.

So what then is the connection between these four brain wave states with our health and wellbeing. The answer resides in allowing all four brain-wave states to be in balance and equally manifest throughout our day. Unfortunately, our fast paced, technologically driven lifestyle creates a disruption in this important harmony. When our brains and bodies are in constant stress and amped up due to the fast-paced, caffeine-addicted, plugged-in, multi-tasking life that we have created, we spend our day predominantly in a Beta-wave state. Furthermore, Beta-waves are accompanied with the release of cortisol, the stress-hormone that eventually may lead to chronic anxiety, illness and disease. The famous Stanford neurobiologist Dr. Robert Sapoltsky’s enlightening book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, observes that in the animal kingdom those animals that are prone to aggression, anger, and violence, due to an increase in cortisol and adrenaline, are also the ones with the weakest immune systems. (Watch video here) It now appears that the same observations are found in our human biology. When we are constantly in stress, anxiety, anger, fear, or worry, our immune system and health are considerably weakened.

The good news is that Alpha waves can counter the chronic harm of being in continual Beta-wave states. Alpha waves produce beta-endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, neurotransmitters that enable us to become relaxed, calm, and centered during the stress experienced throughout our day. When the alpha and beta waves are equally in balance throughout our waking day, we experience psycho-physiological coherence, a deep and profound state of integration of the body and brain. The longer we can remain in psycho-physiological coherence, the stronger our immune system becomes enabling us to be whole and healthy. So how can we experience more Alpha to balance out the Beta-waves in our daily life? The answers can be as simple as being in Nature, making love, laughter, deep-breathing, or meditation. (Watch Video to Learn How)

The important thing is to cultivate balance in your day between work, rest, and play. The human brain, thus, can be a very valuable organ in our quest for a healthy body, mind, and spirit! As Dr. W. Ross Adey, of the Brain Research Institute at UCLA, says, “The ultimate creative capacity of your brain may be, for all practical purposes, infinite.” I refine this statement by saying, “The ultimate HEALING capacity of your brain may be, for all practical purposes, infinite!”

Keep on LIVING YOUR LIGHT® in balance of brain and of body.

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
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Change is one of the most challenging aspects of life, especially when change manifests suddenly or unexpectedly as loss, a matter I’ve blogged about in previous posts. (Read more here) Specifically, fear of change or feeling out of control amidst change is a topic that I find myself often exploring with clients. As the noted scientist and natural philosopher Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.” No matter how fit or strong you are physically, it is your mental and psychological ability to adapt and respond to change that is the most important survival tool in life.

Before exploring how you can deal with the fear of change, let’s briefly talk about the emotion of fear. Neuroscience advocates that fear is a natural evolutionary product of our collective biology that we inherited from our early human ancestors. Fear was a survival mechanism that protected us from real and immediate threats. Even though most humans now live in a world relatively free from constant danger, our brains are incapable of distinguishing between real versus perceived fear. For example, you experience “fight or flight” fear when your life is truly at risk, e.g. think of being chased by a lion in the African savannah. Contrarily, the fear of public speaking or of confronting your boss for a raise is a self-inflicted perceived fear of a future, non-imminent situation. While “fight or flight” fear is an autonomic biological response that is real and crucial for survival, all other types of perceived fear are self-created and, therefore, can be controlled. In essence, there’s a difference when your life is truly at risk and when you’re taking a risk. Our neurobiology makes it difficult, but not impossible, for many of us to harness the primal areas of our brain that produce biological fear. However, the good news is that perceived and self-created fear appears to be a product of our higher cognitive brain that, with practice, we can more readily tame. Fear of change, which falls into the latter category, is something we fortunately have the power to manage.

So why, then, do we fear change? I believe the answer is that change creates the perception that we have no control of our life. It is the dread of not being in control that we really fear, which in turn produces the accompanying anxiety and stress. While many of us might enjoy the status quo and feel complacent in a life without change, we must understand that change is the fundamental rule of nature. Your cells, skin, hair, and nails change regularly to keep your bodies healthy and strong. The seasons in nature change annually to produce new life and food on the planet. Therefore, change is literally within and all around helping us and all life on the planet to thrive. Basically, without change life would perish.

So how can you cope with your fear of change? Here are some tools that you might find helpful.

1)    The first step to control your fear of change is your ability to view it as an inherent part of your life. In a previous post, I mentioned that “Suffering = Resistance to Change.” (Read more here) The more you resist change in your life, the more anguish you experience.

2)    Another handy tool is to re-conceptualize the word “change” with other terms. Words such as growth, renewal, evolution, or transformation are all synonyms for change. What those words have in common is the underlying and inherent principle of change.

3)    Another key to embracing change is to practice mindfulness and to focus your thoughts on the present moment. (Read more here) Doing so allows your thoughts and consciousness not to dwell on the unknown future, but rather on the “here and now.”

4)    Deep-belly breathing is another scientifically proven method to alleviate the emotion of fear and the physical sensations that accompany it. (Watch breathing video here)  Remember, fear is just a form of energy. As energy can never be destroyed but merely transformed from one state to another, your fear can also be transformed. I strongly believe that fear is nothing more than excitement without the breath.

5)    Another effective tool that I personally use and highly encourage to my clients is to make a daily affirmation. While it can be anything that you find helpful, I regularly use the following, “I live my day as I embrace change as part of my life. I am powerful and have the strength to create the life that I wish. I know that the universe (God) is conspiring for my greatest good and happiness!” 

On a final note, when your fear of change is not properly checked, it can manifest in unhealthy ways in your life. Not only are there physical dangers of living constantly in a state of fear, but there are also emotional and psychological concerns when you fear change. On an individual level, you may react to change with resistance, anger, and violence toward yourself and even toward the world. On a national and political level, when a society or a culture fears change, it often leads to war, violence, and acts of terror. I venture to say that many of the terrorist acts we witness of late are the result of those who fear the massive changes happening in society and who choose to respond from a place of anger and hatred . I’ll discuss more of this in a later post.

Again, the key to your finding harmony and peace in life is to embrace the fundamental law of nature that everything changes. How you choose to respond to life’s changes, either with fear and resistance or with acceptance and flow, is the key to your health and wellbeing. The more you can embrace the power of change in your life and not fear it, the more we all will thrive as individuals, a culture, and a planet. To rephrase Darwin’s original quote with an example in nature, the bamboo that has the ability to bend is much stronger and endures longer than the oak that resists!

Keep on Living Your Light® as you learn to embrace the flow and change in your life!

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

"All limits exist only in the mind, and it is only in the mind that they can be overcome." Alan Cohen

AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar 7/14/2011 (Radio Show Podcast)

Check out the latest podcast from "AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar!" as we explore the realms of human consciousness, meditation, and the power of the mind.. A really GREAT EPISODE!

Hear Jay as he guides you with his soothing voice into a deeply calm and relaxed state as you learn to connect with the power of your breath. Feel free to use this any time of the day when you’re feeling anxious, stressed or just need a moment to calm yourself. Enjoy, Breathe and Keep on Living Your Light!

Jay

Learn what you can do to become healthy and whole in body, mind, heart and Spirit with guest, Darci Frankel, Ayurveda practitioner and healer. Keep on Living Your Light® 

Jay