When it comes to keeping your brain fit and healthy you need to become a big baby. Now I don't mean you become a sook... what I mean is that you can rewire your brain using the some of the techniques that babies use to build their brain. I don't want to get into a 'chicken or the egg' type argument. It is recognised that in late-pregnancy there are already many billions of neurons in the baby's brain and that baby can move and respond to sounds and bright lights.
Obviously, such attributes could not have come about without the existence of the neurons so the 'egg' wins out. What I am more concerned with is: how does baby develop its brain once it has been born. What sorts of actions does baby do to ensure its brain cells are kept healthy, organised and encouraged to develop new faculties and/or strengthen existing abilities.
The actions in which I'm interested are innate or pre-programmed - baby just knows they are important to its development - part of its genetic code, if you will.
So what does a baby do?
Well. They breathe using their abdomen - contrast we adults who have lapsed into shallow chest breathing, occasioned at least in part by stress. Abdominal breathing encourages the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain to nourish the brain cells.
Bottom-line: Practice abdominal breathing.
What else do they do?
They circulate sexual energy around their body. They know intuitively the healing and nurturing power it provides to the organs and glands (specialised organs). Babies often play with their genitals and I suspect they also know to put their tongue to the roof of their mouth to complete a circuit up their spine and down their front. Of course, we adults stop them touching their genitals as though it's a dirty habit. Ironically, we later discover the joys of sex but because we have lost the ability to circulate our sexual energy to keep our organs healthy we simply squander it! So much for gaining wisdom with age.
Bottom-line: Relearn how to generate and circulate sexual energy.
What else do they do?
Babies are curious. They are fascinated by the unknown. They are fearless explorers. They are the quintessential "if all else fails read the instructions" beings. They 'know' that exploration will result in the development of new neural pathways in their brain. So they have an 'unstoppable' desire for challenge, novelty and to find out things for themselves... if only we'd let them!
But we don't! Why? Because we adults have accumulated all that valuable(??) experience that enables us to filter our actions on the basis 'we know this works (because it did last time)" which we use to curb baby's enthusiasm often simply out of convenience. Sadly, we have become adept at saying don't!
Bottom-line: Get back your curiosity through tackling the novel and the challenging and subjecting yourself to change.
What else do they do?
They love movement. In the first 3 months of pregnancy, babies start to move their fingers and limbs and even suck their thumbs. It's not surprising then that babies soon learn to crawl and walk with great enthusiasm - they probably feel been waiting long enough! Have you noticed the sense of great achievement on their face when they make this breakthrough.
Bottom-line: Establish an exercise program that you enjoy doing and stick to it. Babies strive to walk - so should you.
Well, there you have it. When it comes to brain development babies know it all. So why not eat humble pie and BECOME A BIG BABY TOO?
