Thursday, April 14, 2011

Velcro or Teflon?

Yes, today's T'ai Chi Chih class practice in Cornucopia was considerably different from last week. I had all of my faculties about me (i.e., no low blood sugars during practice) which allowed me to effortlessly keep track of movement repetitions and (unlike last week) perform moves with accuracy and ease. I'm the first to admit that it's much easier to lead a practice when my brain is in a fully operational state.

Our new class format is ideal. We start our hour-and-a-half class with a full TCC practice and end the session with a seated meditation practice. I noticed today that it felt relatively easy for me to anchor myself in the seated practice, probably due to our previous moving meditation practice. In between these two practices we discussed material from Buddha's Brain.

Today one student shared an article from the internet entitled, "Will President Obama and the House GOP ever Agree? Science Suggests No." The cited research found that self-described liberals have a larger anterior cingulate cortex, grey matter in the brain associated with understanding complexity, while self-described conservatives are more likely to have a larger amygdala, an area that is associated with fear and anxiety.

Lead researcher, Ryota Kanai, from the University College London noted that, "More work is needed to determine how these brain structures mediate the formation of political attitude." Still, it's a fascinating thesis. How can we achieve compromise and bipartisanship when each political party is influenced by a different part of the brain? The variations in wiring and chemistry could undoubtedly influence priorities, values, and potential solutions to the complex economic, environmental, and social challenges that we face in our modern world.

Today's Buddha's Brain discussion revolved around the concept that the brain is built to avoid perceived negative experiences rather than to approach potential positive ones (Ch. 2, pp. 40-42). Due to the formation of early brain structures meant to ensure survival, the authors write: Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones--even though most of your experiences are probably neutral or positive (p. 41).

Simply put: Our brains have a built-in negativity bias. The authors contend that the most obvious and potentially successful way to cope with that bias is to rewire the brain through repeated meditation practices that focus more overtly on being grounded in the present moment, removed from worry about future events or regrets over past experiences. And, yes, T'ai Chi Chih practitioners accomplish that goal every time we flow through our form.

We simply need to be mindful of the rewards of our practices ... serenity, balance, and peace are a worthy outcome for the minutes we spend in meditative movement.

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