“The body knows. When your heart sinks. When you feel sick to your gut. When something blossoms in your chest. When your brain gloriously pops.

That’s your body telling you the One True Thing.
Listen to it.” – Cheryl Strayed

Can listening to your body help save your life? Or help you make wiser choices or help expand your mind? Can it bring more balance and well-being while pointing to the one true thing?

“Listen to your body.” 
We have all heard it.  But what does it really mean??

As we might intuit there are 2 ways we can listen to our body.  One is with a mind that is restless or dull-- comparing and labeling.  The other is with a mind that is clear and present--receptive and non judging.

The body is eavesdropping on everything we are thinking.  Have you ever noticed how many thoughts pivot around judgement?  Especially self judgment?  The body believes many of these thoughts are the one true thing.  And then we listen to the body... that is listening... to the mind...which is filled with a cacophony of thoughts that are often judging and negative.  

This discord gets loopy, confusing and adds stress.  One proven method to restore your mind and body back to a healthy baseline is with a “body scan meditation”.

A body scan meditation involves paying attention to parts of the body in a gradual sequence.

By mentally scanning different parts of the body one will notice 3 feeling tones: pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.  It is normal that during the practice you will experience all three.  And it is normal that there is a tendency to resist what is neutral and unpleasant.  Just like life, meditation has it ALL and the practice helps us befriend the other two experiences: neutral and unpleasant.

Neutral is often translated as being numb or not feeling anything.  We spend a lot of time in our heads--so when asked to "feel" the elbow or knee one might instead "think" about the elbow or knee.  Relating to the body in an abstract way is not the practice and has undesirable effects.

Unpleasant is often translated as restlessness which can be thought of as speed trapped in the body, muscles and organs.  When one gets "still"...the restlessness and/or boredom comes to the surface with fingers tapping, legs wiggling, hands scratching and eyelids twitching.  It can feel unpleasant.

The goal is not to relieve the unpleasant (restlessness or boredom), nor change the neutral into something else—but to pay attention with out judgement.   It is here that you gain a greater understanding of the one true thing: how YOU are functioning. Over time-- this practice releases stress and builds tremendous concentration, inner connection and resiliency.  

When I first learned this meditation I would either fall asleep or wrestle with my restlessness.  My attention span was weak as well as my ability to be still and “listen”.  I would either blip out, pass out, or give in to my stories.

Overtime I experienced the hard truth: Listening to body = feeling the body.
During the body scan I kinesthetically felt my body react with the arrival of each worrisome thought.  My jaw, lower back, right hip and belly are just some of the places that notoriously tighten, brace and get tense when I don't agree or like something.

The realization struck me hard.  If this is happening during meditation what is happening during the rest of the day when I am NOT paying attention. And how many minutes in a day am I NOT paying attention to my body??? YIKES!

I knew I needed to “Wake Up”  and cultivate longer attention spans of being present both in meditation and in motion.  I would have to observe my thoughts more and relax and then re-relax the held places so they could release their habituated gripping and the energy inside could flow as it was meant to.

What began as a “head driven experience" of feeling very little grew into a “body-driven experience” of feeling so much more AND the best news...it spilled into the rest of my day.  I am more in tune with listening to my body when I am talking with others, listening to the news, or just sitting in traffic. Aware of my thoughts which flow down into my body I am able to observe which thoughts I would like to entertain and which ones are not worthy of body strangulation.

Another boon of the body scan meditation is I sleep better.  This was not a quick fix.  However with time and continued practice I can loop the body scan in place of looping the frustrated thoughts of NOT sleeping.  This helps relax my body so I can get back to sleep faster.

The body is not quiet it is a chorus of fluctuating bodily tunes. Tingles, pulses, pings, hums, vibration, electrical signals, pressure, flow, temperature, flutters, murmurs, swooshes are just some of the many ways the aliveness of my body is expressing itself.  It is a land of meaningful information that helps guide me throughout my day and helps lull me back to sleep at night.

Anyone familiar with the Dr. Seuss book: Horton Hears a Who?

For those that need a refresher: Horton is an elephant that finds a speck of dust floating in the jungle.  Horton discovers a tiny city (on the dust) called “Who-ville” and it’s residents, the “Whos”.  The befuddled Horton is the ONLY ONE that can “hear” the Whos.  

While everyone else thinks Horton is nuts; he undergoes great difficulty and even harassment trying to care for the safety of these Who’s.  Eventually through a united song of every Who shouting “We are here!  We are here!” —the doubters finally realize there is indeed “life” or “consciousness” on that speck of dust.    Dr. Seuss’s moral?  “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” 

The inquiry of this blog: “Consciousness is consciousness, no matter how small and with the practice of listening we can realize great things!"

Science tells us we are part of a vast, invisible field of energy which includes many possibilities.  The more the busy mind settles the more we can expand our consciousness while simultaneously appreciating and caring for this miraculous source of life we have been given.  

Utilizing a body scan meditation we can begin to quickly guide ourselves into a felt-sense of being.  From this place the unheard becomes heard and we can then embody the metaphor of “Horton”—growing our capacity to respond and care for our own inner “Who-ville”.

Make no mistake: Every cell knows when you are unhappy, anxious or stressed as well as happy, relaxed and calm. 

The language of our body is spoken through chemical reactions —not words.  If you are listening, the messages come through loud and clear.  Don't wait for the crisis to strike.  With kindness for your self take the actions you are capable of today.

According to the ground breaking work of Dr. Stephen Porges: “Polyvagal Theory”, your body's nervous system is taking in a lot of information that cognitively you are unaware of.   Your nervous system, walking with you from place to place, is noting other people's facial expressions, tones of voice, bodily movements. Your nervous system is noting seasonal changes, sounds and objects.  

The brilliance of this nervous system is that if you are in sync and able to translate the messages from your inner “Who-ville”…you can discern whether it is a safe place to connect with others or a questionable place where you need to be more alert and possibly run, fight or freeze.  This is where the body scan meditation pays off. It can help save your life or even help guide you from making poor choices.  

Awakening,  “enlightenment’, human upward evolution...(because there is downward too) is a process.  It stems from cultivating kindness, receptivity and non judgement. 

The body scan is a powerful meditation.  It increases the ability to see more possibilities and expanded points of views—even the ones opposing your own.  It is a practice of self care.  It restores and refreshes a weary mind.  It helps to slow down the aging process while bringing harmony to self and others.  

Here are other ways that practicing a "body scan" is valued—  Exercise or rest?  Social engagement or solitude?  Assessing a friend or foe? Adding more to your life or being content with what you have?  However small or big we can practice listening from the midline to the periphery of the body.  

The body lives in the NOW; it is our minds that live somewhere else.  Opening the ears to the sounds pulsing outward and the vibrations pulsing inward, feeling the air on the skin, relaxing the jaw, receiving this next breath with a loosened belly are all practices that expand and open with time and practice.

What we place attention on gets bigger.  The body holds the key towards increased wellness and zest for life.  It is a means to inform you about the One True Thing-- your amazing self that is a source of wonder, awe and mystery.  Why not make some space and listen in?

Side note—there is a always a respect to the body when it has undergone trauma.  The process of “listening to the body” is always helpful with the aid of a guided professional.

Looking for a guided body scan?

Check out Blue Lotus weekly class Gentle Yoga and Meditation Thursdays 10:45am

Check out the Blue Lotus Complimentary On-Demand Sessions called “Chill-lax”

Check out the Insight Timer App

Check out YouTube

written by: Jennifer Reuter

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass.

A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t.

They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.”—-J.R.R. Tolkien

November is here...

It is an auspicious time to rest, rejuvenate, reflect and even celebrate all the great stories that you lived and experienced this past year.

The darkness, the light, and every experience in between has arisen on the movie screen of life.  We have lived through so much in one year.

Now is the time to consider rejuvenation again.  You know the word.  It is the act of making something newly fresh or full of energy.  Rejuvenation makes something old seem young again. It is the new day. It is the fresh outlook.  It is the sun that shines and makes things clear.

In order to make fresh one must pull back, restrain from further exhaustion, depletion, indifference or dullness. There is something good in this world, in our world, but if we are feeling stuck, burned out or uninspired it is hard to see and hard to fight for.

So I ask you.  Do you make time to rejuvenate?  How do you rejuvenate?

Wellness is a balancing act between rest and activity and when you don’t make the time to rejuvenate not only do you pay the price but your loved ones do too.  They feel the cloud and the poverty of spirit that hangs over your being.

These last two months can be a challenge to find that balance.  From holiday gatherings, end of year meetings, shopping, longer lines at the grocery store, traffic, and even avoiding the flu and covid. It is no wonder that by December 31, we end up hungover from the “Holi-daze”.

Don’t sacrifice your sanity.  Make the intention that you will find some time for YOU.  Schedule it.  Protect it.  Show up for yourself by finding a way to unplug where you can.  This can include a digital detox.  Spending too much time on social media?  The news?  Shut it down.  Even one day can make a difference.

Although there are diverse ways each person might rejuvenate the prescription is always the same:

1. Recognize that regular rejuvenation is necessary for everyone.

2. Give yourself permission that it is ok to slow down, pull out or pause.

3. Get to Nature

Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood.   Nature improves one’s attention, taps creativity, releases stress and transforms stale energy. Nature can turn you inside out.

It makes sense.  Not too long ago our ancestors were living under the stars communing with nature in ways we have long forgotten.  We innately connect to nature and it is often the little things that become a sanctuary.  A garden of flowers.  A starry night.  The symphony of bird song.  The earthy smell after a rain fall.  The setting sun. The dappled light of palm trees dancing in the wind.  Nature is vast and and in her infinite ways she can offer shelter, peace of mind and renewal.

Elizabeth Gilbert, best known for her 2006 memoir: Eat, Pray, Love, said it best when she was asked how she rejuvenates.

“Dear Ones –

Years ago, when I was going through a really hard time, a friend of mine who was a naturalist gave me some beautiful advice about how to best take care of myself.

He told me, “When an animal in the wild has been injured, it has only two strategies for how to heal itself: It can rest, or it can go to the water. Right now, try to do as much of both as possible.”

Rest.

And then go to the water.

Drink the water. Submerge yourself in the water. Touch the water. Look at the water.

Then go back to sleep.

Repeat as necessary, until healing occurs.

Sometimes I forget these two magical principals — how to rest, and how to go to the water. Then I get overwhelmed by life’s challenges, and I trick myself into believing that I need a much more complicated cure than your average wounded animal. And sometimes I do need a more complicated cure, I guess.

But not usually.

Usually sleep and water will do the trick.

It always reminds me of that Isak Dinesen quote: “The cure for everything is salt water: tears, sweat, or the sea."

This morning — after a good night’s sleep — I went to the water. She has never let me down yet, and she didn’t let me down this morning, either.

(That said, when the ocean isn’t available, a long hot bath will work. Or a cold shower. Or standing naked under the garden sprinkler, which has been known to change the energy of a day, as well! As a final resort: Just drink 8 ounces of the stuff...whatever it takes! Get thee to water, people.)

Just rest, and go to the water.

It’s all gonna be alright.

That’s what the water always tells me, anyhow. And I believe in the water.”

Luckily we live Hawaii.  If you are here in the Islands…we are surrounded by the “stuff” and a walk on the beach might be just what you needed.

“Whatever it is” for you…don’t get stuck into circular pasterns that spiral down.  Unplug.  Unhook.  Restrain.  Make the priority to rejuvenate where you can even if it means saying “no” to something your patterning is saying YES to.  It is only a short while and chances are when you return you will find some spark and some good to keep going.

And….let’s not forget:

November is an excellent month to turn up the volume on gratitude.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”—Thornton Wilder

What are your treasures?  Can you feel the aliveness of them in your heart?

written by: Jennifer Reuter

The National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN): Brain Beat Podcast ft. Jennifer Reuter

Welcome to NAN

The NAN Foundation seeks to bring knowledge of brain and behavior to the public.

Click HERE to Listen:

Attention Matters. It has a tremendous effect on our brain health and overall well-being.

In this podcast, Jennifer Reuter (Director of Blue Lotus Kailua) differentiates meditation and mindfulness, defining mindfulness as more than just paying attention but a practice that cultivates traits such as kindness, friendliness, nonjudgment, and receptivity. She compares meditation to yoga since both seek to cultivate wholeness.

In addition, Jennifer explains contemplative neuroscience and changes in the body and brain due to contemplative practice. She further highlights the benefits of meditation to improve quality of life, for example, increased attention span, stability, ability to concentrate, physical healing, peace, and decreased metabolism, heart, and breathing rates.

Other subjects include mindfulness in the age of digitalization, self-compassion, and self-soothing – topics that are both timeless and timely, especially given the many challenges that the world presents us with these days.

For more episodes and information on NAN--click HERE.

NAN Foundation brings knowledge of brain and behavior to the public. Brain injury and brain disease can be life-changing and confusing.

NAN breaks down big brain topics into practical and informative points while serving as a resource and support for individuals, families and communities.

This blog centers around the brain health with questions like: Is this as good as it gets? 

The Brain

I use to buy into the myth that we humans only use 10% of this complex and amazing 3lb organ.  On some days it kind of feels that way. I was relieved to learn that we humans use every part of our brain—100% of the brain ever day.

So the inquiry I have is not in the “quantity of use”…rather what is the “quality”.  Is this as good as it gets?  Is it possible, despite age, to unlock, discover and stimulate more brain potential so the quality of life and well being increase?

Scientists in the field of contemplative neuroscience are asking these very questions.  The questions on their minds: What is the body-mind capable of with meditation training?

As a culture we are most likely to first take care of our physical bodies…and yes exercise is a wonderful way to keep brains healthy…and so are the crossword puzzles and the books we read…etc… but are there more ways to enhance brain health and hence quality of life?—are you satisfied…do you wonder if there is more?

Contemplative neuroscience is validating that meditation brings more. It is “fitness for the brain”.  Meditation fires and re-fires neural networks aimed at improving sustained attention, focus and memory while simultaneously enhancing important life qualities such as peace, calm and happiness.   

Contemplative Neuroscience at a glance

Since the early 1970’s meditation has caught the attention of scientists wanting to investigate it’s miraculous claims made by ancient texts, yogis, monks and serious meditators.  What began with a few investigations in a clinical laboratory setting rapidly evolved into a field of formal study called: “contemplative neuroscience”.

More specifically, this new field is the dedicated study of the neuroscience and neurobiology of meditation.

On the physiological level, some of the answers included a decreased rate of metabolism, accompanied by a decrease in heart rate, decrease in breathing rate, and decrease in previously elevated blood pressure,—all of which contribute to the decreased risk of hypertension and stroke.  (Benson; Wallace et al.1972)

On the neurological level, the answers are still coming in— but what is known—meditation is a trigger for “neuroplasticity” improving attention, compassion, empathy and kindness.  (Davidson et al. 2003; Lutz et al. 2004).

Scientists are now validating the benefits of meditation, revealing that it can indeed increase mental health, resiliency, and connection and treat anxiety and stress. It is exciting to see science and spirituality agree. This congruence is now motivating the skeptics who, up until now, wouldn’t have dreamed of meditating.

You are what you think…

What we steadily bring our attention towards creates neural networks —good or bad.  This is technically called neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity.  It is the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections so that —despite age —brains can continually change their structure and pathways.

Bruce McEwen is one of the world leaders in stress research. His work helped to reveal the existence of brain networks that work for us and help us to adapt (positive neuroplasticity)— and brain networks that work against us, impede life and make us feel stuck (negative neuroplasticity).

By installing new habits like meditation we can train the brain to work for us in ways that increase well being and quality of life.

The three meditation styles that have been extensively studied include: mindfulness, compassion training and transcendental meditation (TM).  Although these are different practices, at root they share the same principal which is when your mind wanders bring it back to the chosen focal point.

What is clear from all the studies is that there are measurable benefits for everyone no matter how long you have been practicing.

In the book: Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body the authors reveal the impact meditation has on a beginner (100-7 hours), long term meditator (1,000-10,000 hours) and yogi (12,000-62,000 hours includes a 3 year retreat).  Specifically for the beginner, benefits

included less mind wandering, better focus and working memory.

In the Sara Lazar studies, conducted with Mass General and Harvard Medical Center, the findings demonstrated that people with no prior experience, engaging in a 27 minute daily mindfulness-based practice for 8 weeks experienced a thickening in several regions of the brain and shrinkage in the amygdala (a region of the brain known to play an important role in anxiety and stress).

Her studies in the long-term meditator category (7-9 years of practice) demonstrated an increase of gray matter in several areas of the brain…including the auditory and sensory cortex, prefrontal cortex (an area linked to decision making and working memory).  Her startling discovery was that most people see their cortexes shrink as they age, but 50-year old meditators in the study had the same amount of gray matter as 25 year olds.

Another arising question: is it possible to meditate and keep your brain young?

Contemplative Neuroscience is just scratching the surface and there is still much to understand and explore—for instance- the other varieties of meditation.

The important note that contemplative neuroscience wants to make is that all such effects are unlikely to persist without sustained practice. Meditation is not the next fad diet but a lifestyle commitment.

If you want to begin meditation but are wondering where to start-it is best to consider a practice that has roots—meaning it has “standed the test of time”.  It is understandable that we want the best strategy for ourselves and by looking for the best it may “stall” getting a meditation practice going.

There is an encouraging story —once when a great saint of India (Neem Karoli Baba) was asked which meditation strategy is the best, he answered “Subek!”—which is Hindi for “They are all one!”

Trust your instincts. Have faith. Jump in. The most authentic meditation practice is a self-validating one.

You will know it is working when you experience growing states of generosity, kindness, focus and the quality of your life and well-being increase.

There is always more.  Don’t settle for less.

written by: Jennifer Reuter

Photo by: Brandon Smith

Sound bathing is a meditative practice using sound, that can be done lying or sitting. It utilizes gongs, Tibetan and/or crystal bowls, chimes and other musical instruments to help transform the subtle body to a more clear, relaxed and stress-free state. Certainly physical practices like running, spinning or power yoga can help reduce stress levels, but the practices that slow you down and utilize stillness can be extremely potent and insightful for stress management.

Sound bathing is growing in popularity because it is effortless and it works. The only effort is mentally letting go, and relaxing into the journey of sound itself. These instruments create powerful and multi-dimensional ripples of sound that grow into waves. These waves literally travel through the air and into the muscles, bones, and cells-bathing the entire physical and subtle body. It becomes a psycho-acoustic gateway to heightened states of awareness, that brings you from a physical to a meditative state.  This is helpful for people who doubt the benefits, or struggle with meditation.

Lets not forget the agenda of yoga, which is ultimately about the calming of the incessant mind-chatter. There are many pathways to achieve this, but sound bathing offers the power of sound to help quiet and calm looping thoughts. Getting the thinking mind to settle down is no easy task, but with the help of the instruments it becomes more accessible. The instruments are not playing any specific songs or melodies.  Once the logical and analytical part of the brain realizes there is nothing to “figure out” or “do” it disengages.  This makes it more possible for you to get out of your head, and into the healing effects of the moment-to-moment experience.

Sound Bathing is based on the scientific principles that all matter, and most importantly the cells in your body, vibrate to a precise frequency when healthy, and to a dissonant frequency when in “dis-ease”.  It creates resonance in the body and entrains brainwaves, proving that the strongest pure vibration in any given environment will bring all other like vibrations into uniformity with it. This is why resonant vibration, rhythms and tones can help balance brain hemispheres, stress levels and even tension in body tissues and cells that have fallen into “dis-ease” or “dis-harmony”.  Excessive energy is toned down and deficient energy is made full.  

Sound Bathing can also help recalibrate the parasympathetic nervous system. Signs of this include heavy arms and legs, regulated heartbeat/breath and in some cases sleep.  

Sound bath practitioners report a full range of experiences, from nothing to having outer body experiences. Some people report bodily sensations, visions, and “other” sounds that didn’t happen. Some people fall asleep, some get agitated, and some are in complete bliss. 

One thing is for sure, meditation meets you where you are. It is through your practice that you can learn to meet, greet and be with whatever is passing through. The moment to moment experience of being with what is arising, unfolding and passing away teaches you not to identify with the impermanent aspects of your life. Through the practice you will instead, learn how to identify and anchor into, your core essence. The essence that is timeless, endless and free in nature. 

Clinical research from around the world, including studies from The National Institute of Health, have shown a myriad of positive effects from sound, vibration and music. Stress reduction, pain management and even cancer treatment are just a couple categories that have been studied. 

A Yoga Unplugged collaboration - written by Jennifer Reuter, edited by Sarah Burchard