Day Six

David Eagleman, known as the rockstar neuroscientist, hosts a documentary series on PBS called “The Brain.”

There are a hundred billion neurons in a human brain, and Mr. Eagleman is an intelligent and charismatic scientist who asks great questions about the brain.

He is finding that what makes us who we are has to do with the live-wire central organ of our central nervous system: The Brain.

Then he goes on to explain that between the ages of newborn and two years, the neurons in the brain start to pulse their electrical charges and make connections.  But at two years old, the rapid growth stops.  The connections stop, and we begin to shape into who and what we become when the neuron connections reduce.  We focus on learning to read.  Our brains start to become shaped by our outer environments.  Eagleman makes this fascinating point that we become who we are not because of what grows in the brain but because of what is removed.

He continues to express interest in how the cells in the brain are connected.

Unfortunately, so far that I have seen, he doesn’t seem to be exploring the affects that the continued practice of deep meditation has on the brain.

In a “Q & A” interview with PBS, he discusses that science is beginning to understand that we are not the center of ourselves.  By this he means, “the conscious part of you simply doesn’t have access to the vast, sophisticated machinery running in your brain.”   I would argue that you can expand the conscious part of you to become more aware of how the brain functions through the practice of yoga and meditation.

Meditation helps create and strengthen new neural pathways in the brain, and a deep, prolonged daily practice is more than enough to convince anyone of her infinite potential.  You are infinite, sweet Beloveds.  Meditate!  Not only do we need to explore how our internal environments can have a very impactful influence on exploring our brain’s potential, but we also need to be willing and open to accepting that infinite potential and nurturing our infinite potential.