Faith Venture

You may have seen the classic Yoga pose called Tree. The model stands on one foot. The other foot is pressed firmly against the inner thigh with the knee pointing out toward the side. Both hands are pressed together and lifted straight above the head. The body forms a supple line rooted on the mat and reaching toward the sky.

This looks so graceful. The continued practice of Tree teaches balance.

But balance does not come easily. Your toes are gripping the mat for rootedness. Your abs and lower back are engaged for body stability. Your shoulders are relaxed, for tension destroys balance.

I recently listened to a neuroscientist discuss the impact of various famous chemicals in the brain. Cortisol, called the stress hormone, wakes you up in the morning and gets you going.

The neurotransmitter dopamine (you’ve heard of getting a shot of dopamine when you achieve something) gets you moving forward toward a goal. You finish a 5K run or that paper you’ve been working on and you have reinforced dopamine.

Serotonin, also a positive reinforcing neurotransmitter, activates when you feel the warmth of relationships or bonding. Serotonin along with oxytocin peak within nursing mothers.

Andrew Huberman, PhD, researches these things. He stated that the most successful people are those who can balance the dopamine and serotonin during the day. Drive on dopamine from morning until afternoon to achieve goals. Then go home and play with the kids and activate serotonin.

He discovered through brain chemistry research paired with behavior what the ancient people knew through observing themselves and other people.

Balance is the essential foundation of a successful life.

This entry was posted on May 20, 2020 at 8:17 am and is filed under Disciplines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.