Mind Your Brain
“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” ─ Abraham Maslow
Because the theme of our Yoga Retreat in Spain was Peak Moments, Alli and I had asked our attendees to list on their registration forms one or two peak experiences. Among the answers were: getting married, becoming a parent, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, sexual intimacy, retirement, and UVA’s 2019 win in the NCAA championships.
Abraham Maslow coined the term Peak Experiences in 1964 and described them as “moments of highest happiness and fulfillment.” Participants in his original research commonly reported that they experienced peak moments in nature, art, creative work, music, scientific knowledge, introspection, and sex. They described their associated emotions as “wonder, awe, or ecstasy over an experience.” According to Maslow’s research, people often lose track of time during a peak experience; they acutely feel that what they’re experiencing is important, valuable, unique, and special. They sometimes walk away feeling as if they’ve been fundamentally changed or have gained insight into the world and themselves.
Of course, moments such as becoming a parent or winning a basketball championship are few and far between, but I believe that how we approach our experiences can ultimately lead to higher happiness and fulfillment over time.
As yogis, we have a tool that allows us to elevate our everyday experiences and thus our lives: mindfulness.
A few years ago, I ran across a definition of mindfulness by Dr. Shauna Shapiro that resonated with me and which Alli and I used as the framework for the retreat. Shapiro wrote that mindfulness was comprised of 3 characteristics:
Intention – remembering the most important thing
Attention – present moment awareness
Attitude – how you pay attention
The attitude part of her definition really struck me. Mindfulness isn’t just about paying attention; it’s noticing how you pay attention. Are you paying attention with judgement or shame? Are you paying attention with frustration or fear? Or are you paying attention with compassion, with grace?
We all know that what we practice grows stronger. If you regularly practice yoga, your yoga practice grows stronger. If you regularly meditate, your meditation practice grows stronger. If you regularly play piano, your piano playing becomes stronger. Add the how to these practices: If you meditate, practice yoga, play piano, or spend much of your day in judgment or frustration, you’re practicing judgment and frustration and those will grow stronger. If you meditate, practice yoga, play piano, or spend much of your day with compassion and resilience, you’re practicing compassion and resilience, and those will grow stronger.
The science of neuroplasticity (which studies the capacity of the brain to grow/change at any age) has been demonstrating through brain scans that how we pay attention can literally change our brains. Peak moments of happiness and fulfillment can be trained because the very structure of our brains can be modified, growing areas of the brain associated with happiness and emotional intelligence.
It’s important to note that training our brains to be happier and more fulfilled isn’t about repressing our experiences or emotions; it’s more about recognizing the peaks and navigating the valleys in our everyday lives, because valleys can be peaks too. There’s pain in childbirth, you worked your butt off to get to retirement, and it’s a long journey to Mount Kilimanjaro.
So whether you’re on retreat in Spain or a Zoom call, any moment has the potential to be a peak moment when you’re mindful enough to recognize it.