A critical function of the brain is to manage our immune systems and our stress response. These are stressful times, as most people are struggling with the global fear surrounding the coronavirus. Ongoing stress is known to suppress our immune function. Now more than ever before we need a healthy immune system to protect us from COVID-19.
According to neuroscientist, Sabina Brennan, in her book 100 Days To A Young Brain, ‘Our brains are what make us human, and they have an incredible capacity to adapt, that’s how we’ve evolved as a species, and it’s how we continue to evolve and adapt as individuals. The brain is constantly changing, sculpted by behaviours, experiences and life choices. One of the big things you can do to help your brain is to adopt a brain-healthy lifestyle.’ She goes on to say, ‘Your brain also has an amazing ability to adapt and change across your lifespan. This flexibility, which is called neuroplasticity, allows you to learn new things, adapt to changes in your life and environment, and also allows you to compensate for disease and injury.’
Stress is the body’s natural response to challenging situations. When managed well, stress can be the motivating drive we need to help us cope with life’s challenges. When stress is ignored, or poorly managed, we lose all sense of rational as we’re unable to think straight. When we’re in this state, we’re unable to process our emotions and feelings, this then leads to anxiety. This level of stress suppresses the immune system, leaving us prone to illness and disease. To overcome this, we need to re-engage the rational thinking part of our brain. This is where mindfulness and meditation can help support the body’s return to its natural state of equilibrium. Neuroplasticity implies we can change and rewire our brain to process incoming data in new ways; this is the ultimate key to improving our life for the better.
When we’re adapting to change, the brain engages in what’s known as ‘synaptic pruning’, where it deletes the neural connections that are no longer useful or necessary, and instead focuses on strengthening the important ones. The principles of neuroplasticity are:
- Neurons that wire together fire together.
- If you don’t use it, you lose it.
We all have a say on where we focus our energy. By this, I mean what we think about and what emotions we choose to focus on. A simple change in our belief system can have a profound impact on how our brain processes data. ‘Neurons that wire together fire together’ is a simple concept, yet the ramifications are huge for all of us.
With this in mind, I’d like to share with you a meditation process that enables you to focus on your body’s innate ability to adapt to your environment.
As with all my meditations, this meditation is more of a healing process rather than meditation, as it takes you on an inner journey where you bypass your ego and work from your heart centre. From this place of heart coherence, where your brain is in alignment with your heart, you work with the power of intention to direct your subconscious mind to bring about changes on a cellular level. Genuinely transformational and empowering. I refer to this process as ‘Stepping Into Your Light’, and it forms the basis of a technique I call Soul Therapy – Infusion Techniques 
I hope you enjoy the meditation, please let me know how you got on with it in the comments section below. Download Adaptability mp3 HERE
If you’d like to understand more about this process, click HERE for the blog post.