Anatomy of Resilience
Until relatively recently, the accepted body of knowledge around brain development and growth stated that the adult brain completes growth at age 25. The belief was that you are born with a certain number of brain cells and the neurons that are built over time become solidified and unchanging by the time the brain reaches adulthood. This would mean that fully recovering from any damage done to the brain, any trauma it may have experienced, or any accumulated habits would be nearly impossible.
Thankfully, we have come to know this is not necessarily true.
Scientists have discovered that the brain has within it an incredible capacity to heal itself. Just as the organ of the skin has wisdom to heal itself from wounding no matter what age, the brain has the ability to recover and rebuild itself throughout a person's entire lifespan. The brain can change itself in 3 key ways: development of new synapses-- the space between neurons, new growth of natural stem cells that eventually turn into fully integrated neurons, and the regeneration of myelin sheath-- the insulator that increases the speed at which neurons can conduct and fire signals.
UCLA researcher Dan Siegal has written an extensive amount about the way in which focus and attention can alter the course of brain development and neurogenesis over time. What we have come to observe is that repeated focused attention on a specific target will promote more activation in that area. More activation means enhanced connections. Enhanced connections means greater potential for growth. In this way, practicing focused attention on intentionally cultivated areas and situations is a way that we can literally change the way our brains work.
“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally.”
-Jon Kabat Zinn
The practice of mindfulness is basic training in focused attentional awareness. As quoted above, mindfulness is about cultivating an intentionality around focused awareness. The practice of yoga takes this a step further, allowing us to develop an awareness of our internal landscape as we physically shift into different shapes. Through yoga practice we are able to interpret the changing nature of sensation and cultivate awareness of our responses to internal and external experiences. This process creates within us a sense of interoception-- a sense of self as anchored in our physical bodies. It is mindfulness in motion, in real time.
While developing a contemplative yoga practice, we practice the ability to cultivate spaciousness and resilience when faced with discomfort. There is an often used sanskrit term in yoga practice, titiksha, which means forbearance. When the body has shifted into a new or uncomfortable state the mind may go wild, urging the practitioner to react instinctively rather than intentionally. We practice titiksha when we observe discomfort, bring awareness back to what is actually present (rather than our fears or past associations), and then choose our response accordingly. A contemplative and mindful yoga practice challenges us to approach our difficulties with curiosity and inquiry rather than force, reinforcing a mental shift that allows for spaciousness, resilience, and a sense of compassion toward self and others.
By meeting uncomfortable circumstances with calmness and awareness, we are effectively training the mind to react differently to difficult situations in life. Through the process of neuroplasticity, the brain begins to reinforce different neuropathways in response to obstacles-- pathways that encourage awareness and curiosity rather than reactivity. By developing a practice that includes focusing attention on the present-time experience and maintaining a sense of body-awareness, we effectively change the way we move through the world. The focused awareness generated on the yoga mat can have long-lasting effects on the way we respond in our relationships, at work, and in day-to-day life.
The research around mindful awareness and neuroplasticity grants a sense of hope and peace for those of us who are attempting to heal trauma and change self-destructive patterns. Trauma no longer feels like a life sentence. We can stop letting addictions and aversions be the sole driving force behind our lives and interactions. The potential to cultivate a mindful awareness practice is present and available to every single person; it is woven into the fabric of our humanity.