WAKe UP to a new day

​Let the sun set and welcome a new day!  Sometimes, we are so ingrained in the way things have been that we forget that each day is new, and so are the possibilities that go with it.  We become rigid and shut down to the newness around us.  Think about it.  What shuts you down?  Are you rushed?  Have you felt inadequate, judged or blamed?  Are we controlled by our habits? All these things undermine our ability to trust ourselves and our ability to use new information or see new ways of doing and being.  
 
One of the books I’ve referenced for years is Move into Life by Anat Baniel.  The book explores how the brain works and offers ways to wake it up so that we stay vital and resilient.  In yoga we call it “beginner’s mind,” approaching everything without preconceptions and with a joyful enthusiasm to learn—as if our experience was entirely new.  The author's methodology turns to the science of neuroplasticity and what she calls the “learning switch” to help us continue creating new neurons and connections.  This approach helps us break out of stagnation to increase our physical comfort and functioning, as well as to enhance our clarity, creativity and joy. 
 
Whether through injury, trauma or the inertia of routines and habits, our brains become less resilient.  Research shows that in middle age brain cells start to die off at a fast pace.  But the production of brain cells continues and can be enhanced.  For instance, we know that even with moderate exercise, new brain cells begin branching out to other brain cells and form new connections.  Our habits, beliefs and attitudes can form limitations in thoughts and movements, but stimulating our brains creates vitality and ease.  These come about when we move beyond what we “know” into flexibility, creativity and possibility.
 
I hadn’t reached for this book in awhile but recently pulled it out—and laughed at how parallel it’s messages are to the things we’ve been working on over the last year.  Here’s a quick sum-up of the “Nine Essentials of NeuroMovement,” the system that Baniel practices:

1. Movement with attention-mindfulness in action!
2. Engage the learning switch—notice the small differences even in rote things.  Noticing newness wakes the brain.
3. Subtlety-find new zest by noticing the littlest shifts and nuances.
4. Variation-awaken the senses and open new doors to playfulness and growth.
5. Slow-this gets the brain’s attention and gives it time to integrate.
6. Enthusiasm-this is our amplifier that helps us really focus and transform our experiences.
7. Flexible goals-"holding our goals loosely" gives the brain opportunities to discover new ways of achieving our dreams.
8. Imagination and dreams-they allow us to move beyond our limits to create new possibilities.
9. Awareness-blows apart expectation by bringing us into the present moment.

 
I find it inspiring and empowering to realize that we have unlimited capacity because of the miracle of the ever-changing, evolving richness and texture to our lives.   As we embrace and notice this cornucopia of experience, we awaken and expand along with it.  We are made new in every moment!