[To listen to an audio version of this blog, please click here: https://soundcloud.com/lex-mckee/the-7-habits-of-happiness-part-2-health and to view a video of the blog, please click here: https://youtu.be/RWIloyQebsQ]

A healthy brain is a happy brain. Happiness is a brainwave state… a biological state of happy chemicals dancing to the beat of happy impulses. It’s a state of beats-per-minute and cycles-per-second. It’s the Rhythm of Life.

Let’s share brainfoods, breathing, binaural beats, and bilateral (hilarious) exercises!

Brainfoods.

There are at least 11 recommended brainfoods.

Fatty Fish

Coffee!!

Blueberries

Turmeric

Broccoli

Pumpkin Seeds

Dark Chocolate

Nuts

Oranges

Eggs

And finally

Green Tea!

Breathing and Bilateral Exercise.

Of course, we know that the brain is about 2.5% of our bodyweight but consumes 25% of the oxygen! This means getting oxygen to the brain is essential. This is one reason why so many spiritual disciplines emphasise breathing exercises to increase the flow of oxygen to literally ‘inspire’ us.

Another way to oxygenate the brain, reboot the brain, and to get both sides working together is to invest time in some hilarious bilateral exercises. As well as increasing oxygen flow to the brain, these exercises light up the motor cortex. You’ll know well that the left-side of the motor cortex controls the right-side of the body, and the right-side of the motor cortex drives the left-side of the body, right?

Any exercise that gets both sides of the body doing something different really wakes-up the brain.

If you remember patting the head with one hand and doing circles on the tummy with the other hand as a childhood exercise, you’re on the money! My favourite one is popping up the thumb on one hand with all the fingers curled in. The other hand just has the little finger out like a posh person drinking Tea! The thumb on this other hand must be tucked down so that the only thing sticking out is the little finger! Now, try swopping what you’re doing with both hands. Gives me the giggles – it is SO hard!

The Binaural World.

Everything about your mind and body (and thus also about happiness) consists of energy expressed in rhythms, cycles, frequencies, beats, and flow. Whether it be the flow of electricity down the axon of a neuron, or the flow of lymph through your system, or the flow of blood, or the flow of energy producing food through your gut… it’s all rhythm and flow.

The most powerful phenomenon I have ever learned about is ‘entrainment’ – the bodily tendency to synchronise with a beat. A flickering flame or the swish of the windscreen wipers on the wet Winter motorway journey home – both can entrance us – entraining us into a soporific state.

Your sound environment, with or without headphones, will affect how you feel. Surround yourself with serene sounds if you wish to feel serene. Turn up the beats (and the volume!) if you want to work yourself up into a more excited state of happiness. Anyone up for euphoria on the dance floor? Whilst this seems obvious, we now know a lot more about the scientific reasons why it just works. Music changes your body chemistry and metabolism!

Our next physical action steps are:

Eat more brainfood

Breath more consciously and intentionally

Bilaterally exercise our bodies (and thus our brains)

Build our brain power with binaural beats and sonic environmental enrichment.

Lex

A Moodscope member.

PS. A “Happiness” Playlist would be a great idea! What tracks would be on yours?