Peeled Earth and SKY

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Morning Brain


Taos New Mexico.


I often feel like my brain is soft and easy in the morning. My boyfriend and I always laugh about how we love each other more when we first wake up. Why is this? Why is it easier for me to sit and meditate when I rise after a long sleep then at the end of my long day? Do I actually love Ted more in the morning? Does my meditation practice thrive because I am actually still half asleep when I sit pre-cup of coffee? Maybe coffee really is that bad for me.

According to the science of brain plasticity it is not totally the fault of my coffee. This is great news! It has to do with space, the space similar to the sky in Wyoming, open, empty, wide and generous. When we wake up we have taken multiple hours to not speak, read, watch TV or listen to music. We have not made plans, taken on commitments or sat in traffic. We are somewhat empty. Our mind is mostly quiet.

This idea of space refers to our brains -- the mental space to take in information, store and process it. In order to take in new things we must focus over and over again on what we are trying to learn or correct, whether it is changing negative thought patterns or re-aligning an asana. Our brains are malleable, and forever changeable depending on where we focus our attention throughout our lives. With this in mind, I am going to take this space and sit, giving my brain an opportunity to un-clutter so that I might have the chance again today to be a better version of me.