#GuidedMeditation#PrenatalEducation#StressRelief #Relax#BrainRecharging#Focus
From the smell of freshly cut grass to the sight of a sunrise peeking above a tropical horizon, nothing can replace spending time in the great outdoors. But simply looking at photographs of nature for as few as five minutes can have a similar, calming effect on the brain. “Studies show that looking at pleasant images can provide a mental escape for individuals during times of moderate stress,” said Sandra Sgoutas-Emch, a psychological sciences professor at the University of San Diego. “For example, a study out of the Netherlands in 2015 found that having students look at pictures of nature helped to reduce their stress reaction during a stress test, versus pictures of buildings.
“Looking at relaxing imagery can also be viewed as a form of mindfulness meditation that activates the parasympathetic system, she added, referring to the part of the nervous system that helps us relax and “quiet the areas of the brain that are involved in fear and anxiety.”
Again, this guided brain practice is more than listening to relaxing voices and sounds. It is a learning process to train your brain: how to relax, breathe, and consciously direct the ability to imagine. The effect of guided vivid imagery sends a message to the brain's emotional control center. From there, the message is passed to the body’s endocrine, immune and autonomic nervous systems. These systems influence various bodily functions, including heart and breathing rates and blood pressure.
In addition, guided meditation is shown to thicken the pre-frontal cortex. This brain center plays a central role in cognitive control functions: modulating cognitive control, thereby influencing attention, impulse inhibition, prospective memory, and cognitive flexibility. The fact that guided meditation thickens this area of the brain implies that it can increase cognition, memory, and attention but can decrease emotional reactivity, stress, anxiety, and depression.
The guided imagery program that JJ Life TV provides is developed based on proven scientific studies and designed to be easy and enjoyable for everyone to follow the practice. Therefore, regular and constant practicing the program is expected to lead to positive changes in your brain: your brain is rewired in ways that allow greater cognitive capability and emotional control.
God Bless You All!
