Dr. Taylor begins this chapter with these words: "This stroke of insight has given me the priceless gift of knowing that deep inner peace is just a thought/feeling away. To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you're capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life."
She goes on to say that "based on my experience of losing my left mind, I wholeheartedly believe that the feeling of deep inner peace is neurological circuitry located in our right brain. This circuitry is constantly running and always available for us to hook into."
The big question, of course, is how does one hook into it? Dr. Taylor suggests the following:
· Be willing to be present in the moment -- stop doing and be. "Being" happens in the right brain. Remember that you are part of a greater universe. Then consciously slow down your mind. Those of you who are clients have heard me talk about "pushing the pause button". Jill Bolte Taylor uses the same terminology when she talks about slowing down your mind. Focus on your breathing and notice what is going on with your mind and body. Use your senses. Pay attention to the textures and tastes of different foods. How do eating different foods make your body and mind feel? What foods result in a state of calmness which charge you up? Pay attention to what you smell. What smells bring you pleasure? What smells repulse you? Noticing your sense of smell is a great way to shift yourself into the present moment. Use your vision to exercise both your left and right brain. According to Dr. Taylor, your left brain immediately focuses in on individual objects. Your right brain takes in the overall picture. What do you hear? Listen for sounds close to you as well as those far away. How does your body and mind react to the different sounds?
· Pay attention to energy. Dr. Taylor says that one of the biggest differences in her life post stroke is that she pays much more attention to how people, places and things impact her energy. I challenge you to spend a week noticing how people, places and things feel to you energetically and the impact this has your feeling of inner peace. What choices might you make as a result of this learning?
· Pay attention to your body. Focus on relaxing each muscle in your body releasing any pent up anxiety. Use movement and exercise to shift your mind. Use your voice to interrupt any negative self-talk cycling in your brain. How do different emotions make your body feel? Which do you want to cultivate more of in your life as a result? How will do this?
· Change your cognitive circuitry. Our brain circuitry is a creature of habit and we have the power to change it. You have the ability to choose which cognitive loops run most frequently in your brain. It's a matter of choice, commitment and repetition - lots of repetition. Dr. Taylor talks about her mind as a garden - a garden in need of constant tending. Toward the end of the book she says: "Regardless of the garden I have inherited, once I consciously take over the responsibility of tending my mind, I choose to nurture those circuits that I want to grow, and consciously prune back those circuits I prefer to live without. Although it is easier for me to nip a weed when it is just a sprouting bud, with determination and perseverance, even the gnarliest of vines, when deprived of fuel, will eventually lose its strength and fall to the side."
