Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life

open focus
(widened or 
diffuse attention), you can reverse the strains of stress. Open focus 
shifts your brain away from an emergency state that is characterized 
by a narrow focus. When he and other researchers used electroen-
cephalograph (EEG) instruments to measure brain - wave activity, 
they discovered that particular patterns represent specifi c states 
of mind. When you shift to an open focus, your brain ’ s electrical 
activity drops to more relaxed lower frequencies. During an open -
focus state, the sympathetic part of your autonomic nervous system, 
which engages the fi ght - or - fl ight response, tones down, and the 
parasympathetic system increases its dominance. This means that 
by practicing open focus you activate your parasympathetic nervous 
system and a more relaxed state of mind. 
Open - focus attention increases the effi ciency of large groups of 
neurons that fi re together. When these groups include neurons that 
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fi re for extended periods in synchrony, there is a greater potential to 
enhance your mental health. The term
phase synchrony
means that 
many parts of the brain are producing alpha waves, which are asso-
ciated with a state of wakeful relaxation, and that these brain waves 
are rising and falling in unison (Fehmi and Robbins, 2007). This 
means that large numbers of neurons are fi ring together to produce 
powerful types of focused brain activity. 
When you produce high - frequency, nonsynchronous beta-wave 
(associated with normal waking consciousness) activity, it ’ s like the 
chatter of many people at a party having separate conversations. In 
contrast, synchronized lower - frequency brain waves are like every-
one at the party singing together. It is like the fourth movement of 
Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony: the chorus is magnifi cent and the 
experience is transcendent.
Parasympathetic Meditation 
The antithesis of the fi ght - or - fl ight response is the relaxation 
response, which is the body ’ s way of calming itself down. The relax-
ation response involves activating the parasympathetic nervous 
system, which promotes a slower heart rate and a slower breathing 
rate, whereas the fi ght - or - fl ight response is activated by the sympa-
thetic nervous system. 
During the last few thousand years, people in societies through-
out the world have developed techniques to induce the relaxation 
response. They activated the parasympathetic nervous system with-
out knowing of its existence. Various techniques were developed to 
cultivate a state of calmness and stillness. The increased feelings of 
tranquility gave them a sense of peace and unity with their environ-
ment. The techniques used to gain these experiences are prayer and 
meditation, which are facilitated by an open focus and by widened 
attention. 
The parasympathetic nervous system can also be activated by the 
more recently developed methods of self - hypnosis, visual imagery, 
and relaxation techniques. When I was trained in hypnotherapy in 
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196 Rew i r e
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the early 1980s, I noticed signifi cant similarities with the meditation 
practices that I had learned in the early 1970s. All these methods 
promote relaxation and a sense of inner peace. Although the names 
and methods are different, they involve the same principles of wid-
ened attention and the same brain physiology, which I ’ ll describe 
later in this chapter. 
Too often we look for special differences and want to believe that 
our own method is more powerful, sacred, or pure than the others. 
Although researchers have examined one technique at time, these 
studies reveal many common denominators. 
The methods of hypnosis, prayer, meditation, visual imagery, and 
relaxation all involve widened attention and the letting go of sym-
pathetic nervous system arousal while doing things to activate the 
parasympathetic nervous system. The fi rst step of each method is 
to focus on breathing, which serves many purposes. By breathing 
abdominally, you can shift from your sympathetic to your parasym-
pathetic nervous system. This slows your heart rate, which calms 
you, and activates neurochemical systems that calm your amygdala. 
By focusing on breathing, you can also clear out the nervous chatter 
of worries from your mind. 
Meditation combined with yoga promotes physiological as well as 
mental calming. Since a considerable amount of energy is wasted in 
maintaining muscle tension when you suffer from stress, you may 
feel all wound up and thus fatigued. When chronic stress builds up 
in the muscles, it makes the tendons thicken and shorten due to 
overdevelopment of the connective tissue. Stress contributes to the 
overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, which results in a 
buildup of tension in an already taxed nervous system. A quick way 
to get rid of the buildup of tension and activate the parasympathetic 
nervous system is to stretch and breathe deeply. 
The brain requires a steady fl ow of blood, and since the muscles 
are endowed with a rich blood supply, stretching can facilitate a 
healthy blood fl ow to the brain. Stretching, like exercise, promotes 
an energized capacity to focus combined with a feeling of relax-
ation. By stretching your muscles, you force or pump the used and 
deoxygenated blood back into your heart and lungs for refueling. 
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This results in the replenishment of your brain with reoxygenated 
blood. Stretching therefore promotes a refreshed brain, invigorates 
the muscles, and releases built - up tension. 
Combining the practices used by yogis for a few thousand years 
with simple stretching synthesizes many techniques and can be 
called
hybrid yoga.
Hybrid yoga does not have to be a complicated 
routine that you engage in only when you have set aside a block of 
time. You can take a moment, even when you ’ re at work, to slow 
your heart rate by breathing deeply, stretching, and focusing your 
attention on how your muscles feel as they are stretched. Try to 
visualize relaxing your muscles so they won ’ t constrict your blood 
from fl owing back to your heart for reoxygenation. After visualizing 
your heart revitalizing your blood, imagine how that blood fl ows 
to your brain and brings nutrients that make your brain both more 
relaxed and more alert. 
You can do all of this in just two to fi ve minutes. When you 
return to whatever task you had been trying to accomplish, you ’ ll 
fi nd that you ’ ve rid yourself of built - up stress and that you ’ re able to 
engage in the task at hand with renewed vigor and a calm sense of 
alertness. 
For example, let ’ s say you ’ re at work in your offi ce cubicle or you ’ re 
in the break room and you have only about fi ve minutes to practice 
a little hybrid yoga. Stand with your feet separated by approximately 
thirty inches. Bend over and stretch your arms toward your toes. If 
you can touch your toes, fi ne. If not, don ’ t worry about it. Feel your 
muscles stretch and the blood fl ow downward. Gradually stand up 
straight and raise your arms outward and upward, making a
V
and 
inhaling deeply to fi ll your lungs to capacity. As you are standing 
completely straight with your arms extended upward, hold your 
breath for ten seconds, then let your arms slowly drop while con-
tinuing to keep them extended. Exhale deeply and let out more air 
than you think you have to exhale. Once your arms have dropped to 
form an inverted
V
, repeat the entire process. 
There are seven general principles to follow to activate your 
parasympathetic nervous system. These principles make up hybrid 
yoga (but are common to prayer, meditation, relaxation exercises, 
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198 Rew i r e
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and hypnosis as well) and can be referred to as
parasympathetic 
meditation
. Think of these principles as a way to refresh your brain 
and feel more calm, focused, and energized. The seven principles 
of parasympathetic meditation are as follows: 
1.