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Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that’s a key factor in motivation, productivity, and focus.

If you want to be productive and get things done, here's a few ways to boost your dopamine levels.

1. Discover New Things. ...
2. List Down Your Small Tasks. ...
3. Listen To Music. ...
4. Increase Your Tyrosine. ...
5. Reduce Your Lipopolysaccharides. ...
6. Exercise Often. ...
7. Establish A Streak. ...
8. Take Dopamine Enhancing Supplements
9. Make Stuff
10. Meditate

There is a cautionary note for Introverts.

We know that introvert + high stimulation = big dopamine release. And a big dopamine release is no bueno for introverts.

So, what works better for them? Acetylcholine.

Unlike dopamine—which causes excitement from external rewards—acetylcholine gives you a pleasurable feeling when you turn inward, and it’s happy juice for introverts. This is why introverts enjoy daydreaming; the happiness they get from pondering ideas is similar to the happiness extroverts get from a crowded room of people.

These chemical responses explain a lot of why different personality types prefer different activities.

An extrovert’s brain becomes more active in response to dopamine, so they get a thrill out of highly stimulating social situations like networking events and parties. The reward that triggers dopamine is meeting new people. The more extroverts socialize, the greater the pleasurable response in their brains. It drives them to be more outgoing.

But an introvert’s pleasure response is triggered by acetylcholine when they focus their thoughts inward.

Pro tip: one way introverts can trigger the acetylcholine in their brains at social gatherings is by engaging in meaningful conversations with just one or two people. Deeper, intimate discussions prompt people to focus on their thoughts and come up with insightful responses.

Nerd alert: Acetylcholine is also responsible for activating the parasympathetic nervous system which triggers the body to stay calm and conserve energy in stressful situations.

Source: riskology.co

 

Keith Engelhardt A.S., B.A., MYT

"NeuroYoga" Zone ™
Transform the tyranny of stress to tranquility! ™
A better brain makes a better life™
Reduce your stress, improve your brain, get stronger, healthier, more relaxed, and self-actualize!

As I mentioned in "Our Brains on OM" individuals exploring yoga often are adverse to using mantras. Research validates that our brains prefer to stay with established neural networks because it uses less energy, even if it is not healthy for us. And we all have unhealthy stress habits.  It's just a part of everyday modern life.  And research shows our cognition and memory suffer. However mantras, and specific mantras can aid with building better resilience and regulation of the areas of the brain that can serve us and diminish the effects of stress and some of the health issues related to stress.

Would you like to increase cognitive function, achieve a 50% or greater improvement of overall mental health, have a 50% or greater reduction of depressive symptoms? A recent study showed that just a daily 12-minute Kirtan Kriya Meditation  can improve cognition and activate parts of the brain that are central to memory for the majority of the participants in the study. And it is even being explored if it can benefit with Alzheimer's Disease ( Published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease).

Kirtan Kriya (which is pronounced KEER-tun KREE-a) is a type of meditation from the Kundalini yoga tradition and has been practiced for thousands of years.

Here are the steps for practicing Kirtan Kriya Matra Meditation:

The meditation consists of repeating sounds (or mantra) of "Saa", "Taa", "Naa", and "Maa" while using a hand gesture (mudra) with each sound.

1. Sit with your spine straight, your chin level and head straight. Close your eyes.

With each sound and gesture, imagine the sound flowing through the top of your head and out through the middle of your forehead (third eye).

2. For two minutes, sing the Saa, Taa, Naa, Maa sounds in your normal, with each exhalation; while adding the hand gestures (mudras) listed below. The mudras or finger positions are important in the Kirtan Kriya meditation.

The sequence is as follows:

• On Saa, touch the index fingers of each hand to your thumbs.
• On Taa, touch your middle fingers to your thumbs.
• On Naa, touch your ring fingers to your thumbs.
• On Maa, touch your little fingers to your thumbs.

3. For the next two minutes sing with a whisper

4. For the next four minutes, say the sound to your self silently.

5. The reverse the order, whispering for two minutes, then aloud for two minutes,

The total sequence is twelve minutes. To complete the meditation, inhale deeply, stretch with your hands above your head, then bring them down slowly in a steady sweeping motion as you exhale.

Clinical research has shown that practicing Kirtan Kriya for just 12 minutes a day can improve cognition and activate parts of the brain that are central to memory. Source: Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation

Also, it quiets the parietal lobe and brings symmetry to the thalamus and possibly structures the brain to experience the effect every day, even when we are not meditating.

The Kirtan Kriya meditation seems also to balance the hemispheres of the brain to create a sense of clarity and peace.

Related: 

Kirtan Kriya Meditation Recording (12 min)

Kirtan Kriya Meditation Recording (30 min)

Our Brain on "OM"

Kirtan Kriya Meditation: 12-Minute Brain Boost for Stressed-Out People

3 New Ways Kirtan Kriya Helps Keep Your Brain Sharp

Source for "Kirta Kriya Meditation Study" image (at top) slide 12 of "Moving Toward Wholeness: The Relationship Between Spiritual, Physical, and Mental Health"- Andrew Newburg M.D.

 

Keith Engelhardt A.S., B.A., MYT

"NeuroYoga" Zone ™
Transform the tyranny of stress to tranquility! ™
A better brain makes a better life™
Reduce your stress, improve your brain, get stronger, healthier, more relaxed, and self-actualize!

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population). *** However, there can be relief from a source that may surprise you and it doesn't involve medications. ***

Life is constant change, however, change can jerk us out of our comfort zone. We can also resist it to the point of making ourselves and others miserable or making ourselves sick. There are things we don't want to happen, but have to accept; things we don't want to know, but have to learn; people we can't live without, but have to let go. And some things we can get ready for only after they've already happened. The paradox of change is that change is constantly happening - we are powerless over the changes in life, yet we have the power to change, when we accept it and choose to change or are just allow ourselves to flow with change (Mindfulness helps us do that). If anything were possible, what would you most like to welcome into your life? What would that be like? How would it show up? What would you create the room, space, and possibility to show up? How would you show up? How would you change?

Stimulating the vagus nerve reduces inflammation and the symptoms of arthritis according to this Psychology Today article (http://bit.ly/29zOfv8).

Image source: http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/kislak/index/ryan.html

Experts and doctors say that stimulating the vagus nerve – which originates in the brainstem and extends all the way down to the tongue, vocal chords, heart, lungs, and other internal organs – is a quick and easy way to relieve stress and anxiety.

Unless you’re a yoga master, you cannot directly and consciously stimulate your vagus nerve. However, you can indirectly stimulate your vagus nerve to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.  The best tool for this is the breath. A growing body of research shows that slow mindful breathing can tame the Sympathetic activity and balance out the nervous system by activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).

The PSN is most active during the exhalationphase of your breathing. (Brown & Gerbarg, 2005) Slowprolonged exaltation during deep breathing exercise produces a relative increase in your PNS Brake.

Ways to activate the vagus nerve:

• Deep diaphragmatic breathing

“The best practice is a complete breath which involves diaphragmatic breathing,” says Mladen Golubic, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine

The vagus nerve controls the parasympathetic activity of the heart, lungs, diaphragm, and digestive organs. Thus, interfacing with breath means interfacing with the vagus nerve and therefore the parasympathetic nervous system.

“The best part of these techniques is that they are effective, have no side effects, and they are free,” says Dr. Golubic.

• Practicing Ujjayi breathing

Ujjayi breathing is the most understood pranayama in the neuroscientific literature.

Ujjayi breath (resistance breathing involving laryngeal contracture and partial closure of the glottis) increases intrathroracic pressure, baroreceptor stimulation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and heart rate variability, while using breath holds with ujjayi breath increases PNS effects. Streeter (2012)

Ujjayi breath stimulation of the vagal efferent neurons induces a parasympathetic reduction in heart rate and most likely a withdrawal of sympathetic input to the heart. This restores energy in preparation for activity. A strong respiratory rhythm in the vagus nerve is set up (Brown 2014)

• Practicing Humming Bee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama) which activates your palate, throat and ears — the pathway of the vagus nerve and a method of response inhibition - a key executive control processes (Rajesh 2014)
• Alternate nostril breathing
   A 2013 study clearly suggest that the yogic exercise of Alternate Nostril Breathing influences the parasympathetic nervous system significantly Sinha, et al (2013)

Every moment of your day is an opportunity to breathe consciously and modulate your nervous system, so you can live in the calm yet alert state of parasympathetic dominance.

 “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment", live in the breath.”
― Amit Ray