Meditation

As Dr Huberman discusses the History of Meditation, he discusses that any discussion of the topic of “States of Mind” evokes the word

neuroplasticity

MRI stands for:

Magnetic resonance imaging 

fMRI stands for:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

The _____ has an incredible ability to control your bodily senses and to interpret your emotions and your bodily sensations. 

brain

What is Interoception?

Everything that we sense at the level of our skin and inward,so the sensation inside our stomach, the sensation of our heart beating. Some people can sense their heart beating pretty easily. Other people have more challenges doing that. What we are feeling on the surface of our skin, how hot or cold we feel, that's interoception.

What is Exteroception?

Is perception of everything that's outside or beyond the confines of our skin. So by shutting our eyes, and in particular, in a meditative practice where we direct our attention toward our so-called third eye center, this area right behind our forehead, which, not so incidentally, is the prefrontal cortex, or in some cases where people will focus on their breathing, so the movement of their stomach or the movement of their diaphragm or the lifting of their chest or the extension of their belly while they breathe.

According to Dr Huberman, as he discusses a study done in 2010 re: stimulus independent thought, the strongest predictor of being happy is not thinking positive thoughts but it is ______.

to have the ability to be fully engaged in what you are doing at a given moment

Many people incorrectly refer to the ______ , an area in the brain that isn’t on both sides of the brain as the third eye center. 

pineal gland

The third eye center is correctly known as the brain area called the _____.

prefrontal cortex

If you want to calm down, should your inhales be longer or exhales be longer?

Exhales be longer

If you want to be more alert, should your inhales be longer or exhales be longer?

Inhales be longer

What is cyclic breathing?

Is where inhales always follow exhales, follow inhales, follow exhales. It actually relies on a specific brain center called the pre-Botzinger complex discovered by Jack Feldman at UCLA.

What is non-cyclic or complex breathing?

When we are focused on our breathing and the breathing pattern is noncyclic or complex in some way in that it involves deliberate voluntary commands, again, from those so-called top-down mechanisms of the prefrontal cortex, well, that, by design, requires some portion, often a significant portion of our attention to be devoted to the breathing practice itself. 

The most deliberate and unnatural a form of breathing is, the less you will be able to focus on other things. T/F?

True

Interoception

refers to the ability to sense and be aware of internal bodily states, like heart rate, breathing, or hunger. It’s the brain's ability to process signals coming from within the body, helping you understand your physical and emotional state.

Dissociation

 is when there's a disconnect or detachment from one's internal bodily experience or surroundings. It can manifest as feeling detached from the body, numb, or disconnected from reality. This can happen under stress or during extreme emotions, and it’s a defense mechanism that can occur in response to overwhelming experiences.

Does sleep deprivation hurt mental health? Yes/no 

Yes

Reduction in stress reduces cortisol. T/F

True

What is the yoga practice that Dr Huberman mentions that means essentially translates to, “yoga sleep”?

It is a practice of doing not so much a focused meditation, but more of a body scan focusing on the sensation of the body and actually trying to turn off that prefrontal cortex or reduce its activity.