How “thinking about thinking” can help children in school and in life

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In simple terms, metacognitive thinking teaches us about ourselves. According to Tamara Rosier, a learning coach who specializes in metacognitive techniques, thinking about our thinking creates a perspective that allows us to adapt and change to what the situation needs.

A simple example of metacognitive thinking (or reframing) is this:

“Math tests make me anxious.” This is a statement, a thought. Turning to metacognition, this train of thought evolves into “What about math tests make me anxious…and what can do I to change that?”

According to Rosier, children who are taught to think of themselves as being either “good” or “bad” at a particular task can end up with a fixed mindset that makes them passive in approaching a challenge relating to that task. However, teaching kids to become more metacognitive helps them develop a mindset that leaves more room for growth and adaptation, promoting self-awareness and resilience.

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Meditation’s Effects on Alpha Brain Waves

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A new study out of Brown University has found that a form of mindfulness meditation known as MBSR may act as a “volume knob” for attention, changing brain wave patterns.

What is MBSR?
Originally developed by a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) is based on mindfulness meditation techniques that have been practiced in some form or another for over two millennia. The 8-week MBSR program still follows some of the same principles of the original Buddhist practice, training followers to focus a “spotlight of attention” on different parts of their body. Eventually, it is hoped, practitioners learn to develop the same awareness of their mental states.

In the last 20 years, MBSR and a similar practice called mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) have been included in an increasing number of healthcare plans in the developed world. Some studies have shown that these practices can reduce distress in individuals with chronic pain and decrease risk of relapses into depression.

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Why being busy is a modern sickness

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Of all the books from last century we can turn back to for guidance, Alan Watts’s The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety is particularly suited for this task. Published in 1951, Watts knew post-World War II America was ramping up at unsustainable social and technological speeds. More people were working more hours while offering more excuses as to why they were never really present—the word “more” being the constant catalyst of inattention and stress. He writes:

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The Danger in Fake Positivity and Spiritual Bypassing

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Today’s spiritual (and sometimes psychology) world feels fake to me. Lots of pretty blond yogis talking about positive vibes, about not allowing negative energy or thoughts to get to you, about surrounding yourself with only supportive positive people.

Unless you live in a bubble on Mars, this is not only not realistic, but this is also a recipe for staying emotionally and psychically dwarfed, never growing or truly learning who you are.

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Meditation Affects Brain Networks Differently in Long-Term Meditators and Novices

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Mental training such as mindfulness meditation – an accepting awareness of the present moment – has been shown to alter networks in the brain and improve emotional and physical well-being. But researchers are still discovering how such practices change the brain and what differences exist between people who meditate regularly and those who do not.

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Why mindful breathing keeps your brain healthy and young

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Yogis, non-yogis, long-term meditators, and short-term ‘dabblers’ alike will all agree that meditation improves focus. But, until now, no studies had shown how breathing influences attention in the brain. New research explores the neurophysiological effects of controlled breathing.

Lately, more and more studies have confirmed that yoga and mindfulness benefit the brain as much as the body.

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