Neuroaffective Meditation by Marianne Bentzen

Author:Marianne Bentzen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Self-Help/Psychology
Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Published: 2021-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

Yawning

Pay special attention to the emphasis on yawning. Andrew Newberg has described yawning as one of the best-kept secrets in neuroscience (Newberg & Waldman, 2009). Voice therapists and opera singers have used yawning for ages to warm up their voice and reduce anxiety. Brain scans have shown that yawning activates the ventral vagal system and other social areas of the brain including the precuneus, a structure in the parietal (sensory integration) area of the cortex (see figure 5.1). The precuneus is involved in the mirror neuron system, which is central to our ability to resonate with the experiences and feelings of others—a skill that is essential for compassion. Researchers believe that this area is also central to consciousness, accessing memories, and self-reflection. Since this area deteriorates with age and attention problems, yawning might improve or maintain our skills in these areas.

Yawning also regulates the temperature and energy use in our brains. The impulse to yawn arises in a whole host of transitions where the brain needs to transition to a new neural network. Yawning sheds stress, helps us wake up, signals to us that it is time to go to sleep, and heightens our awareness and alertness. Yawning also releases a huge number of neurotransmitters related to pleasure, sensuality, lightness of being, and interpersonal bonding. When seeing clients, I have noticed that I want to yawn when I shift from one client to another, but also when the client begins to shift to a deeper level of exploration. Newberg suggests yawning as many times as possible during the day—and he also reminds us that yawning is so contagious that even reading about it can activate the impulse!

If a yawn doesn’t happen by itself, faking it or exploring movements in the jaw and tongue will usually bring out a real yawn after five or six tries. Fake yawns invite real ones. Or your body sensations will tell you what kind of stretches or movements would get you closer to a yawn. Sometimes it’s making faces. If reading this paragraph made you yawn, take a moment to notice how yawning changed the way you feel . . .

You can deepen the more active and somewhat intentional processes of movement and yawning by first allowing movement more than directing it—and then immersing your attention in breathing and the connection between impulses and breathing. For many people, this is one of the easiest ways to drop into a deeper and more engaged presence. In this next meditation, we add sensory detail and explore the delicate sensations and movements in the different phases of the breathing waves (without necessarily yawning, although yawns are still welcome).

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