Thirty-five years ago, most people in the West viewed yoga as completely nuts. It was considered to be an activity for would-be hippies, New Agers, and flaky kooks who were inexplicably enamored with Eastern philosophies.

In September 2010, to mark its 35th anniversary, The Yoga Journal featured stories from renowned yogis who started their yoga practice back in the 70s and 80s. These yogis shared stories that now seem unbelievable — like their neighbors calling the cops on them because they were doing yoga outside.

But even then, people noticed. Those who practiced yoga often were lean, flexible, strong, and healthy well into old age; they were often calmer, more attuned, and free from the laundry list of physical and mental ailments that befell other people in their age groups. What was their secret?

One might be reminded of Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Today, yoga is not just promoted and practiced in hippie enclaves and urban communities, where yoga studios are as common as coffee shops — it’s a full-fledged cultural movement backed by decades (though some would say centuries!) of scientific study. Major medical centers across the country, including leading-edge medical facilities such as Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, have devoted notable resources toward better understanding the physiological, psychological, and medical underpinnings of this practice.

As a result, we have a clearer understanding of how and why yoga has all these positive effects on body, mind, and spirit. Today, even some schools are incorporating yoga into the school day (we would LOVE to see that happen in every school in the US!).

If you look at the trajectory that yoga has been on in the West — from general skepticism to guarded curiosity to intensive scientific scrutiny to widespread embracing — we can see a similar path for the study of neuroscience. Specifically, our understanding of the essential role our prefrontal cortex plays in health, happiness, progress, and cultural development has blossomed in recent decades with the help of dedicated scientists, sociologists, and thought leaders.

Prominent and respected neuroscientists, researchers, and doctors are uncovering the vast and powerful benefits of energizing your higher brain.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PH.D., the Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, was invited to speak to a large group of US school superintendents about what he believed would have the greatest impact on the education of all children in the US.

He spoke on the necessity of activating our prefrontal cortex in order to unleash our full potential. He used case studies and research to show our educational leaders that energizing your higher brain is critical for:

effective problem solving & having insights
generating insights & ideas
having highly creative thought processes
enhancing focus & concentration
getting kids off of medications
having optimal health & well being
creating new healthy habits with ease
empowering the body to turn off harmful gene expressions and turn on beneficial ones

If we saw all this happening in our schools (and beyond), wouldn’t it look like magic to many of us?

He ended his speech with the following: "I don't know how No Child Left Behind is working for you, but research shows we should be focused on No Prefrontal Cortex Left Behind."

We are so energized and excited by these discoveries — and we are dedicated to the wonderful work ahead!

Join us at our next live demonstration to see first hand how Higher Brain Living® is helping people activate their higher brains and unleash their full potential! Click on the box below to view our upcoming live demonstration schedule now.

Cheers to Evolution of Humanity,

Sunny Nason

Is this the next best thing since yoga?