Finding the time to ‘switch off’

I’ve just watched the most amazing presentation by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor talking about an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

I’ve briefly experienced such a moment of completely switching off my left side of the brain through meditation – but nothing as powerful as she describes and only because I’m not disciplined to do meditation more often. With the demands of life and family we just can’t justify making the time to switch off our left side of the brain – but Jill makes the case for us all to make the time. She gives hope for a much more peaceful world; if only we could all connect with one another and the Universe in a real sense from time to time – and not just concentrate on ‘I am.’.