The terms “Survival Brain” and “Learning Brain” refer to different modes of brain functioning, each associated with distinct brain regions and responses. These concepts are often used to explain how the brain shifts between states of stress or safety, affecting our ability to learn, make decisions, and engage with the world.
The Survival Brain, governed by the ancient fight-or-flight mechanisms, is crucial when facing immediate danger, but its overactivation can hinder our ability to learn, grow, and connect with others meaningfully.
On the other hand, the Learning Brain represents our capacity for higher-order thinking, creativity, emotional regulation, and self-awareness.
The concepts of the “Survival Brain” and the “Learning Brain” is also deeply connected to the understanding of chakras, the 114 energy centers in the body. Chakras represent different aspects of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, and aligning these with the brain’s survival and learning functions can provide a holistic perspective on personal growth and well-being.
Chakra balancing, breathing techniques, and hand mudras offer a powerful and accessible way to facilitate this shift. By consciously controlling our breath, you can calm the overactive Survival Brain and activate the Learning Brain, bringing balance to our mental and emotional states. These practices not only reduce stress and anxiety but also enhance our focus, creativity, and ability to process new information.
In this guide, we will explore a variety of breathing techniques designed to help you move from the Survival Brain to the Learning Brain. Whether you’re seeking to manage stress, improve your concentration, or simply cultivate a greater sense of peace, these practices will provide you with the tools to transform your mind and elevate your daily experience.
Survival Brain and the Lower Chakras
The Survival Brain is closely linked to the lower chakras, which are primarily concerned with physical survival, security, and basic emotional needs.
- Root Chakra (Muladhara):
- Location: Base of the spine.
- Connection to Survival Brain: The Root Chakra is associated with grounding, security, and survival instincts, closely mirroring the functions of the Survival Brain. When this chakra is balanced, one feels safe, secure, and stable. An overactive survival brain, however, can manifest as an imbalance in the Root Chakra, leading to excessive fear, anxiety, or insecurity.
- Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana):
- Location: Lower abdomen.
- Connection to Survival Brain: The Sacral Chakra governs emotions, desires, and creativity. When the Survival Brain is overly active, it can block the flow of energy in this chakra, leading to issues related to emotional instability, fear of change, or difficulty in expressing desires and creativity.
- Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura):
-
- Location: Upper abdomen.
- Connection to Survival Brain: The Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with personal power, confidence, and control. In survival mode, the brain may cause imbalances in this chakra, resulting in feelings of powerlessness, low self-esteem, or excessive need for control.
Learning Brain and the Upper Chakras
The Learning Brain, which engages higher-order thinking, creativity, and self-reflection, is aligned with the upper chakras that deal with intellectual and spiritual development.
- Heart Chakra (Anahata):
- Location: Center of the chest.
- Connection to Learning Brain: The Heart Chakra is the bridge between the lower and upper chakras, symbolizing love, compassion, and emotional balance. When the Learning Brain is active, it helps maintain balance in the Heart Chakra, fostering empathy, connection, and emotional intelligence.
- Throat Chakra (Vishuddha):
- Location: Throat.
- Connection to Learning Brain: The Throat Chakra is associated with communication, self-expression, and truth. A well-functioning Learning Brain enhances the energy flow in this chakra, promoting clear communication, creative expression, and the ability to articulate thoughts and ideas.
- Third Eye Chakra (Ajna):
- Location: Forehead, between the eyes.
- Connection to Learning Brain: The Third Eye Chakra is linked to intuition, insight, and wisdom. When the Learning Brain is active and balanced, it enhances the function of this chakra, leading to deeper insight, clarity of thought, and a strong connection to one’s inner wisdom.
- Crown Chakra (Sahasrara):
-
- Location: Top of the head.
- Connection to Learning Brain: The Crown Chakra represents spiritual connection, enlightenment, and a sense of unity with the universe. When the Learning Brain is functioning at its peak, it aligns with the Crown Chakra, allowing for expanded consciousness, spiritual awareness, and a sense of oneness with all life.
Integrating Survival and Learning Brain with Chakras
- Balancing the Brain and Chakras: For optimal well-being, it’s essential to balance the energies of the Survival Brain and the Learning Brain, just as one would aim to balance the chakras. Practices like meditation, yoga, pranayama (breath control), and mindfulness can help align these energies, ensuring both the lower and upper chakras are functioning harmoniously.
- Awareness and Growth: By understanding how the Survival Brain and Learning Brain relate to the chakras, one can develop greater awareness of their mental and emotional states and work towards holistic growth and healing.
- Personal and Spiritual Development: Aligning the Survival Brain with the Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus Chakras can help ground and stabilize an individual, while activating the Learning Brain in harmony with the Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown Chakras promotes intellectual and spiritual development.
In summary, the Survival Brain and Learning Brain correspond to different aspects of the chakra system, each playing a vital role in our overall well-being. By balancing these brain functions and their corresponding chakras, one can achieve a more integrated and fulfilling life.
Details of Survival Brain
The “Survival Brain” is the mode the brain enters when it perceives a threat or is under stress. It is focused on ensuring immediate safety and survival, often at the expense of higher cognitive functions.
Key Features:
- Fight, Flight, Freeze Responses:
- The brain prioritizes actions that can protect you from danger. This might include fighting, fleeing, or freezing in response to a perceived threat.
- The amygdala, a part of the limbic system, plays a crucial role in detecting threats and triggering these responses [1].
- Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System:
- When in survival mode, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, leading to increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and heightened alertness [2].
- Impaired Cognitive Function:
- In this state, the brain deprioritizes complex thinking, learning, and problem-solving to focus on immediate survival. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher cognitive functions, becomes less active.
- This can lead to impulsive decision-making, difficulty concentrating, and reduced capacity for learning.
- Emotional Reactivity:
-
- The survival brain is more reactive to emotional stimuli, leading to heightened feelings of fear, anger, or anxiety.
Associated Brain Areas:
- Amygdala: Responsible for detecting threats and triggering the fight-or-flight response.
- Hypothalamus: Regulates the stress response by activating the autonomic nervous system.
- Brainstem: Manages automatic survival functions like heart rate and breathing.
Details of Learning Brain
The “Learning Brain” is the state in which the brain is calm, safe, and open to new experiences. In this mode, higher cognitive functions are fully engaged, allowing for learning, creativity, and complex problem-solving.
Key Features:
- Engagement in Learning and Exploration:
- When the brain feels safe, it is more likely to engage in learning, exploration, and curiosity-driven behavior.
- The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, planning, and reasoning, is highly active.
- Activation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System:
- The parasympathetic nervous system is dominant in this state, promoting relaxation, digestion, and recovery. This allows the brain to conserve energy for higher cognitive functions.
- Enhanced Cognitive Function:
- The learning brain can process complex information, think critically, and make well-considered decisions. Memory retention and recall are also improved in this state.
- Emotional Regulation:
-
- Emotional responses are more balanced, allowing for better management of stress and emotions. This state supports positive social interactions and empathy.
Associated Brain Areas:
- Prefrontal Cortex: Involved in executive functions like planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior.
- Hippocampus: Plays a key role in memory formation and spatial navigation.
- Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Involved in error detection, attention, and emotional regulation.
Interplay Between Survival Brain and Learning Brain
- Switching States: The brain constantly toggles between these two states depending on the perceived environment. If you feel safe and supported, the learning brain is more likely to be active. However, if you are stressed or threatened, the survival brain takes over.
- Impact on Education and Development: Understanding these concepts is particularly important in educational settings. Children who are frequently in survival brain mode due to stress or trauma may struggle with learning, as their brains are focused on survival rather than education.
- Stress Management: Techniques such as mindfulness, relaxation exercises, and creating a supportive environment can help shift the brain from a survival state to a learning state, enhancing cognitive performance and well-being.
Understanding these modes can help in managing stress, improving learning environments, and fostering better mental health.
Transitioning from the Survival Brain to the Learning Brain can be facilitated through specific Mudras (hand gestures) and breathing techniques that help calm the nervous system, activate the parasympathetic response, and re-engage the prefrontal cortex. Here are some effective practices:
1. Mudras for Calming the Survival Brain
1.1 Gyan Mudra
- Description: Touch the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb, with the other three fingers extended.
- Benefits: Gyan Mudra helps in improving concentration, reducing stress, and promoting mental clarity. It stimulates the air element, which is connected to the brain and nervous system.
- How to Practice: Sit comfortably with your spine straight. Place your hands on your knees, palms facing upwards. Perform Gyan Mudra with both hands. Focus on your breath and let go of any tension.
1.2 Apana Mudra
- Description: Touch the tip of the thumb to the tips of the middle and ring fingers, keeping the other two fingers extended.
- Benefits: Apana Mudra aids in detoxification and grounding, helping to release pent-up stress and anxiety. It stimulates the downward flow of energy, encouraging relaxation.
- How to Practice: Sit in a relaxed position. Place your hands on your knees, palms facing upwards. Perform Apana Mudra with both hands. Focus on deep, slow breathing, allowing your body to relax.
1.3 Shunya Mudra
- Description: Fold the middle finger so that its tip touches the base of the thumb, then gently press the thumb over the middle finger, keeping the other fingers straight.
- Benefits: Shunya Mudra is known to reduce anxiety and calm the mind, making it easier to shift from the Survival Brain to the Learning Brain.
- How to Practice: Sit comfortably with your hands on your knees. Perform Shunya Mudra with both hands and close your eyes. Breathe deeply and evenly, focusing on the calmness it brings.
Online 72000 Nadis Course
2. Breathing Techniques to Activate the Learning Brain
2.1 Deep Belly Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing)
- Description: Deep belly breathing involves fully engaging the diaphragm to allow maximum oxygen intake, which helps calm the nervous system.
- Benefits: This technique reduces the fight-or-flight response, lowers cortisol levels, and promotes a sense of safety and relaxation.
- How to Practice:
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
- Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your belly to rise as you fill your lungs with air.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall.
- Repeat this cycle for 5-10 minutes, focusing on the rise and fall of your abdomen.
2.2 Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
- Description: This technique involves breathing through one nostril at a time while closing the other with your fingers, alternating between the left and right nostrils.
- Benefits: Nadi Shodhana balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain, reduces stress, and enhances focus and clarity.
- How to Practice:
- Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.
- Use your right thumb to close your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril.
- Close your left nostril with your right ring finger and release your right nostril to exhale slowly.
- Inhale through the right nostril, then close it and exhale through the left nostril.
- Continue this alternating pattern for 5-10 minutes.
2.3 4-7-8 Breathing Technique
- Description: This breathing pattern involves inhaling for 4 counts, holding the breath for 7 counts, and exhaling for 8 counts.
- Benefits: The 4-7-8 technique calms the mind, reduces anxiety, and promotes relaxation, making it easier to shift from a state of stress to a state of learning.
- How to Practice:
- Sit or lie down comfortably.
- Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts.
- Hold your breath for 7 counts.
- Exhale completely through your mouth for 8 counts, making a whooshing sound.
- Repeat the cycle 4-8 times, focusing on the rhythm of your breath.
2.4 Brahmari (Bee Breath)
- Description: Brahmari involves making a humming sound like a bee while exhaling.
- Benefits: This technique calms the mind, reduces anger and anxiety, and enhances focus and memory.
- How to Practice:
- Sit comfortably with your eyes closed.
- Inhale deeply through your nose.
- As you exhale, make a humming sound like a bee (a gentle “mmm” sound).
- Focus on the vibration and sound, allowing it to soothe your mind.
- Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Conclusion
Combining Mudras and breathing techniques can significantly aid in moving from the Survival Brain to the Learning Brain. These practices help calm the nervous system, balance the brain hemispheres, and promote mental clarity and focus. By integrating these techniques into daily routines, individuals can enhance their ability to learn, grow, and respond to life’s challenges with greater resilience and calm.