Want to give your brain a boost?

New research has shown that reading the works of poets like Shakespeare and Wordsworth give a boost to the brain. Scientists monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read the works of T.S. Eliot, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth. Then they "translated" the works of these poets into more modern language and again monitored the volunteer's brain activity as they read the words. Turns out that the more challenging poetry showed more electrical activity in the brain than the "dumbed" down versions.

When volunteers encountered unusual words or difficult sentence structures the brain was more "lit up."This caused a shift of the brain into a higher gear. Philip Davis, an English professor who worked on the study with researchers at Liverpool University had this to say about this work on how the brain is affected by what it reads, "Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain."

I'm not going to give up my summer romance novels just yet. But I believe that memorizing poetry will have just as much affect at lighting up the brain as reading the bards of old. Is not the line "Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines" a more pleasing way to describe a hot summer day than "man, am I sweating in this heat?" Or how about "And summer's lease hath all too short a date" than "I sure will be sorry to see summer go." Language is a beautiful thing and I am glad the works of our great poets have survived in this day of slang and texting. And as it turns is more beneficial to our brains!

A little more about poetry, after all it is summer!

My favorite season is summer. How can one not wax poetic about balmy nights or floating languidly on a winding river? I like that I do less laundry in the summer because I don't have to pile on all the layers that other seasons demand. Summer seems to me the perfect time to take a poem to heart. The days are longer and it is too hot to hurry about at a frenzied pace.

 By taking a poem to heart one makes a friend of the poem. To quote a few lines from the British poet Simon Armitage, "The poems we learn when we're young stay with us for the rest of our lives. They become embedded in our thinking, and when we bring them to mind, or to our lips, they remind us who we are as people, and the things we believe in. They become personal and invaluable, and what's more they are free gifts- there for the taking. We call it learning by heart, and I think such learning can only make our hearts bigger and stronger."

If you have a young friend why not share a poem and memorize it together. They will receive a gift that will last their lifetime and maybe even start a habit that they will carry forward and share with a future generation.

A summer "poetry" salon?

In the 17th to the early 20th centuries "salons" were a periodic gathering of people, usually of social or intellectual distinction who met together to exchange ideas of a literary, artistic, or political nature. I have often thought that it would be fun to hold a salon in my living room to share poems we have learned by heart and talk about how they have enriched our lives. The more I share my love of memorizing poetry with someone, the more I find that that acquaintance can dig up the lines of a poem they learned as a young person. One friend told me that her dad had her memorize poems with him when she was a child and she can still recall them. It must be a bittersweet memory for her as her father is no longer around, but what a sweet memory to associate with him.

To learn a poem by heart, instead of just as rote memorization, means that you really understand the poem. To quote the American poet, John Hollander, "We speak of memorizing as getting something 'by heart,' which really means 'by head.' But getting a poem or prose passage 'by heart' implies getting it by mind and memory and understanding and delight." I imagine that when my friend remembers the poems she learned as a child, she also remembers her father with understanding and delight.

Lazy, hazy days are here, enjoy them!

Are you rushing through summer and not taking the time to smell the blossoming efflorescence around us? Do you rush from appointment to appointment never taking in the sights and sounds? Taking just a few minutes to sniff the breeze can take you back to a childhood memory. Summer has so many delightful smells that can transport you away from a stressful day. For instance, walking by a river and catching a whiff of the saturated air you are instantly transported to that firefly filled evening you let go of a rope swing for the first time and experienced the exhilaration of plunging into the icy cold sparkling water.

I hear so many people lament the passing of summer. Why are we always so concerned with what has not happened yet? While it is here, do something different and out of your comfort zone. Pack a picnic lunch and on your lunch break, find a quiet spot to eat away from the bustle of your office. Invite a coworker along or enjoy some solitude before you are swallowed back up by the work day. No reason to hurry the season along, summer is for savoring and sniffing.

What to do if captured by pirates?

I know most of us will probably not be taken captive by Somali pirates. But strange things do happen in this world. While tuned into the radio this morning I listened to a woman speak about her trip to a resort on the coast of Kenya and her subsequent capture by pirates. To survive her captivity she used visualization techniques and practiced Pilates. How about if she had had a repertoire of poems to recite aloud? She might have won her captors over with her oral recitations and be set free sooner.

 It is sad that rote memorization is no longer part of the school curriculum. Learning a poem helps a child to develop vocabulary while also improves enunciation and self-image. Performing a poem in front of family or peers help a child to overcome shyness and develop their sense of self. What's not to like about that? I believe it helps to develop empathy when you comprehend another's view point through the recall of a poem. Just reading a poem is not the same as memorizing it. Memorization is a way to go deeper into the poem and to connect to a long history of passing along stories and customs. It links us to our ancestors and enables us to see the world through their eyes.

 It is easier than one thinks to memorize a poem. If you start with a short one and work on memorizing one or two lines at a time, before you know it you will have it down. Picking a poem with a strong rhythmic undertone will make it easier to memorize. The added benefit of learning a poem will be that you might find your overall memory becomes stronger.

There was a sea captain from my home state of Vermont who was taken hostage by Somali pirates a few years back. I wonder how he passed the time? While I won't be sailing the high seas anytime soon, I will be adding to my catalogue of poems just in case.

Silent thanks.

I wonder how many of us really take the time when we eat to appreciate our food, where it was grown, by whom and how it taste? Many times we are so busy that we grab something on the run and eat it while driving. Not very gratifying I would wager and so therefore you grab a candy bar at the next stop so that you feel satiated. Of our five senses, taste, touch and smell serve us well when preparing or eating our food. If we really take the time to enjoy our meals we will feel satisfied, full and not craving unhealthy, sugary desserts.

An interesting exercise to do is to try eating one meal a week silently. This means not reading a book or watching a show at the same time that you are eating. Maybe you set the table with a tablecloth, if you own one, and light some candles to create a contemplative mood. It might seem weird at first but it will put you in touch with your food in a way that you may not have imagined. It will connect you to the people who grew your food and you might be able to decipher different ingredients if someone else has prepared the food for you. Before you pick up the fork, smell the food and silently give thanks that you have food to eat. You can even close your eyes while you do this and engage your hearing when you take the first bite. Is it crunchy, can your hear the sound of that in your ear? Or is the mouthful bitter, sweet, salty, or creamy?

We have such bounty around us in this growing season. Why not give silent thanks to what we have on our plates and that we have so many wonderful foods to choose from?

What motivates you?

We all lack motivation from time to time, that's okay, it is good to take time off and kick back with a novel or magazine. But if your have fitness goals you want to reach, you might find inspiration from reading other people's success stories. World class athletes all have stories about the race day they just didn't feel with it. Then they began to repeat the mantra they had used in training, their focus completely changed and they went on to win their race. The more we tell ourselves that we can do something, the more our brain will believe it.

You might also post your goal on your fridge, desk, car, anywhere you will see it during the day. Just make sure your goal is realistic. Start with small goals, walking for 5 minutes each day, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Think about your goal before going to sleep. Come up with a mantra that will help you to achieve your goal and repeat it often.

 I like to find sayings and post them on my fridge. I like this one I found a few years back by Joyce Carol Oates. It goes like this, "On days when I can't run, I don't feel myself, and whoever the self is I feel, I don't like nearly as much as the other." If you know that certain activities will give you pleasure and a sense of well being then find the time to do them.  If you are not a morning person and will never be one don't beat yourself up over it. Find the time of day that works best for you when your body rhythm is most in tune to moving!