I love the Goose and the Golden Egg fable, the moral of which is, if you want golden eggs take care of the goose. One way to take care of our goose is to activate our alpha brain waves. Alpha brain waves are electrical oscillations in our brain’s activity. Like the sine-wave that we learned in high school geometry class, these waves peak like a bell curve than dip-down mirroring themselves at a rate of 8-12 cycles per second. The important thing is alpha waves association with wakeful relaxation, creativity and peak performance. Alpha also related to mindfulness meditation, attentiveness, self-regulation and feelings of well-being. Wouldn’t it be nice to activate more of these states more often?
So here’s how to get into an alpha state: get physical, auditory, and visual. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Then, sit in a relaxed position (you don’t have to sit like the mediating Buddha but don’t lay down or you might fall asleep). Next, you can turn on alpha music (you can find it on YouTube). Next close your eyes and take a walk with your imagination. Try this: “As you walk down a flight of stairs, you’re feeling more and more relaxed with each step. As you go deeper with each step, you arrive at the bottom and a place of perfect peace. In front of you see a field with thick green grass, white puffy clouds, and a flowerbed with roses and stargazer lilies. Running through the flowerbed is a brook….” The other easy method is simple. Close your eyes, be still, slowly inhale and think “in” then slowly exhale and think “out,” then repeat for 3 minutes.
We all want to feel even greater peace, relaxation and creativity. With alpha states, you will be happier with yourself, more productive at work, and for those completing their doctoral and masters, provided an opportunity for you to feel stronger still in that process. Enjoy!
James Lani, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
Statistics Solutions
We work with graduate students every day and know what it takes to get your research approved.