What we learned this week
January is coming to an end but don’t give up on your resolutions just yet. From yoga with bunnies to taking control of your nightmares, this weeks round up will inspire you with some simple tricks for happiness and taste bud tickling music. Have a wonderful weekend.
Three things your brain is doing while you’re out cold
Duke University Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Dr. Murali Doraiswamy explains that while we are asleep, our brains are actually working harder than when we are awake. From flushing out toxins to rehearsing memories so they can be stored, bedtime is the time for our brains to really kick into action. Night night. (Huffington Post)
These music clips are supposed to change the way your coffee tastes
In 2004, Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University published a number of papers on how sound and food work with the mind to create illusions of taste. His findings have changed both the way potato chips are created and marketed with food corporations teasing the consumers minds to make their food appear more appetising. So grab your headphones and a snack and get ready for this music to change your tastebuds. (Science of Us)
Can we choose fewer nightmares?
The symbolism of dreaming unites us all, but do the images mean anything? Decades of lab experiments and dream journals have revealed that humans are more likely to experience fear than any other emotion when dreaming. One study has found fear to account for 32% of all emotions experienced in our dreams. The most commonly cited were being chased, failing an exam, falling and being unable to find a toilet. Scientists have recently been researching the link between waking life and dream content and have found people who are more mindful in their daily lives less likely to experience negative emotions in their dreams. Let’s get meditating. (Headspace)
It’s the small moments of solitude that can have a positive impact on our daily lives
Sometimes it’s the little moments that we dedicate to ourselves that give us the greatest sense of pleasure and keep us sane through the rather frantic, digital driven age we are living in. The tranquility of being entirely alone where no one and nothing is dictating what we do. From slipping into your pyjamas as soon as you get home to taking a solitary early evening stroll, it’s these little moments that we need to cherish. (Stylist)
Bunny yoga — the latest fitness trend
A yoga studio in British Columbia, Canada has introduced bunny rabbits into their latest yoga classes. The area has a rabbit overpopulation crisis and the aim of the classes is to find homes for the rescued animals and to raise awareness about them. So far the classes have raised more than $1000 for the charity and the bunnies have made lots of new friends. A reason to head to that Sunday morning yoga class. (Stylist)
