Now that we understand alittle bit about the brain, how do we calm the brain so it has time to process something we hear, taste,smell, or feel before it responds? How do we create a buffer between the input and the response or how do we go from a fuzzy brain to a clear one? A fuzzy brain is also referred to as a "puppy brain".
At the end of the first semester we started a toolbox of skills to calm the brain. The students are keeping a list of skills they are learning. This will go home the end of the second semester that they have guidance. Some examples are; counting to ten, exercising, doing a finger labyrinth, coloring a circular Mandala, smelling an aroma we enjoy(we tried the scent of an orange), and taking three deep belly breaths. I can not emphasize the importance of the breath. It not only calms the mind, but as an added bonus lowers blood pressure and heart rate. When breathing is deliberately regulated, the brain is primed to think first and then plan a response.
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