On/Off

I first heard of Dr. Andrew Huberman at the Art of Breath Seminar in Virginia Beach in November 2018.

Huberman was a participant in the day-long deep dive into all things breathing and performance, but afterwards, we were all invited back to the gym to hear his presentation. Huberman is a neurologist and researcher at Stanford. His lab focuses on neuroplasticity and more specifically, how we can use our brain to change our state, or physiological mood.

He’s been making the rounds on the major podcasts like JRE and Rich Roll. In both episodes, the simple thing that stuck out to me was making sure you have periods of intense focus and intense periods of not focusing at all.

When learning a new skill, or trying to concentrate to do deep work, you need immense focus on the task. Afterwards, the best thing you can to do help your brain adapt to the new stimulus is let is recharge but “shutting it off.” Huberman says things like good, deep sleep or even some concentrated breathing exercises can help you do this.

This hard on, hard off idea lets the brain make new connections and learn new things. We all think we learn while we’re doing the task, but the actual learning happens afterwards, when we give our brains a moment to chill.

Until recently, we thought all learning stopped around age 25 when the brain stopped developing. We now know that isn’t the case, and our brains are plastic, or malleable through adulthood if we’re willing to create the right circumstances.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain