Life is a highway choked with over speeding humans in competitive mode, racing for higher productivity and efficiency in all domains of life. There are an array of techniques, hacks and self-help books out there to improve our productivity and yet, there’s a dearth of people who actually yield success without stress and anxiety challenges. The conventional life is an unending pursuit of new and better experiences. But worldly experiences such as excursions, movies, parties, etc, cannot provide peace and contentment.
The wonderful wisdom of the deepest secret teachings in Vedic philosophy tells us of the map of vital energy and its movement in the body. This energy moves within us as we behave, live and think – the modern concept of lifestyle.
To explain the dimension of the vital energy, the old sagas converge on one concept the “Kundalini”. The word kundalini means “coiled up” and is associated with the coiling posture of a snake. In this position, it is said that the serpent is fully geared to attack its prey. Together, Kundalini and the primordial energy represents the dormant force present in the human. It is said that most successful people have this primordial energy no longer as dormant but active. Most of these people don’t even know of this energy as their stimuli.
As we all search for the secret to being super productive and successful, but how does one tap the dormant vitality. We all invest emotional intensity and energy in desiring, craving, accumulating and forging tangible possessions and temporary pleasures. But success means projecting our time, energy and efforts in the right direction, making constant efforts towards liberating from ego and small time gratification.
As we all search for the secret to being super productive and successful, but how does one tap the dormant vitality. We all invest emotional intensity and energy in desiring, craving, accumulating and forging tangible possessions and temporary pleasures
For centuries, body has been connected to mind and attitudes. The ancient mystics considered body as a tool to attain higher consciousness and success. Such as proper nutrition impacts our cognitive performance more than we appreciate. Most of the food we consume is processed and broken down into glucose in our bodies, which crosses into the bloodstream and makes its way to the brain. What does the brain do with this glucose? Well, glucose essentially fuels the brain, allowing you to concentrate and perform optimally with high productivity. Perhaps this explains why it’s so hard to focus on an empty stomach.
According to research Leigh Gibson, the brain works best with about 25 grams of glucose circulating in the bloodstream. You can get this from a variety of food but how it affects your performance boils down to the glycemic index of the particular food – the rate at which it influences the blood glucose level to fuel your body and brain.
Food items with low GI such as vegetables and oats optimize cognitive performance as they regulate blood sugar level by releasing glucose slowly into the bloodstream over a long period. Conversely, those with high GI such as soda and white rice result in a spike in blood glucose levels to provide a sudden burst of energy. However, as soon as the glucose levels slump within a few hours, you’re left with a foggy mind and an empty stomach.
Another factor that greatly impacts your productivity is the circadian rhythms, the inherent biological clock. Every cell in the body responds to this inborn clock that is synchronized with the natural cycle of day and night. The circadian rhythms manage an array of biological process in your body, including the sleep-wake cycle and hormonal fluctuations that occur throughout the day, and aligning your activities with the circadian rhythms allows you to make the most of your time.
However, the circadian rhythms are greatly disrupted as you become a digital maniac. Sun’s infrared light acts as nature’s wakeup call to the brain, and productivity levels are at the peak from this time until around mid-afternoon. A lack of this radiation after the sun sets prepares your body to hibernate. However, the blue light from the smartphones and LED TVs disrupts the internal cycle of the body by signaling the waking process. This is why you find it hard to sleep after spending your evenings in front of the screens.
You also may have noticed the urge to take an afternoon nap right after munching on your favorite meal during lunchtime. This is because food also has a profound effect on the circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle. Foods with high glycemic index signal the pancreas to amp up the insulin production which in turn floods the bloodstream with serotonin, a precursor for sleep hormone melatonin. Hence, a misalignment between the circadian rhythm and your dietary habits can actually kill productivity and waste your entire day.
So what steps can you take to improve your productivity and performance or serve our higher goals? For starters, you can make it a point to feast on a healthy breakfast after waking up. This strategy has proven to greatly improve the overall performance and behavior of school-going children in a study published by Roy Baumeister in his book Willpower: Discovering the Greatest Human Strength. Moreover, pay special attention to your energy levels and schedule your activities around it – remember that everyone’s not the same and what works best for others might not work for you. Indeed, altering your daily schedule in line with your rhythms may take some time but it will surely lead to greater productivity.
The writer is a Wellness & Yoga Expert [email protected]