{"id":288,"date":"2025-03-17T09:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T09:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2025-03-17T09:25:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T09:25:45","slug":"meditation-and-language-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/spanish-blog\/meditation-and-language-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditation and language learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is Meditation?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to the dictionary, \u2018to meditate\u2019 means to\u00a0focus one\u2019s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.<\/p>

There exist different practices, such as\u00a0mindfulness<\/b>, mantra chanting, focusing the mind on a particular thought (an affirmation\u2026), activity (walking, washing the dishes\u2026) or object (a dot on the wall, a flame\u2026) that help\u00a0train\u00a0attention and awareness.<\/b><\/p>

When we meditate, we achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>

The latest discoveries and research about brain function and neuroscience tell us that there are certain states that favour learning, whereas there are others that hinder it. I am, by no means, an expert in how the brain works but after extensive reading, there seems to be a clear connection between the absence of stress and fear, and more effective learning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Brainwaves<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This connection between calm and learning relates to brainwaves<\/b>.<\/p>

Brainwaves are the rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity tightly connected to our central nervous system.\u00a0Our brain is never idle<\/i>, not even when we sleep, but the patterns of activity change depending on the activity we are performing. For instance, when we enter deep sleep, our brains go into delta brainwaves, and this state stimulates healing and regeneration. When we are awake, we are normally active in beta brainwaves. Beta is a \u2018fast\u2019 activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem-solving, judgment, decision-making, or focused mental activity.<\/p>

But there are more states than just these two.\u00a0We do more than be asleep or awake and alert<\/i>. However, these days, we are so busy and always \u201con\u201d that when we are awake, we have a predominance of beta waves, which can lead to stress when there is not enough relaxation and \u201cslow\u201d activity or total rest.\u00a0Too much beta activity, and especially too much over an extended period of time, is damaging, leading to stress, anxiety, muscle tension and even insomnia and addiction.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The In-Between Sweet Spot for Learning\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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So, what is there in-between sleep and fast activity? In-between our delta and beta brain waves?<\/p>

There are two other brainwaves:\u00a0theta and alpha brainwaves.<\/b><\/p>

The one that interests many of us the most are alpha waves but theta are also very cool too.<\/p>

Theta<\/b>\u00a0waves are our\u00a0gateway to learning, memory, and intuition<\/b>, therefore our\u00a0gateway to learning and memory. Theta waves are the way to develop intuition in the language.\u00a0<\/p>

But going back to the alpha brainwaves.\u00a0Alpha<\/b>\u00a0brainwaves happen when we are in a\u00a0quiet, calm, consciousness state.<\/b>\u00a0Just focusing on your breathing helps the brain shift into alpha brainwaves. Being in alpha brainwaves means that the limbic system can\u2019t be aroused, which is very beneficial.<\/p>

The limbic system is the body\u2019s threat alert system. What we know as \u201cthe fight or flight response\u201d begins in the limbic system, in the amygdala right? The amygdala is the part of the brain that interprets sensory data and rings the initial alarm, and it also plays an important role in fear conditioning and how memories are stored.\u00a0<\/p>

We don\u2019t really want a \u201chyperaroused\u201d state in general, but even less for learning.<\/p>

According to\u00a0Jeffrey L. Fannin<\/a>, \u201cpeople who spend their time mostly in alpha brainwaves possess\u00a0enhanced memory<\/b>, with the\u00a0ability to learn new skills<\/b>\u00a0and potentially\u00a0genius-like abilities<\/b>\u201d.<\/p>

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So, the perfect learning state in connection with the perfect brainwave activity involves a dance from a predominance of mid-beta to low-beta brain waves to a predominance of alpha brainwaves.\u00a0<\/i><\/h5>

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Mid-beta occurs when we are working something out, so highly engaging brain activity. Low-beta happens when we are pondering or musing on the information. Alpha indicates the more reflective integration of the learning<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meditation for Language Learning?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The ideal state for a learner is a state of calm and tranquility mixed with positive emotions, which generates the appropriate brainwaves to reflect this state (ideally oscillating constantly between mid-beta and alpha brainwaves).<\/p>

Then, the question is, how to achieve this ideal state. In a previous article, I talked about\u00a0resorting to mantras and affirmations for learning<\/a>, but in this article, I am talking more about meditation and relaxation.<\/p>

A simple meditation, focusing on our breathing, helps the brain shift into alpha brainwaves.\u00a0The more we meditate, the longer our brain will be in the alpha state, thus enhancing our memory retention ability.<\/b><\/p>

How to do implement meditation in your daily life in order to enhance your learning abilities?<\/i><\/p>