One special gift of being human is our talent for creating imagined reality in our mind. When I was a child it was often called daydreaming, and as such was usually discouraged because it tended to interfere with institutional education. While being present and focused in the moment is certainly a valuable ability, so is the formulation of possible and alternative paths and outcomes. Recent changes in thought have now elevated this ability to create reality in our mind to a significantly powerful place in our (re)education.
While it was previously believed that the neural processes that underlie perceptual learning were dependent on experiential stimulus, it is now thought that mentally generated signals can be equally effective. Research suggests that the act of visually imagining the replication of a task enhances learning and improves skills. Studies in sport performance indicate that the practice of visually imagining proficiency with a particular action has as much, if not more benefit, to actual performance as the physical repetition of that action. Several professional athletes acknowledge visualization as an important part of their training procedures. Perhaps those guys who played "air guitar" were smarter than we thought.
Albert Einstein, a notorious daydreamer, opened comprehension to previously uncharted systems of thought, and radically changed scientific belief and practice with his imaginings. "In recent years... scientists have begun to see the act of daydreaming very differently. They've demonstrated that daydreaming is a fundamental feature of the human mind -- so fundamental that it is often thought of as our "default" mode of thought. Many scientists argue that daydreaming is a crucial tool for creativity, a thought process that allows the brain to make new associations and connections." This quote is from an article by Jonah Lehrer entitled Daydream Achiever, published in the Boston Globe.
So, as an experiment, take a few moments each day and think about something you want in your life. Give mental energy to your fondest creative fantasy and see what happens. Daydream about it, make some mental movies that invite an accompanying pleasant emotional response. Set those brain impulses firing in a direction that brings you closer to creating the life you really want. The Alexander Technique teaches that action follows thought so send those thoughts somewhere where they can invite new perceptions, new choices, and new actions to bring your dreams to fruition.
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