Vivan is the Managing Director of Yesha Electricals, is a trained pilot and was the President of the Gujarat Flying Institute for 15 years, and is currently chairman of an industry association in Gorwa Vadodara. He has been a Heartfulness trainer since 2015.

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Vivan Patel

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    id="h-vivan-patel-decided-it-was-time-to-build-cognitive-reserve-in-his-brain-by-doing-a-few-simple-tasks-the-results-speak-for-themselves-he-became-much-more-aware-instead-of-functioning-on-autopilot">
    <strong><mark style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #104879">VIVAN
            PATEL</mark>
        decided it was time to build cognitive reserve in his brain by doing a few
        simple tasks. The results speak for themselves: he became much more aware
        instead of functioning on autopilot.</strong>
</h4>

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<p>
    In order to build and retain cognitive reserve, our brain needs fresh
    challenges almost on a daily basis to keep our neural pathways open and
    maintain a healthy central nervous system. I decided to take up this
    challenge by practicing a few simple exercises I learned in the Brighter
    Minds Restart program for adults.
</p>

<p>
    One of the things I took up first was to take a different route to work and
    try to take only left turns to get to the office and … well, it’s not always
    possible! I was able to make it eventually but I had to get quite creative
    and think of different options while I was driving. I was fully aware rather
    than operating like we normally do from the subconscious mind and following
    our habitual patterns.
</p>

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    <img  alt="jump-start-your-brain" class="lazyload has-img-center"
        src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Jump_Start_Your_Brain2_187006091a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:15:37.620Z" />
</div>

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<h4 class="text-center">
    <mark style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #104879">In order to build and
        retain cognitive reserve, our brain needs </mark><br /><mark
        style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #104879">fresh challenges almost
        on a daily basis to keep our neural pathways open </mark><br /><mark
        style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #104879">and maintain a healthy
        central nervous system.</mark>
</h4>

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<p>
    The other thing I tried was cycling to work, which is actually quite amazing
    because I was able to observe things minutely as well as engage all the
    senses. For instance, cycling behind a fruit vendor’s cart I could actually
    smell the bananas. Curiously, depending on how ripe the bananas were, I
    could perceive different smells on different days – I began to understand
    the different stages of ripening and whether they were ready to eat simply
    by cycling in their wake!
</p>

<p>
    The olfactory experience is really something you cannot ignore when you’re
    on a bike. I would pass by some popup shops and street vendors, each selling
    a different snack with its telltale aromas. I learned about other people’s
    eating habits on a working day and, more interestingly, how the different
    vendors engage with their clientele. I missed all this from the car with the
    windows rolled up and the AC on. I became more observant of the faces of
    these vendors as I passed by, noting their expressions. When you do this for
    a few days, they start smiling at you because they see you every day, and
    you form a connection by this gesture of acknowledgment!
</p>

<p>
    You see, and you can hear the birds, especially early in the morning,
    something that you miss out on completely while driving. I observed that
    some birds had a preference for certain trees – some trees were teeming with
    them and others not as popular. Maybe it was the berries or fruit that
    attracted them.
</p>

<p>
    At the same time, I began to appreciate the difficulties that cyclists face.
    One of the biggest disturbances I found was the constant honking of
    vehicles. In a car you are insulated from even your own honking, because
    cars nowadays are so well sound insulated. It’s actually very irritating for
    other people out there, cyclists and pedestrians. Another appalling
    discovery was how some people don’t take cyclists into consideration, and
    instead tend to “nudge” them aside and not give way. It actually felt
    somewhat disconcerting to be riding a bicycle in peak hour in the hurtling
    traffic.
</p>

<p>
    The other activity I took up while cycling was alternating finger exercises
    with my hands on the handlebar. I could only do this when the road was
    empty, as I didn’t want to risk running into something, ha ha! I
    rediscovered my neighborhood by noticing different signs, even the little
    ones stuck on trees by vendors, for example someone selling coconuts or an
    advertisement for after-school tuition.
</p>

<p>
    Another challenging thing I did is to use my less dominant hand to do the
    daily tasks. I used my left hand to brush my teeth, shave, and eat my food.
    I would walk backward whenever I had the opportunity, especially when going
    up stairs. I would wake up to a different alarm tone, and this would
    surprise me awake rather than make me groan. Something fun we tried as a
    family is eating a meal in silence, using only visual clues. Another was
    trying to use the mobile phone upside down – this was frustrating and
    hilarious at the same time.
</p>

<p>
    All this made me more mindful, aware of every activity. I didn’t operate on
    autopilot in a habitual manner. Instead, thought went into every moment.
    Just this recalibration stimulated my neural pathways!
</p>

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<h4 class="text-center">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>

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