The Reptilian Brain
& Your Base Instincts
Think about your brain. (Is that your brain’s form of self-reflection?) Most multicellular organisms have brains; reptiles, mammals, birds, and amphibians have brains. Humans possess the most evolved of animal brains, and we can use our brains differently than any other animal that we are aware of.
Some scientists have an interesting model of vertebrate neuroevolution. Stay with me—this is neat-o. The idea is that the human brain can be viewed as three distinct brains, each with its own abilities and associated needs and behaviors. The three brains are reptilian, or hindbrain; paleomammalian, or limbic brain; and neomammalian, the neocortex. This three-part brain offers us a model through which we can also view our creative needs and effectiveness. This chapter focuses on the hindbrain and how caring for and heeding impulses from this reptilian aspect of your neurology can enhance your creative life.
The Reptilian Brain Needs …
The reptilian brain, sometimes called the hindbrain, is the most basic aspect of our neurology. You can find it at the top of your spine in the back (hence the term “hindbrain”). It includes the brain stem and cerebellum and governs your body’s automatic processes, like beating your heart and keeping you breathing. Basically, it keeps us alive. The impetus to meet our basic survival needs comes from this brain.
What happens when our basic biological needs are not met? Life starts to feel very difficult when we are too hungry or tired. If you have ever watched a starving animal, you know it will fight with its life for food. Reptiles will protect their mates from competitors with fierce aggression. In our own way, the same is true for us. How well do you handle stress if you haven’t had enough sleep? How motivated are you to dance, cook a proper meal, or spin a tale if you aren’t fed or rested?
When our basic needs are not met, we are far more likely to be lazy (tamasic), inactive, and deferential to the outside world rather than to our true voice. We turn away from the inner creative impulses and rely on addictive feel-goods like alcohol, caffeine, TV, or the Internet. These issues are compounded over time, as our addictive tendencies are typically driven by the reptilian brain, which likes routine, consistency, and hedonism. After all, it can’t think; what does it know about better options and a sense of meaning and fulfillment?
The reptilian brain is needs-focused. It has no forethought. Common scientific wisdom indicates that not only can it not think, it is actually in a dream state at all times. (Fortunately, our own limbic brain and neocortex suppress most of this constant dreaming.) The hindbrain perceives the world only through its own limited, surreal frame of reference. The following exercise gives you the chance to examine how well you are able to balance your relationship with lifestyle and your reptilian brain, in the form of a fun quiz.
Exercise: Quiz: Is Your Reptilian Brain the Boss of You?
Answer the following questions as truthfully as possible by circling either T for true or F for false (or write your answers on a separate piece of paper). If you are not sure how to answer because you “sometimes” act that way, consider what you do 80 to 95 percent of the time and let that be your answer. Less than 80 percent of the time, go the other way. At the end of the quiz, add up all your “false” answers.
Hindbrain Habit
I get more than seven hours sleep per night T / F
I limit my unhealthy habits T / F
I stay relaxed when someone is eyeing my mate T / F
I am a generous person T / F
I have broken many unhealthy habits and not returned to them T / F
I generally trust others T / F
I eat till I am a little bit full, then stop T / F
I am not easily distracted by sensory information T / F
I am comfortable with the unknown T / F
I acknowledge when I need a little rest T / F
I notice when I am beginning to feel hungry T / F
I readily share my belongings, food, and time T / F
I am rarely jealous T / F
When people are near my home, such as walking past on the sidewalk, I can let it be without watching them through the window T / F
I handle conflict without being offensive or defensive T / F
I go with the flow T / F
I don’t worry about the future T / F
I can deviate from my routine without becoming stressed T / F
I prefer a moderate path to all-or-nothing approaches T / F
I think through my options before making decisions T / F
I am flexible with my habits, routines, and behaviors T / F
I am able to suppress my desire for things I would really like to indulge in T / F
I don’t yell, even when I am furious with the person in front of me T / F
In competitions, I am content even if my team loses T / F
I don’t mind when others are in control of the situation T / F
If you answered “false” to more than thirteen of the statements in this quiz, your reptilian brain might be running the show. You may benefit from acknowledging your basic requirements and their source more thoughtfully. Please do your best to care for your physical needs as they arise. When you are facing a desire or urge, rather than a true biological need, you may imagine soothing your inner reptile. The following exercise offers one way to do that.
Exercise: Relaxation to Calm Your Base Instincts
When we are stressed out, our most basic urges take over and we lose touch with the creative Self. Spending just a bit of time on relaxation can help soothe the reptilian brain and reset your inspiration.
Step 1: Lie down on your mat on your abdomen in Crocodile Pose (Makarasana): big toes together, heels rolled to the outsides, and forehead or cheek placed on the back of your hands/folded arms. Now you are resting comfortably on your stomach. Perceive the good feeling of your breath against the floor. Notice how each time you exhale, the ground conspires with you to press the lungs empty, allowing a sense of surrender.
Step 2: Imagine yourself as you are right now, as if looking from the outside. See your resting form with genuine compassion and care. As you continue to regard yourself, begin to imagine your devolution. The image of yourself shifts from a human to a creature, then this creature forms the shape of a lizard. Imagine your legs as the lizard’s tail, your spine and head where it would be. Continue breathing deeply and gazing upon this animal with compassion.
Step 3: Imagine the lizard’s impulses: how much it wants to eat, warm itself, rest, and be safe. Understand that the lizard feels safest when held in its own familiar routines. Sometimes there are options outside the realm of what it truly needs that it gets used to having, and even though these things do not support its safety or survival (in fact, some may be leading the lizard to an early death), the lizard continues to partake. Hold compassion for the automatic processes of the lizard. Remember that it has no ability to control its impulses, no option to think ahead and understand why it might choose to.
Step 4: After you have relaxed with the image of the lizard for a time, offering it compassionate, objective understanding, imagine the lizard morphing back into a human. As you witness the change within yourself, imagine what is happening within the cranium. Perceive that just as the body is becoming more human, so the brain is developing, wrapping layers of connections around that basic reptilian brain, adding in a conscience, goals, and sense of Self as well as future Self.
Step 5: Let the human connect with its inner lizard and take what meaning it can from the lizard’s impulses and desires. As a more thoughtful creature, how can the base desires be transformed into something uplifting, healthy, and inspiring for yourself/others? For example, if your urge for cake brought you to this exercise and you perceived your lizard tasting an immediate sense of sweetness—unknowing that the cake will cause gain weight, clog arteries, create inflammation, burn out the pancreas, etc.—how can the human-you offer your lizard a more genuine and lasting sense of sweetness in life? The same question can be asked of the escape via drugs, the pick-me-up of caffeine, the validation of sex, the thrill of pornography, the safe connections through social media, or the distraction of passive entertainment.
Step 6: Express the human alternative to the lizard’s impulsive need. You may write a dialogue between the brains, display the transformation through interpretive dance, or even create the alternative itself, such as in the form of a healthy meal or prayer.
Use this exercise anytime you feel as if your selfish, most basic instincts are driving you and limiting your connection to the creative Self.
Feeeed Meeee!
Modern culture has some issues with food. In many cases it is an issue of information overload. There is a plethora of conflicting, scientifically validated studies about the best way to eat: grazing versus two large meals per day, vegan versus paleo, low-fat versus high-fat, and many other confusing contradictions. When we are not feeding ourselves properly, whether out of confusion, busyness, disorder, or whatever, the nervous system is too stressed to rest into a creative state. A yogic approach to nutrition, which is also scientifically validated, is learning about and meeting your own body’s needs via mindfulness.
Exercise: Insight & Mindful Awareness
Mindfulness is the common term for awareness, witnessing, or insight. The following exercise is a beginning mindfulness practice.
Step 1: Sit or stand comfortably. Commit to not judging yourself, wishing things were different, or trying to change what is. This practice is about becoming conscious of what is there, not making it any different.
Step 2: Notice the sensations in your body: the feeling of the air around you, clothes against your skin, ground holding you up, coupled with inner sensations such as muscular tightness and relaxation, physical comfort or discomfort, heart rate, and the movement of your breath.
Step 3: Become more aware of your breath. How is it moving (smoothly, choppily, erratically, deeply, shallowly, etc.)? Where is it in your body? What else is notable?
Step 4: Deepen your emotional awareness. How are you feeling? Which emotions are present? Some may be comfortable or uncomfortable—they might even be in opposition to one another. It’s okay—just notice.
Step 5: Witness the thoughts moving through your mind. Acknowledge what you are thinking without trying to direct your thoughts; just watch them pass and be aware of their content. Sometimes when we watch our thoughts they get faster at first. This is normal—just keep watching. After a few minutes, go on about your day. You can become mindful again whenever you wish and during any task.
Exercise: Awareness at Mealtime
You can bring mindfulness to any moment in life. When we are conscious of our internal realm, it is easier to create from a place of inner truth. We also have greater access to our inner well of inspiration. When you apply mindfulness practice to eating, you are less likely to overeat or choose foods that have a negative impact on your health. You are more likely to enjoy complete, healthy digestion, including comfortable, timely elimination and better absorption of nutrients from your food. Mindfulness will support you in knowing when you are hungry, so you can readily honor the needs of your body, and when you are full, so you avoid consuming more than is healthy for you. Before your next meal, review and apply this Mindful Eating exercise.
Step 1: Set your meal in front of you. (Note: For a better sense of precision and nuance with your food, you may complete this exercise with a single food item, such as a piece of fruit or vegetable or anything you may consume on a habitual basis.) Observe the food up close. Notice the visible colors and textures, the balance and form of your plate, the way you might admire a painting in a gallery. Similar to the gallery experience, also take a few steps back and observe your plate from a distance the way you would regard a fine work of art.
Step 2: Sit down in front of your plate and regard it again. “We eat with our eyes first.” Feel your body and breath relax as you focus on the aromas wafting from your meal. Spend some time with these scents, seeing if you can discern the separate ingredients and also notice the fragrance as a complete unit. What does the smell of your food inform you about its flavor? Can you tell if your body is readying itself for a meal? If so, how?
Step 3: If possible, pick your food up with your fingers; otherwise, lift it upon your fork and gaze at it for a breath or two. What happens within you as you anticipate taking this bite? This is a distinct difference between the refined eating habits of a human and that of a reptilian beast. Savor the moment between your plate and your palate.
Step 4: Before putting the food in your mouth (I know it seems like this is taking forever—you’ll thank me later), allow it to interact with your lips. Our lips are one of the most sensitive parts of the body. What do they tell you about the texture of this food? Lick any residual flavors from your lips and notice the response of your taste buds, mind, stomach, salivary glands, and other body parts.
Step 5: Don’t bite it yet, but place the food in your mouth. Now what do you notice about its texture, flavor, and aroma? What is it like to roll it around in your mouth? Do different parts of your mouth perceive it differently?
Step 6: The moment you’ve been waiting for: bite into your meal! What do you experience as your teeth sink through the food? Is the texture what you expected? Are there more nuances of flavor? As you continue to chew, let the food sit on different parts of your tongue. Does location shift the nature of the flavor or your ability to enjoy the food? How about chewing on the left or right side? Did any emotions accompany the act of chewing?
Step 7: Once you have fully masticated so that the solid food has been liquefied into a bolus, swallow. Observe the process of moving food from the mouth, through the esophagus. Can you tell how your stomach receives this morsel?
Step 8: Continue with this process as much as possible. Anytime you notice your mind wandering from the food or an impulse to speed up your eating, bring yourself back to any of the previous steps. Remain aware and measured in pace as you ingest your meal, one conscious bite at a time.
Step 9: Even if there is still some food left on your plate, stop eating when you feel satiated. The Kundalini Upanishad recommends having the stomach half full of food, quarter full of nutritious liquid like lassi, and quarter full of air to allow room for digestion. In other words, eat until you are content, not stuffed. When you are free from your reptilian mind and fear of lack, you can remember that when you get hungry again, you will eat again; it’s okay if you are not “stuffed.” Take a few breaths and notice how you feel following the meal. Is it easy to breathe deeply? Where does your breath want to go in your body? What is the speed and quality of your thoughts? How did this meal affect your sense of relaxation, well-being, and enthusiasm?
Step 10: Check in with yourself an hour after the meal and again after two hours, as well as before bed, upon rising, and each time you use the toilet. Acknowledge the effects of your eating behavior and food choices.
Practice eating this way for a week or three and notice shifts in your metabolism, state of mind, addictive tendencies, elimination, energy level, body shape, and creative inspiration. When we feed ourselves properly, whether through mindfulness habits or other nutrition strategies, we feel safer in the world. This sense of safety lets the reptile within us rest so that we can focus on higher aspects of our lives such as self-expression and spiritual growth. Please do not underestimate the importance of balanced eating in your creative life.
Rest Is Best
Balanced sleeping habits are another undervalued aspect of creative living. This is especially true because of the typical lifestyle habits of a creative person, such as following inspiration into the wee hours of the morning and living outside of structured daily routines. Whether or not you fall prey to those habits, if you are living in modern society there are likely issues with your sleep.
Electric lights have made it easy for us to override our healthy circadian rhythms. Ambient light in our bedrooms, even after we have cut all the lights, alters our melatonin levels and interferes with deep sleep. Blue screens, sugar, caffeine, cigarettes, stress, and poor coping strategies and bedtime routines all play together in making our overnight time less effective and restful than we need. As we cultivate a habit of overriding our feelings of fatigue, we also cultivate lethargy, dis-ease, and disconnection.
Consider the possibility that going to bed when it is dark and getting up when it is light can have a huge impact on your creative resources and flow of ideas. How many strokes of genius have arisen in the twilight between sleeping and waking, the restfulness of a warm bath, or the bizarre and brilliant dreamscape? When you feel depleted and like you are losing your creative essence, go lie down. Turn off your devices; shut off the noise and go rest with yourself. If your stresses creep in with you, apply the basic mindfulness practice or lizard transformation practice from earlier in this chapter. Alternatively, you may enjoy the following practice.
Exercise: Rest/Relax in Safety
This practice is useful if you need rest or are stressed. Use the power of sense memory to connect to the calm purity of nature.
Step 1: Lie down somewhere you will not be disturbed for an extended period of time. If there is somewhere you have to be later, set an alarm then free your mind from all sense of responsibility for the time being. Suggest that your body and breath relax and trust them to continue to do so.
Step 2: Imagine yourself in nature. This can be a place wholly of your own creation, somewhere you once encountered, or a favorite place you like to visit. Experience this place with all of your being. How does the air smell? Can you hear water, rustling trees, or birds nearby? What is the time of day, the temperature, the landscape? As you continue to relax in this quiet, natural space, fill in as many details as possible.
Step 3: You may rest here for as long as you wish, or follow the comfort and safety of this space into sleep.
Who’s In Charge Here?
As you get to know your hindbrain and base instincts better, you are less likely to fall prey to outside influences. This can mean great gains in your creative, financial, and romantic lives. The reptilian brain orients itself around safety and survival. Another way of saying this is that it operates from a space of selfishness and fear. When we are afraid, we tend to stop considering others. This includes those who are closest to us but is especially noticeable in society at large. Marketing is fear-based, so we buy products instead of donating that excess to worthy charities. We may spend money we don’t have to “keep up with the Joneses,” which creates the insecurity of debt which in turn has us working jobs we don’t like rather than spending that time on creative or more fulfilling career pursuits. The reptilian brain, and those who know how to manipulate it, pose grand obstacles to our creative Selves.
The antidote for this is to continue to cultivate safety and trust our own frame of reference. Build community with others who value self-expression and creativity and spend at least a little time and money on causes that call to your heart. When we operate from the reptilian brain, we become incapable of bonding together in community, which in turn limits the potential impact that a collective of artists can have on others.
It is worth noting that when we are in times of challenging transition, crisis, or other extreme circumstances, the reptilian brain and its survival focus is a great tool. The rougher things become in everyday life, the more we can hold on to a sense of Self through maintaining routines and caring for ourselves in the most fundamental ways. Beyond those times when we are in survival mode, however, deference to the reptilian brain makes us less of who we really are and limits our potential to know ourselves, grow, and inspire.
We get out of the hindbrain by caring for ourselves, trusting our ability to survive, and in turn cultivating hope, faith, nourishment, and connection to Self—beyond selfishness—and others. The reptilian brain is responsible for survival. Once you know you are confident in survival, you can move on to higher realms and express your creative Self more fully.