Brainwaves Explained
KEY POINTS:
1. Throughout this program, we’ll go through Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Gamma brainwaves, and how they relate to certain performance states.
2. By manipulating your body, mind, and environment, you can learn to enter into your desired performance state when you need to.
3. You will learn how to rest and recharge optimally, so that you can perform at your best when the time comes.
In this program we will show you how to deliberately move between different performance states so that you can get healthier and reach your potential. Here is a brief summary of the different performance states and their associated brainwave patterns. We’ll dig into each of these states in the coming modules.
The Five Brain States
The five different brain waves that help our mind perform at its best are called Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta, and Gamma. Each are tied to a specific brain state that, when engaged, bring us specific benefits that ultimately lead to our optimal performance. Below I’ve broke down each stage, why its important, and how we can engage it.
1) Beta: Refocus and Execute
This is when our brain comes to life! Blood flow increases, our body feels energized, and our mind is completely engaged.
To illustrate this state, picture Jose Batista’s famous bat flip of 2015 after he hit a home run to win an important game for the Toronto Blue Jays. When asked about that moment, Jose said that the stadium, which was filled with 50,000 fans, was so loud that it became quiet, and he was able to laser focus on the pitcher’s shoulder — it was all he could see. When the pitcher’s hand appeared by his shoulder, Jose could see how he was holding the ball and knew what was coming. The rest is history. This is an example of a brain in the Beta state.
The best space to encourage this is one with music. This is why Olympians often use music when training because it can activate specific areas of your brain and help you perform even better.
While a useful state, it is also a tricky one. We often get stuck in it, which can lead to burnout. This is why we need to balance it with rest and recovery so that it can remain a positive state vs. a negative one. We’ll cover how to both enter this state and recharge following it in the Radical Attention module.
2) Alpha: Reflect and Learn
When we are laser-focused on something, we tend to miss the bigger picture. The Alpha brain state allows us to take in the full picture, deconstruct it, and engage in strategic thinking so that we can properly learn and gauge a situation.
In this state, our body is calm. These are the moments when we’re in a brainstorming session and we lean back, body relaxed, and take a moment to think. Our mind is reflective, and we tend to review situations from the “what”, “how”, and “why” perspectives, opening our mind and increasing our brain function.
The most opportune space for this brain state is being in nature. It’s a natural reflective space for us. Fun fact — we tend to think better in nature because the straight angles and lines of our homes actually make us tense, while the fluid lines of nature relaxes us! We’ll dig more into these ideas in the Think About How You Think module.
3) Theta: Relax and Create
We’re daydreaming in this state! Our brain activity slows down and we become more agile, innovative, and creative in our thinking.
To get into this state, our body is often in a rhythmic movement, like walking, biking, or running. This puts our mind in to a meditative state. We can also use mindfulness practices to enter this state and keep us in the present. Just 15 minutes a day of meditation or mindfulness dramatically changes how our brain works for the better.
The best space to enter this brain state in is one of solitude, whether by yourself, with your partner, or with your team. Leave the technology at home and actually give yourself the space and time to enter this state and get those creative ideas flowing. More on this topic in the Do Less to Achieve More module!
4) Delta: Rest and Regenerate
This is the slow period of brain activity that usually occurs while we’re sleeping. It’s the most important time for our brain to rest, recover, and re-energize.
We won't dig into this brainwave state during this course, as we cover sleep extensively in The Ripple Effect Course. In The Ripple Effect, we cover simple strategies to help you calm your body down and prep it for sleep.
5) Gamma: Recharge for Peak Experiences
This is when we’re on top of the world and feel like we can get anything done. Our entire brain works together, our body is in the zone, and our mind is at peak performance — we are in a state of flow. This space is one of love, compassion, and gratitude. We feel good and are able to exude that in everything we do.
While this peak performance is desirable, it’s unreachable if we cannot allow our brain time to recover, reflect, refocus, and relax as well. All of these brain states feed into each other to give us this moment of peak performance, and allows us to view things differently and to see opportunity within challenge, even in times of immense stress and anxiety. We’ll discuss how to enter into this state of peak performance and deep meaning during the Embrace the Extraordinary module.
When we are able to provide our brain with the time it needs to slow down, then we’ll also be able to speed up when needed.
It can be difficult, but it’s similar to being on a plane and being told that you have to put your oxygen mask on first before you can help others. It’s only through self-care activities that we can pivot from burnout to growth, and actually be productive when we need to be.
Today’s Bonus: The Five Performance States summary
Here is a pdf summary of the five performance states. Feel free to print it out so you can refer back to it whenever you need to!
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.