Forrest's Library

Understanding the fascinating Left and Right Brain in Meditation

Summary

, 15 min

Iain McGilchrist's view of the left and right hemispheres as two ways of attending, illustrated by brain lesions, the master-and-emissary parable and a bird pecking a seed, with a suggested reading order for three of his books. Closes with a short exercise of holding two points at once to shift into the right brain.

In this video

Teaches
Left and right brainTwo points method
Discusses
Iain McGilchristFoveal and peripheral attention
Mentions
Higher SelfHRV ResonanceRight hippocampus

Key moments

00:00Iain McGilchrist and three books on the two hemispheres00:34McGilchrist's story: from a moving poem to neurosurgery01:47Not what each hemisphere does but how it does it02:56Brain lesions show that the two sides matter04:12Reading order: The Divided Brain, Ways of Attending, then the big book05:21The parable of the master and his emissary07:02A bird pecking a seed: the focused left, the scanning right09:26Right brain as parent; left brain loves things and breaks them down10:32Right brain: connection, humanness and the higher self11:07Exercise: hold two points at once with a reduced breath rate13:03Closing: read the books; no words while holding two perceptions