Daily Inspiration

Managing anger is crucial to managing depression and bipolar. No koalas were harmed making this movie.

Own the Moment

In meditation, focusing on here and now reduces health-harming stress

I want you to try something. It’s easy; you don’t even have to put down the paper. When you’re done reading this paragraph, breathe and only think about your breath. The moment you think about something else, it could be the weather, soccer practice, how awesome or awful this chair is, come back to the article. Go ahead, try.
OK, how many breaths did you make it through? Two? Three? Five? Not that it matters, but it was probably fewer than you thought it would be. That’s the mind though, restless, wandering around the future or past. Unfortunately, that doesn’t do your body much good. (More)

Source: The Dalles Chronicle

Daily Inspiration

We forget. The present is where life is happening here, right now.

Meditation as Healing Technology

THREE DECADES ago, when I began my meditation practice, I was often viewed as someone out of the mainstream and/or belonging to an Eastern cult. Today, with more than 200 studies having been done on the practice of meditation and its connection between spirituality and health, the tables have turned almost 180 degrees. Wherever I go, people are practising meditation as a means to improving their health and overall well-being.

Right now, we are in the midst of a global shift in consciousness that recognizes the healing power of consciousness itself. To achieve maximum health and happiness, we need to reconnect to the source of our being, or consciousness, which is responsible for the health of the body, mind and spirit. Instead of feeling connected and sustained by this source, as long as we remain disconnected, we more often than not feel spiritually adrift and bankrupt and the result is a plethora of spiritual ailments, including depression, anxiety, fear, doubt, hurry and worry, agitation and restlessness – all symptoms of our real dis-ease, which is spiritual emptiness. (More)

Source: Common Ground

Daily Inspiration

Abraham answers the question "How to see through the eyes of Source?". What follows is a wonderful ~HOW TO~ Process. Extracted from an Abraham Hicks workshop: 28th August 2007 - Albuquerque, NM.

Study: Does Meditation Change Your Brain?

The latest in several studies on how meditation affects the brain (and thus our lives) found that meditators' noggins actually have more gray matter in certain areas than non-meditators.

According to Dr. Belleruth Naparstek, those spots are associated with "emotional regulation and response control." She adds that this "might account for meditators' singular abilities to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior."

So cool! And a great reminder to stop, drop, and breathe. Here's the meditation study's abstract.

Source: Beliefnet

Daily Inspiration

Igniting growth awakens our true nature as it frees us and allows us to step into BEING the essence of our desired creation in the NOW moment.

Ancient Meditation Takes to the Streets

You can find them on any street corner or people’s park almost all over the world. Shimmering around them is a sense of well-being and complete calm; buses and motorbikes charging by and streets crowded with shoppers and onlookers do not disturb their meditation.

These are the Falun Dafa practitioners in Bali who follow the ancient laws of the universe - Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance – based on ancient Buddhist and Taoist teachings.

Adherents to Falun Dafa in its homeland, China, are today tortured, raped, murdered and dissected for organ harvest, according to the Falun Dafa website and world press, including The Wall Street Journal.

In Bali, they practice in public in Renon Park and on a busy street corner in the tourist town of Ubud on Saturdays. (More)

Source: The Jakarta Post

Daily Inspiration

Learning to calm our emotions is a crucial step in moving to the 5th dimension. Heavy discordant emotions take us out of our peaceful center making it difficult for us to hear our inner voice and follow the guidance it provides.

Your Approach to Meditation

There are several ways to meditate and you may already have preferences about when, where, why or how you meditate. However, if meditation is fairly new to you, or you want to explore meditation further, I will offer some basic teachings which I have learned directly from my mother, Rev. Tess Pender (who has been teaching meditation for several years) in my next few articles about meditation.

There are four distinct stages of meditation; these can be thought of as: the preparation or approach, the technique, the meditative experience itself, and the ending or conclusion. Here are some insights about the first stage of meditation – the approach. (More)

Source: The Examiner

Daily Inspiration

The key to raising our vibration comes from opening our hearts. When we are loving and loved, we feel more alive, more expansion, more creative and have a sense of renewal.

Meditation May Lead to a Bigger Brain

Push-ups may lead to a better body, but meditation may lead to a better brain, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, said.

The researchers used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of people who meditate.

The study, published in the journal NeuroImage, found certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a control group. (More)

Source: UPI

Daily Inspiration

Insights into the benefits of meditation, visuals with music.

A Few Benefits of Meditation

There are many reasons people meditate. Meditation can help us relax, reduce mental and emotional stresses, and bring us greater spiritual awareness. Engaging in meditation can feel really good; to still the body, quiet the mind, notice the emotions and tap into the spirit can be a rewarding experience. Yet the benefits of a regular meditation practice, like any form of exercise, can have longer lasing effects on our whole being.

These are some of the benefits of a regular meditation practice: (More)

Source: The Examiner

Daily Inspiration

Thich Nhat Hanh on living in the present moment. Meditation in motion.

Metta Meditation: Blessings to the World

"The root of your problems vanish when you cherish others." --Buddhist teaching

"Om mani padme hum" ---mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion

As a spiritual pragmatist, metta meditation is one of my favorite practices. It simply means sending lovingkindness to yourself and others, including those who are difficult. I've been planning to write about it for a while. Then yesterday, as I was crossing the Bay Bridge, a blue car pulled in front of me painted with pictures of the Buddha and the above quotes. A bonafide Metta-Mobile! So I took the nudge and got writing.

One way to practice metta is to sit, follow the breath and begin to pour peace and forgiveness to others. You start with yourself, forgiving yourself for all you may be inwardly blaming. Then you move on to the circle of those you love, then those you have trouble with, finally widening the circle more and more to encompass the whole world. (More)

Source: The Examiner

Daily Inspiration

Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory

Study involving DY meditation could have wide-ranging implications

A certain type of meditation may help the brain retain images for short periods, says a new study on visual-spatial abilities.
When people view an object, they usually retain a clear picture of it in their visual short-term memory for only a few seconds before the details fade. An experiment by George Mason University researchers, though, found that people who practice Deity Yoga (DY) do much better at visual-spatial tasks shortly after they meditate. (More)

Source: Forbes

Daily Inspiration

From the album A GIFT OF LOVE: Deepak and Friends Present Music Inspired by the Love Poems of Rumi, featuring the voice of Jared Harris, using video clips from the film Koyaanisqatsi.

Meditation May Help Improve Memory

Buddha was a manly man. Think about it. He had a big pot belly and sat around in his pajamas all day. All he needed was NFL Sunday Ticket and one of those beer guzzler helmets. Even still, it’s unlikely nowadays most men are sitting under trees and meditating.

But new findings in the journal Psychological Science reveal Deity Yoga helps the brain better retain images for short periods of time. Perhaps helpful for guys that can’t remember how their wife or girlfriend’s new outfit looked the other night. (More)

Source: Examiner.com

Daily Inspiration

Gregory Colbert has used both still and movie cameras to explore extraordinary interactions between humans and animals.

Turn Inward Through Meditation: Slow down to Speed Up Tip #1

As spiritual beings we need to turn inward to connect with Spirit. We need to slow down to speed up because when we turn to Spirit we have the ability to manifest miracles. The most common practice to turn inward and connect is through meditation.

When we meditate we clear our mind of life’s distractions. We create a setting which allows us to gain a fresh perspective on how to handle the stress and problems of our everyday life. We also open ourselves to the gifts of creativity and inspiration.

Fitting meditation into our life isn’t always easy. This was the most difficult spiritual practice to fit into my busy life – and it is the most important one. Whatever it takes – do it – even if it is only five minutes a day! After any meditation, express gratitude no matter what the results are. (More)

Source: The Examiner

Daily Inspiration

The human dream is a shout out to remember our true essence, to let ego behind and unite as one embracing a new stage of human consciousness evolution.

Can We Prevent Global Warming by Meditating?

Global warming, already high on the list of major problems, is much worse than we thought according to a new study by MIT. The image you see above are the updated odds of how much hotter the earth's climate will be by 2100 as calculated by MIT Integrated Global Systems Model. It is the most comprehensive modeling done to date - the only one taking into account not only climate processes but also possible changes in human activities in different countries, such as economic growth and its associated energy use. (More)

Source: beliefnet

Daily Inspiration

♥ 2 ♥ love is all and every thing Give a little peace of your heart each day

Yoga, Meditation to Beat Recession

With pink slips, job loss and salary cuts becoming the order of the day, it seems recession is taking a toll on almost everyone’s personal and professional life.

The situation gets worse from bad when professionals find it tough to deal with the stress creeping at work front, thus ending up spoiling their health and losing out their mental balance.

While, recession stress is no less a mental trauma, yet there are ways to deal with it in a healthy way. Recession stress is all in the mind, which eventually gets reflected in our thoughts, dreams, imagination and attitude towards life – both personal and professional. Therefore, youngsters need to chuck off the negative ways of reliving stress like drinking, smoking, drug addiction etc and opt for more realistic techniques. (More)

Source: Times of India

Daily Inspiration

Contemplating Loving-kindness.

Seattle Hospital Teaches Meditation to Troubled Vets

The Seattle veterans hospital is teaching patients a form of meditation to ease their post-traumatic stress disorder. The technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction helps patients deal with anxiety, chronic pain and other health issues.

After four combat tours — two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan — normal life seemed impossible for one Seattle Army veteran.

His heart raced when driving under an overpass, and he had trouble breathing when stuck in snarled traffic. As a soldier in combat, he wouldn't dare slow down for fear of being bombed or shot.

Crowded rooms were just as bad. He locked himself away at home and drank instead of facing large groups or loud, sudden noises. He responded to the slightest sense of threat with all-out aggression.

Last summer, the 34-year-old sergeant sought help at the Seattle veterans hospital, enrolling in group and individual therapy and starting medication to treat what doctors diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (More)

Source: Seattle Times

Daily Inspiration

A great inspirational video. If you know someone who is going through a difficult time, make sure you forward this video to them. It will brighten their day.

Doing Meditation the Reiki Way

Regular practice of the simple two-way technique of Reiki meditation can not only help you improve your focus and awaken you spiritually, but also can amplify your innate healing abilities to help you achieve holistic health

Maintaining a high level of life force energy, prana, is a pre-requisite for holistic health, achieved through practice of various techniques that can generate balance between body and mind, such as yoga, Tai Chi, Quantum Touch, or Reiki, to name just a few. All of them employ one or the other form of meditation as an important component for treatment at the physical, mental, and emotional levels.

The two-in-one Reiki meditation technique deftly combines the healing powers of both meditation and Reiki. The benefits accruing from them increase manifold as a consequence of synergy generated by blending them together. What keeps Reiki meditation apart from other meditation forms is its unique ability to strengthen the innate healing capability of the practitioner. (More)

Source: Times of India

Daily Inspiration

Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.
~Richard Bach

Try experiencing life through eyes of another who hold different points of view.
The key to making changes is to accept the necessity of change;
Change is part of a creative life and of creating a LIFE

Humanity Healing Copyright 29 August 2007

Stressed? Give Meditation a Chance

Twenty-seven-year-old software professional Ashish Bamzai, 27, couldn't enjoy his own wedding because at the back of his mind was the fear of losing his job.

"Everyone around me was happy and smiling. I just couldn't fake a smile as there was tension lingering at the back of my mind. I had this fear of my company giving me the pink slip. Ever since the downturn has hit the markets, all software professionals are uncertain about their jobs and I am one of them," Bamzai said.

To get rid of this constant fear, Bamzai participated in a workshop at the Chennai-based Oneness University that deals in promoting holistic living to counter stress and it worked wonders for him. Now he has learnt to stay calm and composed even in adverse conditions. (More)

Source: The Hindu

Daily Inspiration

All motive and action affects the cosmos in some way. The principle of cause and effect is the truth that allows us to change ourselves and the world around us for the better.

Meditation 'Makes People More Intelligent by Growing the Brain'

Meditation could make you more intelligent as it boosts the size of your brain, new research claims.

For thousands of years, Buddhists, hippies and spiritualists have claimed that the mental discipline promises a higher state of consciousness.
It has been taken so seriously that schools in America are considering including meditation as part of their curriculums, thanks to the championing by the film director David Lynch who has set up a foundation promoting the technique.
Now scientists have discovered that regular meditation appears to actually increase the size of the brain.
In the latest research scans revealed "significantly larger" amounts of grey matter in people who had been mediating long term. (More)

SSource: The Telegraph

Daily Inspiration

Om is the symbol for the whole universe. It carries three basic sounds: A-U-M. These three basic sounds through which all the sounds have evolved.
So Om is the basic trinity of sound, the synthesis of all the basic roots.
That's why Om is considered the secret mantra, the greatest mantra, because it implies the whole existence,
it represents the sound of soundlessness, the beauty of silence.

Try Meditation

Meditation as a crime-fighting tool? Why not?

Back in 1993, the Transcendental Meditation folks conducted a closely scrutinized scientific experiment to determine whether TM (and, by extension, any form of meditation) has an effect on violent crime (homicides, rapes and assaults). Over the course of eight weeks, TMers from all over the country started arriving and meditating in the nation's capital. By the last week, the maximum number of meditators was reached with a count of 3,800 in a city with 550,000 residents at the time. (For us math buffs, that is only .7 percent of the population.) Violent crime levels had been dropping throughout the test period. During that last week, violent crime was down almost 25 percent. Pretty good results from simple deliberate sitting. (More)

Source: The Milpitas Post

Daily Inspiration

This is the story of Teddy Stoddard and his elementary school teacher Mrs Thompson, how their friendship made the difference in living in abundance. There are no justified resentments.

Meditate Your Way to a Bigger Brain

Push-ups, crunches and gyms are fine for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But can you meditate your way to a bigger brain?

The answer is yes, as a new study has established that certain regions in the brains of those meditating long-term were larger than in a similar group.

A group of researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate.

Specifically, such people showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus-regions known for regulating emotions. (More)

Source: The Hindu

Daily Inspiration

Tai Chi: Meditation Through Movement

Pairs of black-and-white tennis shoes line the floor while their owners move across the room in long, slow dance-like movements.
Arms make graceful arcs as the group bows, hands crossing and uncrossing, all in unison with soft music in the background.
The only sound is socks sliding across the tile floor as the students’ arms fold into a movement resembling the neck of a crane.
“We’re moving and relaxing,” Rick Tate, Tai Chi instructor and pastor of Fairwood United Methodist Church, said.
Tate, dressed in black, twisted his body from one fluid movement to the next, bowing low and bending deep.
Tai Chi, practiced in China for centuries, is a martial art, an exercise and a means of improving the flow of internal energy within the body. (More)

Source: TylerPaper.com

Daily Inspiration

"Infinite patience produces immediate results...the immediate result of your infinite patience is peace. You retreat in peace and let the universe handle the details."

Meditation Treats Bladder Control, Incontinence Without Drugs

There’s a reason “adult diapers” like Depends and costly prescription medications such as Ditropan and Detrol are multi-million dollar industries. According to the National Association for Continence (NAFC), bladder control problems afflict about 25 million Americans -- and the uncontrollable leaking of urine can be such a miserable, embarrassing problem that it drives people to try not only side effect-laden drugs but even surgery. But now a new Loyola University Health System (LUHS) study shows therapy based on natural and ancient meditation techniques can train the brain to control the bladder without medication or operations. (More)

Source: NaturalNews.com

Daily Inspiration

Mother's Day Prayer

God our Creator, we pray:
for new mothers, coming to terms with new responsibility ;
for expectant mothers, wondering and waiting;
for those who are tired, stressed or depressed;
for those who struggle to balance the tasks of work and family;
for those who are unable to feed their children due to poverty;
for those whose children have physical, mental or emotional disabilities;
for those who have children they do not want;
for those who raise children on their own;
for those who have lost a child;
for those who care for the children of others;
for those whose children have left home;
and for those whose desire to be a mother has not been fulfilled.
Bless all mothers, that their love may be deep and tender,
and that they may lead their children to know and do what is good,
living not for themselves alone, but for God and for others.
Amen.

Author Unknown

Daily Inspiration

In this video, Deepak Chopra explores the mystery of your body in its growth from a single cell to a symphony of activities guided by an inner intelligence that mirrors the wisdom of the universe.

Relileving Stress With Meditation

By the faculty of Harvard Medical School for The Harvard Medical School Adviser

Q: My employer isn't doing well financially, and I've been worried about losing my job. The stress is affecting my work: I can't concentrate, and I'm rushing from one task to the next. One of my colleagues suggested that I try mindfulness meditation. Can that really help relieve stress?

A: With the world facing an economic crisis, anxiety and tension have become constants at work and at home. Many of us are experiencing intense mental strain, and as the crisis continues, it seems harder and harder to unwind. Yet learning to manage stress is important for good health. (More)

Source: The Steuben County Courier

Daily Inspiration

Havasupai Indian Waterfall Relaxation This waterfall is on the Colorado river.

From Medication to Meditation: Calming the Monkey Mind

Zen Buddhists sometimes refer to the pattern of thoughts that stream from one subject to another as the monkey mind. If you've ever watched monkeys in the wild, they freely swing from one place to another without any apparent reason but perhaps just for the fun of it. Observing the thoughts generated in the privacy of your mind can be almost as entertaining. When meditators sit quietly and bring their awareness to it, they become acutely aware of how much activity is going on in their minds. Just bringing a spotlight to the activity can often quiet the mind down in the same way that the very presence of a school teacher can quiet the rowdy students in a classroom. (More)

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

Daily Inspiration

Finals Stressing You Out? Try Meditation

Studies show that meditation is an effective way for students to cope with stress of the everyday

During finals, anxiety among college students skyrockets, no doubt due to the pressures of . Instead of stressing out, students may find meditation could be the key to making it through finals week as well as to prevent a future of anxiety disorders.

Author and Tibetan meditation master, Yongey Mingyur, spoke to readers at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., on May 1st, about his new book “Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom,” which focuses on applying insights and practices of Buddhism to the challenges of everyday life. (More)

Source: College News

Daily Inspiration

Wayne Dyer explains...Start living your life on purpose. Become aware of the thoughts that are creating your habits, focus on the thoughts you DO want -- and create THAT!

Mindfulness in the Classroom

Portland State psychology professor draws on Eastern influences in the classroom

When Dr. Rob Roeser faces his class as an associate professor of psychology, he tells his students, “this is about you, it's experiential. Keep a journal and practice.”

He takes them on a journey of mindfulness with meditation as a skill to achieve awareness, which he said focuses on breathing, feelings and sensations in the body.

As a result, “you have learning tools for your own life, to live less stressfully and have more satisfaction in daily living,” he said.

“I plant seeds that show the effectiveness of the benefits of creating emotional balance,” Roeser said. “The course is a taste, not a doctrine.”

Roeser brought his vision for a new course in contemplative education to Portland State.

He has recently returned from his trip to India with the Mind Life Institute, which included scientists, philosophers and contemplatives who met with the Dalai Lama. (More)

Source: The PSU Daily Vanguard

Daily Inspiration

A yoga meditation relaxation track to enjoy, take a break & treat yourself to 10 minutes with your inner self. This relaxation pose will help still your mind.

How to Beat Stress and Angst Through Meditation

There's nothing like economic calamity to focus the mind. But instead of obsessing over your job security or declining 401(k) balance, try diminishing your stress with a new assist from a very old tool: meditation.

Stretching back thousands of years to ancient spiritual traditions, meditation has been attracting a growing following of secular practitioners in recent years. While it's still not exactly mainstream, data released in December 2008 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, an arm of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland), show that 9.4 percent of adults surveyed in 2007 had tried meditation at least once during the previous 12 months, a significant increase from 7.6 percent in 2002. And 1 percent of children had zoned in, too. (More)

Source: Baltimore Sun

Daily Inspiration

Relaxation is not simply important for your physical self, it will positively affect your spirit, your mind, your body and your overall well being.

TRUE MEDITATION

Meditation is a journey deeper into our true self, discovering our true destination. True Medication is about drawing our attention inwards, and allowing our mine to settle into infinite stillness; it is withdrawing one’s attention from the periphery of our consciousness into the centre. Doing this enables soul to hold itself steady to perceive God’s Voice and Light, and to become aware of our ultimate purpose – our life’s mission. True Medication is the science of developing our personality and progressing our soul, fusing our eternal self with the absolute and, finally, finding God within. (More)

Source: siliconindia.com

Daily Inspiration

Based on Dr Wayne Dyer's book, the video takes the viewer through the ten "secrets" that can lead to a more fulfilled and enlightened life.

Mind Games: The Dalai Lama Takes Harvard

The Dalai Lama addresses an audience on the campus of Harvard University.

The Dalai Lama is a lot more playful than your average Harvard professor, which is one reason his appearance at a Harvard psychology conference on Friday was so entertaining. The Dalai Lama — who at 73 has an agile, mischievous mind and an abiding interest in psychology — accepted Harvard's invitation because he wanted a lively debate about the latest science on mental health. He wanted to play. What he got was an audience of earnest academic worshippers. He played anyway. (More)

Source: Time

Daily Inspiration

Is Sleeping a Meditation?

Sometimes I don’t listen. I would rather be wandering around the hallways of my mind with my old thoughts than pay attention to what is right in front of me. Old habits never die, they just get older.

That happened yesterday at the office. My thoughts about a certain old topic were coming a bit too fast for my liking so I decided it would be a good time to sit down and ask a few questions of myself and my guides in meditation. Actually I didn’t sit, I lay on the bodywork table. When my breathing and thoughts slowed down I focused on my first question - and promptly fell asleep. Hey, it happens. I figured it was exactly what I needed. I woke up happy and rested right before my client arrived. A successful meditation! (More)

Source: Ode Magazine

Daily Inspiration

Part 3 of the interview with Dr. Deepak Chopra on the TV show A Balanced Life. Host is Eileen Richardson. Topics covered are the Law of Dharma, Giving back and finding your life purpose.

Scientist Visits Skelmersdale to Explain the Bbenefits of Mmeditation

A LEADING American academic delivered a presentation on Transcendental Meditation in Skelmersdale last week.

Speaking at the Woodley Park Conference Centre in Ashurst on Friday, Dr Fred Travis explained how children can benefit from regularly practising meditation as part of their school day.

More than 50 teachers from around the North West attended the 90 minute presentation.

Dr Derek Cassells, Headteacher at Skelmersdale’s Maharishi School said: “We were very lucky to have Dr Travis visit us and we hope his presentation delivered a ‘wow’ factor to all the teachers who were there.”

Dr Travis, a neural scientist from the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa, USA, explained how periods of meditation can improve the functions of the brain. (More)

Source: Skelmersdale Advertiser