Daily Inspiration

"Mindfulness" Meditation: A New Way to Help Diabetics?

Research is showing a certain type of meditation may help people suffering from diabetes. This stress reduction works in many different ways and provides calming strategies as well as ways to discipline the mind.

"There is little research on this process when it comes to this treatment of diabetes," Joseph B. Nelson, MA, LP, CST, told Ivanhoe. He defines mindfulness as "intentional awareness of each moment; non judgmental; internal and external awareness." Nelson stresses mindfulness is not about relaxing; rather, it is about becoming fully awake and aware. In addition, Nelson said, "Mindfulness is not meditation; it's a way to live."

Nelson believes through mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), people with diabetes will be able to relieve stress and anxiety. At the 2010 American Diabetes Association Conference, Nelson talked about a pilot study that was conducted on diabetic patients. He said through the practice of MBSR, patients showed lower blood pressure levels as well as reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. (MORE)

Source: Ivanhoe.com

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This Is Your Brain On Meditation: Mingyur Rinpoche Describes The Science Of Happiness

A hush fell over the room as Youngey Mingyur Rinpoche took the stage to begin his teaching. Rinpoche, the revered Tibetan Buddhist lama, teacher, and so-called "happiest man in the world" was commencing an Introduction to Awareness Meditation event, hosted by the New York Open Center. Nearly every seat in the large auditorium was occupied.

"How many of you have learned meditation before?" he asked the crowd, solemnly. Many of the audience members raised their hands. "Oh, great. Then I don't have to teach you!" he quipped, tilting his head back to chuckle. Though Rinpoche's joking demeanor makes him a popular teacher, he is serious when it comes to meditation practices.

Rinpoche's teaching is informed by contemporary scientific research. He considers himself to be, as he put it, "a short red guinea pig" -- a test subject for some of the most cutting edge neurological theories, and a firm supporter of the ongoing dialogue between science and Buddhism. (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

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Power of Meditation

MEDITATION, recognised as a component of traditional medicine, especially ayurveda, has been practised for over 5,000 years.

It was the practice of the "lunatic" fringe but over the last few decades, it has moved into the mainstream. Today, there is much scientific backing for it.

Did Einstein practice meditation? Could this give us an insight to his genius? What did Einstein have that we don't?

Meditation is a process by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It often involves turning attention to a single point of reference.

Dr Thomas Harvey was the pathologist tasked to perform Einstein's autopsy in 1955. Without the family's permission, Harvey removed and kept Einstein's famous brain.

He stored the brain in jars of formaldehyde and studied it slice by slice. He also dispensed small samples to other researchers on request. There was nothing to show Einstein's brain as extraordinary. (MORE)

Source: Asiaone.com

Daily Inspiration

Yoga Mudras For A Healthy You!

Yoga Mudras are basically postures for the hands and fingers. We have about 4000 nerve endings at the tip of the fingers that are connected to different organs of the body and can influence, relax and bring about a balance in them. These are very simple techniques that can be practised leisurely by sitting, standing or lying down. They are every effective and can be practised even at your desk in our office.

The human body is made up of the five elements, fire, air, space, earth and water. An imbalance in these elements cause diseases. These imbalances can be set right by 'Hasta Mudras' (Hand Mudras) which are simple joining of fingers which can energise and cure body ailments. (MORE)

Source: Oneindia

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Meditation Helps Tame the Mind's Wild Animal

Inside of each of us, there's a creature that's not too unlike the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay.

That lonely primate flits from place to place, searching and scrambling with each step as he outruns potential captors.

Yogis often talk about the "monkey mind," the part of our brain that quickly moves from thought to thought or emotion to emotion, just like our area's itinerant mystery monkey.

My mind's "monkey" is actually a hamster. Or, at least, that's how I visualize it. The creature that runs around in my head is a tan and white high-strung rodent named Happy Menace.

When I feel the stress welling up, or my thoughts rapidly firing, I see little Happy Menace ferociously picking up speed in his wheel, taking my mind on a wild ride with him. And when he has used up all of my mental energy, he sits back, exhausted on his wheel, with his tongue sticking out and one foot twitching. (MORE)

Source: tbo.com

Daily Inspiration

Julia Roberts' New Film Inspires Meditation Tours to India

Julia Roberts much-anticipated new movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ has inspired tour planners to offer a package that gives travellers a chance to dine in Italy, meditate in India and fall in love with Bali.Roberts recreates author Elizabeth Gilbert's year-long cultural and spiritual trip to India, Italy and Bali in the movie. And the film has inspired a large number of merchandise, which includes tie-in items from furnishings to jewellery.
Producers have given various companies rights to link new products to the film, which will release in August, reports the Daily Express.

Bosses at STA Tours will soon be offering the ‘Eat, Pray, Love Experience’ – the chance to dine in Italy, meditate in India and fall in love with Bali. (MORE)

Source: Indianexpress

Daily Inspiration

Meditation Brings Stillness And Calm

Meditation is relatively new to our western culture, it has really only been around on any large scale for a few decades. But it fills a space for many people that nothing else will.

Meditation helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and this initiates restoration and rejuvenation. The damaging effects of stress and of a harried lifestyle recede. Peace and stillness well up. The mind becomes more settled, and restfulness is the gentle outcome.

Mallika Chopra:
So meditation comes in many different forms. You know, many people have prayed throughout their life. Others actually find peace through running or through yoga. Meditation, when you do a mantra-based meditation where you sit quietly, close your eyes, and either repeat a word or focus on your breath, is really a way to silence your mind. So it’s focusing on the gap between your thoughts and extending that gap so that we start feeling more silence. (MORE)

Source: EmpowHER

Daily Inspiration

Discovering Meditation's Role in Exercise

I finished another week of training with Gabe Nagy and it was as hard as ever! I've been working on bur-pees this week. No not Burping...(well that too) but bur-pees! Yea they sound funny, but they REALLY get you in gear! You start by standing, feet apart, touch your hands to the ground, jump back into a plank position(like a push-up) then jump back up to your hands and then stand up. They are very hard to do! I am pretty proud of myself because when I started doing them, I had to walk each foot back and forth. Now I can hop into position! Gabe told me that if you're in a pinch and can't fit in a workout, do as many Bur-pees as you can in 5 minutes then you're set! I have also been doing a lot of swimming. I water jog around the pool and do laps. A game of Marco/Polo with my kids is a workout in itself! I was really happy this year because I had to get a new bathing suit because the old one was too big! Though I'm still not at my ideal size, the new one is 4 sizes smaller and I didn't have to wear a shirt over it! Yay me!!! (MORE)

Source: Arizona Daily Star

Daily Inspiration

Study Suggests Health Benefits From Meditation

Breathe in. Hold. Release. Repeat.

Do you feel calmer?

Some students have turned to meditation as a useful way to help study for finals and focus their attention.

Kylie Contreary picked up meditation and yoga at the beginning of the year to help her cope with an increased workload and the stress of starting college.

The first-year English student now repeats a meditative breathing exercise three times a week to help her focus for her upcoming finals and papers.

“Usually, if I’m stumped with a paper and my thoughts just aren’t happening, I’ll sit down and work on trying to clear my head,” Contreary said. “Once I do that I start to organize and I can write more smoothly.”

Regular meditation is a good way not only to focus your thoughts but also to increase attention span and promote a sense of calmness and relaxation, said Andrea Wagner, a yoga and meditation teacher at the John Wooden Athletic Center.

Wagner started the meditation class at the Wooden Center a year and a half ago after finishing her training, and since then she has implemented a variety of methods to help students to focus. (MORE)

Source: The Daily Bruin

OUR FATHERS

Our fathers toil with hands and heart
To make our lives complete.
They quietly brave the winter cold,
Endure the summer heat.

Our fathers' lives are busy, but
There's always time for us.
They boldly face the ups and downs
And seldom ever fuss.

Our fathers are the greatest dads.
We know you know this, too.
But thank you for the chance to share
Our love for them with you.

David A. Olds

Daily Inspiration

Do Yourself a Favor ~ Meditate!

It's funny how often we put off the very things that would not only enhance our lives, but make them easier and even more meaningful. I tend to be someone who can easily put things off to the last minute, which might explain why an entire year went by before I picked up the phone and called the woman who not only taught me transcendental meditation ( TM ), but also became one of my most treasured friends.

Her name is Nancy Cooke de Herrera.

I decided there would be no better gift for turning thirty, then learning how to meditate. So over the course of three visits, I made my way to Nancy's home in Beverly Hills, where she gave me a mantra and said "If you have time to brush your teeth in the morning, you have time to meditate!" (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

Daily Inspiration

Cherish Your 'Aloneness'

Billions of people live on earth. Every second, as many thoughts take birth and dissolve, even as beings come and go. There is a process in life: to come and to go. Have you seen any wave in the ocean that stays still? No, it comes and goes. Thoughts also come and go, reactions come and go, everything comes and goes.

Considering the transitory nature of life, it makes sense to not cling to things. And why are we so serious? Perhaps we are so serious because we have so much negativity. Even if something happens that helps us, that brings us prosperity, we think negative and we refuse it. We are unable to see the difference between a diamond and mere stone.

What causes you pain often turns out to be the most beautiful blessing of your life. If any source gives you pain, feel gratitude for that. For suffering creates the opportunity for change. Sometimes we need pressure and pain to make us change for the better.

When a sculptor takes a stone, he removes all the unwanted parts and discovers the figure in that stone. Pain and pressure in life are processes that help remove all unwanted substances from our lives and realise our true Self. (MORE)

Source: Times of India

Daily Inspiration

Meditation Improves Cognitive Skills in Just Four Days

If you are still undecided whether to sign up for that meditation class, perhaps this piece of research news may do the trick. A study published in the April 2 issue of Consciousness and Cognition found that 20 minutes of meditation each day can improve cognitive skills in as short as four days.

The research involved 63 students randomly split into two groups. Researchers trained one group on mindfulness meditation while the other group listened to J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy novel, The Hobbit. Before and after the experiment, students from both groups were assessed on their mood and cognitive functions, including memory, concentration and visual attention.

A total of 49 students completed the experiment. All of them reported an improvement in mood, but only students in the meditation group fared a noticeable improvement in cognitive abilities. They scored consistently higher averages than those in the listening group on all tests. (MORE)

Source: Natural News

Daily Inspiration

Yoga Energy: Mind Body Spirit Balance For Health

Fundamentally, the word "health" comes from the root word "whole." So what we call "feeling healthy" means that we have a sense of wholeness in us. Medically, a person may be free of diseases, but that is only one part of health. When you feel like a complete human being in your body, mind and spirit, then you can be fully healthy. So there are any number of people who are healthy by medical standards, but unless they experience that sense of wellness from within, they are still lacking something. If human beings have to experience this sense of wholeness, this sense of wellness within themselves, it is important that their body, mind and above all their energies function at a certain level of intensity.

Let's say a man is walking down the street. If you look at the way he walks, you clearly know whether his body is well-exercised or not. The very way he strides, you can tell. Similarly, if you look at his face, you can see whether his mind is well-exercised. There are also ways to see whether his energy is well-exercised. So as there are ways to keep the body fit through physical exercise and the mind fit through the process of education, there are also ways to keep the energies fit. (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

Daily Inspiration

Meditation: Effective Gene Therapy?

These days, scientific medical research ascribes many human diseases to cellular genomic mutation. Many scientists and doctors are working to find specific methodologies to modify these disordered genes. However, this isn’t a situation concerning only a few cells in the body. Therefore, correcting mutant genes in human bodies is not an easy thing.

Because normal and abnormal cells in patients are from the same origin, it’s very hard to distinguish between them. Although scientists try to use viruses, antibodies, or various other ways to recognize target proteins on mutant cells that are found only on abnormal cells to replace the disordered genes with healthy ones, it is extremely hard to accomplish this, and it is fraught with many possible complications. So, gene therapy is a dream without practical application in the foreseeable future. (MORE)

Source Epoch Times

Daily Inspiration

Music and Meditation

The Open Music Ensemble conducted a workshop on June 5th, a little less than a week ago here at the IDP. At that workshop/performance, I had the honor of having a conversation with a few of the members, and I wanted to share a few thoughts about meditation, music, and art based upon those conversations.

For those who practice meditation, having a musician play in the same room as you while you practice might either seem a crutch or an impediment to quieting the mind. Music seems to stir up emotions and thoughts despite our best intentions. While we might see this disturbance as a boon to our practice, a challenge to our most rooted thoughts, or a hurdle to be overcome, each one of these perspectives would see music as incompatible with meditation.

As I listened to the music that night, I noticed that unlike other music ensembles who improvise, this ensemble created music that interposed relatively spacious music with extended periods of silence. It was as if we were experiencing sound as an effect of musicians meditating. I am guessing that each spent more time listening and waiting than playing. (MORE)

Source: Beliefnet

Daily Inspiration

Meditation for Sleep: Paradoxes and Promises

Meditation-based therapies for stress, anxiety and depression have been making a comeback since the 1990s. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has so thoroughly infiltrated mainstream psychiatry that mindfulness-based approaches have been called the "Third Wave of Behavior Therapies." At this point, there isn't too much question about whether mindfulness meditation is helpful for distress. The main focus for researchers now is why and how it works, and through what mechanism.

Does meditation improve depression by improving sleep? Being a clinical psychologist with an interest in both depression and sleep, I have spent the last several years investigating whether meditation-related improvements might be mediated by improvements in sleep. The idea seemed obvious: Poor sleep is a symptom of depression and it is also a risk factor for developing depression or relapsing. Meditation techniques, including mindfulness, have been found to calm the sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight response" and decrease worry and rumination -- all the things that interfere with good sleep. But does meditation improve sleep? My first thought was "of course!" (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

Daily Inspiration

3 Reasons to Meditate

By now, many of us have heard of the extraordinary, scientifically proven health benefits of meditation. It relieves stress (by lowering cortisol), improves focus and memory (by raising the level of gamma waves), prevents relapse into depression by 50 percent (according to studies by Jon Kabat-Zinn, M.D. and Zindel Segal, Ph.D.), boosts immunity (in one study, meditators demonstrated higher levels of antibodies than non-meditators in reaction to a vaccination), and actually makes you demonstrably happier (by reducing activation in the amygdala and increasing it in the prefrontal cortex).

My friend Jonathan Foust says if it were a drug, meditation would be heralded as the miracle of the century. (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

Daily Inspiration

Ricky Williams Invites You to Meditate With Him

Dolphins running back shows how he sheds stress and stays focused


Every Wednesday, in a small, dark classroom on the campus of Nova Southeastern University, the most recognizable Miami Dolphin leads a class on meditation.

Ricky Williams says for him, meditation is like food. He needs it every day. Every morning and before every game. And now he's sharing his stress relieving philosophy with South Florida.

"This is my passion," said Williams. "I think a lot of people are so used to being stressed, they don't realize they're stressed. And I was one of those people."

The class is held every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in room 2065 of the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business building. And it's open to the public, so instead of watching the Dolphins running back score touchdowns, people get to see a different side of Ricky.

"When I see people, fans or whatever and they look up to me, my thing is to pull them up and realize that really we're just the same," Williams said. "My experiences are just on a larger scale and we can learn a lot from each other." (MORE)

Source: NBC Miami

Daily Inspiration

Brain Scans Show How Meditation Calms Pain

People who routinely practice meditation may be better able to deal with pain because their brains are less focused on anticipating pain, a new British study suggests.


The finding is a potential boon to the estimated 40 percent of people who are unable to adequately manage their chronic pain. It is based on an analysis involving people who practice a variety of meditation formats, and experience with meditation as a whole ranged from just a few months to several decades.

Only those individuals who had engaged in a long-term commitment to meditation were found to have gained an advantage with respect to pain relative to non-meditators.

"Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness such as the pain caused by arthritis," study author Dr. Christopher Brown, from the University of Manchester's School of Translational Medicine, said in a university news release. (MORE)

Source: US News

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Meditation Can Help Reduce Pain`s Emotional Impact

To reach the conclusion, scientists from The University of Manchester recruited individuals into the study who had a diverse range of experience with meditation, spanning anything from months to decades. It was only the more advanced meditators whose anticipation and experience of pain differed from non-meditators.

The type of meditation practised also varied across individuals, but all included `mindfulness meditation` practices, such as those that form the basis of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), recommended for recurrent depression by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2004.

`Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness such as the pain caused by arthritis,` said Dr Christopher Brown, who conducted the research.

The study, to be published in the journal Pain, found that particular areas of the brain were less active as meditators anticipated pain, as induced by a laser device. Those with longer meditation experience (up to 35 years) showed the least anticipation of the laser pain. (MORE)

Source: Sify

Daily Inspiration

Yoga Helps Autistic Kids Deal With Stress

School board runs classes to help children learn techniques to regulate their moods


Aiya Peters rolls back and forth on her back, pulling her feet up to her nose and giggling a glorious giggle.

“They’re stinky!" the six­year- old laughed.

“Can I get another ice cream?" she asked, squirming over to her mother, lying quiet­ly on the mat beside her.

“Mommy, I love you," she said, snuggling in for a cuddle.

Seconds later, she’s scampering about again.

“Mommy, I have a new friend!"

For her mom, Elsa Veinot, those are beautiful words.

Mother and daughter are at a yoga class for children with autism that’s run by the South Shore regional school board.

Its aim is to help the children learn to cope, said the board’s autism consultant, Catherine Rahey.

Yoga helps the kids get in touch with their bodies, be­come aware of their emotions and their feelings, and provides them with the ability to cope when they start to feel anxious, upset or stressed, she said. (MORE)

Source: Chronicle Hearld

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Meditation May Improve Drinking and Substance Abuse Behaviors in Active Military Personnel

Meditation may help improve drinking and substance abuse behaviors in active duty service personnel undergoing treatment in a residential program, according to results from a small study reported at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2010 Annual Meeting.

"Using mindfulness-based, breath-centered meditation may be a helpful treatment modality for service members who wish to recover from substance dependence or abuse," said lead investigator Amy Canuso, DO, from the Department of Psychiatry at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, during her presentation.

"I would tell clinicians that this is an option that should be explored," Dr. Canuso told Medscape Psychiatry. "I would consider including it in therapeutic programs at facilities and into therapeutic practice. Substance abuse treatment should really be a team effort with a multidisciplined approach."

"We all want to encourage healthy living techniques, and this might just be an important piece to the puzzle," she added. (MORE)

Source: Medscape

Daily Inspiration

Meditation: Finding Peace, Breath by Breath

Those who are discovering yoga might want to learn about meditation while they're at it.

"Meditation helps people quiet their thoughts, become more focused and feel re-energized," says Janice Abdelnour, a reiki master who teaches a variety of meditative practices, including yoga and Tai Chi, from her home in Dartmouth. She also conducts weekly sessions in meditation and reiki, a Japanese healing technique, at the Dartmouth Council on Aging.

Meditation directs one's attention inward, Abdelnour emphasizes, leading to "peace inside that will carry over into the different parts of the day." Meditation is known to reduce stress, to sharpen concentration, even improve circulation. But since it is both a physical and a mental discipline, it takes time and practice to develop, Abdelnour suggests.

Here are some tips for getting started: (MORE)

Source: SouthCoastToday.com

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Meditation 'Reduces the Emotional Impact of Pain Making it Easier to Bear'

People who meditate regularly find it easier to cope with pain because their brains anticipate it less, a study has found.
The findings could help develop new treatments from those who suffer from conditions that cause chronic pain.

Scientists from Manchester University compared non-meditators with a group who had meditated. Although they had varying levels of experience they had all tried mindfulness meditation, which seeks to anchor the person in the present.

Brain scans revealed that the most advanced meditators were the least likely to anticipate pain induced by a laser device, which made the experience more bearable.

Lead researcher Dr Christopher Brown, said: 'Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness such as the pain caused by arthritis. (MORE)

Source Daily Mail

Daily Inspiration

Where Martial Arts Meets Meditation, Invigoration Follows

Sarasota resident Menachem Hirmes walked slowly, hunched over and shaking -- some of the more visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

But for 45 serene minutes, his body calmed as he and 20 other tai chi enthusiasts moved and breathed in unison. They performed a Kung Fu-like ballet using moves named "white stork spreads wings," "go back to ward off monkey," and "carry tiger to mountain."

Four years ago, Hirmes watched as his wife used tai chi to alleviate the pain in her rotator cuff and hip joints. Now he hopes this combination of martial arts and meditation can improve his quality of life.

"So far, I love it. It's helped my body to relax," said Hirmes, who has practiced for two years. "I'm hoping it will help my posture and balance."

The largely unstudied health benefits of tai chi are the main reason why nearly 150 full-time and seasonal residents have joined the Sarasota chapter of the Taoist Tai Chi Society.

The chapter is one of the largest in Florida and an important fundraising and outreach center within the International Taoist Tai Chi Society, which includes 40,000 members in 30 U.S. states and 26 countries from Europe to Asia to Latin America. (MORE)

Source: Hearld-Tribune