Saturday, October 30, 2010
Yoga and Meditation Help You Listen Better
I have a friend who I love very dearly, but I don't think always listens to me. Our conversations are always infused with the best of intentions, but more often than not I feel I'm repeating myself and reassuring her of where I stand. And while I work to see only love throughout the situation, I'm usually left feeling frustrated and all together worn out by the exchange.
I assume that this happens to the best of us. We are human after all and life has a tendency to sweep us up and carry us along without too much thought to really practiced attention. As we go about our busy days with work, personal commitments, raising families, taking care of families, keeping up with friends, tending to those who need us, we often lose the opportunity to stop and really listen once the hectic pace takes over.
This is where personal practice/sadhana and meditation come in to play. (MORE)
I assume that this happens to the best of us. We are human after all and life has a tendency to sweep us up and carry us along without too much thought to really practiced attention. As we go about our busy days with work, personal commitments, raising families, taking care of families, keeping up with friends, tending to those who need us, we often lose the opportunity to stop and really listen once the hectic pace takes over.
This is where personal practice/sadhana and meditation come in to play. (MORE)
Source: Opposing Views
Friday, October 29, 2010
Meditation Not Only Calms, But Changes The Mind, To Be More Joy-Centered
What with the bills, political discussions that turn personal, bullies and parking tickets, Americans can easily become stressed these days. But if they look east and take a cue from Tibetan monks, they may discover a realm of inner joy. That's according to researcher Richard Davidson in an interesting interview about the positive effects of meditation on the brain. Using brain scans, Davidson tells CNN that meditation is akin to weight lifting for the neural system; that meditation sparks more action in parts of the brain associated with positive emotions, such as loving and empathy, as well as concentration.
Davidson, who has meditated since visiting India while a Harvard student in the 1970s, said his findings aren't about religion or his own experiences. Rather, they show that even novices can stimulate their limbic systems by using techniques like the ancient Tibetan Buddhist compassion meditation practice. Moreover, experts with more than 10,000 hours of practice -- the monks -- seem to have permanently changed their brain structures to be more empathetic, something worth considering in the next traffic jam.
Davidson, who has meditated since visiting India while a Harvard student in the 1970s, said his findings aren't about religion or his own experiences. Rather, they show that even novices can stimulate their limbic systems by using techniques like the ancient Tibetan Buddhist compassion meditation practice. Moreover, experts with more than 10,000 hours of practice -- the monks -- seem to have permanently changed their brain structures to be more empathetic, something worth considering in the next traffic jam.
Source: dscriber.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Roadwork Leaves Time For Meditation
I’ve been seeing red a lot, lately. No, I haven’t been angry. I’m talking about traffic lights. There are 252 traffic lights in the city, and I believe I’ve been stuck at red lights at half of them.
This has seriously aggravated my LBTS (Low Boredom Threshold Syndrome). I tried timing how many minutes I spend each day waiting for lights to change, but I also suffer from MDD (Math Deficiency Disorder).
Recently, I updated my Facebook status update while trapped at the Division Street and Wellesley Avenue intersection. According to city signal operations engineer, Valla Melvin, I really didn’t sit there for 20 minutes – it just felt that way.
She said the amount of time a signal light stays red varies from 60 seconds to a couple of minutes and the cycle length can vary throughout the day. Occasionally, the signals have to be adjusted due to road work.
And road work has left me maladjusted. This summer, the city began repaving the arterial I use to get in and out of my neighborhood. While it will be wonderful to drive a rut-free route, the process is proving painful.
I can never be sure how I’ll get home at the end of the day. Sometimes one end of my street is completely blocked and sometimes the connecting arterial is closed. Now, I have to use my GPS to find my way home. (MORE)
This has seriously aggravated my LBTS (Low Boredom Threshold Syndrome). I tried timing how many minutes I spend each day waiting for lights to change, but I also suffer from MDD (Math Deficiency Disorder).
Recently, I updated my Facebook status update while trapped at the Division Street and Wellesley Avenue intersection. According to city signal operations engineer, Valla Melvin, I really didn’t sit there for 20 minutes – it just felt that way.
She said the amount of time a signal light stays red varies from 60 seconds to a couple of minutes and the cycle length can vary throughout the day. Occasionally, the signals have to be adjusted due to road work.
And road work has left me maladjusted. This summer, the city began repaving the arterial I use to get in and out of my neighborhood. While it will be wonderful to drive a rut-free route, the process is proving painful.
I can never be sure how I’ll get home at the end of the day. Sometimes one end of my street is completely blocked and sometimes the connecting arterial is closed. Now, I have to use my GPS to find my way home. (MORE)
Source: The Spokesman-Review
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Can Meditation Change Your Brain? Contemplative Neuroscientists Believe It Can
Can people strengthen the brain circuits associated with happiness and positive behavior, just as we’re able to strengthen muscles with exercise?
Richard Davidson, who for decades has practiced Buddhist-style meditation – a form of mental exercise, he says – insists that we can.
And Davidson, who has been meditating since visiting India as a Harvard grad student in the 1970s, has credibility on the subject beyond his own experience.
A trained psychologist based at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he has become the leader of a relatively new field called contemplative neuroscience - the brain science of meditation.
Over the last decade, Davidson and his colleagues have produced scientific evidence for the theory that meditation - the ancient eastern practice of sitting, usually accompanied by focusing on certain objects - permanently changes the brain for the better. (MORE)
Richard Davidson, who for decades has practiced Buddhist-style meditation – a form of mental exercise, he says – insists that we can.
And Davidson, who has been meditating since visiting India as a Harvard grad student in the 1970s, has credibility on the subject beyond his own experience.
A trained psychologist based at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he has become the leader of a relatively new field called contemplative neuroscience - the brain science of meditation.
Over the last decade, Davidson and his colleagues have produced scientific evidence for the theory that meditation - the ancient eastern practice of sitting, usually accompanied by focusing on certain objects - permanently changes the brain for the better. (MORE)
Source CNN
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Meditation in Motion
Tai chi is a martial art that helps defend the body against itself.
Local tai chi enthusiasts seem to have one thing in common -- the desire to find an exercise to help heal the body.
Susan Harding, a tai chi instructor at the Hope Community Center in Roy, is a former cardio junkie who turned to tai chi because "jumpy aerobics" gave her neck and back problems.
Norm Skanchy, a tai chi instructor at the Eccles Community Center in Ogden, is 85 years old and a former national racquetball champion. He used tai chi to prepare for tournaments, but since he broke his hip four years ago, he now uses it as his primary form of exercise.
Tyrone Aranda, tai chi instructor at the Marshall White Community Center in Ogden, is a longtime martial artist who is using tai chi to recover from a heart attack.
"I've done martial arts for 38 years," Aranda said. " I studied tai chi and didn't appreciate the benefits until I had a heart attack and a double bypass a year ago.
"I couldn't go back to aggressive (fighting) the way I wanted to. I practiced tai chi to help me safely heal and recover. I'm going to continue doing it forever." (MORE)
Local tai chi enthusiasts seem to have one thing in common -- the desire to find an exercise to help heal the body.
Susan Harding, a tai chi instructor at the Hope Community Center in Roy, is a former cardio junkie who turned to tai chi because "jumpy aerobics" gave her neck and back problems.
Norm Skanchy, a tai chi instructor at the Eccles Community Center in Ogden, is 85 years old and a former national racquetball champion. He used tai chi to prepare for tournaments, but since he broke his hip four years ago, he now uses it as his primary form of exercise.
Tyrone Aranda, tai chi instructor at the Marshall White Community Center in Ogden, is a longtime martial artist who is using tai chi to recover from a heart attack.
"I've done martial arts for 38 years," Aranda said. " I studied tai chi and didn't appreciate the benefits until I had a heart attack and a double bypass a year ago.
"I couldn't go back to aggressive (fighting) the way I wanted to. I practiced tai chi to help me safely heal and recover. I'm going to continue doing it forever." (MORE)
Source: Standard-Examiner
Monday, October 25, 2010
Meditation One Way To Help Deal With Insomnia
As I’ve aged, my sleep patterns have too. I used to go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. without any stirring. Now there are usually three trips to the bathroom and often during one of them I don’t go back to sleep easily. I know this happens to a lot of us baby boomers, so here’s what I’ve learned: meditate. Really.
As soon as I notice I’m not going back to sleep, I get up and sit in my meditation chair that I always have set up in my bedroom. Almost immediately I become aware of why I’m not sleeping. Sometimes it’s indigestion, sometimes there’s an issue spinning in my mind. Whatever it is, I’ve learned to just be with it, watch it, allow it to unfold without trying to control it.
Then when I go back to bed, I’m more relaxed and usually fall asleep immediately. There are two other tips, though, that can help if this isn’t the case. (MORE)
As soon as I notice I’m not going back to sleep, I get up and sit in my meditation chair that I always have set up in my bedroom. Almost immediately I become aware of why I’m not sleeping. Sometimes it’s indigestion, sometimes there’s an issue spinning in my mind. Whatever it is, I’ve learned to just be with it, watch it, allow it to unfold without trying to control it.
Then when I go back to bed, I’m more relaxed and usually fall asleep immediately. There are two other tips, though, that can help if this isn’t the case. (MORE)
Source: AnnArbor.com
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Research Scholars at Emory Explore Science of Empathy and Compassion
Research scholars at Emory and beyond traced the connectivity between the physical body and the cultivation of compassion through the lens of science in a conference with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama yesterday.
Panelists, including experts of both science and religion, presented studies on the origins and stimulants of compassion, compassion meditation practices and the relevance of compassion meditation to health. As several introductory speakers alluded to, the four-hour conference, spread across two sessions, drew on both science and contemplative theory — embracing the same collaborative spirit embodied in the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI). The ETSI facilitates the exchange of science and monastic education between Emory faculty and Tibetan monks. (MORE)
Panelists, including experts of both science and religion, presented studies on the origins and stimulants of compassion, compassion meditation practices and the relevance of compassion meditation to health. As several introductory speakers alluded to, the four-hour conference, spread across two sessions, drew on both science and contemplative theory — embracing the same collaborative spirit embodied in the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI). The ETSI facilitates the exchange of science and monastic education between Emory faculty and Tibetan monks. (MORE)
Source: Emorywheel.com
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Meditation Study to Reveal Power of the Mind in Response to Stress
A study is under way at Emory University testing the value of meditation in helping people cope with stress. The Compassion and Attention Longitudinal Meditation Study (CALM) will help scientists determine how people’s bodies, minds and hearts respond to stress and which specific meditation practices are better at turning down those responses.
"While much attention has been paid to meditation practices that emphasize calming the mind, improving focused attention or developing mindfulness, less is known about meditation practices designed to specifically foster compassion, and what specific problems can be alleviated through this practice," says Charles Raison, MD, associate professor in Emory’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and principle investigator of the study.
Raison and principle contemplative investigator, Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, senior lecturer in the Emory Department of Religion, collaborated on an earlier study at Emory showing that college students who regularly practiced compassion meditation had a significant reduction in stress and physical responses to stress.
The success of this initial study led the pair to embark on an expanded protocol for adults.
The CALM study has three different components.
The main component, which is funded by a federal grant, is called the “Mechanisms of Meditation.” This aspect of the study compares compassion meditation with two other interventions – mindfulness training and a series of health-related lectures. Participants are randomized into one of the three interventions. (MORE)
"While much attention has been paid to meditation practices that emphasize calming the mind, improving focused attention or developing mindfulness, less is known about meditation practices designed to specifically foster compassion, and what specific problems can be alleviated through this practice," says Charles Raison, MD, associate professor in Emory’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and principle investigator of the study.
Raison and principle contemplative investigator, Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, senior lecturer in the Emory Department of Religion, collaborated on an earlier study at Emory showing that college students who regularly practiced compassion meditation had a significant reduction in stress and physical responses to stress.
The success of this initial study led the pair to embark on an expanded protocol for adults.
The CALM study has three different components.
The main component, which is funded by a federal grant, is called the “Mechanisms of Meditation.” This aspect of the study compares compassion meditation with two other interventions – mindfulness training and a series of health-related lectures. Participants are randomized into one of the three interventions. (MORE)
Source: HealthNewsDigest.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Meditation and the Neuroscience of Compassion
Richard Davidson, director of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke yesterday at a conference at Emory University that focused on the connection between the body and the cultivation of compassion. The conference was also attended by the XIV Dalai Lama, a benefactor of CIHM.
Davidson cited functional MRI research that showed that training in metta-style meditation changes the brain function of experienced meditators: (MORE)
Davidson cited functional MRI research that showed that training in metta-style meditation changes the brain function of experienced meditators: (MORE)
Source: The Examiner Madison
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Meditation Reduces Stress, Instills Compassion
A meditation practice invented more than 1,000 years ago may have real health benefits for people today, researchers at Emory University say.
These scientists are looking at how an ancient Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice called Lojong may help reduce stress itself, as well as improve the immune system's response to stress, said Dr. Charles Raison, principal investigator of the study at Emory and CNNHealth mental health expert.
Raison planned to present preliminary results of the study to the Dalai Lama, who attended the Compassion Meditation Conference on Monday. The project is called the Compassion and Attention Longitudinal Meditation Study (CALM).
"Lojong" means "mind training," and this specific practice is aimed at making a person more compassionate toward others, including friends and enemies. This is the type of meditation that the Dalai Lama primarily practices, Raison said.
"It tries to train people to rethink and reimagine their relationships with other people," Raison said. "It's a series of visualizations and mental challenges where you use meditation to challenge why you feel the way you do about people."
Participants are taught to look at all people equally as being valuable and important, and then attempt to develop strong feelings of compassion. They first examine compassion toward people they already care about, then toward people about whom they feel neutral, and then finally enemies. (MORE)
These scientists are looking at how an ancient Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice called Lojong may help reduce stress itself, as well as improve the immune system's response to stress, said Dr. Charles Raison, principal investigator of the study at Emory and CNNHealth mental health expert.
Raison planned to present preliminary results of the study to the Dalai Lama, who attended the Compassion Meditation Conference on Monday. The project is called the Compassion and Attention Longitudinal Meditation Study (CALM).
"Lojong" means "mind training," and this specific practice is aimed at making a person more compassionate toward others, including friends and enemies. This is the type of meditation that the Dalai Lama primarily practices, Raison said.
"It tries to train people to rethink and reimagine their relationships with other people," Raison said. "It's a series of visualizations and mental challenges where you use meditation to challenge why you feel the way you do about people."
Participants are taught to look at all people equally as being valuable and important, and then attempt to develop strong feelings of compassion. They first examine compassion toward people they already care about, then toward people about whom they feel neutral, and then finally enemies. (MORE)
Source: CNN Health
Monday, October 18, 2010
Yoga: A Useful Tool For Fighting Cancer
In recent years, I have found yoga to be a source of health, inspiration and peace. I began practicing, not to get in better shape, but because my doctor told me meditation might be beneficial to my health. Although I am unable to sit still for longer than a few minutes at a time, the practice of yoga is part physical and part meditative. As a result, it provided me with the perfect combination of healing and stress relief.
I was therefore not surprised to learn that recent studies have found cancer survivors who participated in a regular program of yoga recovered more easily, both physically and emotionally than those who did not.
The American Yoga Association (AYA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing yoga education, explains that yoga practices are based upon exercise, breathing and meditation which help the body heal from physical and emotional stressors. (MORE)
I was therefore not surprised to learn that recent studies have found cancer survivors who participated in a regular program of yoga recovered more easily, both physically and emotionally than those who did not.
The American Yoga Association (AYA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing yoga education, explains that yoga practices are based upon exercise, breathing and meditation which help the body heal from physical and emotional stressors. (MORE)
Source: NorthJersey.com
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Yoga Relieves Body Ache
People who suffer body ache can get rid of it by doing yoga, a study has found.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder causing widespread muscular skeletal pain and fatigue that is thought to affect nearly two million adults in Britain, reports express.co.uk .
A team from Oregon Health and Science University studied whether patients taking a " yoga awareness" programme alongside their standard treatment showed more improvement compared to a control group of sufferers.
"Although yoga has been practiced for millennia, only recently have researchers begun to demonstrate yoga's effects on people suffering from persistent pain," said research head James Carson.
The experts conducted an all-woman study because 80 per cent of FM patients are women.
The yoga was tailored to address pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and emotional distress in FM. Each class included gentle stretching poses, mindfulness meditation and breathing techniques.
Following treatment, women assigned to the yoga programme showed far greater improvements in their symptoms and general mood.
"The findings of this pilot study provide promising preliminary support for the beneficial effects of yoga in patients with FM," said Carson. (MORE)
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder causing widespread muscular skeletal pain and fatigue that is thought to affect nearly two million adults in Britain, reports express.co.uk .
A team from Oregon Health and Science University studied whether patients taking a " yoga awareness" programme alongside their standard treatment showed more improvement compared to a control group of sufferers.
"Although yoga has been practiced for millennia, only recently have researchers begun to demonstrate yoga's effects on people suffering from persistent pain," said research head James Carson.
The experts conducted an all-woman study because 80 per cent of FM patients are women.
The yoga was tailored to address pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and emotional distress in FM. Each class included gentle stretching poses, mindfulness meditation and breathing techniques.
Following treatment, women assigned to the yoga programme showed far greater improvements in their symptoms and general mood.
"The findings of this pilot study provide promising preliminary support for the beneficial effects of yoga in patients with FM," said Carson. (MORE)
Source: Times of India
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Meditation Reduces Depression, Fatigue, Anxiety In MS Patients
A new Swiss study reports that a form of meditation known as mindfulness may help patients with multiple sclerosis.
Patients with MS — a nervous system disease that typically surfaces in early adulthood and can cause muscle weakness, coordination/balance problems and thinking and memory problems, among other symptoms — often suffer from depression and anxiety.
The study compared multiple sclerosis patients who meditated to MS patients who didn't. Dr. Moses Rodriguez, a professor of neurology and immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who's familiar with the study's findings, said meditation is safe and cheaper than the drugs that MS patients take.
"Patients should try it and see if it is helpful for them," Rodriguez added.
Previous research has suggested that half of MS patients suffer from depression during their lives and that anxiety disorders affect one in four. About two-thirds say they feel fatigued, with up to 50% saying fatigue is their most disabling symptom. (MORE)
Patients with MS — a nervous system disease that typically surfaces in early adulthood and can cause muscle weakness, coordination/balance problems and thinking and memory problems, among other symptoms — often suffer from depression and anxiety.
The study compared multiple sclerosis patients who meditated to MS patients who didn't. Dr. Moses Rodriguez, a professor of neurology and immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who's familiar with the study's findings, said meditation is safe and cheaper than the drugs that MS patients take.
"Patients should try it and see if it is helpful for them," Rodriguez added.
Previous research has suggested that half of MS patients suffer from depression during their lives and that anxiety disorders affect one in four. About two-thirds say they feel fatigued, with up to 50% saying fatigue is their most disabling symptom. (MORE)
Source: USA Today
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Yoga May Have The Power To Fight Fibromyalgia
Yoga exercises may have the power to combat fibromyalgia - a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, according to new research conducted at Oregon Health and Science University.
"Previous research suggests that the most successful treatment for fibromyalgia involves a combination of medications, physical exercise and development of coping skills," said James Carson, a clinical health psychologist and an assistant professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine.
"Here, we specifically focused on yoga to determine whether it should be considered as a prescribed treatment and the extent to which it can be successful."
In this study, researchers enrolled 53 female study subjects previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The women were randomly assigned to two research groups. (MORE)
"Previous research suggests that the most successful treatment for fibromyalgia involves a combination of medications, physical exercise and development of coping skills," said James Carson, a clinical health psychologist and an assistant professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine.
"Here, we specifically focused on yoga to determine whether it should be considered as a prescribed treatment and the extent to which it can be successful."
In this study, researchers enrolled 53 female study subjects previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The women were randomly assigned to two research groups. (MORE)
Source: Sify
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Yoga: WWJD?
Christians all over the world must be asking themselves "What would Jesus do?" about taking part in the ancient tradition of yoga.
That's in light of a recent commentary on the inherent conflict between the practice of yoga and the practice of Christianity that's been making news since its publication on line last month. Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler wrote an essay in which he urged Christians to reconsider practicing yoga, a discipline he views as a spiritual endeavor -- and one that conflicts with Christian teachings.
It's an age-old debate: Must all who do yoga embrace its spiritual teachings, or can you justify taking advantage of its physical, mental and emotional benefits and pleasures while setting aside its more mystical side? (MORE)
That's in light of a recent commentary on the inherent conflict between the practice of yoga and the practice of Christianity that's been making news since its publication on line last month. Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler wrote an essay in which he urged Christians to reconsider practicing yoga, a discipline he views as a spiritual endeavor -- and one that conflicts with Christian teachings.
It's an age-old debate: Must all who do yoga embrace its spiritual teachings, or can you justify taking advantage of its physical, mental and emotional benefits and pleasures while setting aside its more mystical side? (MORE)
Source: Washington Post
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Meditation As Medicine Can Be Effective
I have chronic illnesses. Are there medical benefits to meditating? How do I meditate?
Your physician should evaluate your illnesses and pains. Patients may become frustrated with their medical care or feel that they can enhance this care. There are many modalities that encompass a broader view of medicine to help self-manage chronic pain and illnesses and meditation is one area that may provide additional help.
Research shows there are many medical benefits to meditation including relief from chronic pain, lowered blood pressure, increased blood flow to the brain, enhanced immunity, improved concentration and emotional health. For example, during childbirth, many mothers are taught to focus their minds and to perform special breathing methods to overcome the pain of labor and delivery and help them stay in control. As a doctor, I have seen patients use meditation to lessen pain and anxiety in the emergency room and clinic with good results.
Meditation is mindfulness, a consciousness to the present. There are many types of meditations. All individuals, regardless of age, can practice meditation. There is no one correct way to meditate since everyone is an individual, but here are some pointers for beginners: (MORE)
Your physician should evaluate your illnesses and pains. Patients may become frustrated with their medical care or feel that they can enhance this care. There are many modalities that encompass a broader view of medicine to help self-manage chronic pain and illnesses and meditation is one area that may provide additional help.
Research shows there are many medical benefits to meditation including relief from chronic pain, lowered blood pressure, increased blood flow to the brain, enhanced immunity, improved concentration and emotional health. For example, during childbirth, many mothers are taught to focus their minds and to perform special breathing methods to overcome the pain of labor and delivery and help them stay in control. As a doctor, I have seen patients use meditation to lessen pain and anxiety in the emergency room and clinic with good results.
Meditation is mindfulness, a consciousness to the present. There are many types of meditations. All individuals, regardless of age, can practice meditation. There is no one correct way to meditate since everyone is an individual, but here are some pointers for beginners: (MORE)
Source: Danbury News Times
Monday, October 11, 2010
Club Helps Students Slow Down And Relax
In a dim room, students sit comfortably in a circle, some with their shoes off and others perched liked cats. Undeniably, this is a group that knows how to relax despite the chaos of the outside world. This is the USU meditation club.
The club was founded last year by Jan Summerhays, an ecology graduate student. Summerhays was a member of a meditation group called the Cache Valley Buddhist Sangha, which meets every Monday at 7:15 p.m. at the Cache Valley Unitarian Universalist building. Summerhays said she realized there was a community of people that meditated, but knew there was also a group of students interested or curious about meditation who didn't have an opportunity to pursue that interest.
Summerhays said with the help of English professor Michael Sowder she formed a club on campus. Since last year, the club has picked up more momentum and has brought in several new members. Unlike the meditation group that meets Monday nights, Summerhays said the USU Meditation Club is non-denominational and is not aligned with any specific religion or tradition. (MORE)
The club was founded last year by Jan Summerhays, an ecology graduate student. Summerhays was a member of a meditation group called the Cache Valley Buddhist Sangha, which meets every Monday at 7:15 p.m. at the Cache Valley Unitarian Universalist building. Summerhays said she realized there was a community of people that meditated, but knew there was also a group of students interested or curious about meditation who didn't have an opportunity to pursue that interest.
Summerhays said with the help of English professor Michael Sowder she formed a club on campus. Since last year, the club has picked up more momentum and has brought in several new members. Unlike the meditation group that meets Monday nights, Summerhays said the USU Meditation Club is non-denominational and is not aligned with any specific religion or tradition. (MORE)
Source: The Statesman
Friday, October 8, 2010
How Meditation Affects the Gray Matter of the Brain
I like to meditate. It makes me feel at ease and I am convinced that the sense of calm it produces helps me to handle the daily challenges of my life. There are, of course, times when I don't keep up my daily practice of sitting quietly for 10 or 15 minutes, but these are the times in my life when I experience more stress.
Stress affects everyone. I don't know a single person who doesn't get stressed. But unfortunately, it plays a major role in illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in fact, up to 90 percent of doctor visits in the U.S. may be stress related. Meditation is an antidote to stress, just as an aspirin can counter a headache. A regular practice can be a major boost to health.
It calms the nervous system. It's good for the immune system. It's also good for the heart; it helps produce nitric oxide (not nitrous oxide -- that's laughing gas!) in the arteries, dilating them and reducing blood pressure. It also smooths heart rhythms.
But thanks to an explosion of brain research we now know that it also physically impacts our gray matter. (MORE)
Stress affects everyone. I don't know a single person who doesn't get stressed. But unfortunately, it plays a major role in illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in fact, up to 90 percent of doctor visits in the U.S. may be stress related. Meditation is an antidote to stress, just as an aspirin can counter a headache. A regular practice can be a major boost to health.
It calms the nervous system. It's good for the immune system. It's also good for the heart; it helps produce nitric oxide (not nitrous oxide -- that's laughing gas!) in the arteries, dilating them and reducing blood pressure. It also smooths heart rhythms.
But thanks to an explosion of brain research we now know that it also physically impacts our gray matter. (MORE)
Sourde: Huffington Post
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Meditation Calms, Teaches Peace
When Cynthia Handlen was going through a difficult transition in her life about 10 years ago, she heard a book interview on public radio about destructive emotions and how meditating might help.
She decided to give it a try.
After studying with a Zen Buddhist meditation practitioner in Poland for a year or so, the Gilead resident discovered how simple, yet effective, quiet meditation and mindfulness can be.
Mindfulness is a term, she explained, that means a person is fully present in the moment and is in touch with what's going on both inside and outside the body.
“To be able to focus on whatever we are doing,” she said. “We practice (meditation) to work on what we have, what is. You do not have to be a Buddhist.”
For almost a year she has been leading several like-minded people on a weekly meditation session through her group, Mountain Heart Sangha. Sangha means group.
“We focus on bringing our practice with us throughout the day to a calm state of being,” Handlen said. “We practice peace, harmony, stability, freedom from attachment to views, to be more tolerant.” (MORE)
She decided to give it a try.
After studying with a Zen Buddhist meditation practitioner in Poland for a year or so, the Gilead resident discovered how simple, yet effective, quiet meditation and mindfulness can be.
Mindfulness is a term, she explained, that means a person is fully present in the moment and is in touch with what's going on both inside and outside the body.
“To be able to focus on whatever we are doing,” she said. “We practice (meditation) to work on what we have, what is. You do not have to be a Buddhist.”
For almost a year she has been leading several like-minded people on a weekly meditation session through her group, Mountain Heart Sangha. Sangha means group.
“We focus on bringing our practice with us throughout the day to a calm state of being,” Handlen said. “We practice peace, harmony, stability, freedom from attachment to views, to be more tolerant.” (MORE)
Source: The Sun Journal
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
How Meditation Reshapes Your Brain
In 2006, filmmaker David Lynch—a poet of the sublimely bizarre and the surreally normal—wrote a book on transcendental meditation. Describing his experience, he writes: "It takes you to an ocean of pure consciousness, pure knowingness. But it's familiar; it's you. And right away a sense of happiness emerges—not a goofball happiness, but a thick beauty."
Coming from the man behind disturbing mindbenders like "Eraserhead" and "Blue Velvet," it's hard to take this statement seriously. But Lynch is indeed being sincere; he has reportedly meditated for 20 minutes twice a day since the 1970s. And his belief in the power of this age-old practice is shared with an estimated 20 million people in the United States alone who engage some form of meditation. (MORE)
Coming from the man behind disturbing mindbenders like "Eraserhead" and "Blue Velvet," it's hard to take this statement seriously. But Lynch is indeed being sincere; he has reportedly meditated for 20 minutes twice a day since the 1970s. And his belief in the power of this age-old practice is shared with an estimated 20 million people in the United States alone who engage some form of meditation. (MORE)
Source: Big Think
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Heart Yoga: A Response to Today's Stress
All the authentic mystical traditions tell us that the cosmos is a Sacred Marriage of seeming opposites, such as: spirit and body, light and matter, good and evil, masculine and feminine, the transcendent aspect of the divine and its immanent embodiment. They also tell us that the purpose of being born a human being is to become conscious in the illumined mind, awakened heart and soul, and increasingly peaceful and vibrant body of this Sacred Marriage, so as to be flooded with its peace, bliss and power. With this energy, we are able to access and act with unconditional compassion and wisdom.
One of the reasons why we wrote "Heart Yoga" is to express our conviction that it is this vision of the Sacred Marriage that can rescue humanity from its tragic paralysis in the face of world devastation. Experiencing this union of apparent dualities can heal us from the split that is aiding and abetting this devastation--our dissociation from the body, from the Creation and from the experience of divine love as our true essence. (MORE)
Source: Huffington Post
One of the reasons why we wrote "Heart Yoga" is to express our conviction that it is this vision of the Sacred Marriage that can rescue humanity from its tragic paralysis in the face of world devastation. Experiencing this union of apparent dualities can heal us from the split that is aiding and abetting this devastation--our dissociation from the body, from the Creation and from the experience of divine love as our true essence. (MORE)
Source: Huffington Post
Monday, October 4, 2010
Rest And Revive With Yoga
The change of seasons is a vulnerable time for our immune systems. There is less sunlight (vitamin D) as the days get shorter, the temperatures become more erratic and there is plenty of pollen in the air to trigger allergies.
For families with children, “back to school” means that life becomes more hectic. These various stresses on our health can be eased by taking appropriate rest which, by the way, does not mean “vegging out” in front of the TV for hours.
Allowing yourself to take five or 10 minutes a day in a restorative yoga pose, coupled with some deep breathing, will do wonders for your state of mind and for your immune system.
This month we are devoting our column to poses, such as this week’s Elevated Legs Posture, that will deliver healthful rest in a New York minute. The pose is a simple inversion that will give your hard-working heart a well-earned rest and facilitate greater blood flow to the brain while giving your legs a mini-vacation. (MORE)
For families with children, “back to school” means that life becomes more hectic. These various stresses on our health can be eased by taking appropriate rest which, by the way, does not mean “vegging out” in front of the TV for hours.
Allowing yourself to take five or 10 minutes a day in a restorative yoga pose, coupled with some deep breathing, will do wonders for your state of mind and for your immune system.
This month we are devoting our column to poses, such as this week’s Elevated Legs Posture, that will deliver healthful rest in a New York minute. The pose is a simple inversion that will give your hard-working heart a well-earned rest and facilitate greater blood flow to the brain while giving your legs a mini-vacation. (MORE)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Meditate To Learn Patience
Posted: Oct 3, 2010 at 3:00 AM [Today]
Sometimes when I meditate the time goes slowly; I’m checking the clock and wondering what’s keeping me from staying focused. Other times, I suddenly come out of meditation and find an hour has passed--and no, I wasn’t sleeping! As much as I’ve tried to figure out what the difference is, I haven’t been able to come to a conclusion. However, I’ve learned I can’t control when I have each experience. The whole examination process has taught me to be patient. Like the serenity prayer, “accept what I can’t change,” meditation has helped me relax about whatever is happening. I no longer judge my sessions as good or bad. They are what they are.
The same thing has begun to apply to my non-meditating states. No matter what I’m going through, I see it as temporary: It's been “one of those days,” or stress has made me impatient, or this peak excitement/joy is circumstantial and will fade. Each thought and emotion has become a blip on my inner mirror. (MORE)
Sometimes when I meditate the time goes slowly; I’m checking the clock and wondering what’s keeping me from staying focused. Other times, I suddenly come out of meditation and find an hour has passed--and no, I wasn’t sleeping! As much as I’ve tried to figure out what the difference is, I haven’t been able to come to a conclusion. However, I’ve learned I can’t control when I have each experience. The whole examination process has taught me to be patient. Like the serenity prayer, “accept what I can’t change,” meditation has helped me relax about whatever is happening. I no longer judge my sessions as good or bad. They are what they are.
The same thing has begun to apply to my non-meditating states. No matter what I’m going through, I see it as temporary: It's been “one of those days,” or stress has made me impatient, or this peak excitement/joy is circumstantial and will fade. Each thought and emotion has become a blip on my inner mirror. (MORE)
Source: AnnArbor.com
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Fully Experiencing The Present: A Practice For Everyone, Religious Or Not
'Mindfulness, the heart of Buddhist meditation, is at the core of being able to live life as if it really matters. It has nothing to do with Buddhism. It has to do with freedom,' says Jon Kabat-Zinn, developer of a stress reduction system.
Molecular biologist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn was a pioneer in applying the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to Western medicine and secular society. But he doesn't consider himself a Buddhist.
"Mindfulness, the heart of Buddhist meditation, is at the core of being able to live life as if it really matters. It has nothing to do with Buddhism. It has to do with freedom," Kabat-Zinn said in a telephone interview from Lexington, Mass. "Mindfulness is so powerful that the fact that it comes out of Buddhism is irrelevant." (MORE)
Molecular biologist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn was a pioneer in applying the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to Western medicine and secular society. But he doesn't consider himself a Buddhist.
"Mindfulness, the heart of Buddhist meditation, is at the core of being able to live life as if it really matters. It has nothing to do with Buddhism. It has to do with freedom," Kabat-Zinn said in a telephone interview from Lexington, Mass. "Mindfulness is so powerful that the fact that it comes out of Buddhism is irrelevant." (MORE)
Source: LA Times
Friday, October 1, 2010
.Lift Your Mood With Meditation
Just three meditation sessions can significantly boost your mood, according to a recently published study. The study's authors found that a brief meditation training may also benefit your heart health.
The study involved 82 undergraduate students, none of whom had any meditation experience. Results showed that those who took part in three 20-minute mindfulness meditation sessions had greater improvements in mood, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate (compared to those who did not practice mindfulness meditation).
A type of meditation that involves focusing your mind on the present moment, mindfulness meditation has been found to ease stress and stimulate the immune system in past research. Studies indicate that meditation may also aid in the prevention of heart disease, enhance pain management, improve memory, and protect against depression.
The study involved 82 undergraduate students, none of whom had any meditation experience. Results showed that those who took part in three 20-minute mindfulness meditation sessions had greater improvements in mood, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate (compared to those who did not practice mindfulness meditation).
A type of meditation that involves focusing your mind on the present moment, mindfulness meditation has been found to ease stress and stimulate the immune system in past research. Studies indicate that meditation may also aid in the prevention of heart disease, enhance pain management, improve memory, and protect against depression.
Source: About.com
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