biggest admission. I’m on a low-electron diet. Ask me the headlines. Or even for a weather forecast. Save for maybe once or twice a month, I can’t answer you. I can’t tell you the names of any pop stars, I have no understanding of what Twitter is, I’ve never held a “hand-held device,” and I can’t find my Facebook page without using the search function.   A Little Meditation Goes A Long Way A new study offers the strongest evidence to date that meditation can change the structure of your brain.   My computer is turned off every morning, once my work day is complete, usually around 9am. At that point, I tune out the rest of the world a... posted on Jul 26 2011 (10,329 reads)

reducing anxiety, depression, phobia, and stress with cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy. By learning different strategies to recognize negative thoughts and emotions and practice alternative responses over time, neural pathways in the brain are physically altered. Science has only recently recognized the value of investing in research on behaviors that promote well-being, including compassion and happiness. By comparing the brains of experts and novices in compassion meditation, neuroscientists illustrated changes in the brain region responsible for empathy during and after meditation. Researchers are just beginning to examine the effect of training novices in ski... posted on Apr 23 2012 (144,849 reads)

he says—“how we deal with people, how we deal with ourselves.” ART OF PEACE Introduced to the United States via Hawaii 60 years ago this spring, aikido can trace its origins to early 20th-century Japan, where it was developed by Morihei Ueshiba, first as a modified form of jujitsu, then as its own art. The techniques evolved further under Ueshiba’s top instructor, Koichi Tohei, who had also studied Zen and who had developed an interest in breathing and meditation practice while serving as a soldier in Manchuria during World War II. After his master’s death, Tohei went on to form his own branch of aikido, with a greater emphasis on meditation a... posted on Apr 1 2013 (16,408 reads)

their largess. This suggests to the researchers that their happiness didn’t result from feeling like they were strengthening social connections or improving their reputation but from a deeply ingrained human instinct. In fact, they argue, the nearly universal emotional benefits of altruism suggest it is a product of evolution, perpetuating behavior that “may have carried short-term costs but long-term benefits for survival over human evolutionary history.” Mindfulness meditation makes people more altruistic—even when confronted with barriers to compassionate action. In March, the GGSC hosted a conference called “Practicing Mindfulness & ... posted on Jan 23 2014 (128,435 reads)

politicians, financial advisors and musicians. It's even included in some MBA programs. Perhaps it's time to take this trend seriously and consider incorporating mindfulness as part of your leadership toolkit. Taking Action How can you practice mindfulness for greater success? Here are five simple ways to get started: 1. Practice a breathing exercise. One of the easiest ways to bring the power of mindfulness to your leadership style is to simply include a brief, breathing meditation routine. All that's required is for you to sit still and observe your breath as it goes in and out of your lungs, without changing your breathing. This means not pushing or forcing your... posted on Jun 1 2014 (143,628 reads)

shift back into a more balanced perspective of the magnificence of both of our ways of being in the world. I think that that is how we will evolve as humanity. We have a strong right brain. We have a strong left brain. And now, we are becoming integrated into being whole-brained humanity. That portion of us is the portion that will survive and really turn us into whatever we're supposed to become next. TS: Do you think that many spiritual practices—I know you're familiar with meditation. What you described, you could say is a type of body-based meditation—when you were talking about the one-minute expanding and contracting different parts of your body. Do you think t... posted on Aug 24 2014 (35,559 reads)

Gandhi and nonviolence because it was an example of someone that embodied the change he wanted to see.  I spent that summer with the Metta Center for Nonviolent Education in Berkeley, involved in a nonviolent mentorship program. This is where I learned about all these people that embodied nonviolent practices, such as Aung San Suu Ky, Dorothy Day, and Peace Pilgrim. Their lives exposed me to stories of possibility and along with that internship, I also learned about meditation. Together the two transformed me. Soon I learned about Service Space Awakin gatherings and I kept going back every Wednesday until slowly I started learning about Service Space. It all just... posted on Feb 17 2015 (21,105 reads)

the youngest surgeon generals to ever serve in the role, is also emphasizing happiness as one of the main ways to prevent disease and live a long healthy life. Let's be clear: “Happiness” is not an emotion, an inherited disposition that is awarded to a select few, or even dependent on events that happen to you in life. Rather, Murthy argues that happiness is a perspective, and that everyone can create it for themselves with four simple, free approaches: gratitude exercises, meditation, physical activity and social connectedness. In Murthy's tour throughout the United States, he’s been collecting stories about people and communities that are putting their hap... posted on Dec 8 2015 (24,461 reads)

are measured in hertz (Hz). Specific frequencies induce different states in our brain: Beta Waves Hertz Level: 14–40 Hz Effect:  Awake, normal alert consciousness Example: Actively conversing or engaging in work  Alpha Waves Hertz Level:  8–14 Hz Effect: Calm, relaxed Example:  Meditating, reflecting, taking a break from work Theta Waves Hertz Level: 4–8 Hz Effect: Deep relaxation and meditation, mental imagery Example: Daydreaming Delta waves Hertz Level: 0–4 Hz Effect: Deep, dreamless sleep Example: Experiencing REM sleep During our active da... posted on Jul 27 2017 (75,918 reads)

that link purpose to better health and lower disease risk, these studies lend more credence to the claim that a sense of purpose is an important component of a healthy lifestyle for older adults. Fortunately, other research published this year suggests that older adults can foster a sense of purpose through deliberate activities, giving hope to all who want to nudge themselves toward a purpose-filled life. We know less than we thought about the impact of mindfulness and meditation During the past two decades, more and more scientists have studied mindfulness—a Buddhist-inspired collection of practices aimed at helping us to cultivate moment-to-moment aw... posted on Jun 21 2018 (18,840 reads)

actualize our capacities to become more of what we truly are.  These inner experiences are wonderful; but they are not the final goal. The hope is, that if we immerse ourselves in these kinds of experiences, they will become part of our personality. The altered states will become altered traits. The peak experiences will become a more enduring plateau, a way of being and something we can share with others.     Aryae:  How does that actually work? lf I engage in a meditation, for example, and if I experience  an altered state, what is it that takes me from the altered state to the altered trait?   Roger: There are several things involved. We can s... posted on Jan 17 2019 (6,255 reads)

purpose that is best understood in the context of their soul.  3. The key to becoming clear about life purpose is engaging in soulwork. 4.  Several forces work against purpose discovery and require attention.  5.  Eight facets comprise a unique soul-level purpose: known as a person’s “Purpose Octagon.” PART 1  - Three Worlds, One Life      Through multiple roles I have played in my career - which include psychotherapist, meditation teacher and purpose guide - I have observed first hand how the goals of each of these wisdom streams differ.  I’ve also come to the conclusion that the missing piece in both spir... posted on Jul 2 2021 (7,183 reads)

been reflecting on the environmental crisis, and as I do, I find myself in the darkness, as I imagine we all are to some degree. And that says something, something we shouldn’t brush aside or try to make go away. This is a place for sharing truth—and the truth right now is darkness. I sometimes reflect on how I’ve been practicing meditation, morality, restraint, generosity, sharing, and simplicity for more than forty years with as much integrity as possible. I shouldn’t have to feel this bad, this hopeless, this guilty. Yet when I look at this crisis, I’m in the dark. Recently I’ve been on retreat in the woods at Cittaviveka Monastery. Back i... posted on Dec 3 2021 (4,824 reads)

between a life inevitably challenged by pain and complications, but free of suffering; that there would be a way to train the mind to not make more suffering out of the inevitable challenges of life. And it just sounded exactly true to me. It made tremendous sense. It was like, whew, someone understands that there’s something anxiety-provoking about life. And I thought that my private anxiety was mine; nobody else had it. And I thought about becoming enlightened, that if I practiced meditation enough that the challenges of life and the pain and the disappointments of it would just — I would sail over them with great equanimity. Tippett:That didn’t happen?  ... posted on May 8 2022 (4,381 reads)

-- her memory is a blessing. She died this year, at the age of 100. She was teaching -- I took classes from her -- up until the age of 99. Valerie Chafograck, of Dance Sanctuary and Movement Liberation, and Tina Stromsted, who taught me authentic movement, and Joseph Aqua. I am a student, and really, I teach what I need to learn. So let's now go inward. You'll hear some music in the background. [music begins --  "ReTurning" by Jennifer Berezan plays throughout meditation] Allowing this music to enter into our field. This healing magic, Musicians listen to their soul. They create sound vibrations based on what's in their heart and their mind, and it trav... posted on Apr 21 2023 (3,728 reads)

your spiritual practice. How are you finding community now or are you just trusting that other things are calling you right now to nourish? Carrie: I’m looking at the creative community right now. Staying in contact--some of that’s by phone. I am doing some interesting Zoom and internet experiences with people. I’ve heard of people getting together to sing as a group together. I actually got together with a group and we danced together. Some people are doing yoga and meditation together. I think people are looking at community and connection in really creative ways right now. I’ve been doing some walking in the woods with dear friends--at our social distance... posted on Jul 15 2023 (2,763 reads)

maybe the computers can help us remove the distracting information that we hold true… Tippett: Yeah. Rubin: …that’s stopping us. Tippett: I want to kind of come to some of the very concrete and available practices that you offer, just to have a practice of awareness towards that state you’re talking about which somewhere you say the, it’s about learning “to learn and be fascinated and surprised on a continual basis.” And of course meditation. But also, a day walking in nature. I don’t know, you’ve talked about before you go to sleep “noticing the feelings of your heartbeat and the movement of your blood.&rdquo... posted on Nov 30 -0001 (33 reads)

our lives. But nowadays after a few decades of living with them, we can see that they're also posing challenges, whether it's pollution or traffic jams or passivity in front of a TV. One of the things that most excites me is my sense that it's the people who are in the trees, as you said of yourself, and who know most about technology who seem to be most conscious of what technology can't do. When I was visiting the campus at Google, for example, I was impressed to see the meditation rooms and the trampolines and the playpens and the way that the company makes sure its workers have a lot of time free from the office, because that's where creativity takes place. When... posted on Jun 19 2012 (20,005 reads)

Creatives like to shake things up, experience new things, and avoid anything that makes life more monotonous or mundane. "Creative people have more diversity of experiences, and habit is the killer of diversity of experience," says Kaufman. They make time for mindfulness. Creative types understand the value of a clear and focused mind -- because their work depends on it. Many artists, entrepreneurs, writers and other creative workers, such as David Lynch, have turned to meditation as a tool for tapping into their most creative state of mind. And science backs up the idea that mindfulness really can boost your brain power in a number of ways. A 2012 Dutch stud... posted on Mar 24 2014 (179,238 reads)

Tanya Singer’s project at the Max Planck Institute—which shows that people have the ability to cultivate compassion. This research is very encouraging, because scientists are not only using brain imagery to identify the specific brain circuitry that controls compassion, but also showing that the circuitry becomes strengthened, and people become more altruistic and willing to help out other people, if they learn to cultivate compassion—for example, by doing traditional meditation practices of loving kindness. This is so encouraging, because it’s a fundamental imperative that we need compassion as our moral rudder. JS: You use the term “muscular compas... posted on Jul 9 2015 (20,349 reads)