» Meditation for Beginners: 20 Practical Tips for Quieting the Mind
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Todd Goldfarb at the We The Change blog. Meditation is the art of focusing 100% of your attention in one area. The practice comes with a myriad of well-publicized health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness. Although a great number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, a small percentage actually stick with it for the long-term. The purpose of this article is to provide 20 practical recommendations to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation over the long term: 1) Make it a formal practice. 2) Start with the breath. 4) Meditate with Purpose. 5) Notice frustration creep up on you. 6) Experiment. 7) Feel your body parts. 8) Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. 9) Read a book (or two) on meditation. is terrific for beginners. 10) Commit for the long haul. 11) Listen to instructional tapes and CDs. 13) Make sure you will not be disturbed.
A Neuroscientist Explains How Meditation Changes Your Brain
Do you struggle, like me, with monkey-mind? Is your brain also a little unsettled, restless, capricious, whimsical, fanciful, inconstant, confused, indecisive, or uncontrollable? That’s the definition of “monkey mind” I’ve been given! If you need more motivation to take up this transformative practice, neuroscience research has shown that meditation and mindfulness training can cause neuroplastic changes to the gray matter of your brain. Sara Lazar, Ph.D., the study’s senior author, said in a press release, “Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day.” To test their idea the neuroscientists enrolled 16 people in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course. Britta Hölzel, the lead author on the paper says, Sarah Lazar also noted, Credits: **This was originally featured on MindBodyGreen.
What Is Meditation? Cool
"If you go to Catholic, Jaina, Buddhist monks you will find them very nervous – maybe not so nervous in their monasteries, but if you bring them out to the world, you will find them very, very nervous because on each step there is temptation. "A man of meditation comes to a point where there is no temptation left. Try to understand it. Temptation never comes from without: it is the repressed desire, repressed energy, repressed sex, repressed greed that creates temptation. Temptation comes from within you, it has nothing to do with the without. "People live with cliches – 'Hello, how are you?' "A man of meditation has learned how to be full of energy, at the maximum, optimum. Osho, Dang Dang Doko Dang, Talk #5 To continue reading click here
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How One Simple Breathing Technique Can Induce Better Health
By Lorraine Ereira Guest Writer for Wake Up World We all do it, all day, every day. Even while we sleep. In fact we never ever stop doing it. If we did we would die. It is the simple act of respiration. I would like to share with you an extract from my latest book Sports Pattern Releaseâ„¢. “Breathing is something that is all too often overlooked but is of the utmost importance in correct biomechanical function. “There are many different yoga breathing exercises. So by simply working on our breathing technique we can induce better health both physiologically and mentally. Try this exercise for a few minutes each day Either lie down or sit with a lengthened spine, to open the airways fully. The more you practice the deeper your breathing will become and the more benefits you will achieve. Sports Pattern Release A message from the editor… Lorraine Ereira is a writer and a Sports Therapist with a keen interest in nutrition and natural healthy living. Previous article by Lorraine:
How The Brain Works--And How Students Can Respond
In a continued effort to bring you the very best, most expert and diverse education content anywhere, in addition to the ideas of Grant Wiggins, Bena Kallick, Art Costa, and Nathan Jurgenson among others, TeachThought is also proud to share the ideas of Dr. Judy Willis, neuroscientist, Ph.D., and middle school teacher. By Dr. Judy Willis Although the brain is an amazing organ, it’s not equipped to process the billions of bits of information that bombard it every second. The Thinking Brain and the Reactive Brain Once sensory information enters the brain, it’s routed to one of two areas: (1) The prefrontal cortex, what we might call the thinking brain, which can consciously process and reflect on information; or (2) the lower, automatic brain, what we might call the reactive brain, which reacts to information instinctively rather than through thinking. When you are not stressed by negative emotions, you can control what information makes it into your brain. RAS:The Gatekeeper What You Can Do
How to Use a Mala
A mala is a string of beads, used to chant the names of God. It’s the same thing as prayer beads, or a rosary. A Hindu mala typically has either 108 beads (108 being considered a sacred number in Hinduism) or 27 beads (which is one-fourth of 108). In addition to the 108 or 27 “counting beads,” a mala generally has an additional bead, called the “guru bead,” which hangs perpendicular to the circle of counting beads. A Hindu mala is usually worked with by using the right hand. The mala is held resting over the third finger of the right hand, and the beads are brought toward you, one by one, using the thumb. Now for those of you who are left-handed (as I am): In India, you would be inclined to use the right hand anyway, because of certain cultural traditions. Doing a mantra doesn’t require using a mala; the mala is just there to add another dimension to the practice. Help Support These Teachings I would like to make a contribution of: LSRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
7 Powerful Relaxation Techniques
The stress of modern life can make real relaxation an elusive dream. Yet there is no reason life has to be filled with anxiety and stress. If you take some time to learn the art of relaxation, you can easily rediscover the enjoyment in life. The secret of relaxation is a controlled state of mind. For example, you could spend a whole hour in a health spa; but, if you spend the whole time worrying about what will happen tomorrow, how can you relax? Relaxation Techniques 1. 2. These constant subconscious reminders are a heavy weight on the mind. 3. 4. 5. This doesn’t mean we’re indifferent to the views of others; it just means we won’t allow ourselves to lose our inner peace because of their opinions. 6. 7. Relaxation is as simple as gentle Breathing If you feel stressed take a few moments out. Tejvan Pettinger is a member of the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre. Photo by: Tejvan Pettinger
