"Be the Change" - His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Inverness, Scotland Practice in Daily Life If you would like to try a contemplative practice, but you’re not sure how to begin, we suggest you check out the Tree of Contemplative Practices. The Tree shows many examples of contemplative practices, and you may feel drawn to one or more. Follow your instincts and explore one or two practices that you find intellectually interesting and spiritually comfortable. Cultivating a Regular Practice Try to commit to regular, perhaps daily, practice sessions. You can make things easier for yourself by committing to brief but regular sessions. It is common to feel twinges of guilt or self-indulgence when you’re beginning a practice. Here are some suggestions from the Contemplative Mind staff for supporting a regular practice: Keep a “practice journal” of your thoughts, experiences and questions. Additional Support and Guidance Contemplative practices are not always peaceful and stress-free.
ACMHE Home Page Overview The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education (ACMHE) is a multidisciplinary academic association with a membership of educators, administrators, staff, students, researchers and other professionals committed to the transformation of higher education through the recovery and development of the contemplative dimensions of teaching, learning and knowing. The ACMHE promotes the emergence of a broad culture of contemplation in the academy, connects a broad network of academic professionals with online resources, and stimulates scholarship and research concerning contemplative pedagogy, methodology and epistemology within and across disciplines through initiatives and events including the annual ACMHE conference. ACMHE Membership Benefits New Member Directory. Our revamped member directory allows you to search by name, city, state, region, academic discipline, title, institution and special interest. Member benefits are accessed through the online Member Portal. Mission
The Lord’s Prayer as a powerful Kundalini Meditation The Lord’s Prayer as a powerful Kundalini Meditation. When I was a child, I somehow understood the Lord’s Prayer was an important part of the Sunday Church service. Then as a student at a church school we recited this Christian prayer 2-3 times a day... often in way that was mechanical & without meaning. Despite this, I have often come back to this very traditional prayer for both the tough times & as part of the celebrations for the good times. The Lord’s Prayer was first linked to the awakening of the 7 chakra energy system by channeller and spiritual teacher Edgar Cayce (1877- 1945). Master Choa Kok Sui (1954-2007) author of Pranic Healing then researched this idea further. To experience this ancient prayer as an activation of the energy system (aura & chakras) for the expansion of consciousness is a beautiful, powerful & profound experience for me & many others. How does it work & what is the effect.
Four Foundations of Mindfulness from the Satipatthana Sutta: D.22 I - Mindfulness of the Body 1 - Mindfulness of Breathing There are many variations of this exercise. 2 - Postures of the Body The four basic postures are walking, standing, sitting and lying. 3 - Clear Comprehension (sampajañña) Clear Comprehension of Purpose- Why are you undertaking this action ? 4 - Reflection on the Reality of this Body To see the body as a collection of parts; solid and liquid. hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, membranes, spleen, lungs, bowels, intestines, gorge, dung, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, snot, spittle, oil-of-the-joints, urine (and brain is added from the commentary) 5 - Reflection on the Material Elements To see the body as a physical process. 6 - the Cemetery Contemplations These are used to become keenly aware of the impermanence of the body and to break the illusion of immortality. II - Contemplation of the Feelings <a href="..
Ethics - Educating the Mind and Heart Guided Practices Download these guided meditations to your mp3 player or listen online. To listen, simply click on a practice and wait for it to load. To download, right-click (Mac users, CTRL-click) and select “save link as” or “save target as.” Arthur Zajonc President, The Mind & Life Institute Former Executive Director, The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Professor Emeritus of Physics, Amherst College Introduction to the 4-Part Bell Sound Practice (5 mins)The 4-Part Bell Sound Practice (10 mins) Mirabai Bush Founding Director, The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Bare Attention Meditation (5 mins)Breath and Sound Meditation (10 mins)Loving-Kindness Meditation (10 mins) Diana Winston Director of the Mindfulness Center, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center Breathing Meditation (5 mins)Loving-Kindness Meditation (10 mins)Breath, Sound & Body Meditation (12 mins)Listen to more meditations by Diana at the MARC-UCLA website
Contemplative Practices for a Technological Society - Cultivating Mind Body Practices to Invent Our Future - April 11-13, 2013 - The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center - Blacksburg, Virginia Thank you to everyone who made the conference a success! The conference organizers would like to express our gratitude for your participation and support. Some presentations that were given at the conference can be found on the Schedule page. Please note that not all presenters want their presentations available to the general public. Please contact those individuals directly. We have video interviews for several conference speakers and attendees. We are still constructing this site. Individually and collectively, these interviews make a very powerful statement about the impact of contemplative practice. Welcome Along with the marvels of the 21st century come hurry, distraction, and distress and a compelling question: How can we reconnect with our own humanity in the midst of a rapidly evolving technological society? See About the Conference for a more detailed description. Download a conference flyer: Keynote Speakers Conference Information Book Signing
Nadis, the Channels of Life force Energy A couple of years ago I use to visit a homeopath to treat a recurring hair fall problem, she would diagnose the cause by checking my pulse also known as Nadi Pariksha (pulse examination). Surprisingly, she would point out the right causes, simply by examining the energy flow in the nadis. In ancient Indian medicine, Nadis are the channels or energy pathways that carry Prana or life force throughout the body and they connect at special energy points called chakras. The Sanskrit term ‘Nadi’ comes from the root ‘Nad,’ which means motion, flow, or vibration. Just how veins and arteries are important for the healthy functioning of our physical body, Nadis weave through our physical nerves as well as the subtle circuitry (yoga nadis) of the mind, of the self, of the consciousness matrix that supports our physical presence from invisible dimensions of existence. Illustration showing the nadis and major and minor chakras The body is filled with innumerable Nadis that cannot be counted. Sushumna
The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging Meditation and Mindfulness Mindfulness is not thinking, interpreting, or evaluating; it is an awareness of perception. It is a nonjudgmental quality of mind which does not anticipate the future or reflect back on the past. Any activity can be done with mindfulness. Talking on the telephone, cleaning your home, driving, working, and exercising can all be incorporated into a mindfulness practice. Throughout the day, inwardly pause and become very aware of where you are, what you are doing, and how you are feeling. When mindfulness is the primary tool of meditation, the awareness that we apply to our breath (or to whatever our object–or focus–of meditation is, such as a word, image, sound, or physical sensation to which we return our attention after becoming distracted) can be expanded to include all physical and mental processes so that we may become more mindful of our thoughts and actions. It is commonly thought that meditators hope to stop all thoughts and rest their minds in thoughtless peace. by Steven Smith
Meditation Apps For Inner Peace (On The Go) In our non-stop contemporary lives, it helps when mindfulness can be practiced on-the-go. Fortunately, you don't have to carve out a full 30 minutes, twice a day to feel the benefits of cultivating mindfulness through a regular meditation routine. Just a few minutes can go a long way toward lowering stress levels, stabilizing mood and improving focus. So if you're looking for a way to incorporate meditation into a jam-packed schedule, put your phone on airplane mode and unwind with one of these eight meditation apps for portable serenity, whether you're on the subway, waiting at the airport or just catching a little quiet time at home. Loading Slideshow HeadspaceKickstart your meditation practice with a 10-day starter program from <a href=" target="_blank">Headspace</a>, a free guided meditation app. Hide Thumbnails For more on meditation, click here.