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What is Meditation / Mindfulness Good for? — Information is Beautiful

What is Meditation / Mindfulness Good for? — Information is Beautiful
Related:  Social Emotional Learning

How to Meditate - Well Guides Meditation Techniques For People Who Hate Meditation It’s rare to go a week in 2016 without some new development or rumor coming out of the streaming music industry. But seldom are these tidbits as interesting—or potentially consequential—as the news this week that Spotify is in "advanced talks" to acquire SoundCloud, according to the Financial Times. The deal is by no means set in stone—Recode reports that it’s "more talk and less action" at this point—but it would certainly make a ton of sense. Not only would it shake up the constantly shifting streaming market by combining two major players, but a Spotify-SoundCloud merger would solve some very significant problems for both companies. It could even have trickle-down benefits for fans and—believe it or not—musicians. Not only would it make for a big competitive advantage, but the pairing just makes sense: The two services are already quite complementary in terms of content and would fit together nicely if they were more tightly integrated. The Ultimate Music Streaming Mega-Platform

100 Benefits Of Meditation Did you know that people who meditate for a short time each day are much happier than people who don’t? Meditators are much healthier with greatly extended life spans, too. As a matter of fact, their health is so much better that a number of insurance companies have reduced premiums for people who meditate. Did you know that experienced meditators have developed many latent abilities that they never knew they had, abilities that exist within every person? And they have gotten much closer to answering life’s mysterious questions? They are much smarter, too. Were you aware that meditators produce immensely more pleasurable brain chemicals, the same chemicals that flow through your system on the days when you feel very good, and these pleasurable brain chemicals are produced constantly? Did you know that they also sleep much better? Also, meditators have far superior mental and emotional health. source

Find Out How You Can Ease Chronic Illness With Meditation and Mindfulness A novel study suggests that meditation and mindfulness can greatly improve the lives of people with chronic illness, particularly those with diabetes mellitus or coronary heart disease. Instead of worrying about the past or the future, patients begin to gently accept the limitations of their illness and focus on what is possible and beneficial in the present moment. The study, published in Behavioral Medicine, found that patients who practice meditation and mindfulness experience better sleep and relaxation patterns and have a more accepting outlook toward living with a long-term illness. Negative thought patterns, such as worry and thought suppression, are also greatly reduced. For example, if a patient were to attempt to suppress thoughts of sickness and death, these thoughts would ultimately become more frequent and harder to control. This peaceful state of mind is also brought about through mindfulness. This article courtesy of Spirituality and Health. Related Articles

Using Your Senses to Gain a Richer Life Being present is the essence of a mindfulness meditation practice. When we think of meditation, we often think of sitting on the floor, eyes closed, legs crossed, chanting “om,” but you don’t have to begin here — nor do you have to chant om. Actual “sitting” practice is what we call formal practice. Informal practice is bringing presence into our daily lives, when our eyes are wide open. We can enter our lives with more presence through our five senses. Our senses are the way we interpret and experience the world. The practice is simply to be more present to our five senses in this moment: What am I hearing? Seeing clearly. Keep your eyes open, pay attention, and watch your life become rich with experience. Related Articles

8 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life | Huffington Post By Kristine Crane for US News Shrimati Bhanu Narasimhan, a petite Indian woman wrapped in a bright fuchsia sari, has a soft voice but a big presence. She holds the rapt attention of some 100 people who have come to learn how to meditate at the Art of Living Center in the District of Columbia. Meditation reduces stress. “Meditation is mind without agitation,” Narasimhan says. It improves concentration. It encourages a healthy lifestyle. “I tend to want more things that are better for me,” Robinson says, adding that she eats more fresh foods and has cut out nearly all alcohol. The practice increases self-awareness. It increases happiness. “Meditation puts you on the fast track to being happy,” says Ronnie Newman, director of research and health promotion for the Art of Living Foundation, the umbrella organization for the Sahaj meditation course. Meditation increases acceptance. It slows aging. Studies show that meditation changes brain physiology to slow aging. Also on HuffPost:

Becoming a Better Man Through Meditation | Huffington Post Every once in a while in life, you realize you’re stuck. You’re not evolving. You’re caught in a bad pattern. And you know you’d better do something about it quick or your life is going to be on replay for the next 30 years. A little over a year ago, that’s exactly what happened to me. It wasn’t the first time I realized I needed to make a change, and it probably won’t be the last either. The evidence was everywhere: I snapped easily when frustrated. It was getting a little ridiculous. I grew up as a competitive athlete, which cultivated in me very little tolerance for imperfection or inefficiency. And we all know how rarely that happens. My decision to try meditation was not one I came to easily. I had met a few people over the last few years who had mentioned to me that they meditated regularly. After talking to four or five people I knew, I decided to give Vedic Meditation a chance (the kind most were recommending). The results were uneven at first. I was losing my cool less.

How to Find Your Life Purpose: An Unconventional Approach By Leo Babauta Let’s say you’re feeling unmotivated, unsure of yourself, aimless, can’t find your passion, directionless, not clear on what your purpose in life is. You’re in good company — most people are in the same boat. Now, there about a million things online telling you how to find your passion in life, and that’s a good thing. I’m not going to give you a fool-proof method, or a 5-step method, nor share my passion manifesto with you today. I’m going to give you a one-step method. However, that one step is a doozy. The One Step to Finding Your Purpose It’s simply this: learn to get outside your personal bubble. Your personal bubble is the small world you live in (we all have one), where you are the center of the universe. This is the bubble we all live in most of the time, and people who say they don’t are trying to prove something. When someone tells you you look fat, this only hurts because you’re in your personal bubble. I’m the same way, and so is everyone else.

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