The Science of Meditation Over the past few hundred years the power of organized religion has steeply declined in the west. State & church and science & religion are separated and free inquiry is now more encouraged than ever. The loss of God as the absolute reference point has given room for humanity to take the ropes of responsibility and freedom into their own hands. However, while it has opened our minds, it has closed our hearts. I believe this is a necessary phase that humanity must go through like a caterpillar must evolve via its cocoon. This is exactly why we need to develop a contemplative science, one that closely observes and investigates the area of first person subjective experience. The end of self-referencing Norman A.S. However, the study found out that meditators who had completed the eight week course could dissociate these two modes of self-reference. Immune system Focus Depression Wiveka Ramel et al. did a study on individuals with a life time of mood disorders. Brain waves A few other studies
25 Psychological Life Hacks that Will Help You Gain the Advantage in Social Situations Social situations are among the most important in our lives. Yet, there is a huge chance that you are oblivious to the plethora of unwritten social rules that structure everybody’s behaviour. Failing to comply to these cultural imprints can cause irreversible damage. Just following them blindly will not get you ahead. Hacking them, however, will give you the best results possible. Therefore we bring to you these – 25 psychological life hacks that will help you gain the advantage in social situations 1) Assume comfort in any interaction. Our brain is an incredibly complicated instrument. In most of our social interactions, we find it difficult to feel comfortable among strangers because our brain tries to protect us from exposure. This however isn’t helping us when trying to be social and meet new people, is it? This is why assuming comfort is so powerful. 2) Pay attention to people’s feet when you are approaching them. If they turn both torso and feet, it means you are welcome. Admit it.
8 Ways to Get a Morning Headstart Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it. - Richard WhatelyTweet Getting up early every day to start the day off right has a huge effect on the rest of our day. Unfortunately we can not always completely trust our morning selves, especially if we are lying in a warm cozy bed and there is no immediate pressure to get up (Or we can delude ourselves with pressing ‘snooze’.) To combat this, a healthy and balanced morning routine works wonders, and especially doing it for 30 days to make it a habit. A morning routine sets the tone for the whole day to come. Just remember, keep it simple but stay disciplined! 1. A good morning routine actually starts the day before. 2. After waking, don’t immediately jump out of bed. 3. Most of us forget that we spent hours in magical worlds while dreaming. 4. Every animal stretches immediately upon waking. A great, quick and easy way to stretch your whole body are the Five Tibetan Rites. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Awesome Variations on Meditation Meditation is simply the training of the mind. It has been used, primarily for spiritual practices, for thousands of years. The effects are numerous. Since everything you’ve ever experienced and know is in your awareness, the end goal is understanding That which is Aware. “Give up defining yourself. Once you’ve explored this concept long enough you slowly get a sense of what he is hinting at. “The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. This is why staying in the Now is such a powerful practice. Here are the awesome variations on meditation, amongst which you will certainly find at least one that agrees with you. Darkness Meditation – Intermediate – Min. 1 day I don’t think anyone will actually go ahead and do this one (yes, that is a challenge!) You should have a space where there is complete darkness. Dancing Meditation – Beginner – Min. 1 minute This is something everyone can do. Breathing Meditation – Beginner – Min. 1 minute Long deep breathing is fairly simple.
30 Challenges for 30 Days Did you know that it takes 30 days to form a new habit? The first few days are similar as to how you would imagine the birth of a new river. Full of enthusiasm it gushes forth, only to be met by strong obstacles. The path is not clear yet, and your surroundings don’t agree. Old habits urge you to stay the same. But you need to stay determined. So, take a moment to reflect on the question ‘Who do I want to be in 5 years?’ Check out this short TED talk first to get inspired: Now pick one or more challenges and stick with them! However, be cautioned, picking too many challenges at the same time can easily result in a failure of all of them. #1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy) This is the perfect way to let someone else know you care. #2 Talk to one stranger each day (Hard) This is a great one to cure approaching anxiety. #3 Take one picture each day (Hard) #4 Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day (Intermediate) Do you love yourself? We recommend:
10 Reasons You'll Never Look at Sunsets the Same Way Again A thin blue line shoots across the horizon and that is the mark. You know the sun will eventually set underneath that line, but until then, the moment where it crosses that line, you are witness to one of the most beautiful sights in the Universe. Here are a few things these earthly wonders called sunsets have taught me over the years: 1) Everything Adds Beautiful pastel hues of orange and yellow shine bright around the sun, but as you expand your perspective the entire rainbow of colors is there. Soft baby blue and turquoise clouds float calmly through the open sky. A sunset is not a single color, and every new color adds beauty. 2) Change just is A sunset is when change is most evident. Change is neither good or bad – change is. 3) Your Experience is Unique Even if we are identical twins standing next to each other, we will not be looking at the same sunset. Every second you are adding to your own unique universe – make the next second matter. 4) There is Only Now 7) Light and Dark 8) Beauty
The Art of Meditation / Stop Being a Zombie! A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion – Alan Watts Tweet This Have you ever driven your car or bicycle and suddenly you wake up somewhere down the road and can’t remember how you got there? What happened in those few minutes? And so did I when I first started meditating. So before I continue I’d like everyone to experience this to understand what I’m talking about. Did you do the two minutes? There’s a lot been written on meditation, and to be honest, I ain’t got anything new or groundbreaking stuff to tell. What is Meditation? Meditation is the act of training the mind. Why Meditate? The Buddha said: don’t blindly believe what others say, see for yourself what brings serenity, clarity of thought and inner peace. I myself find it really hard to explain what meditation has done to me. How to Meditate? Shamatha is the meditation of one pointed concentration. Picture by eldave
I Decluttered My Closet With The KonMari Method And Here's What Happened | Chanel Parks My name is Chanel and I collect a lot of shit. From clothing to papers to the weird knick-knacks I've won at bar trivia nights, my room is covered in so many items, one might wonder how I live there. Even though I clean at least once a week, my room is rarely as neat as it could be. Once you accumulate so many things over the course of so many years, it's hard to find a place for everything. No it won't. If you're not familiar with the title, it's basically the book of January 2015, or what I like to call the monthlong period when everybody tries to fulfill their "be more organized" resolutions. Kondo's philosophy emphasizes the mental attachment we have to our possessions and her approach is quite simple: declutter first, then store. Once clients have completed decluttering their homes, Kondo's "KonMari" method requires that clients find a specific place for EVERYTHING that's left. Here's what "everything" looked like for me before I took the plunge: Look at that sea of clothes. Swoon.
Ultimate Guide to Goal Hacking: 5 Scientifically Proven Methods to Accomplish Anything **This post summarizes months of research on what goal setting methods actually work, and a new project I am starting to help everyone use these techniques in an easy and fun way** Which of your big goals have been on the to-do list forever? So often it’s those goals that matter to us most that seem just out of reach. If we want something really bad AND know the steps required to attain it, why do we still fail to do so? The answer is simple: we haven’t been using the right tools. Behavioral scientists have been trying to figure out our psychological relationship with goals for decades, and they’ve come up with some very actionable conclusions. It’s been proven that you can quadruple your chances of success with the goal hacks listed below (in order of least to most powerful). 1) Write it down The simple act of physically writing down what you want to achieve significantly raises your chances of success. One study contacted thousands of people who needed flu shots. 2) Track it Track your goal.
The Ultimate Guide to Fitness: Men’s Edition If you’ve read Tim Ferris’s “The 4-Hour Body,” then you’re familiar with the term “Harajuku moment.” He defines it as the single, definitive moment when we decide to make a dramatic shift with our lives to improve our mental and physical health. Mine took place a few months ago. If you’re looking to do the same, here is my advice to you: Set Yourself Up For Success Create a Starting Point When I took my “after” picture, I thought I was going to look a lot like I did in my “before” shot. Learn The Basics Wikipedia’s page on weightlifting is very comprehensive and easy to read. Define Your Goals I’m telling you right now, if your goal is to “get in shape,” you won’t achieve it. Utilize Your Full Potential Potential is defined as existing qualities or abilities that, if manifested, will lead to future success. Excuses Equal Failure There’s a psychological term for why people make excuses. Your “No Comfort” Zone Want to look like you can comfortably lift 200 pounds? Persist Work Out Like a Champion