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.
Expanded Consciousness: The Six Phase Guided Meditation Part of our #PurposeFairyMeditation – Saturday, here is your Six Phase Guided Meditation by the wonderful Vishen Lakhiani. This is by far one of the most beautiful and most powerful meditations ever. I did a 30 day challenge once with this meditation. Remember to first, find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the next 16 minutes. P.S. 1. With all my love, Like this post?
Meditation 101: The Neuroscience of Why Meditation Works | Ashley Turner As yogis have known for centuries and scientists can now prove, the benefits of meditation are profound. Meditation is perhaps the most crucial instrument to harness the power of thought, cultivate more peace, clarity and happiness. Learning to train the brain and focus our attention is crucial to thriving and cultivating a peak performance in any endeavor. Long-time psychotherapist Dr. Ron Alexander, author of Wise Mind, Open Mind, speaks of MIND STRENGTH, or the resiliency, efficacy and emotional intelligence that arise as we begin the process of controlling the mind. Mind strength is one of the most empowering tools we can employ to impact and improve all aspects of life. There are five major categories of brain waves, each corresponding to different activities. Slower wavelengths = more time between thoughts = more opportunity to skillfully choose which thoughts you invest in and what actions you take. 5 Categories of Brain Waves: Why Meditation Works 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. How to Meditate:
Think That Meditation Is A Waste Of Time? Watch This! Meditation has quickly become one of the most talked about and used conscious practices in the modern world. Various religious leaders, spiritual gurus, professional athletes, celebrity figures and probably a number of your family and/or friends all swear by it to being a key part in their lives. As a person who practices meditation somewhat regularly, I can personally understand not only its benefit but also why it continues to grow and be adopted by more and more people worldwide. Despite its continued growth and popularity, meditation -like so many other practices -is not without ridicule, as a large portion of the world’s population are still happy to classify it as pseudoscientific, or a waste of time. The other element that the video offers, that I particularly enjoy, is a reminder about the many misconceptions that surround what meditation should entail for it to be legitimate -misconceptions that I believe play a big part in turning a lot of people away from trying it out.
Meditation Resource: How-to, Music, Books, Films and More! Meditation is an ancient practice that has been – and still is being – used in many ways. There are physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual reasons for practicing meditation. In the recent years, mediation started drawing more serious attention in the scientific field and a lot of research has been conducted into its benefits, showing the significance of meditation on the human mind and body. The purpose of this page This page is meant to provide anyone who is interested in meditation with an extensive overview of resources to use and get back to. This resource page contains information on: Meditation techniques While there are many different (literally thousands) of techniques of meditation that spreads across several traditions, they all could generally be classified as belonging to one of five types: 1) Concentration Meditation: 2) Mindfulness Meditation: 3) Reflective Meditation: 4) Creative Meditation: 5) Heart-centered Meditation: History of Meditation 1. Eisler, M. DRU.
Alternate Nostril Breathing | Fiona Childs Alternate Nostril Breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana, is an extremely effective stress relief tool. Emphasis: …an extremely effective stress relief tool. It might sound a bit woo woo, but it is in fact a breathing technique that is scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure, increase focus and reduce cortisol (using the gold standard for scientific studies — randomized and placebo-controlled). Not only that, but nadi shodhana is totally free, easy to do and available any time. This breathing exercise is a life hack that will reduce your stress level and your cortisol in a jiffy. You can use this technique any time you want. My children love this breathing practice too and utilize it throughout their days — especially right before homework time. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) Steps 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. When you try this for the first time, take note of how you feel before you do it and then after. According to functional medical practitioner, Dr.
How to Use Meditation to Help You Out of a Depressive State By Robert L. Rupp Guest Writer for Wake Up World We live in interesting times. Depression is a formidable opponent for millions. From a neurological standpoint, most people effected by depression show reduced alpha activity in the frontal lobes. It should be understood that meditation, although simple, has been proven to offer moderate relief in addressing psychological stress. Knowing that meditating causes an increase in alpha brainwave activity and that those with depression show reduced alpha wave activity in the frontal lobes helps many to place belief in their meditative practice. In order to use meditation to help bring you out of a depressive state, the first thing you must do is believe it will work. Once you have the desire to improve your mental health and mood with the aid of meditation, you need to simply start practicing. Because the alpha brainwave state is the goal and alpha is a state of relaxation, it is important that you be relaxed. Reference: About the author:
Mudras: The Healing Power in your Hands “In this respect, Kundalini Yoga assumes that every area of the hand forms a reflex zone for an associated part of the body and the brain. In this way, we can consider the hands to be a mirror for our body and our mind.” ~ Lothar Rüdiger Lütge, Kundalini yoga expert Practiced since antiquity in combination with pranayama, asanas and meditation, Mudras or Hand Gestures is a practice to improve your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Our hands define our karma and fingers being the power points, are a link between individual Pranic force and universal cosmic energy. The subtle hand and finger movements make important connections in the nervous system and stimulate specific energy pathways or nadis. Human body is an amalgamation of 5 elements of nature – Earth, Air, Water, Space and Fire & each finger acts as a representative of one element. Mudras redirect the energy flow to the upper Chakras, and gradually establish a link between all the Koshas (layers) of the body.
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