If there's one mental practice that is stood the test of time – and exhaustive human examination – it's meditation.
Meditation has over the centuries made a not too bad showing of substantiating itself by decreasing nervousness and hopelessness, upgrading thought and mental execution and making an all around good practice for reducing stress.
In any case, would be meditators are able to draw upon a vast amount of information regarding the benefits of slowing down and contemplating life and whats going on around them.
In a recent study of Psychoneuroendocrinology it was found that Meditation goes along way to cooling the cerebrum in circumstances that may have caused irritation in the mind and body. It is further thought that the practice of slowing the mind down is a good practice for the brain.
Meditation is a mental practice used to focus thought on the present moment, rather than on the standard " civilized mental racing" going on in our heads.
Many people stated that using meditation practices has eased feelings of uneasiness and diminished nervous tenision by just taking time to focus on the here and now attempting to reframe potentially negative tapes. It seems to just makes sense to slow down and focus.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Practical Meditation for Beginners
Definition of Meditation:
1 :To engage in contemplation or reflection.
2 :To engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra).
3 :To focus one's thoughts on :reflect on or ponder over.
4 :To plan or project in the mind :intend, purpose.
The belief according to the Eastern philosophers, is that meditation is to be in the present and to be aware of ones surroundings, but yet separate. It is thought that through regulated or guided breathing an individual can leave the external world and enter the inner sanctum of of the universal consciousness of our species. The Buddhist philosophy, further believes that meditation liberates the mind from those things it cannot control, both externally or internally, thus freeing itself of all those things that would seem to distract, from the true value and meaning of life and enlightenment. Thus through meditation, individuals can relieve themselves of worldly desires and experiences that often serve to distract, while focusing on those things that provide and inner peace and balance with the external world. Through meditation, some individuals have reported that they begin to feel a sense of oneness and clarity about the innate good in humanity. Many people talk about the positive affects of meditation, however according to Eastern Philosophers that is just a by product of the journey within.
The journey within begins with either sitting in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair or lying on a comfortable surface. The next thing is to close your eyes, then take notice of your breathing and finally slowing your breathing in a slow and methodical way, to the point that you can feel the breath going in and out.
There are different forms of meditation some of which include: mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation, there are also movement meditations such as Tai chi and even yoga, which involves the use of meditation as part of its process. .
Mindfulness Meditation is said to be a way of being an observer of ones own thoughts. Being in the present and aware of ones thought as they come and go, not attaching to the thought rightness or wrongness, good or bad, but just being aware of the thought.
Concentration Meditation on the other hand is a way of focusing on a specific thing to the point that all things outside the object of concentration are lost in the background of the object of focus.
Both Tai CHi and Yoga serve to incorporate movement with focus to produce harmony with the inner world and external world, providing a state of calm tranquility and well being within the individual.
May you all the days of your life be blessed in balance and harmony!
Greg
1 :To engage in contemplation or reflection.
2 :To engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra).
3 :To focus one's thoughts on :reflect on or ponder over.
4 :To plan or project in the mind :intend, purpose.
The belief according to the Eastern philosophers, is that meditation is to be in the present and to be aware of ones surroundings, but yet separate. It is thought that through regulated or guided breathing an individual can leave the external world and enter the inner sanctum of of the universal consciousness of our species. The Buddhist philosophy, further believes that meditation liberates the mind from those things it cannot control, both externally or internally, thus freeing itself of all those things that would seem to distract, from the true value and meaning of life and enlightenment. Thus through meditation, individuals can relieve themselves of worldly desires and experiences that often serve to distract, while focusing on those things that provide and inner peace and balance with the external world. Through meditation, some individuals have reported that they begin to feel a sense of oneness and clarity about the innate good in humanity. Many people talk about the positive affects of meditation, however according to Eastern Philosophers that is just a by product of the journey within.
The journey within begins with either sitting in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair or lying on a comfortable surface. The next thing is to close your eyes, then take notice of your breathing and finally slowing your breathing in a slow and methodical way, to the point that you can feel the breath going in and out.
There are different forms of meditation some of which include: mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation, there are also movement meditations such as Tai chi and even yoga, which involves the use of meditation as part of its process. .
Mindfulness Meditation is said to be a way of being an observer of ones own thoughts. Being in the present and aware of ones thought as they come and go, not attaching to the thought rightness or wrongness, good or bad, but just being aware of the thought.
Concentration Meditation on the other hand is a way of focusing on a specific thing to the point that all things outside the object of concentration are lost in the background of the object of focus.
Both Tai CHi and Yoga serve to incorporate movement with focus to produce harmony with the inner world and external world, providing a state of calm tranquility and well being within the individual.
May you all the days of your life be blessed in balance and harmony!
Greg
Friday, September 27, 2013
The Brain on Meditation
Many have often wondered, "Are there really any benefits to meditation?", and "Can those benefits be measured and proven?" Well the answer to those questions is yes! The benefits of meditation are documented and proven to have through MRI imaging, a positive effect on the neuroactivity of the brain. During the meditative process it was shown that most parts of the brain, the frontal lobe, responsible for reasoning, personal awareness, emotions and planning, the thalmus considered the gate keeper, being relaxed, the parietal lobe, which processes sensory information about our environment, being significantly reduced in activity and the reticular formation, which puts the brain in respond mode, are all affected in a positive way by their processes be slowed to a minimum.
This relaxation in a specific part of the brain called, the medial prefrontal cortex, responsible for personal awareness has a positive effect in that it weakens the normally strong neuro pathways, to this area. This area is where the fear response is triggered and/or simply having a stronge reaction to environmental event.
Studies have found that through consistant meditation, we can reduce or weaken these normally strong nuropathways, which are reflected in the bodies fight or flight response's to external perceived threats, while at the same time strengthing the area of the brain that controls reasoning and assessment, of these same events.
This one two puch benefit of meditation allows the brain to process external events rationally, thus reducing anexiety or fear, about a perceived threat.
Our society is full of external stimuli and images are always being projected into out mind. Think about it when was the last time that you where in total silence, relaxed doing nothing but allowing your mind to drift into you!
Disclaimer: The previous information is the opinion of the author, who is not a physcian, or does he claim to be. The information presented is given by researched authors and leaders in their fields and presented here for your information.
This relaxation in a specific part of the brain called, the medial prefrontal cortex, responsible for personal awareness has a positive effect in that it weakens the normally strong neuro pathways, to this area. This area is where the fear response is triggered and/or simply having a stronge reaction to environmental event.
Studies have found that through consistant meditation, we can reduce or weaken these normally strong nuropathways, which are reflected in the bodies fight or flight response's to external perceived threats, while at the same time strengthing the area of the brain that controls reasoning and assessment, of these same events.
This one two puch benefit of meditation allows the brain to process external events rationally, thus reducing anexiety or fear, about a perceived threat.
Our society is full of external stimuli and images are always being projected into out mind. Think about it when was the last time that you where in total silence, relaxed doing nothing but allowing your mind to drift into you!
Disclaimer: The previous information is the opinion of the author, who is not a physcian, or does he claim to be. The information presented is given by researched authors and leaders in their fields and presented here for your information.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Why Meditate
The following article is from The Huffington Post: "The Third Metric, Redefineing Success beyond Money and Power"
"Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I've had." That's what Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates -- the world's largest hedge fund firm -- explained in 2012.
Dalio is in good company. More and more leaders in the corporate world have been taking note of the benefits of meditation, which include lower stress levels, improved cognitive functioning, creative thinking and productivity, and even improved physical health. A number of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, AOL, Apple and Aetna, offer meditation and mindfulness classes for employees -- and the top executives of many major corporations say that meditation has made them better leaders.
Ford Motor Company chairman Bill Ford and former Google.org director Larry Brilliant are also among the executives advocating the mindfulness practice. Here are 10 influential business leaders who say meditation has helped them achieve (and sustain) a high level of success.
1. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO, News Corp
News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch recently tweeted that he was trying out Transcendental Meditation, a popular technique developed in the 1960s and followed today by famous practitioners like Oprah, David Lynch and Candy Crowley.
The media tycoon said on Twitter in April, "Everyone recommends, not that easy to get started, but said to improve everything!"
2. Padmasree Warrior, CTO, Cisco Systems
Warrior, the chief technology and strategy officer of Cisco Systems, meditates every night and spends her Saturdays doing a "digital detox." In her previous role as Cisco's head of engineering, Warrior oversaw 22,000 employees, and she told the New York Times in 2012 that taking time to meditate and unplug helped her to manage it all.
“It’s almost like a reboot for your brain and your soul,” she said. “It makes me so much calmer when I’m responding to e-mails later.”
3. Tony Schwartz, Founder & CEO, The Energy Project
The Energy Project CEO Tony Schwartz has been meditating for over 20 years. He originally started the practice to quiet his busy mind, according to his book What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America. Schwartz says that meditating has freed him from migraines and helped him develop patience, and he also advocates mindfulness as a way to improve work performance.
"Maintaining a steady reservoir of energy -- physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually -- requires refueling it intermittently," Schwartz wrote in a Harvard Business Review blog.
4. Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company
The Ford Motor Company chairman is a big proponent of meditation in the business world, according to Inc. Magazine. At this year's Wisdom 2.0 conference, Ford was interviewed by leading American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. Ford told Kornfield that during difficult times at the company, he set an intention every morning to go through his day with compassion. And to lead with compassion, Ford said he first learned to develop compassion for himself through a loving-kindness (metta) meditation practice.
5. Oprah Winfrey, Chairwoman & CEO, Harpo Productions, Inc.
An outspoken advocate of Transcendental Meditation, Oprah -- recently named the most powerful celebrity of 2013 by Forbes -- has said she sits in stillness for 20 minutes, twice a day. She's also brought in TM teachers for employees at Harpo Productions, Inc. who want to learn how to meditate.
After a meditation in Iowa last year, Oprah said, "I walked away feeling fuller than when I'd come in. Full of hope, a sense of contentment, and deep joy. Knowing for sure that even in the daily craziness that bombards us from every direction, there is -- still -- the constancy of stillness. Only from that space can you create your best work and your best life."
6. Larry Brilliant, CEO, Skoll Global Threats Fund
Larry Brilliant, CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund and former director of Google.org, spent two years during his 20s living in a Himalayan ashram and meditating, until his guru instructed him to join a World Health Organization team working to fight smallpox in New Delhi.
In his 2013 commencement address at the Harvard School of Public Health, Brilliant emphasized the importance of peace of mind, wishing the graduates lives full of equanimity -- a state of mental calm and composure.
7. Ray Dalio, Founder & Co-CIO, Bridgewater Associates USA
In a 2012 conversation at the John Main Centre for Meditation and Inter-Religious Dialogue at Georgetown University, Dalio said that meditation has opened his mind and boosted his mental clarity.
"Meditation has given me centeredness and creativity," said Dalio. "It's also given me peace and health."
8. Russell Simmons, Co-Founder, Def Jam Records; Founder of GlobalGrind.com
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has long practiced Transcendental Meditation, speaking out about the benefits of the practice and sitting on the board of the advisors for the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.
"You don't have to believe in meditation for it to work," Simmons wrote in a Huffington Post blog. "You just have to take the time to do it. The old truth is still true today, 'God helps those who help themselves.' My advice? Meditate."
9. Robert Stiller, CEO, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc.
There is a dedicated meditation room at the Vermont headquarters of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., and CEO Robert Stiller himself is a devoted practitioner.
"If you have a meditation practice, you can be much more effective in a meeting," he told Bloomberg in 2008. "Meditation helps develop your abilities to focus better and to accomplish your tasks."
10. Arianna Huffington, President & Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group
And last but not least, Arianna Huffington described early-morning yoga and meditation as two of her "joy triggers" in a 2011 Vogue feature. Now, Huffington has brought meditation into her company, offering weekly classes for AOL and Huffington Post employees.
Huffington has spoken out on the benefits of mindfulness not just for individual health, but also for corporate bottom lines. "Stress-reduction and mindfulness don't just make us happier and healthier, they're a proven competitive advantage for any business that wants one," she wrote in a recent blog.
"Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I've had." That's what Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates -- the world's largest hedge fund firm -- explained in 2012.
Dalio is in good company. More and more leaders in the corporate world have been taking note of the benefits of meditation, which include lower stress levels, improved cognitive functioning, creative thinking and productivity, and even improved physical health. A number of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, AOL, Apple and Aetna, offer meditation and mindfulness classes for employees -- and the top executives of many major corporations say that meditation has made them better leaders.
Ford Motor Company chairman Bill Ford and former Google.org director Larry Brilliant are also among the executives advocating the mindfulness practice. Here are 10 influential business leaders who say meditation has helped them achieve (and sustain) a high level of success.
1. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO, News Corp
News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch recently tweeted that he was trying out Transcendental Meditation, a popular technique developed in the 1960s and followed today by famous practitioners like Oprah, David Lynch and Candy Crowley.
The media tycoon said on Twitter in April, "Everyone recommends, not that easy to get started, but said to improve everything!"
2. Padmasree Warrior, CTO, Cisco Systems
Warrior, the chief technology and strategy officer of Cisco Systems, meditates every night and spends her Saturdays doing a "digital detox." In her previous role as Cisco's head of engineering, Warrior oversaw 22,000 employees, and she told the New York Times in 2012 that taking time to meditate and unplug helped her to manage it all.
“It’s almost like a reboot for your brain and your soul,” she said. “It makes me so much calmer when I’m responding to e-mails later.”
3. Tony Schwartz, Founder & CEO, The Energy Project
The Energy Project CEO Tony Schwartz has been meditating for over 20 years. He originally started the practice to quiet his busy mind, according to his book What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America. Schwartz says that meditating has freed him from migraines and helped him develop patience, and he also advocates mindfulness as a way to improve work performance.
"Maintaining a steady reservoir of energy -- physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually -- requires refueling it intermittently," Schwartz wrote in a Harvard Business Review blog.
4. Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company
The Ford Motor Company chairman is a big proponent of meditation in the business world, according to Inc. Magazine. At this year's Wisdom 2.0 conference, Ford was interviewed by leading American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. Ford told Kornfield that during difficult times at the company, he set an intention every morning to go through his day with compassion. And to lead with compassion, Ford said he first learned to develop compassion for himself through a loving-kindness (metta) meditation practice.
5. Oprah Winfrey, Chairwoman & CEO, Harpo Productions, Inc.
An outspoken advocate of Transcendental Meditation, Oprah -- recently named the most powerful celebrity of 2013 by Forbes -- has said she sits in stillness for 20 minutes, twice a day. She's also brought in TM teachers for employees at Harpo Productions, Inc. who want to learn how to meditate.
After a meditation in Iowa last year, Oprah said, "I walked away feeling fuller than when I'd come in. Full of hope, a sense of contentment, and deep joy. Knowing for sure that even in the daily craziness that bombards us from every direction, there is -- still -- the constancy of stillness. Only from that space can you create your best work and your best life."
6. Larry Brilliant, CEO, Skoll Global Threats Fund
Larry Brilliant, CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund and former director of Google.org, spent two years during his 20s living in a Himalayan ashram and meditating, until his guru instructed him to join a World Health Organization team working to fight smallpox in New Delhi.
In his 2013 commencement address at the Harvard School of Public Health, Brilliant emphasized the importance of peace of mind, wishing the graduates lives full of equanimity -- a state of mental calm and composure.
7. Ray Dalio, Founder & Co-CIO, Bridgewater Associates USA
In a 2012 conversation at the John Main Centre for Meditation and Inter-Religious Dialogue at Georgetown University, Dalio said that meditation has opened his mind and boosted his mental clarity.
"Meditation has given me centeredness and creativity," said Dalio. "It's also given me peace and health."
8. Russell Simmons, Co-Founder, Def Jam Records; Founder of GlobalGrind.com
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has long practiced Transcendental Meditation, speaking out about the benefits of the practice and sitting on the board of the advisors for the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.
"You don't have to believe in meditation for it to work," Simmons wrote in a Huffington Post blog. "You just have to take the time to do it. The old truth is still true today, 'God helps those who help themselves.' My advice? Meditate."
9. Robert Stiller, CEO, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc.
There is a dedicated meditation room at the Vermont headquarters of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., and CEO Robert Stiller himself is a devoted practitioner.
"If you have a meditation practice, you can be much more effective in a meeting," he told Bloomberg in 2008. "Meditation helps develop your abilities to focus better and to accomplish your tasks."
10. Arianna Huffington, President & Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group
And last but not least, Arianna Huffington described early-morning yoga and meditation as two of her "joy triggers" in a 2011 Vogue feature. Now, Huffington has brought meditation into her company, offering weekly classes for AOL and Huffington Post employees.
Huffington has spoken out on the benefits of mindfulness not just for individual health, but also for corporate bottom lines. "Stress-reduction and mindfulness don't just make us happier and healthier, they're a proven competitive advantage for any business that wants one," she wrote in a recent blog.
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