Meditation traditions (zen, for example) often encourage meditation without any thought of personal gain. However, this has not prevented researchers from looking for possible benefits (and harms) that meditation might bring about. Stress, focus, attention management have all been investigated, and now researchers are looking into academic performance.
Tag Archives: instructions
Want to start a daily practice?
Have you ever considered what it might be like to meditate every day? Even 9 minutes a day? Perhaps try it out for one month and see how it goes? If you’re willing to give it a try, Tricycle magazine is ready to help. The magazine has announced that March 2016 will be their Meditation Month. Here’s their announcement: Continue reading
Erase the boundary
Saw this in Karen Brooks’ “An Illustrated Guide to …” (The Huffington Post, 4 Nov 2015)
Be Kind … To Yourself
The Dalai Lama famously said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” (www.dalailamaquotes.org)
Kindness, compassion, patience, and understanding, all seem to arise naturally when we see the suffering of another person. And yet … when confronted with our own suffering, we often respond in other ways, with judgment, criticism, or anger.
Is this dichotomy helpful? Do we really benefit by treating ourselves differently? Isn’t it possible that by setting boundaries on the kindness we show ourselves, we also set subconscious boundaries on the kindness we are able to show to others?
Kindness starts at home.
Here are some simple instructions for a meditation on being kind to yourself courtesy of Kristin Neff (Lion’s Roar, 9 Oct 2015, Be Kind to Yourself).
OPB’s Here and Now on Meditation
Curious about meditation? Having trouble getting past some of the roadblocks that your imagination has set up? Here is a simple way to bring your thoughts back to earth, get some straight facts, and get started: listen to two meditation experts speak with NPR’s Here and Now’s Robin Young.
Andy Puddicombe is the developer of the Headspace meditation app. Here and Now interviewed him on Wed (21 Oct 2015) on Technology Stressing You Out? There’s an App for That.
Jon Kabat-Zinn is the developer and moving force behind Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a medically proven therapy for alleviating stress and pain. Here & Now interviewed him today (22 Oct 2015) on The Science of Mindfulness and Meditation.
Beginner’s Guide to Meditation
Lion’s Roar has published a beginner’s guide to Buddhism and meditation (Sept 18, 2015). The meditation section responds to important questions like, “How can I get started with basic meditation? Why should I meditate? How much should I meditate?” and so on. Here’s their answer to the first question:
Notice Each Step
I recently told how researchers have documented beneficial changes in brain chemistry and function that follow a quiet walk in nature (see Do Yourself a Favor, July 26). With the return of warm weather (and more likely to follow in August), you might have some cool walks planned for your mornings or evenings.
Am I the kind of person who … ?
Am I the kind of person who … ?
How would you finish this sentence? The kind of person who … Runs marathons? Eats vegan? Listens to Beyonce? Drives a Prius? Meditates?
The activity that completes the sentence – run, eat, etc. – almost seems less important than the sense of membership that comes with it. Am I that kind of person?
Belly Breathe with Elmo
Suffering from PSSD? (post-semester stress disorder) Having trouble making the transition to summer? Check out this video. (Please don’t ask me how Elmo is able to fog the screen. It’s a Muppet Mystery.)
1 millimeter wider
From Stephen Batchelor‘s lecture on “The Second Noble Task: Letting Go of Reactivity” (Series: Being Completely Human, Part 5, Upaya Zen Center)
“The practice of awareness, or mindfulness, or zazen, whatever it is, is to somehow seek to always have a frame of mind that is at least one millimeter (1 mm) wider than our reactivity.”