Meditate: It's Also Legal and It Gets You So Calm

Hypno-Don suggests -- meditate twice a day, for 20 minutes at each session...

Relaxation Techniques: Infographics

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

In the Blogs: Five Quick and Easy Meditations That Anyone Can Do

By Dougall Fraser 

Don't have time to sit in the lotus position for 45 minutes? Don't throw your spiritual journey out the window just because you can't keep up with the Dalai Lama's dedication to mental stillness.

Our brains multitask all day. During meditation, we switch our intention by focusing on one particular act or ritual, in order to achieve a state of mental stillness. Here are five easy meditations to keep you connected in the midst of any chaotic schedule.

1. Walk away your worries:

If you struggle with the idea of sitting still, you may enjoy a walking meditation. Zen Buddhists' version of this is known as Kinhin, which involves taking a full breath in between every step. While that might seem like an incredibly long walk, the overall idea here is to use your body to become fully present in the moment.

To perform your walking meditation, go at a comfortable pace (preferably outside), and focus on the feeling of each foot as you take steps. Notice your heel touching the ground first, followed by the sole and finally your toes. As you walk, you might notice yourself getting distracted by outside thoughts. Simply bring your mind's attention back to your steps, and this will help center your meditation.

The beauty of this meditation is that it can be done anywhere, and is especially effective for a relaxing 15 minute work break.

2. Chant Yourself Calm:

Various religions and spiritual practices include chanting, which is the repetitive singing or humming of a melody. Gregorian monks use chanting to achieve a state of divine piousness, while Hindus reach enlightenment by chanting the word "Om" repeatedly.

You may not have access to a Gregorian church or Ashram, but this meditation can easily be performed wherever you are. The traditional way is to pick a calming word or sound, and repeat it over and over slowly ("peace" is a popular word to use).

A less traditional method is to pick any song that makes you feel really good, and then hum the melody or sing the words to yourself for a few minutes. Ideally this should be a slower, more relaxing song. While this may seem unusual, I have seen it work just as well as traditional chanting. You are simply focusing on the melody as a way to quiet your mind.

3. Drive yourself to Nirvana

You can meditate with your eyes open. If you are the kind of person who enjoys the feeling of being on the road, driving meditation can be a perfect environment to find stillness. Turn off your phone and radio, and allow your center to be the actual art of driving. Make it your intention to be completely focused on this relaxing joyride. As your mind is assigned the task of getting you from one place to another, the rest of your consciousness is granted a few moments of stillness.

4. Let coffee be your mantra:

You can easily incorporate your morning ritual with a sense of meditative spirituality. Our minds require something to focus on in order to become still. As you make yourself a cup of tea, coffee or even your morning smoothie, infuse this ritual with spirituality. Focus on the steps that you are taking to prepare your beverage, and keep mindful of the intention that this is "me" time you are enjoying. After it is prepared, select a comfortable space to sit and enjoy it. The length and duration of your meditation is reflected in finishing your cup.

5. Wash your aura

Bathing allows you to cleanse your physical body, and is a great time to bring your attention to your spiritual body. As the water splashes down on you, imagine that it is washing away all heaviness and dross from your spiritual body. Watch the soap and water disappear down the drain along with your cares and worries.

In the Blogs: The Skeptic's Guide To Meditation (Infographic)

From the Happify Website:

Lately, it seems that meditation has become as prominent in the workplace as weekly meetings -- and there couldn't be a greater reason for it.

Research suggests the practice can help boost focus, lower stress and make us more compassionate -- not to mention the calming ritual also has a myriad of physical health benefits. Yet, despite the overwhelming positives meditation has, people still have reservations about committing to it.

For the more apprehensive folks out there, Happify, a website dedicated to helping people build skills for happiness through science-based activities and games, put together an infographic to conquer that skepticism.

Read on to discover the most common myths and the basic science behind meditation. If this doesn't convince you to start, we don't know what will.

Reminder: Worrying

Meditation 101: The Neuroscience of Why Meditation Works

By 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 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. 

Meditation enables us to move from higher frequency brain waves to lower frequency, which activates different centers in the brain. Slower wavelengths equals more time between thoughts equals more opportunity to skillfully choose which thoughts you invest in and what actions you take. 

Five Categories of Brain Waves: Why Meditation Works 

1. Gamma State: (30 - 100Hz) This is the state of hyperactivity and active learning. Gamma state is the most opportune time to retain information. This is why educators often have audiences jumping up and down or dancing around -- to increase the likelihood of permanent assimilation of information. If over stimulated, it can lead to anxiety. 

2. Beta State: (13 - 30Hz) Where we function for most of the day, beta state is associated with the alert mind state of the prefrontal cortex. This is a state of the "working" or "thinking mind" -- analytical, planning, assessing and categorizing. 

3. Alpha State: (9 - 13Hz) Brain waves start to slow down out of thinking mind. We feel more calm, peaceful and grounded. We often find ourselves in an "alpha state" after a yoga class, a walk in the woods, a pleasurable sexual encounter or during any activity that helps relax the body and mind. We are lucid, reflective, have a slightly diffused awareness. The hemispheres of the brain are more balanced (neural integration). 

4. Theta State: (4 - 8Hz) We are able to begin meditation. This is the point where the verbal/thinking mind transitions to the meditative/visual mind. We begin to move from the planning mind to a deeper state of awareness (often felt as drowsy), with stronger intuition, more capacity for wholeness and complicated problem solving. The theta state is associated visualization. 

5. Delta State: (1-3 Hz) Tibetan monks that have been meditating for decades can reach this in an alert, wakened phase, but most of us reach this final state during deep, dreamless sleep. 

How to Meditate: A simple meditation to use to begin the transition from Beta or Alpha to the Theta State is to focus on the breath. The breath and mind work in tandem, so as breath begins to lengthen, brain waves begin to slow down. 

To begin the meditation, sit comfortably in your chair with your shoulders relaxed and spine tall. Place your hands mindfully on your lap, close your eyes and as much as possible eliminate any stimulus that may distract you. Watch your breath. Simply notice your breath flowing in. Flowing out. Don't try to change it in any way. Just notice. Silently repeat the mantra: "Breathing In. Breathing Out." 

As your mind begins to wander, draw it back to your breath. Notice that as your breath begins to lengthen and fill your body, your mind begins to calm. 

Consistency is key. Try to do this breath meditation first thing in the morning and/or at night. Be consistent with your meditation. Shorter meditations on a regular basis are more productive than long sessions every few weeks. Aim for five minutes a day and add one minute each week.

Meditation Apps To Calm Stress And Boost Mood

By Natasha Baker

TORONTO (Reuters) - In a bad mood but not sure why? New smartphone apps provide short guided meditations designed to help users return to a positive state of mind.

Stop, Breathe & Think, a free iPhone app, prompts people to check how they are feeling mentally, emotionally and physically and will recommend three guided meditations between five and 10 minutes long.

"We wanted to give people a friendly and accessible tool to develop these skills - something they could easily integrate into their daily routine," said Jamie Price, executive director of Tools for Peace, a California-based non-profit which developed the app.

It aims to help people feel more grounded, calmer and happier, he added, and to recognize emotions and impulses and to react positively.

"The recommended meditations are meant to be a support, to help you deal with whatever is going on from the perspective of kindness and compassion, and with a greater sense of being positively connected," Price said in an interview.

It includes 15 guided meditations based on Tibetan teachings. Users can track their progress including how long they have meditated and how settled they feel every day.

Canadian singer k.d. lang, who serves on the group's board, said she used the app as a reset button for stressful days.

"Our goal is that after using this app people learn how to become calm, and approach their everyday life from the perspective of kindness and compassion," she said.

A similar free app called Headspace, which is available for iPhone and Android, also teaches meditation and provides a free ten-day program that leads users through short guided meditations.

It also features specialized meditations to improve sleep or reduce stress or other problems, as well as paid programs. Users can track their progress day-by-day in a dashboard and set reminders to keep on top of their practices.

Studies have shown the positive benefits of meditation, including research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found that it may be helpful for reducing anxiety and depression.

A Meditative Moment with Li-Don

Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.
Then you can deal with whatever life brings you.
-- Lao-Tzu

From yee Wiki:

Laozi (Chinese: Lao Tzu; also romanized as Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Laosi, Laocius, and other variations, fl. 6th century BCE) was a philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching (often simply referred to as Laozi). His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as "Daoism"). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or "One of the Three Pure Ones."

According to Chinese traditions, Laozi lived in the 6th century BCE. Some historians contend that he actually lived in the 5th–4th century BCE, concurrent with the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period, while some others argue that Laozi is a synthesis of multiple historical figures or that he is a mythical figure.

A central figure in Chinese culture, both nobility and common people claim Laozi in their lineage. He was honored as an ancestor of the Tang imperial family, and was granted the title Táishāng xuānyuán huángdì, meaning "Supreme Mysterious and Primordial Emperor". Throughout history, Laozi's work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.

Laozi is an honorific title. Lao means "venerable" or "old", such as modern Mandarin laoshi, "teacher". Zi, Wade-Giles transliteration tzu, in this context is typically translated "master". Zi was used in ancient China as an honorific suffix, indicating "Master", or "Sir".

In popular biographies, Laozi's given name was Er, his surname was Li (forming Li Er, 李耳) and his courtesy name was Boiang. Dan is a posthumous name given to Laozi, and he is sometimes referred to as Li Dan.

Michael Neill Blog: The Fastest Way to a Quiet Mind

Take a few moments to try this simple experiment:

Close your eyes for a minute or so and just listen to whatever sounds are going on around you. Be "a rock with ears," hearing sounds the way a video camera would, without any preference for one sound over another or story about what the sounds mean or where they come from.
If you become aware of any internal chatter, just do your best to refocus on the sounds outside your head instead...

How was that? Does the world seem a bit different than it did a few moments ago? Do you feel more peaceful or relaxed?

One of the things that most people are striving for in one way or another is a quiet mind. Books, audios, and courses abound promising to teach techniques for achieving inner peace, reduced stress, less worry, and peace of mind. Yet, curiously, many of these programs seem to add to the number of shoulds, ought-tos, musts, and have-tos that fill our already-noisy brains.

The distinction I have found most useful in relation to all of these ideas came from the theosopher Syd Banks, who pointed out that there is a profound difference between the act of "meditating" and the state of "meditation."

Meditating is an activity that at its best guides people into a state of meditation -- the inner stillness I am referring to as "a quiet mind." However, if you've ever struggled to maintain a meditation practice (or as I've done, made yourself laugh at the irony of getting mad at the people who are "disturbing your meditation"), you probably know that it's all too easy to get caught up in the activity at the cost of the state.

My favorite illustration of this distinction came from a friend who was speaking at a major corporation about research that showed most people experienced their greatest moments of quiet insight in the shower. After the talk, which was extremely well-received, one of the heads of the company came up to them and asked: "How long should I get my people to shower each day?"

Chances are that some of the most profound experiences of stillness, inner quiet, and peace of mind you have experienced in your life occurred far away from the meditation pillow. Walking in nature, sipping a cappuccino, looking out over the ocean, and communing with a cat have all been known to induce a quiet mind, yet the simple secret behind all these activities is this:

The nature of your mind is quiet; the nature of your being is well.

So the fastest way to a quiet mind is not a particular practice, whether spiritual or secular; it is simply to realize the nature of mind itself.

Of course, if your mind is spinning away at a million miles an hour right now, trying to sort out the world, your life, and everyone in it, that's probably not so much a comforting insight as an annoying one.

"Oh, I see, all I have to do is realize the nature of mind? Why didn't anyone just say so? I could've saved myself years of practice, not to mention thousands of dollars on books, medication, and courses..."

But stick with me a few moments longer. If the nature of your mind is quiet, then there's nothing you need to do in order to "quiet" it. Just let it be, and it will return to quiet all by itself. That's different from trying to "stop thinking" or even "watching your thoughts." It's simply allowing enough space in your life (and in your head) for the "thought dust" to settle, and then resting in the peace that naturally arises into that space.

Can meditation, exercise, walks in nature, long showers, and communing with cats help? Sometimes. But if you notice that you're spending more time trying to do self-care than time feeling cared for in yourself, why not just take a few moments out right now to enjoy the experience of being alive?

Worst case, you'll feel a little bit better and enjoy yourself a little bit more; best case, you'll drop straight into the natural quiet of your mind and drink deeply from the well of your being.

Doctor Strange and the Ancient One . Art by Steve Ditko and George Roussos.

Trippy Trance/Meditation Video

396 Hz Frequency Liberating Guilt and Fear Youtube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm7ZL-PrYd8&feature=related

Start Practicing Loving Kindness Meditation Now

by Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com GuideFebruary 04, 2011

The loving kindness meditation is one of the most popular meditation techniques. The basic focus of the loving kindness meditation is to focus benevolent and loving energy toward oneself and toward others.
The benefits of the loving kindness meditation are clear: practitioners experience all the regular benefits of meditation, which are numerous and far-reaching, as well as the warm feelings of, well, loving kindness, which brings its own benefits. The following is a simple and effective loving kindness meditation technique to try.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: At Least 5 Minutes

Here's How:

1.Carve out some quiet time for yourself (even a few minutes will work) and sit comfortably. Close your eyes, relax your muscles, and take a few deep breaths. (See this article on deep breathing for more specific instructions on this.)

2.Imagine yourself experiencing perfect physical and emotional wellness, and inner peace. Imagine feeling perfect love for yourself, thanking yourself for all that you are, knowing that you are just right, just as you are.

3.Bask in that feeling for a few moments. If your attention drifts to something else, gently redirect it back to these feelings of loving kindness.

4.You can choose to either stay with this focus for the duration of your meditation, or begin to shift your focus to loved ones in your life. If you shift your focus: one by one, bring important people from your life into your awareness and envision them with perfect wellness and inner peace. Feel your gratitude and love for them. Stay with that feeling.

5.When your meditation is complete (which is whenever you decide), open your eyes and remember that you can revisit that wonderful feeling throughout the day. Memorize how the loving kindness meditation feels, and revisit this feeling with just a few deep breaths and a shift in focus throughout the day.

Tips:

1.First practice this meditation with yourself as the subject, and move on to those who are easy for you to envelop with loving kindness. Directing the loving kindness meditation toward difficult people in your life brings real benefits in forgiveness and letting go of rumination, but it may take more practice.

2.You may want to set a timer if you're concerned about spending too much time in meditation, especially at first.

3.This meditation can be practiced in many different ways. This is just a suggestion. You may come up with your own loving kindness meditation technique that works particularly well for you--simply be sure to focus your attention in a way that promotes feelings of loving kindness.

What You Need

•A comfortable place.

•A few minutes.

•A willing heart.

Candice Pert Ph.D.'s "Psychosomatic Wellness" CD: A Review

by Timothy Wilken, MD

I began using healing mediation to help my patients in the late 1970s. I created individual tapes for each patient, my scripts were based on a blend of breathing techniques, progressive muscular relaxation, autogenic training, guided imagery, and self-hypnosis. These tapes proved to be powerful tools for helping my patients heal both emotional and physical injuries.

In 2007, when I was personally challenged with a serious illness, I reached for them to help me heal myself. Since then I make it my practice to personally use healing meditation daily. While I have memorized many scripts, I am constantly searching for new healing meditations.
It was my great delight to discover Candace Pert’s Psychosomatic Wellness. She has wonderful meditations on this CD album. I try to listen to them daily. I keep them on my iPod so they are handy. There are five “songs” on the album.

The first “song” is Introduction, it explains the science behind her approach, you only need to listen to that once.

The second “song” is the healing meditation called Adaptation of Niels Bohr. I try to listen to this at least once a day. It is 25 minutes long.

The third one is also very good. It uses a series of powerful affirmations to program the subconscious with positive and healthy beliefs.  It is called Affirmations inspired by Belleruth Naperstek.  I listen to it whenever I have time. It's 16 minutes long.

The fourth “song” is a Musical Reprise. Very pleasant. It provides the perfect background for imagining your cells working to repair and heal your body. It is 7 minutes long.

The fifth and last “song” is a song. It is called Honor Who You Are. Very wise and very pleasant. It lasts 3 or 4 minutes.

I haven’t listened to any healing meditations that I like better than these. I have always known that meditating was good for me, but with practicing medicine 40 hours a week, and publishing three websites, I always had a bit of difficulty finding the time. Now, I actually look forward to listening to these. I awoke this morning at 5:30AM with need to start my day the right way. I listened to all four “songs” this morning, They were wonderful.

I am currently recommending the CD to all my patients. Take a listen, I promise that it will be good for you.

Wellbeing, Happiness and Hemispheres

It's long been understood that certain functions in the brain are lateralised to the left and right hemispheres (which constantly communicate with each other via a thick bridge of nerve fibres called the corpus callosum). They may look like anatomical mirror images of each other at a macro level, but they receive and process different sorts of incoming sensory information.

Neurologist Roger Sperry won a Nobel Prize for demonstrating that the right and left hemispheres play distinct but complimentary roles in adult brains. He looked at patients who had had a callosotomy — where the two hemispheres of the brain are separated by severing the corpus callosum. Their brain is effectively 'split' in two. This procedure, another type of hemispherectomy, is sometimes performed on/in people with severe epilepsy, to stop the transmission of seizures between the left and right halves.

The split brain patients sat directly in front of a screen onto which, in essence, pictures or words were flashed on either side so that they were only processed by one half of the patients' brain.

When a word was flashed on the left hand side, the patient couldn't say what they'd seen because their non-verbal right hemisphere was left to make sense of the word alone, without the help of its verbal left companion. However, if they were asked to pick up an object behind a screen in front of them with their left hand related to what was on the screen, they picked up the correct object. This indicated that their right brain had in fact "seen" the object and directed their left hand correctly - it just couldn't help them say what they'd seen.

Other areas where the different hemispheres play specific roles are still being uncovered, but recent studies suggest that the left brain may play a part in human happiness and the immune system.

A research team lead by Richard Davidson investigated the effects of meditation on the brain, collaborating with no less than the Dalai Llama along the way. In one study a group of people who had never meditated undertook a two month course in mindfulness meditation. They showed a significant increase in activation in the left pre-frontal regions of their brain, associated with a reduction in the amount of anxiety they reported. Their immune system was also more robust, as demonstrated by their response to a flu vaccine.

"Our evidence suggests that individuals who exhibit greater activation in certain regions of the left prefrontal cortex have a more positive dispositional mood, that is, they are happier people", says neuroscientist Richard Davidson, co-editor of The Asymmetrical Brain, who scans the brains of people to explore the neurological basis of emotions.

Another interesting study published recently in the Annals of Neurology offers further insight into this potential connection between immunity, wellbeing and our brain's hemispheres. A team at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C found that epilepsy patients who had surgery on the left side of their brain were more vulnerable to infection afterwards - they experienced "significant decreases in immune function". On the other hand, those who had surgery on their right hemisphere "saw the levels of their disease fighting cells significantly boosted". The researchers however caution that the results only apply to right-handed people, the outcome may be very different for left-handers.

Left Brain	Right Brain
Logic	Intuitive
Rational	Feeling
Reality based (outsight)	Perception based (insight)
Recalling the past	Imagining the future
Tends to understand things implicitly with concepts	Tends to understand things explicitly with examples
Think sequentially	Think randomly
Analytical	Creative, art, music
Implement	Create
Understand	Believe
Detail oriented by focusing on small parts	End result oriented by focusing on picture of end result
Willingness	Desire
Math and Science	Philosophical, Religion, Spirituality
Business	Love
Form necessities	Form possibilities
Words and languages	Symbol, images and visual
Safe	Risk taking
Plan first before do	Direct doing it to get experience
Speak quickly	Speak slowly