Tag: Meditation

Harvard Unveils MRI Study Proving Meditation Literally Rebuilds The Brain’s Gray Matter In 8 Weeks

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Original article here
Original article here

Test subjects taking part in an 8-week program of mindfulness meditation showed results that astonished even the most experienced neuroscientists at Harvard University.  The study was led by a Harvard-affiliated team of researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the team’s MRI scans documented for the very first time in medical history how meditation produced massive changes inside the brain’s gray matter.  “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,” says study senior author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology. “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

Sue McGreevey of MGH writes: “Previous studies from Lazar’s group and others found structural differences between the brains of experienced meditation practitioners and individuals with no history of meditation, observing thickening of the cerebral cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integration. But those investigations could not document that those differences were actually produced by meditation.”  Until now, that is.  The participants spent an average of 27 minutes per day practicing mindfulness exercises, and this is all it took to stimulate a major increase in gray matter density in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.  McGreevey adds: “Participant-reported reductions in stress also were correlated with decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress. None of these changes were seen in the control group, indicating that they had not resulted merely from the passage of time.”

“It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life,” says Britta Hölzel, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany.

You can read more about the remarkable study by visiting Harvard.edu.  If this is up your alley then you need to read this: “Listen As Sam Harris Explains How To Tame Your Mind (No Religion Required)”

FINDING THE FLOW …

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life_water
When you are living in your sweet spot you feel … calm and energetic, accomplished and joyful. As more and more things continue to drain and distract our attention, it is imperative that we uncover ways to gain back our focus. Try creating an environment that is relaxed, comfortable and productive, versus a mental state that is filled with anxiety and stress.
 
Next time you have an important task to tackle, be sure to make an effort to see if you can achieve a deep focus by getting into your ‘sweet spot.’

The Law of God Action: Creating From The Highest Level

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white_lions

There is a law in conscious creation of reality that is even higher than the Law of Attraction. It is the Law of God Action. It is The Secret Above The Secret. When you operate with the Law of God Action, you are operating at the highest level of all things, which is the level of spirit. It is the highest level governs that all other levels. When you work with the Law of God Action, you’re not trying to create anything but you are simply allowing the universe to create through you. You are co-creating with God himself.

The Law of God Action states that God is the one who is acting through you. Therefore there is nothing for you to do, but simply for you to allow God to do everything though you. It doesn’t mean you do not take any action, but it means you do not take action that you are not naturally guided from within to do. When you try to do things that you’re not inspired to do, you are forcing action. The way of God Action is to do non-doing action. It is to allow yourself to do what is seeking expression through you.

Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course. You can not master the world by changing the natural way. The Law of God action is to go with the flow in every moment. When you follow your heart in every moment, you are connecting to the essence of who you really are, which is the power and the presence of God. The best action to do is non-doing action, which is doing things the natural way. You are doing God’s work. The Law of God Action is creating from the highest level.

Paradigm Shift — Create The Space For Faster Integration of 5D Consciousness

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Energy_Chi_Ball

However we have come together, thank you for being here just as you are. Perhaps you’re feeling excited and peaceful in knowing you are in the good company of so many other soul family members who see, feel, and experience the same things you do (the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual “symptoms” of awakening). Or, maybe through these heart-centered teachings, you have a familiar feeling of being “home,” or a deep recognition that has awoken something that was once slumbering in you. However you are moving through these times, we share excitement with you for the flowering of consciousness that is taking place like no other time in human history.

As we encounter the various people, places, and things in our day-to-day reality:

May what moves us energetically-sensitive ones emotionally, serve to further awaken consciousness in action so we can contribute to the peaceful, loving planet we wish to live on.

May the appearance of opposing forces, and “light and dark” duality serve to only unify humanity and wake us up to new paradigm of heart-centered consciousness for the well-being of all.

May we love our own hearts and our own innocence deeper and more intimately than ever before, in this breath, and the next.

Integrating into the 5th dimension is where all the shifts, clearings, and inner work you’ve been doing over the past many years (and lifetimes) can synthesize higher frequencies of light into your cells, which brings to life a greater spiritual reality on an emotional and physical level. While so many of you have been frustrated by the amount of personal growth you’ve done, and wonder why it doesn’t seem to make a difference in your reactions and responses to the world around you, it is because the true freedom and relief you seek occurs throughout the integration process.

When integration occurs, you will transition from being exhausted by life, to then be inspired and energized by your new reality of heart-centered consciousness. During this stage of integration, a wellspring of passion and intuitive direction divinely guides you forward into the opportunities, environments, and relationships of a new spiritual paradigm. As you integrate, the physical body is able to maintain your expanded vibration to uplift others, instead of feeling pulled down by the unresolved energies of those around you.

Integration also moves you beyond many self-defeating and compulsive patterns you may have been surprised to revisit over the past few years, ushering in a renewed sense of health, harmony, balance, fulfillment, and vitality throughout your life. As you integrate, your point of attraction begins shifting in your favor to reveal the resources, synchronicities and abundance that you no longer have to work so hard to discover.

Spirituality ~ How Long to Meditate & How Often to Meditate?

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“How long to meditate?” and “How often to meditate?” are two of the most commonly asked questions about meditation.

Perhaps you’ve heard stories of Eastern mystics who meditate ceaselessly for weeks on end. Perhaps you have a friend who meditates for an hour every day. Or maybe you came across some sort of “instant meditation” program than promised you results at the touch of a button.

So what is the truth? Will it take minutes, hours or days for you to experience the benefits of meditation? Sometimes it is not so easy to find time to meditate, so will you be able to fit meditation into your schedule? When will you be ready for a longer meditation?

Let’s get right into the answers!

How-Long-To-Meditate
Read the entire article here.

Paradigm Shift ~ Harvard Study Reveals What Meditation Literally Does To Gastrointestinal (Bowel) Disorders

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Read the entire article here.
Read the entire article here.

The hits just keep on coming when it comes to the health benefits of meditation. Research is now emerging that would justify implementing this practice within hospitals and schools (some already do) as well as including it in treatment recommendations for various diseases.

Not long ago, an eight week study conducted by Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) determined that meditation literally rebuilds the brains grey matter in just eight weeks. It was the very first study to document that meditation produces changes over time in the brain’s grey matter. Now, they’ve released another study showing that meditation can have a significant impact on clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  The study showed that elicitation of the relaxation response (a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress) is a very big help.

The study comes out of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). This is the very first study where the use of the “relaxation response” was examined in these disorders, and the first to investigate the genomic effects of the relaxation response in individuals with any disorder. The report was published in the journal PLOS-ONE. (source)

Given the two studies cited above, and all of the other documented health benefits of meditation, this should open the door for more studies to examine the benefits of meditation for a wide range of diseases.

“Our results suggest exciting possibilities for further developing and implementing this treatment in a wider group of patients with gastrointestinal illness. Several studies have found that stress management techniques and other psychological interventions can help patients with IBS, at least in the short term; and while the evidence for IBD is less apparent, some studies have suggested potential benefits. What is novel about our study is demonstration of the impact of a mind/body intervention on the genes controlling inflammatory factors that are known to play a major role in IBD and possibly in IBS.” – Brandon Kuo of the gastrointestinal unit in the MGH Department of Medicine, co-lead author of the report. (source)

 

(Click on the image, above, to read the entire article.)

 

Keeping Your Eye On The Gold Means Committing To A Goal

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goals

There are many tips and tricks out there on how to best set and manage your goals and at times it can all seem a bit…overwhelming.

The most important tip anyone can ever give you on goal-setting is this:To just set a goal.

Before you set your goal, it is just a dream, an idea…something vague in the back of your mind. Once you state it clearly and write it down, your play is set in motion.

Setting your goal is the first step toward success and thus the most important one.

After that, the Universe will align and conspire to assist you. Doors will open, opportunities will arise and things will start to fall into place.

Before you know it momentum will be carrying you forward.

Of course, after you get started you can refine your goal, strategize how you will keep moving down the field and fine tune how you handle the challenges you’ll encounter along the way.

But you don’t need to know all these things to call the first play… just call it and get started.

As the old saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

Have A Magnificent Monday!

What Type of Meditation Is Best For You?

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What type of meditation is best for you?

Several studies underway now to review different types of meditation and analyze the effects of these on heart rate and heart rate variability signals.  We found one in Germany recently, where they review the degree of mental effort when using a breathing meditation, a loving-kindness meditation and a thought-observing meditation are very different, and this is reflected in your cardiovascular system as well.

The results so far are showing that during a loving-kindness meditation and the thought-observing meditation reflected a higher level of cognitive and physical arousal when contemplating thoughts such as compassion, empathy and forgiveness. Which means what even though we are meditating and definitely taking a relaxed stance, our minds and emotions are still reacting to these concepts.

A loving-kindness meditation is essentially about cultivating love, and comes from the Buddhist tradition, it is also known as metta in the Pali language. Another study is also underway reviewing the impact of loving-kindness meditation on back pain. Those results are still pending, but what is important is that we should keep in mind the type of meditation practice we use and tailor that around our specific needs at any one time.

11 Signs You Need A Spiritual Detox & How To Make It Happen, by Rebecca Butler

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MGB  |  I recently had a night where I just couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t blame it on the baby, though I was tempted to. I was up. Grinding my jaw. Worrying. Sleep would come mercifully here and there, but it was never deep and truly restful. I know what this means, I thought to myself. It’s time for a spiritual detox.

Just like the body, the soul needs occasional, mindful cleansing. We’re barraged by media of all kinds, and it’s all too easy to consume spiritual junk food.

Are you aware of when you might need a spiritual detox? In other words, are you aware of when you’re feeding your spirit too much junk for the soul to feel good?

Just in case you aren’t following, here are some spiritual junk food items that you can become addicted to:

  • Endless Facebooking
  • Constant patrolling of TMZ’s Twitter feed
  • Compulsive digging into the latest from Perez Hilton
  • Grand Theft Auto 5
  • Binge-watching Netflix

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with these “junk food” items in moderation, but it’s possible to go overboard. The result can be toxic to your soul.

Here are some signs you might need a spiritual detox:

  1. You find yourself scrolling through your newsfeed seeking negativity. Misery loves company.
  2. You open your mouth and spew sarcasm unintentionally. You try to be more mindful when you speak, but you can’t seem to help yourself.
  3. Your friends don’t want to be around you.
  4. Your heart hurts. Or worse, it doesn’t. You are numb.
  5. You find pleasure in other people’s misfortunes. (Again, misery loves company.)
  6. Happy people piss you off. You don’t even want to hear the word “joy.”
  7. You don’t sleep well. You’re having bad dreams and catch yourself grinding your jaw. A lot.
  8. You keep finding yourself in circumstances where you feel like the victim.
  9. You shy away from prayer, meditation, anything inspirational.
  10. You are bored — all the time.
  11. You can’t even remember the last time you took a walk, watched the sunset or sunrise, walked barefoot in the grass, or felt the summer breeze on your face.

Here are a few ways to engage in a spiritual detox. Remember, please do so with compassion. Above all else, be kind to yourself. We are all doing the best we can, and everyone wants to be happy and free from suffering.

1. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh and genuinely make you happy.

Laughter is good for your soul. Seek the company of those who make you feel light and buoyant. Don’t question why you enjoy someone. Just enjoy them.

2. Uplift others.

When you feel downtrodden, it can be helpful to find the things you enjoy about others and to offer that feedback liberally. It’s important to remember that the things we see in others are also reflections of ourselves. Find a way to connect with and uplift someone. Attend a yoga class, read a blog, take a spin class — reach out to your favorite wellness warrior and uplift them. You’ll feel better almost instantly.

3. Try shifting your addiction to kindness.

Kindness is a drug. When you extend, witness or receive an act of kindness, your body releases serotonin, an endorphin. As cliché as it may be, practice a random act of kindness. You’ll feel delicious in doing so.

4. Make time and space to develop a meditation practice.

Meditation soothes the soul. There are incredible sites and courses to lead you through meditations if you don’t already have a meditation practice. Turning inward is a beautiful way to clear away the muck of spiritual junk food. Listening to your internal wisdom is a quick path to shedding that which does not serve you.

5. Get in touch will all of your senses.

Go outside. Enjoy the summer weather. Move, sweat, breathe. This will bring you into a visceral experience of the magic of this life. And it is so worth it.

6. Seek something sacred.

Turn to joy. At our essence, our foundation, we are spiritual beings who share a human experience. Sometimes the heaviness of our human experience can weigh us down. It’s important to remember that you are more than this physical body. You are expansive consciousness incarnate. As such, you can find and experience joy even within difficult circumstances. You mindfully start training yourself to start looking for the gift in the moment. Like anything worth practicing, it can be difficult at first. Over time, it becomes simple and easy.