more basics

Everyone can learn to meditate. It’s as natural to meditate as it is to eat, breathe and sleep. With our world seemingly spinning out of control, we often feel the stress of it in our daily lives. When we meditate, the momentum of that stress tends to subside. We feel more tenable and attainable, happier and relaxed. In our lives and in our world we are enabled to tap into our natural well-being. Science is discovering why this is so.

In 2011, an eight week study was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the effects of meditation on the brain. They applied the MBSR program (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D) to an experimental group and measured the structural elements within the brain before and after the eight-week course. The findings revealed the profound physical, mental, social and emotional impact of meditation. They observed:

  • Thicker cerebral cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integration
  • Increased grey matter in the hippocampus, associated with learning and memory
  • Decreased grey matter density in the amygdala, which links to anxiety, fear and stress
  • Decreased grey matter in the insula, related to self-awareness

A few minutes of silent meditation changes everything. Benefits Include:

  • Social/EmotionalImproves relationships, emotional intelligence, emotional regulation, Increases sense of connectedness, empathy and Reduces stress and risk of depression
  • PhysicalIncreases energy level, Improves sleep, Supports weight loss goals, Lowers blood pressure, Relieves IBS symptoms, Prevents stress induced ailments, Wards off dis-ease, Slows the progress of HIV
  • Mental Improves memory and test scores, cognition and vital functions, concentration and attention, Increases productivity, Protects against mental illness (i.e. Alzheimers), Strengthens areas most susceptible to cognitive decline

It takes only two months of meditation to experience measurable changes in the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. It takes just a few minutes a day to meditate and you will notice the difference right away – you will notice that brilliant, alive and openness of mindfulness. Meditation is a simple solution to improving anyone’s quality of living. It’s only natural.

the basics

What is Meditation?

Meditation is not so much a ‘what’ but more so a ‘why’. Meditation can be defined in many terms – ancient, futuristic, mystical, religious, practical, or as I like to teach it, common-sensical. Meditation is as essential to a healthy life as eating, sleeping, and most importantly, Breathing. I teach the simplicity of focusing on the Breath. When we do so, we allow for not only the nutritive effects of oxygen to take hold of the cells of our bodies, we also cultivate a personal channel of Positive Energy, the effects of which are limitless. Meditation reduces stress and lowers blood pressure, enhances brain cognition, improves emotional health, relieves and helps to prevent a plethora of modern day maladies and concerns. No longer a ‘whoo whoo’ idea, modern science is proving the actual brain changes (neuroplasticity) that occur in people who meditate. It’s all good.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is becoming a new buzzword in our Americanized culture. In my experience, Mindfulness is a byproduct of Meditation. Mindfulness manifests in subtle ways and can be tough to describe but you know it when you feel it. You can’t fake Mindfulness and you cannot affirm it, command or teach it. You can only allow it, experience it and Be it. Mindfulness provides greater clarity. As mindfulness shows up, we begin to notice more, perhaps enhanced colors of nature, the pureness of the water in your glass, what might seem like out of the blue appreciation for a loved one or the catching yourself in an automatic verbal response. One who suffers from PTSD and lashes out unexpectedly, for instance, may find relief in developing Mindfulness. It can provide a type of coping mechanism, a pause or pattern-interrupt between the action/reaction of the moment. Mindfulness is often referred to as present moment awareness or being in the now. Mindfulness helps people get a handle on life in positive, healthy and loving ways. It’s only natural.

mindful election

NOW more than ever, we are wanting to be mindful. We are wanting to be in our right minds and feeling good about our decisions. When we elect to meditate we integrate our mind and heart. We become mindful. The most direct and integral path to our natural and (if you’re so inclined) God given mindfulness is through the practice of meditation.
The election to silently meditate… simply sitting comfortably and gently breathing… just sitting there doing nothing… just breathingFive skinny little minutes… every day… every day… every day…
Adding a few minutes more… every day… every day… every day… THAT is what cultivates mindfulness.
Meditation is not about how long you sit still and breathein one day. It’s all about taking those skinny little minutes  (gently building to the ideal 15-20/day)   to just sit… and breatheevery day… every day… every day….
The Universe does not care what you say. The Universe responds to what you mean.  What you mean is about how you feel. Your Power is in HOW you feel Right NOW.
It is our natural inclination to feel happy. In electing to meditate, mindfulness comes to us very naturally. It feels like happiness. We feel the excitement of subtle noticing. We notice, both on a visceral and intellectual level. We’re mindful of where we’re at on the (ever variable) feeling scale. We notice HOW we feel. We have more control. We are enabled. And, we make better decisions.
HOW you feel matters more than anything else – in this very NOW NOW NOW. Ask yourself, ‘what do I want?’ and ‘why do I want it?’
“Whether it is a castle or a button, if you are using it as your object of attention, it is summoning Life Force.  It is the feel of the Life Force that life is about. The reason that you are summoning it is inconsequential.”
The law of attraction is like the law of gravity. It is always working. The USA is GREAT, NOW. It always has been GREAT and always will be GREAT. Elect to be mindful this election season. Make the decision to meditate… every day… every day… every day... It’s only natural.

 

core intellect

The Closet Academic

025I’m taking a 100 hour meditation teacher training which will ‘qualify’ me to share a type of meditation that everyone can utilize. I love it. Oddly, I’ve always been qualified but over the years I had allowed the opinions of others to jade my self- confidence.

We are such people pleasers, we humans, that most of us have trained ourselves right out of our own innate and natural well-being. We’ve allowed the intellect to take over our lives forgetting that we are an energy field at our core walking around in these garages we call a body.

When we meditate we are cultivating that core. It is a distraction for the intellect, which says ‘yes’ to everything we feed it. In meditation we tune in to our inner world where inspiration, simplicity and goodness reside. Meditation leads to mindfulness. Cultivating mindfulness through meditation is a powerful tool for daily living…

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Dyer visit

Going a little askew today – I have to share a dream…

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Dr. Wayne Dyer & Patricia A. Lentz Omega Institue for Holistic Studies – October 2000

Wayne came by to take me for a ride on his modified trike. We were going out to buy hair color – FOR HIM!

Keep on meditating folks. Just 15 minutes every day, sit and BREATHE – for the SOUL purpose of FILLING your BODY with AIR. Let the mindfulness take you to places of humor and fun! It’s only natural.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the science

Welcome back! Taking a long and sporadic hiatus during the summer months much is knocking at the mind’s door anxiously awaiting to be expressed. We’ll start this new academic season with science. More and more documentation exists proving out the benefits that a gentle, silent meditation practice can offer. My associate, Andy Kelly, theBostonBuddha.com, is among the first guinea pigs for this type of research. Having all kinds of electrodes attached wired monk to his head while he meditated, science now can definitively declare that meditation is good for us; and not only that, meditation leads to mindfulness and mindfulness is what makes the world go ‘round in very pleasing and positive ways!

theiapolis.com (2)We’ve come a long way since relying on our philosophers and holy types for this valuable information. I find it odd that often, people need published, peer reviewed results before they will take the time to breathe for a few minutes every day. Well, to all you nay-sayers out there – go for it! The science is real. #Meditation & #Mindfulness – It’s only natural.

tennis ball

The Closet Academic

A few people may recall the mishap I experienced several years ago. One of my favorite results is the ongoing regeneration of my body. Watching its innate ability to heal is quite a magnificent process to notice. In this 4th New England winter since, I’m excited to be able to go about my day without the need for a turtleneck or scarf. The muscles in my face rarely cramp up in the cold anymore to the point where I almost forget it ever did. Each day and each year introduces ever increasing improvement.
More than six months has passed since I’ve taken up writing as a primary focus. I find it comes to me quite naturally. One thing about writing though is that once I’m sitting and settled and pecking away at the keys my butt gets stiff and sore, particularly my left hip. I also find that if…

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PRO-gress/CON-gress

Oh my Gahd! These politicin’ daze – they are a’happinen’!!!

Thankfully, I meditate. It keeps me off the deep end.

A quick aside, as I RE-gress, before I carry on about the benefits of meditation. I love Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants. In this realm I am particularly partial to loving my home, the beautiful United States of America. Earlier, I posted ‘mindfulness ‘ist’ revised‘. It l-ist-ed several types of ‘ist‘s. There are a few ‘ist‘ words our culture is seeing more and more of, though.  Maybe if we knew their true definition we would be seeing these types of ‘ist‘s less and less. I am a relatively educated woman. I CON-fess as I DI-gress and RE-dress, even I needed to use the dictionary. So, here you go:

misoguynist – (a person) who dislikes, despises or is strongly prejudiced against women.

racist – (a person) having or showing the belief that a particular race is superior to another.

xenophobe (ist?) – (a person) with intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.

xylophonist – (a person) musician of the xylophone; a percussion instrument consisting of a series of wooden bars graduated in length to produce the musical scale, supported on belts of felt, and sounded by striking with two small wooden mallets.

Meditation is fun. We are: Quieting and OPENING – mind and BREATH – Breathing and Allowing – daily and consistently – Infusion of Energy – In and Out – back and forth – one bean at a time – inhale and exhale . . . . 

Gentle and Easy may you be. Have your coffee – Drink your tea – comfy and quiet – cultivating glee! Mindfulness, baby – and it’s FREE!! It’s only natural.

 

 

mindfulness ‘ist’ revised

There is a shift occurring in the mass consciousness, in this very moment, as we breathe… We are acknowledging our Natural states of Being. Athe ist, Chr ist ian, Buddh ist, Tao ist, Agno sti c, Hindu ist, Islam ist, Dude ist, Modern ist, Active ist, Art ist, we need not be any type of ist on the l-ist to recognize and be mindful of our Energetic or Organic Essence. No matter how you slice it, we each have our own twang and basically harmonize in different languages. We are indeed ALL ONE. Science is clear as mud on that.

Mindfulness through Meditation flies directly to the good stuff. Living in Mindfulness allows for the choosing, moment by moment, how free flowing are our lives, right now. Observing and processing from above the fray… playing in the Gap – in Pure Potentiality – the Field of Limitless Possibility – the Vortex – the Quantum Field – Heaven on Earth – the Playground – Consciousness – Christ Consciousness -subconsciousness – unconsciousness – SourceEnergy – Zen – the Zone – the ZenZone – BREATHING – warmth/LOVE  – BREATHING IN-BREATHING OUT – Breathe IN hold Breathe OUT hold – feeling gentle air – through the nose – air in-hold – air out -hold – Appreciating the BREATH… the Breath…. the breath….. the breath. . . . . .

Meditate and m-ist mindfulness into your ‘ist’. It’s only natural.

 

t-RUMP syndrome

What American in their correct mindfulness mind would want to read about meditation when our culture is seemingly gripped by this relatively new dis-ease known as the ‘t-RUMP syndrome’? It’s good to remember the role that meditation plays within the law of attraction. The law of attraction is like the law of gravity in that it is always in play. We rarely wake in the morning and tell ourselves ‘I think I’ll practice the law of gravity today.’ We innately know we live on a planet where the law of gravity just is. Scientists and others may use this law to expand our technologies and enhance our collective intellect. Similarly, the law of attraction is constantly drawing to us what we are thinking and feeling, both individually and as a global entity. The fact that it is, at this moment, wholly unrecognized is a major factor in understanding the disorder.

You just cannot fool Mother Nature and the law of attraction. Affirmations, motivational statements and wishes are one thing but chanting them with an underlying feeling of fear and disbelief negates the whole idea. It’s our feeling, our elemental intention that makes the difference. There is no doubt that we get what we think about, or more aptly stated, we get what we feel about. Now, what controls our feelings? We do, each and every thinking individual contributing to the whole. I liken it to a jigsaw puzzle. Every single piece that is moved changes the whole picture.

It is said that we humans have about 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. Imagine the power of these thoughts as they emit their vibration. They are like magnets, pulling together, attracting like vibrations, coalescing, picking up momentum and expanding exponentially into the manifest. Living in the physical, we and all we know, are the projection, the product of the vibration of which we most dominantly energize. Thing is, in general, we are so numbed out and drug addicted that we lack the awareness of how we are thinking and feeling. This is where meditation comes in handy.

When we meditate we cultivate mindfulness. When we are mindful we start thinking for ourselves. We begin to notice how we feel. Watching the news and gratuitous violence as entertainment no longer serves us in a good feeling way. We understand that there is never a happy ending to an unhappy journey.

Meditation opens the channel for well-being to thrive. In mindfulness, we start utilizing our basic human right of the pursuit of happiness. You and only you can control how you feel. And, when you do that you are changing the whole picture.

We are currently under the illusion that a menacing syndrome is appearing as a global threat. Remember, the law of attraction says ‘yes’ to everything. With each poll and newscast and article, either for or against, brings expansion to the subject. Our very attention to it is where this syndrome gains its strength. If you don’t like or are unhappy with it simply GET OFF THE SUBJECT. Feel the relief as you consciously change your focus of thought to a BETTER FEELING object of attention and let the law of attraction take care of the rest.

We cannot assert. We can only attract. We are constantly moving forward and our point of attraction is RIGHT NOW, in THIS MOMENT. Meditation clears the channel and cultivates our awareness. It enables our joyful response-ability. We have the ability to heal all kinds of syndromes with the awareness of how we are feeling. The noticing may be subtle at first. Rest assured your feeling awareness will continue to gain momentum and grow.

This morning, my tea tag quoted Isaac Newton saying, “We build too many walls, and not enough bridges.” NOW is the time to get a grip. Take a few minutes every morning to simply sit comfortably and notice your breathing. Set the timer for 5, 10, or 20 minutes and silently meditate. Allow the Energy that beats your heart to infuse your body as you breathe, breathe, breathe, in and out, in and out, in and out. Then afterward, go about your day. You need not change another thing. We do have the ability to change the world in pleasing ways. Meditate and watch it happen. It’s only natural.