Taking the Mystery out of Meditation

For many people, the word “meditation” conjures up images of monks in a monastery, draped in long, flowing garments as they sit around in silence seeking that oh-so-elusive state of enlightenment. But, really, that’s not what it is at all.

It might surprise you to learn that you can practice meditation anywhere and at any time. In fact, if you weren’t busy reading this article, you could do it right now. All it takes is a few minutes of your time and the ability to focus on something. So why do so many people struggle with the concept?

You probably know that meditation began thousands of years ago as a spiritual practice. But we’re in the 21^st century now, things have moved on a lot since then, and it’s time to get rid of the myths and old wives’ tales surrounding meditation and muddying the waters once and for all.

Myth No. 1: You need to clear your mind

If you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know this is literally impossible. The idea is not to empty your mind, but to slow it down so you can regain a bit of perspective.

Myth No. 2: You need to sit still for hours on end

Who’s got that kind of time? It’s better to meditate for 5 or 10 minutes every day than not at all. Just sit somewhere and focus on your breathing. Simple, right?

Myth No. 3: You need training to do it right

Basic meditation is achievable by anyone. You can do it as you walk to the bus or tube station, or when you’re soaking in the tub. Find something to focus on like your breathing or your footsteps. Your mind will wander, but just bring it back to what you were focusing on and… voila! That’s meditation.

Myth No. 4: You need to be a bit of a geek

Geeks can meditate if they want to, but so can everyone else. You don’t have to learn Sanskrit to do it – just sit somewhere and breathe. You’ll be joining a group of more than 30 million Americans, including NFL players and US Marines. They can’t all be geeks, can they?

Myth No. 5: It’s too difficult!

No, it’s not difficult at all. The only difficult part is getting started, finding the opportunity to meditate that first time. And speaking of time…

Myth No. 6: It takes too long

How long do you spend checking messages on your phone? Reading updates on Facebook? Watching TV? Sending Tweets? You’ve got plenty of time to spare – so take 5 or 10 minutes to do something that will seriously benefit your physical and mental health.

The secret is to fit meditation into your lifestyle. Spend a few minutes in the garden breathing in the aromas around you. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds in your neighborhood. Take 2 minutes before you get out of bed in the morning to think about the people you love. They’re all examples of simple, practical methods of meditation, and you don’t have to be a monk to achieve any of them.

Download your free meditation MP3s at : http://zen12.com/homepage/a/lwpap

Science Explains How Staying Near Water Can Change Our Brains

Have you ever felt at peace when you’re walking by the ocean? A sense of rejuvenation when you stand by a waterfall? How about taking in the view of a breathtaking lake from your window? We can often report feeling a sense of calm when we’re around water and scientists say, this is having a positive effect on our brains.

So what exactly is happening to our brains when we surround ourselves with water? Well, the calming effect is down to a vacation for our brains from over-stimulation. Looking at water and listening to its sound puts our overloaded minds into a relaxed and hypnotic-like state with the benefit of this being a different way that our brain processes thoughts, leading to more calm and creative states and an increase our well-being.

Often referred to as blue space, the impact of the sea, rivers, lakes on our happiness and well-being is being researched much more by neuro-scientists and psychologists. Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist, has discussed and published the different ways bodies of water really can positively affect us and many psychologists have researched how just having blue space in front of you can boost your mental health.

Water Induces Meditative States

When we hear the crashing of waves by the ocean, it can actually put us into a mindful, mediative state. The sound of waves has been found to alter the brain’s wave patterns and invoking a meditative, relaxed state. Even simply observing the movement of water causes our minds to calm. This has numerous benefits for contributing to lowering depression, lowering stress levels, anxiety, and promotes better mental clarity and sleep patterns.

Water Invokes Inspiration and Creativity

When we’re near water, our brains switch off from busy mode to relaxed mode. This naturally leads our brains to open up because it’s not focused on the millions of thoughts swirling around that can often lead to stress or anxiety. When your brain is in this relaxed state, it is open more to inspired and creative thoughts. In essence, we are switching our brains off or giving it a rest from the norm causing a better mental environment for insight and introspection.

Water Gives Us A Sense of Awe

Awe is an important factor in the recently popular science of positive psychology. The emotion of awe contributes greatly to our happiness because it not only allows us to be in the present moment but it causes us to think about our place in the world around us invoking a feeling of being humble, feelings of a connection to something beyond ourselves and the pure vastness of nature.

Water Increases The Benefits of Exercise

Exercising is obviously a good way to improve our mental well-being, however going for a run or walk by the ocean will increase these benefits ten fold. Going for a swim in a lake or cycling along a river trail will give you more of a mental boost than working out in a crowded city or gym environment. The idea is that being surrounded by blue space triggers a more positive benefit to exercising, with the intake of negative ions into our systems increasing.

Water Is A Rich Source of Negative Ions

The effects of positive and negative ions on our well-being have been considered a natural influence on how we feel. Positive ions are emitted by electrical appliances such as computers, microwaves and hairdryers that drains us of our natural energy whereas negative ions are generated by waterfalls, oceans waves, and thunderstorms. The rich amount of negative ions in the atmosphere accelerate our ability to absorb oxygen, balance levels of seratonin (the chemical linked to mood and stress), and contributes towards rejuvenating the mind and improving alertness and concentration.

Taking A Natural Dip

Not only does being near water increase your sense of well-being, but being submerged in a natural source of water such as the sea or a lake invigorates your body greatly. The differing temperatures add benefits from both sides – the natural, cold chill can provide a soothing treatment for your nerves and refresh the body both mentally and physically while warmer waters during the summer can help relax muscles and tensions.

So, if you’re looking to clear your head then search for some blue space – whether you’re lucky enough to visit the ocean or just sitting near your local fountain, water has a powerful influence on the brain and can help change your mental clarity, capacity, happiness, and well-being.

BY JENNY MARCHAL

http://www.lifehack.org/424336/science-explains-how-staying-near-water-can-change-our-brains

3 Toxic Identities That Could Be Holding You Back

It is not multiple personality disorder what I am talking about here. It is the different roles we have created in our minds from a long time ago.

They come in and play when you have no other way to deal with a situation. Most of them were created as we were growing up.

They have been created to “protect” us. Their intention is to help.

The problem is that once you are an adult, this “help” becomes destructive instead of constructive. And because they were created for a reason in the past, they have been there for a long time.

They become part of your personality, but they are not YOU, and that is the main problem.

For you to be the authentic you, you must heal and let go of these different parts that play out every day in your life without you even knowing.

Each person will have specific parts that were created depending on their personal experience. It is a fascinating discovery for those in the road of self-knowledge and self-development.

What happens when we find out about the characters we play?

In therapy, the main idea and intention is to integrate these parts, by first of all understanding them and educating them into what it is that we want to be and who we are today. Letting them understand that we want to approach life and situations in a healthier and better way. 

We want to be constructive instead of destructive.

This is done with patience and understanding. No parts can be sent away or destroyed. They are part of your creation and you now need to transform them into a positive support.

You can identify the parts by using hypnotherapy or by being self-aware most of the time. By being conscious enough to catch your behavior patterns and the way you “always react” to specific situations in your daily life; you can choose the behavior instead of reacting automatically.

This is done with work; self-knowledge and consciousness takes work and consistency. However, it won’t be so hard if you bring acceptance and love to the process.

Although the number of parts and what kind of parts you have created are different for each individual, there are three main characters that are common in all minds.  By having these examples, you can get a better idea and identify the parts in yourself.

1. The Judge

It also may be called the critic or the parent figure.

This part is the one criticizing what you do or don’t do, how you do it, what you say, how you say it.  It is the one telling you how you “should” be.

It is rigid, serious and most of the times, nothing is good enough for it.

The Judge is generally created from authority figures we had growing up; such as: parents, priests, police, doctors etc.

All you have to do is to pay attention to how you talk to yourself and how you “punish” yourself in many different ways. Observe it and stop identifying yourself with it.

Realize how “helpful” is it really being? How is it helping you to be and feel better or happier?

2. The Child

This is the emotional self. It’s usually formed by emotions that we didn’t process as children, and this part stays “stuck” somewhere feeling sad, lonely, rejected or abandoned. 

On the other hand, the child may be attached to a time of playing and not having responsibilities; all it wants to do is to play. It resists growing up or being responsible for itself.

When this part is well taken care of and healed, your whole life and emotional intelligence grows and improves.

3. The Victim

The Victim feels sorry for itself, helpless and powerless, has no power to choose for itself.

This character is the one that feels as if the world and everyone around owes them something. It feels as if it depends on what happens “out there,” and blames its situation or state of being on others.

As you pay attention to these feelings, behaviors, and reactions in your daily life, you can start detaching yourself from those parts. You begin to understand that they were created at some point to protect you and to “deal” with the world around you.

There are much deeper layers to discover in you. This is just a starter, and something to get you closer to who you really are by letting go of parts that no longer serve you.

By Evy Y. Parkinson

http://www.finerminds.com/consciousness-awareness/3-toxic-identities-holding-back

How to Increase Brain Power : Improve Brain Function Naturally

There are different natural ways on how to improve brain function, reduce mental aging or maybe increase your lifespan. Some of the simple strategies that can enhance your brain power are simple activities that can be incorporated into your daily routine. Embracing these policies may give your brain more power within a short period. Researchers believe that an older brain has the potential to acquire more wisdom and knowledge with time. Increased data in the brain may lead to reduced processing of information, but increasing intelligence with age. Most of the factors that can improve your brain power are simple, achievable habits and behaviors, which you need to adopt. Consistency and determination are the key principles behind these natural ways of improving your brain function. Below are some of the various ways to naturally increase your brain power.

Brain boosting foods

The food choices that you make are an influential variable that you can take control of, and improve the functionality, vitality and health of your valuable brain.

• Olive oil : This oil is rich in polyphenols that are capable brain protective antioxidants.

• Coconut oil : Coconut oil enhances the ability of neurons found in the brain to use energy while reducing the production of free radicals that are damaging in nature. Also, the oil provides saturated fats that are essential nutrients for the function and integrity of the brain cell membranes.

• Wild salmon : This fish is a natural source of the important omega-three oil that plays a vital role in ensuring brain cells are healthy. They also enhance the growth of brain cells.

• Blueberries : There is a lot of power that is packed into these brain-protective antioxidants. They help reduce inflammation of the brain.

• Turmeric : Turmerics are important in turning on the parts of our DNA that reduce inflammation. The importance of Turmerics on the brain was discovered centuries ago.

• Eggs : Eggs are rich in choline that is a critical neurotransmitter. They also contain cholesterol that serves as a vital component of brain cell membranes. Cholesterol also serves as a brain-protective antioxidant.

• Dandelion greens : These greens are rich in prebiotic fiber that assists in nurturing the growth of supportive brain bacteria.

• Walnuts : These nuts are rich in several nutrients that are important in supporting the health of the brain. The nutrients include omega-3 fats, manganese, fiber and vitamin E for the supportive brain-gut bacteria.

• Avocado : They contain a lot of mono-saturated fats that are vital in protecting brain cells. Avocados also help maintain healthy levels of blood pressure.

• Pumpkin seeds : Pumpkins are rich in zinc. Zinc is a mineral that plays a vital role in memory and all brain functions. There are more other types of foods that have you need to learn about so as to get to increase brainpower.

Exercise

Aerobic exercises improve cognitive functions of the brain such as selective attention, task switch, and working memory. Studies conducted in older people show that those that are fitter have better scores as compared to their unfit peers. Both the volume of information and updating of memory were better in individuals that are fit. Other studies show that individuals put on aerobic exercise programs, which give direction on how to increase brain power. Researchers have also found out that mental challenges relating to physical activities are better in older people who exercise aerobics. 

Avoiding Smoking

Researchers have discovered that smoking plays a huge role in causing the hippocampus to shrink. It also reduces cognitive functions of the brain. Smokers lose a large volume of their brain at a higher rate than individuals that do not smoke. Avoiding smoking is one natural way to ensure your brain remains healthy.

Social networks

Studies have found that social networks play a vital role in improving cognitive functions. The connection that exists between maintaining mobility and being physically active is a social connectivity link that has a lot of benefits. Brain improvement among socially active people may be due to increased mobility.

Challenge your mind

One of the simple natural ways of improving your brain power is to keep learning new things. The structure and size of neurons and the connections that exist between them change the way that people learn. This can take on different forms in activities such as learning to play instruments, traveling or participating in community and social activities.

Listen to music

It has been proven that listening to music can boost the brain power. It is also told that listening to classical music may make you smarter. Research has shown that exercising while listening to music may encourage verbal fluency and cognitive ability of the brain. Listening to music enhances mental focus among people. It is also important to take advantage of this natural way of boosting your brain.

Wood puzzle solutions

Wood puzzles are great brain teasers. Making wood puzzle solutions is not an easy task since it involves engaging your brain. Wooden puzzle games challenge your thinking. They are therefore suitable exercises for your mind. These wooden puzzle games are important learning tools for kids as they provide mental learning benefits and other skills. The games come with different topics and themes such as vegetables, alphabet letters, transport, colors, pets, and numbers. Completing puzzles helps you to set goals that you need to achieve within a short period. Children must think and develop ways of approaching the challenges they face during the game to achieve their objectives. 

Puzzles are fun for toddlers since they help refine and develop their fine motor skills. When children play puzzles, they may be required to pinch, grasp or pick up pieces and move them around. The movement involves manipulating pieces of wood into slots, fitting and sorting them into the correct positions. These activities engage their minds enhancing their brain power.

Playing puzzle games is a matter of trial and error that involves manipulation of the eyes and the hand. For instance, if a toddler places a piece of wood that does not fit, they try several times until they get it right. Such actions involve coordination between the brain and the eyes. Continued coordination between the eyes and the brain enhance the power of the mind.

Puzzles are an excellent tool to promote and strengthen cooperative play. This is very significant in the life of children since it helps boost their social skills. As several kids work together to play wooden puzzles games, they discuss where to place different pieces of wood. The toddlers therefore share, take turns and support each participant when handling challenging tasks or when rejoicing a win. 

When children get wooden puzzle solutions, they get much satisfaction. Overcoming challenges faced when solving wooden puzzle games helps you have pride within yourself. This provides you with confidence that your brain has a high intelligence capability. The self-confidence gained from wood puzzle games prepares you for challenges in life.

Improving the functionality of the brain is a well researched subject, and various solutions have been developed to that effect. How to solve wooden puzzle is one of the largely elaborated methods. The other methods explained above are equally good, and easy to understand and implement.

References

 SiamMandalay. 2015. THE NECESSITY OF BRAIN TRAINING. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.siammandalay.com/blogs/puzzles/65492419-the-necessity-of-brain-training. [Accessed 01 January 16].

 American Psychological Association. 2013. Research in Brain Function and Learning. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.apa.org/education/k12/brain-function.aspx. [Accessed 01 January 16].

 Natural News. 2015. How to Promote Outdoor Fitness in Young Kids. [ONLINE] Available at:http://blogs.naturalnews.com/promote-outdoor-fitness-young-kids/. [Accessed 01 January 16].

By Archie

http://blogs.naturalnews.com/increase-brain-power-improve-brain-function-naturally/

Why Perfectionism Can Be Terrible for your Health

Although there is definitely a nobility behind perfection, seeking it in an overzealous way can be a huge detriment to your physical and mental health. 

Simply because you will never actually be perfect. We should always try to get closer and closer to it, but we must understand we will never complete the quest for perfection. 

We should also be mindful on how we define perfect. An unhealthy definition of perfection can lead to dire consequences. Perfection in ourselves has many facets. “ Attractiveness “is probably the most sought after facet probably also the most commonly misdefined. Even though there is scientific data illustrating how the majority defines “attractive” doesn’t mean that the definition is synonymous with what the “perfect” definition is. 

Remember popularity does not equal perfection or correctness.

Here are just a few of the reasons that you may want to temper your pursuit of perfection to the point of making yourself sick.

• The body as well as the mind are both made to work best with rest.

The body and the mind are able to work best when there is rest in between intense periods of work. The obvious example of the weight room comes to mind: If you do not allow your body to rest in between the days of heavy lifting, you will never achieve the gains that you are looking for. Rest is just as important as the lifting when it comes to gains, and this is the same principle that defines your mental pursuits as well!

 Many people who are in the pursuit of perfection believe that they must “pay their dues” by running themselves ragged. The truth is that the 10,000 hours that statistician Malcolm Gladwell says that you must put in in order to achieve perfection can be put in at any time.

– Productivity does not always occur in a linear fashion.

 The body does not naturally work for eight hours straight. Most of us have been fooled into thinking that if we cannot maintain top performance between the hours of nine AM and five PM, something is wrong with us. We fill our bodies with all kinds of synthetic sugars and energy bars in order to “correct” this problem, and this is a problem in and of itself that will be discussed later in this article.

 There are many new options available for people who are looking to get off of the rat race schedule. Many companies will now allow their employees to work remotely. Still other companies will allow their employees to work on their own schedule as long as a certain quota of productivity is kept. If you are chasing perfection in the corporate world, see if you can reorganize your schedule with your employer to more perfectly match your actual body schedule.

– Putting synthetic chemicals in the body to improve the performance of the body or the mind is always detrimental in the long run.

 There is no drug that gives a net positive effect to the body over the long run. Even completely natural fruits and vegetables can become poison if they are eaten with too high of a frequency. Some perfectly legal products that are full of synthetic products and augmented “natural” chemicals are more detrimental to your overall health than crack cocaine and heroin.

Your body schedule does not likely match your professional schedule. The best solution is to simply give your body and your mind rest when they need it. However, if your schedule does not allow this, the second best solution is to fill your backpack with healthy snack foods before you leave home for work each day. This will keep you away from the temptation of quick fix energy drinks and high sugar chocolate bars. Do not be fooled by the so called “health bars” that are nothing more than candy injected with a nutrient that your body may absorb about 10 percent of in total. This does not mean that there are no good supplements or products available, it just means you need to be careful. Make sure you know what ingredients are in the products you’re looking to take. The best pre workouts for instance generally don’t have a lot of caffeine, and instead have a lot of nutrients that you’d find in most vegetables.

– What do I do next?

It has been said that “moderation in all things” is proper. However, it should be noted that you should have moderation in moderation as well. This means that briefly stopping your pursuit of perfection in order to rest is not only healthy, but it will likely bring you to your goal more quickly! Keep in mind that the body and the mind need rest, and productivity does not always occur in a straight line. Protect your mental and physical health above all for your best performance at all times.

——-

Ryan Blair

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/perfectionism-can-terrible-health/

8 Reasons You Should Listen More To Classical Music

Is it true that listening to classical music is actually good for you? Looking at some of the scientific studies conducted recently, classical music does have benefits. Findings show that there are many benefits for our mental and physical health. It can stimulate the brain, improve sleep, reduce stress and also strengthen the immune system. Here are 8 reasons why you should be listening to more classical music much more often than you probably do now.

1. It makes your brain work better

At Northumbria University (UK), a research team performed some experiments on students’ brain functioning when doing tests while they listened to Vivaldi’s Spring concerto. They were answering faster and better than when they listened to the sadder Autumn concerto. The conclusion was that brain activity is improved when listening to pleasant and arousing stimuli. If you want to refresh your memory on the uplifting Vivaldi Spring concerto, you can listen to it here.

2. It helps people with dementia

If a loved one suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s, it is well worth noting the studies showing how music can help them to regain memories and enormously improve their quality of life. Watch the video here of a man who was brought back to life by listening to music he loved in the past. If your loved one was particularly fond of any music, classical or non, they can be enormously helped by listening to the same music. The explanation is that because music affects many parts of the brain, it can reawaken those parts of the brain not affected by dementia. This is especially true when the music is linked to a particular event or memory. It is fascinating to read the book by the late neurologist Oliver Sacks called Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain which explains the phenomenon and recounts many moving stories.

“People with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can respond to music when nothing else reaches them. Alzheimer’s can totally destroy the ability to remember family members or events from one’s own life—but musical memory somehow survives the ravages of disease, and even in people with advanced dementia, music can often reawaken personal memories and associations that are otherwise lost.”- Oliver Sacks

3. It can help you sleep better

There are many studies on the beneficial effects of classical music on sleep quality. One study shows that a group of students who listened to relaxing classical music were getting much better sleep quality than when they were exposed to an audio book, for example. Researchers are convinced that music is better than verbal stimuli for the purposes of relaxing body and mind before sleep.

Here is a list of some famous classical music pieces which will help you get off to sleep.

• Johann Sebastian Bach – Air on the G String
• Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” – First movement
• Frederic Chopin – Berceuse in D flat opus 57
• Claude Debussy – Claire de Lune
• Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 5 – Adagietto
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concerto in C major K 467 – Second movement
• Bela Bartok – Piano Concerto No. 3 – Second movement

4. It can calm you down when driving

Are you prone to road rage at times? The German government is worried about the high number of road accidents on the country’s motorways (2.4 million annually). Many of these accidents are caused by aggressive driving and road rage. To counteract this, the German Ministry of Transport has released a CD for drivers which features Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21. played by the Minister himself! He hopes that the soothing effects of music will calm drivers down. (Fun fact: There is no word in German for road rage). Let us hope they will not need it now.

5. It can help reduce pain

Various studies show that listening to music can reduce post operative and chronic pain especially after surgery. It will never replace painkillers of course but will be a great help in reducing depression, disability and pain. The reason seems to be that it can help to tune out the pain by increasing the brain’s reward center, thereby alleviating the sensation of pain.

“One good thing about music, is when it hits you, you feel no pain.”- Bob Marley

6. It can help you express your emotions.

“If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it.” – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

Music can express what we may never be capable of verbally and thank goodness for that. We may have to struggle with anger, love, depression and many other emotions and feelings. When we connect with music, we can begin to cope. It helps us to be more honest with ourselves. Research at The Southern Methodist University shows that when listening to classical music, undergraduate students were more communicative and open about their emotions. Everyone has their favorite playlist to help them when they feel romantic, lazy or exhausted. Listening to classical music helps you express your emotions in unique ways.

“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” – Sigmund Freud

7. It can help blood pressure

It is fascinating to discover that cardiologists have found a connection between Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and our blood pressure levels. They found that this piece and many other classical music pieces are in natural sync with our own body’s natural rhythm and that helps to keep blood pressure at optimal levels. Professor Bernardi at the University of Pavia in Italy has done some interesting research on this.

8. It can help people on diets

You now how difficult it is to eat slowly, chew your food properly, and really enjoy it. Playing soft music and dimming lights in dining areas has been found to help people enjoy their food more and eat less! This is the main result of a study carried out at Cornell University. On the other hand, places like fast food joints use brighter lights to encourage fast eating and more profit for the business. You can improve the way you experience food by being more intentional in the way you eat, including playing soft music during meals.

We look forward to hearing about the ways you have benefited from listening to classic music. Post your stories in the comments below!

Featured photo credit: Sycamore High School March Orchestra Concert 2014/ Meredith Bell via flickr.com

BY ROBERT LOCKE

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