Tags
B4Peace, Buddhism, compassion, free mindfulness exercises, Gamma wave, happy, joy, Learning, Matthieu Ricard, open mind, Peace, Prefrontal cortex, PTSD, Ricard, Richard Davidson, serene, serenity, success
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Matthieu Ricard is the world’s happiest man; according to researchers. That’s not even the amazing part… so, here is a short but comprehensive look…
at meditation benefits and basics…
spend 20-60 minutes here.
Bloggers, readers, meditation and mindful practice is AMAZING! Astounding!
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According to Ricard …
“In the Western world, meditation means sitting under a mango tree in a blissed out state. The prevailing idea is that you have to sit down and empty your mind. It’s not that at all. You have to clean up a bit. We have so many wandering and intrusive thoughts. So you have to be in control of your own mind. Meditation means inner freedom. Inner freedom doesn’t mean following every chain of thought. It’s like a sailor who takes the helm and decides where to sail instead of drifting with the current. If you want to generate particular state of mind, you do what it takes.”
“There was a lot of activity in his left prefrontal cortex which indicates a huge capacity for happiness; this man is very unlikely to be making negative choices about his experiences,” says Neuroscientist Richard Davidson
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“Meditation is not just blissing out under a mango tree but it completely changes your brain.”
The French genetic scientist left an intellectual life 40 years ago and moved to India to study Buddhism. He is now a western scholar of religion.
His daily routine of meditation made possible amazing brain scans that demonstrate that if he is meditating on compassion, Ricard’s brain produces a level of gamma waves never before reported within neuroscience literature.
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NOW, here begins the really amazing part Gamma brain wave production is associated with consciousness, attention, learning and memory. We want to train our brains to increase peace and serenity and this changes the brain — It’s like we come into unifying Loving Light… after time… the brain changes (maintenance required).
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FINDINGS His skull was wired up with 256 sensors at the University of Wisconsin and its all been recorded — he’s got a happy and joyous mind — no doubt. Scans found excess activity in his brain’s left prefrontal cortex compared to its right counterpart, giving Ricard an abnormally large capacity for happiness.
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FINDINGS A larger volume of a specific brain structure generally increases the abilities to carry out specific functions associated with that structure. This is widely accepted based on the assumption that greater numbers of neurons will produce larger outputs and therefore may be more influential than smaller numbers of neurons.
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FINDINGS Researchers in neuroscience demonstrate that the prefrontal cortex plays a responsible role in forming of expectations based on actions and social control, predicting of outcomes, future consequences of activities, working toward goals, development of abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, abilities to determine same and different and better and best. Abilities to suppress urges that may lead to socially unacceptable outcomes are developed by this area of the brain. Meditation boosts learning ability, improves brain functioning, and reduces stress!
Even people meditating for the first time will register a decrease in beta waves, a sign that the cortex is not processing information as actively as usual. After 20 minutes there is a huge decrease in beta activity — these brains are learning to be highly focused.
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Matthieu Ricard: “Compassion is not just some high-minded flaky concept that Buddhist monks and New Age hippies bandy about, it’s a very practical way to operate in a world that is incredibly stressful for just about everyone.”
FINDINGS Mindfulness meditation, one type of meditation technique, has been shown to enhance emotional awareness and psychological flexibility as well as induce well-being and emotional balance. Scientists have also begun to examine how meditation may influence brain functions. This talk will examine the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on the brain systems in which psychological functions such as attention, emotional re-activity, emotion regulation, and self-view are instantiated. We will also discuss how different forms of meditation practices are being studied using neuroscientific technologies and are being integrated into clinical practice to address symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress..
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Need help or want to collaborate with me? Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com
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Share this one around… its time to change this world, one brain at a time… each to their own.
Let’s rid the world of social anxiety:
NOTE: Social anxiety is linked to anxiety, panic attacks, depression, psychosis (not otherwise specified), drug use, alcohol use, spontaneous violence, outbursts, character flaws, behavior problems, anger and rage; to name just a few dis-eases.
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Let’s work on it together… mindfulness is a tool for awakening mental health.
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Meditation helps with Stress
Meditation helps with Anxiety
Meditation helps with Hypertension
Meditation helps with drug abuse
Meditation helps with ADHD
Meditation helps with depression
Meditation helps with Asthma
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Personally, I am sure that practicing mindfulness meditation with some expert therapeutic guidance can speed healing of PTSD and possibly DID; maybe even NPD, BPD, and possibly even schizophrenia.
Meditation can speed recovery from grief.
It will probably heal some Anxiety NOS and episodic Depression.
Mindfulness can greatly decrease panic episodes… maybe cure it.
It can reduce Bipolar and Uni-polar disorder symptoms.
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- Study shows mindfulness training can help reduce teacher stress and burnout (news.wisc.edu)
- Is this the world’s happiest man? (dailymail.co.uk)
- Calming the Mind (freemeditation.com)
- Meditation Offers Lasting Peace (scienceblog.com
- The Power of Meditation and How It Affects Our Brains (blog.bufferapp.com)
- What Happens To The Brain When You Meditate (lifehacker.com.au)
This post presents facts; benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Take some time… invest in your well-being
and… share this one around.
Thanks for reading.
Eric
RELATED ARTICLES (HUNT FOR TRUTH)
- Healthy spirituality and its biology
- Wisdom Is Avoiding All Thoughts Which Weaken You
- Change from within
- gradual freedom from habit
- Is the brain spirituality wired?
- Theory of mind… evolving spirituality
- Meditation energizes
- mindfulness – a state of non-distraction
- mindfulness and prayerful healing
- Mindfulness training downloads (free)
- morning Meditation
the Hunt for Truth 
see also:
Harvard Study Unveils What Meditation Literally Does To The Brain
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’s the very first study to document that meditation produces changes over time in the brain’s grey matter.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/12/11/harvard-study-unveils-what-meditation-literally-does-to-the-brain/
explore more from Matthieu Ricard here:
Matthieu Ricard
Buddhist monk, photographer and author
http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/blog
Reblogged this on MadeleineMaya.
I have meditated for thirty years. They did biofeedback which showed I can change my brain waves etc. it is powerful. Hugs, Barbara
It is amazingly powerful — Barbara; as you say; powerful … AMAZING
God bless… and thanks so much for providing this comment. In five or ten years this post won’t matter as much – but right now, this is new to most people and they that suffer (any – at all) ought to know that they may be suffering needlessly over worry, anxiety, panic, depression, stress, and even the serious mental illnesses will lessen with daily practice. In the future mindfulness will begin in pre-schools… I pray.
Blessings Barbara,
~ Eric
You are right, although people have been meditating for years. Mystics have been around for centuries. Rumi for instance. You are doing a marvelous job helping people. Hugs, Barbara
Science rules in the west – if western people don’t see the science, they don’t go for the good stuff… exercise for example was something to avoid 50 years ago and now that is dramatically changed. Unfortunately, our nutrition rots. So do our brains.
Thanks.
I’m doing my best as are you and lots of WordPress bloggers.
Hug
Hey! this comment goes with another post you did- but I ordered the book by Fritz on creativity that you recommended. It is awesome. thank you!
You got it! I loved that book. It may even still be here someplace. It was hot off the press when I got it… back what seems like long ago… bet it still is the best though.
RE: what Kimberly is referring to
The post:
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/the-cycle-of-creativity-you-get-what-you-give/
The book:
Creating
Whether you wish to create a work of art, a novel, a thriving business, nourishing relationships, or a deeply satisfying life, Robert Fritz, composer, artist, writer, and entrepreneur, reveals the guiding principles that can empower you to reach your goals.
‘Robert Fritz is without doubt one of the most original thinkers today on the creative process in business, the arts, science, and life in general. His work has deeply impacted my life and the lives of many of my colleagues. Unlike many who write as outside experts about ‘creativity’, Robert Fritz takes you inside: the secrets of creating as understood by a master musician, artist and composer.’
~ Peter Senge,
author of The Fifth Discipline
This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Look: http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Robert-Fritz/dp/0449903389/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1394718060 that is UNBELIEVABLE – it can be got for 1 cent!
A wonderful post to spread awareness and facts on the benefits of meditation! Thank you.
I wish I had someone to guide me through meditation, similar to having a weight trainer teach you strength building exercise. So I could make sure I’m understanding it correctly.
I have some suggestions… but – once you get a routine going of your own, you will find what you need from spirit…
Start with this is perhaps good – you have an analytic need. This will satisfy most of your wondering about the philosophy of why meditation gets us dislocated from the ego and in the present and how this is powerful
if it isn’t shown in your browser go to youtube
Alan Watts – The Art of Meditation (Full Lecture)
the youtube video id is
watch?v=EgHCwsQ1MqI
you can paste that onto
https://www.youtube.com/
He looks like a werewolf in the drawing- oh my
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practicing simply: mindfulness
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/practicing-simply-mindfulness/
Thich presents mindfulness (here and the now) living as a practice of five simple steps that you can use in just about very moment of your day.
1) Mindful Breathing,
2) Concentration,
3) Awareness of Your Body,
4) Releasing Tension, and
5) Walking Meditation
There are additional links at the end of the post.
You can read up on the essentials at Mindful.org. My summary is drawn from the website basic teaching… “Five Steps to Mindfulness” taking time for what matters (http://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-practice/mindfulness-and-awareness/five-steps-to-mindfulness).
see also: morning Meditation
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/morning-meditation/
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see also: Emotional Temperature Check: Keep Your Cool, by Heather Blackwell
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Additional easy to follow meditations make getting started easy. I inserted a few (below). Once it becomes a morning habit, the meditations will begin to teach the mind how to further benefit. The ego will interfere at first. That is normal. It gives up trying to convince us that it knows best sooner or later — it identifies with the body and time, the ego rationalizations that the body is protection or that this is not a benefit becomes so clearly untrue that the ego abandons the meditations – it doesn’t want to know anything really. The ego is only a brain body-mind and its purpose is to obscure our inter-connective mind of spirit. The body’s divine purpose is designed as a communication facility; to enable communication. The protection messages are an illusion that cause the ego to believe that the body is for attacking (spirit). It can’t actually do that. It can only cause confusion and disassociate personalities to hide from the spirit.
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Positive Thinking Meditation: Endorphin Meditation with Positive Affirmations
watch?v=o0EQEiecSxs
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Open to Receive Love and Abundance Meditation
watch?v=m6PZqX1mA74
note: You may allow deeper communication that the ego wants to block – it may take time to establish a good foundation – but in a week or two, this will be quite easier. Expect to receive in the now; avoid visiting the past or desires for a future… in the now, move forward to spirit.
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GUIDED MEDITATION
Remove Negative Blocks Automatically Quiet The Mind
Like NEVER BEFORE with Paul Santisi
HEADPHONES REQUIRED!.
watch?v=Y1RdEVXWXbU
This one describes how ego thoughts interfere when we are beginning to meditate to free the mind (spirit) and during times while we are sleeping or when trying to rest but under stress. The body-mind that is suffering will interfere but it cannot resist when we are in control and meditating to end resistance… we surrender to spirit and the ego cannot interfere because it has no knowledge of spirit.
This is a negativity clearing meditation and it may require many sessions to feel free with this one. This one seeks release from negativity while opening awareness of limiting thoughts. I don’t begin with this one even when I need this. That’s me though. I like to think about love first and rarely use these clearing type meditations. I’ll post on how I like to get clear of negativity at another time.
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Thanks for all the great information. By the way, did I tell you that I am not a morning person. Lol.
😀 maybe… did I mention my memory is shot full of holes?
I didn’t know that!
yes, it never was better than low-normal. I can’t hold much in long-term memory – although sometimes things surface out of the who knows where. Short term wasn’t good to begin with.
You are right. My ego is skeptical : ) This actually sounds a little like hypnosis.
🙂 self-hypnosis by your God-minded spirit – not a problem – the ego isn’t even real.
Cognitive Neuroscience and Mindfulness Meditation
Change YOUR Brain while you meditate:
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Mindfulness, meditation, and healing:
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Midfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
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The role of spiritual practices in the modern world:
“We can make that kind of effort if that is how we want to be in our lives.”
“Mr. K, she said, I don’t hit my little boy any more.”
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Meditations – mindfulness – prayers
Heal and change the brain
The training and benefit is something that even children can get. The training and benefit is useful for people that are deeply troubled or greatly blessed.
Matthieu Ricard: “If you want to generate particular state of mind, you do what it takes.” … There are four more hours of the best video around in this comment — watch all of it if it takes that much to get on track with having well-being.
~ Eric