Utilize breathing to reduce stress and anxiety, to increase your vitality, and to feel living in the moment more fully. Let go of self-image. Breath in comfortably and then fully exhale, breathing out all of the tension and thoughts. I like to visualize all of my thoughts being collected up into my breath as I inhale and then leaving from me as I exhale. This frees up inner space for serenity and peacefulness. I like to begin the day with personal freedom and without any task oriented agendas. Check my tips for a Morning Meditation. Tasks can be thought about soon enough. Its easier when my mind is cleared and peaceful.
Its important to free myself from any stress and pressures during the day too. So, I can do this any time during my day. I use a simple routine of Five Steps to Mindfulness.
Regular mindfulness meditation is a healthy routine — the benefits are so many — see: Meditation Changes Brains!
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Thanks for reading (spiritual topics in a secular world),
Contemplative practices are counter-cultural. Broadly defined, contemplative practices, are more than the stereotype of prayer of a religious nature or meditation within an eastern tradition. Contemplative mind-body practices cultivate a focus on experiences, ideas or situations that act to remind us to connect to what we find most meaningful.
Contemplative practices are widely varied. I included an illustration below from the center for Contemplative Mind in Society that visually expands contemplative practices; for instance: various forms of meditation; focused thinking or brainstorming; time out in nature; writing; performing in the arts; contemplative movement in active, physical practices like yoga or tai chi; and silent practices like mindfulness and prayer of course.
Some people find that rituals rooted in a religious or cultural tradition sooth their soul. Not all practices are done in solitude. Groups and communities engage in practices that support reflection in a social context.
We may each benefit by a contemplative practice.
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The Tree of Contemplative Practices
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Click to enlarge: The Tree of Contemplative Practices
From the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society…
Historically, contemplative practice has been taught by the world’s spiritual traditions. However, in the last three decades, the fields of psychology, medicine, and education have recognized that contemplative practice can contribute to well-being and maturation. As a result, health professionals and educators have been teaching contemplative practices in ‘non-religious forms’ that can be used as a resource for resilience by agnostics and atheists, as well as by people with a spiritual or religious worldview.
There are two major types of contemplative practice:
Contemplation of behavior: When stressed out, angry, or afraid, we tend to become reactive. In such moments, we often act impulsively, in ways that harm ourselves or others. Contemplative practice teaches us to examine and change these destructive forms of behavior.
Elevation of awareness: The stress of daily life is like a sticky spider’s web. It ensnares us. It prevents us from experiencing the beauty that surrounds us, our capacity for love and compassion, and the presence of a transcendent dimension in life. Through meditation, prayer, the arts, and observation of the natural world (and many other techniques), contemplative practice can help us restore our ability to rise above our anxieties, and to perceive life’s mystery and beauty.
The links below offer some examples of contemplative practices:
Additionally… here is a short program of eastern contemplative Christian practices:
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Program Description An in depth dialogue on the teachings of early Christianity and the spirituality of eastern Orthodoxy, still little known in the West. A rare source of mystical wisdom.
Mindfulness improves reading ability, .
working memory, and task-focus
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If you think your inability to concentrate is a hopeless condition, think again — and breathe, and focus. According to a new study, as little as two weeks of mindfulness training can significantly improve one’s reading comprehension, working memory capacity, and ability to focus. (source)
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Findings were recently published online in the empirical psychology journal Psychological Science.
Michael Mrazek, author of the paper:
“What surprised me the most was actually the clarity of the results. Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering.” “Even with a rigorous design and effective training program, it wouldn’t be unusual to find mixed results. But we found reduced mind-wandering in every way we measured it.“
To investigate whether mindfulness training can reduce mind-wandering and thereby improve performance, the scientists randomly assigned 48 undergraduate students to either a class that taught the practice of mindfulness or a class that covered fundamental topics in nutrition. Both classes were taught by professionals with extensive teaching experience in their fields. Within a week before the classes, the students were given two tests: a modified verbal reasoning test from the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and a working memory capacity (WMC) test. Mind-wandering during both tests was also measured.
The mindfulness classes provided a conceptual introduction along with practical instruction on how to practice mindfulness in both targeted exercises and daily life. Meanwhile, the nutrition class taught nutrition science and strategies for healthy eating, and required students to log their daily food intake.
Within a week after the classes ended, the students were tested again. Their scores indicated that the mindfulness group significantly improved on both the verbal GRE test and the working memory capacity test. They also mind-wandered less during testing. None of these changes were true of the nutrition group.
Mrazek:
“This is the most complete and rigorous demonstration that mindfulness can reduce mind-wandering, one of the clearest demonstrations that mindfulness can improve working memory and reading, and the first study to tie all this together to show that mind-wandering mediates the improvements in performance.“
He added that the research establishes with greater certainty that some cognitive abilities often seen as immutable, such as working memory capacity, can be improved through mindfulness training.
Mrazek and the rest of the research team –– which includes Michael S. Franklin, project scientist; mindfulness teacher and research specialist Dawa Tarchin Phillips; graduate student Benjamin Baird; and senior investigator Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychological and brain sciences –– are extending their work by investigating whether similar results can be achieved with younger populations, or with web-based mindfulness interventions. They are also examining whether or not the benefits of mindfulness can be compounded by a program of personal development that also targets nutrition, exercise, sleep, and personal relationships.
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For more information on the mindfulness training program,
contact Dawa Tarchin Phillips
(805) 680-3988 or phillips@psych.ucsb.edu
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University of California – Santa Barbara. “Mindfulness improves reading ability, working memory, and task-focus.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326133339.htm>.
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see also:
Meditation Changes Brains 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.
Embrace Silence Instead of rationalizing and asking your friends and family what to do without being you, just be you. Relax your mind. Open up the small spaces between your thoughts to silence.
Consciousness poses a most baffling problem in science of the mind. Oh well, I move onward — here is how… loving thoughts bring, with loving energy, loving feelings and loving emotion. It isn’t science. It works though.
My purpose for blogging is to: write, share, enjoy, grow, and transform. Each visitor that I get to know contributes and thus, changes this experience with me. You are all as important to the experience as are the entire collection of my work and play here.
Its a discovery process.
We may each send out Ripples of Blessings, Ripples of Social Justice, Ripples of Goodness, Ripples of Peace, and Ripples of Loving-Kindness — sending these past any barriers and over or around any boundaries to merge with the ripples of other waves of other positive ripples.
Let’s contemplate… watch this:
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Program Description
Drop a pebble in a still pond and watch the ripple travel out on an ever expanding wave ring.
This video, The Ripple Effect is rooted in the belief that we are all connected by our shared Humanity. Two well known principles of physics are Wave Theory and Entrainment. Wave Theory: a wave will continue to travel out, never changing its initial shape or frequency and when two waves intersect each other, the height of the effect is the sum of the heights of the two individual waves. Entrainment: the tendency for two vibrating bodies to lock into phase so that they vibrate in harmony.
The Goal of Humanity Healing™ is to make a lasting difference for positive change by supporting Humanitarian efforts that create sustainable solutions for the World’s problems — through a multifaceted approach of organizing Good Works, Education and Promoting Spiritual growth; mutual respect and understanding.
The Pond is the World
Your Heart is the Pebble
Drop a pebble of positive intention into the still pond and watch patiently the ripple travel out in an ever expanding ring.
Humanity Healing Copyright 11 December 2007
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My work is to love God with all that I can muster and to reflect love. Its my responsibility to want this. I like to keep this simple when I can. So, I’ll outline my process just a bit.
I refer to my early training — here is an example:
Romans 13:8–10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
It is simple; a huge challenge as well. By my understanding, God is divine pure love. Jesus provided ample examples of this.
Here is another simple thing I do.
I needn’t be concerned with what others choose to believe — if there may be a suitable exception, it will be quite rare. As I become more accepting, I tend not to attract much resistance to me being genuine.
Progress in practice of love is simple too — the divine nature of consciousness that is inclusive of positive events and positive others is accepting of all else too. I’m not explaining God though. God needn’t be explained. We simply ought to seek to be love as best we may by the best examples and by daily spiritual commitment to further growth. This means daily to accept what is — even if, sometimes, at first, this is unacceptable. We are not in a position of authority over the happenings and the people.
I do my best to focus on what is mine to influence or to change and to leave the rest be as is. Most of what is happening is beyond my influence and control. So, this is simple — but — not easy.
For example, from a human perspective, I’ll clarify that this is simple for me to understand — whatever austere theology or rigid scientific view may level at me, and whatever negative pronouncement may come my way, and whatever may seem abhorrent at first; these all too contribute toward opportunities for my positive growth. Come what may, my reactive discomfort is of my making whenever I disconnect myself consciously or accidentally from loving grace. Of course, also though, I am limited by general health, functional ability and wellness of my body and mind.
The last thing that I need to describe is also simple. I am to stay on task. This occurs when I can be at peace — inner peace. Its simple, but this is where I put in the greatest effort because its tricky in that the variety of experiences and the practices of others may become a distraction. I am to be responsible to live up to my end of the arrangement. This requires simple self-assessment tools to stay on task.
Now, I still am learning about making and keeping accurate self-assessments. That is a process. It requires daily activity and inner peace and some action. I have some guidelines that I use. For example, I perform activities such as follow.
What do I want (assessment)?
Physical: body awareness, dissolve body tension, smooth unstable energy highs and lows, smooth stress-related disturbances, resolve homeostasis issues (blood pressure for instance), improve heart health, reduce or eliminate pains, improve fitness and athletic performance, eliminate toxins, improve health of skin and hair, etc.
Mental: Clear focus on love and of corresponding daily objectives and even long-term goals, improving mental concentration, increasingly able to press pause or reset to soften negativity and self-serving thought patterns, lessening of self-criticism and of judgments of others, awaken to expansive loving compassion, slipping from any limiting beliefs and patterns, etc.
Emotional: Notice feelings and corresponding thoughts. Ride through any resistance to painful emotion. Make plans to clear sadness, anger, fear and hurt from the mind and body.
Spiritual: Increasingly focus on the present moment; deepen invisible connection with infinite loving God-consciousness, allow with detachment to awaken loving intuition. Plan to clear the barriers to loving myself and others — surrender to God-consciousness universal support.
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What tools are there for facilitation of inner peace and loving being?
Conscious breathing practices may usually bring sharpened awareness and healthful benefits as well
Increase in-the-moment awareness
Meditation (and mindfulness) activities (search my prior presentations), prayer if religious, and productive solitude
Proper rest and exercise
Maintain a positive outlook
Set goals and objectives
Increase spontaneity and appreciating of others
Help others and seek to solve problems (fully)
Brainwave Entertainment: a practice that may cause brainwave frequencies to fall in step with a stimulus of a particular frequency — may be useful for matching corresponding frequency to intended brain-state (for example, perhaps to induce restful and peaceful sleep) — generally attempted by use of specialized music or software. [Investigate this (Google: “brainwave entertainment music free” or “brainwave entertainment software free”) — greatly sharpens awareness over time.]
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What action is good?
I do my best to put into the world the best of me. I do my best to stick to healthy objectives, sharing, and to be a source for comfort and compassionate empathy. I am imperfect and sometimes needy. Still, I do my best usually.
There are lots of thoughts that pass by and some seem momentarily disturbing, exciting or entertaining or satisfying of a base need — they all may pass by — a life of loving action includes allowing many thoughts just to pass by; knowing the path of my way is to be from the heart.
We may each send out Ripples of Blessings, Ripples of Social Justice, Ripples of Goodness, Ripples of Peace, and Ripples of Loving-Kindness. Language from heart is not exactly English and the translation from heart mind into English is a challenge.
I hope that this post is useful for you or someone that you know. I pray that all will know moments of divine inner peace and that you may join me and others at The Ripple Effect.
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Some believe it is best to fight when they are right against what is wrong. Maybe; I recommend reading this: Us and Them
Amy Morin offers simple yet effective solutions for increasing mental strength and finding happiness and success in life.
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Five ways to show gratitude:
1. Give a special note of acknowledgement: On someone’s birthday, instead of writing them an ordinary Happy Birthday note, tell them how much they mean to you. Tell them something specific they did that made a difference for you. Tell them why you’re grateful that they’re in your life. And of course, this doesn’t have to be limited to birthdays only. Any day is a good day to send a note like this.
2. Return the favor: Do something thoughtful for people you’re grateful for in a way that they’re not expecting. This could include making a special effort to spend quality time with them or buying them something they need or want. If you keep your eyes and ears open, an opportunity to show gratitude through a helping hand or a thoughtful gift will surely present itself. Regardless of what you do, be sure to tell them how grateful you are to have them in your life.
3. Say thank you: Say thank you to every little thing someone does for you that you appreciate. This is especially true when it comes to close family and friends. I have a few people in my life who constantly tell me not to thank them for little things they do because it’s their ‘duty’ or ‘that’s what friends are for’. I continue to ignore them and say thank you, partly because it’s how I’ve been raised and partly because it’s just the right thing to do.
4. Pay it forward: Do something nice for someone else. You can tell your boss about a colleague that’s done a great job or help someone take their groceries to their car. You can smile at everyone you pass on your way to work or leave an inspirational book on the bus.
5. Write it down: There’s something magical about writing things down. Whether it’s daily or weekly or sporadically throughout the month, write down what you’re grateful for. It could be in your journal or on your smart phone. You can make a quick list of whatever comes to mind or think long and hard to make sure you’re being thorough. Do whatever works for you. And don’t forget to include the things that didn’t feel good in the moment — you know, the tough lessons we learn from people or experiences that we’re grateful for in hindsight.
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“The Stillness is You“ Chopra’s ‘stillness’ and you (wisdom moment):
Program Description
Watch the stillness and watch the one who is watching… herein is living free and in fullness with every moment.
Each WisdomFilm contains an inspiring messages provided by the leading Thought Leaders of our time. During these busy times, when many people are feeling overwhelmed, it is our hope that these meditations will deepen your access to a deep gratitude for the very preciousness of life.
DEEPAK CHOPRA, M.D. is the author of more than fifty books translated into over thirty-five languages, heralded by TIME magazine as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century crediting him as the “poet-prophet of alternative medicine” www.chopra.com
Utilize breathing to reduce stress and anxiety, to increase your vitality, and to feel living in the moment more fully. Let go of self-image. Breath in comfortably and then fully exhale, breathing out all of the tension and thoughts. I like to visualize all of my thoughts being collected up into my breath as I inhale and then leaving from me as I exhale. This frees up inner space for serenity and peacefulness. I like to begin the day with personal freedom and without any task oriented agendas. Check my tips for a Morning Meditation. Tasks can be thought about soon enough. Its easier when my mind is cleared and peaceful.
Eric
Eric
the Hunt for Truth 