Updated Mindfulness Guided Meditation Links

July 2018 favorite Mindfulness Sites

UCLA Mindful Research Awareness Center

http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

A complete course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction-  Dave Potter
All guided meditations are on the bottom left side -
https://palousemindfulness.com/

Tara Brach - Check out RAIN meditation for self compassion

https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditations/

R- Recognize what is going on

A- Allow the experience to be- as it is

I - Investigate with interest and care

N- Nourish with self compassion

Meditations by Christopher Germer

https://chrisgermer.com/meditations/

3 guided meditations from the Self Realization Fellowship- of a more spiritual nature than the others - Peace, Expanding Love, God as Light

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/Guided_Meditations.aspx#.VyYKmMj3bCS

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Communicating ideas that transcend a given belief system has always been an intriguing creative endeavor for me. For someone entrenched in their own belief system, learned from family or previous study or practice the mind can close off to listening and being present to something new- a new view.

I have found this to be true in spiritual and philosophical discussion where I have felt (note I) that the person wanted to communicate their experience as it related to studying a specific practice or under the tutelage of a given spiritual principle or teacher. It is in these circumstances that I start thinking to myself, 'I want to talk about the glory of 'it', of 'life itself', of your experience, not of how someone taught you to experience it.

And in that vein I am attracted to the Mindfulness work and its going wider stream in public workshops and workplaces. Mindfulness groups, or Mindfulness based stress reduction programs focus on the techniques and outcomes of greater focus, attentiveness, peace when developing and continuing a Mindfulness practice. The benefits listed are identical to those listed as benefits in having a steady meditation practice, with one main difference. Mindfulness consciously avoids explanations and wording that imply or connote having a spiritual or religious experience.

Secondly Mindfulness programs always include language on science based techniques for greater relaxation. With brain activity now trackable with scan technology (cite source) you can successfully argue that Mindfulness techniques give the brain outcome as practices meditators.

I am now tracking web and local sources of tools and descriptions for Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for individuals and in the workplace. Here are my top (eventually to be a top 10 list)

1. UCLA Meditation Center- Several to guide you online.

http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

2. Krame Center at Ramapo College runs 1/month free intro to mindfulness talks and practice. Sign up for their newsletter.

https://www.ramapo.edu/kramecenter/

next intro evening is Feb 25- flyer here à https://ramapo.hobsonsradius.com/ssc/eform/Md670w700B0c0x6702k24.ssc

3. Search Inside Yourself - a group started at Google that has expanded- interested in bringing mindfullness (meditation without a spiritual tone) into corporations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8fcqrNO7so

4. John Kabat-Zinn study course - http://www.mindfulnesscds.com/

short start from his bio- "Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. He is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded its world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic (in 1979)"

Intro to Meditation

Here are a few tips on meditation that I share with students. Try them and feel free to adjust to suit your own preference. The intention of meditation is to spend period of time in quiet.  With a regular meditation practice people experience greater clarity, peace and other benefits.

The simplest form:

1. Find a comfortable place to sit. Sitting is good. Lying down also works.  

2. Breathe in, let the air go to your lower belly. I like to breathe in to a count of 5, then let out for a count of 5.

3. Sometimes I draw an infinity loop in my mind. As I breathe in the loop goes down through my leg and comes back up the other leg to my waist. The exhale begins at the waist and covers the loop in the upper half of my body. 

4. Repeat the loop. If you lose track or are interrupted then just let it go and come back to the breath.

a couple of tips:

If you fall asleep, ok, welcome that you were relaxed. Experiment with what type of chair and position you are in. You'll find out what works best for you.

If your mind wanders, then notice and release the distraction. Come back to the rhythm of your breath.

If you think you're doing it wrong, go back to your breathing.

Here is a site I found explaining breathing meditation.  http://www.how-to-meditate.org/breathing-meditations.htm/

And here is the link to my web log and topics on meditation. I like the first entry a lot as a 9 year old is giving instructions on how to meditate.

http://heartspiritspace.blogspot.com/search/label/meditation

Instructions on How to Meditate

A 9 year old explains her experience of meditation. It is so simple. Tia Nicole goes through the steps at 2:30 into the clip. Watch it here or double click on the image to watch it on YouTube site.

Did You Say Visualization or Visioning?

We know how to picture things based on our past experience. However if we want to expand our thinking into a new direction, there is a meditation, or quiet listening, process that allows new ideas to come forward. Having taught this for a number of years I find that many times it takes students some time to develop comfort in the practice of quiet listening. Here is a listing and brief comparison of the two activities. The two main similarities are a) they both are meditative (or thinking quietly with inward reflection) and b) they both begin with the letters 'Vis'.
Click on the picture to enlarge the comparison

Universe Notes- 5 Tips

On Sunday our Foundations class hosted a workshop to teach and model Affirmative Prayer. I am reminded of these 5 tips that I note about the Universe. I offer them as both explanation and inspiration on how It works and how to use It.
Tip #1. We live in a creative Universe-
Galaxies are being created. The Universe continues to expand. This means that whenever you feel faced with a challenge, remember there is a way to move through it and expand into a new idea. Any situation that feels too much is ready for a new perspective; a new thought.
Tip #2. Picture the experience of what you desire.
Stay out of 'I gotta do ____' thinking. Stay out of the 'what' and focus on the experience you want to create. For example "I want to experience more harmony in my life". When you focus on the experience you remain open to all of the different ways that harmony can appear. You are relieved of having to know every step right now. That will come as you continue to focus on experiencing what you desire.
Tip #3. Affirm support-
The Universe wants us to experience greater good in our living. How do I know that? Look at the ways people and groups innovate. From where they are today (the present) they find new ways and alternatives to have the new invention (tomorrow). That is the process of creation. There resources from the Universe are always present; they are never hidden. Our work is to release any block or old idea of 'no options' or 'can't do this' and open our minds to the new idea. That's the way creativity works.
Tip #4. Transform a Challenge-
Nature is our model. When you look at nature, observe that things change- just look at every plant, insect, animal and tree. No one expected the caterpillar to change its form into a butterfly. It changed and shifted form. Any situation that might feel lack can be opened up, new options revealed and situations become transformed. It all begins with how you think and what perspective you walk with.
Tip #5. "Listen, Listen, Listen to my heart's song"- Achieving mental clarity and knowing what is right for you comes from the silence. Many access silence through meditation and to listening to the heart, the metaphorical source of the 'inner voice'. The lyrics "Listen, Listen, Listen..." of Yogananda remind me of that. They are put to music by Robert Gass and Wings of Song and can be found on ITunes or Amazon on the 'Songs of Healing" album.

Think about it. Each of these tips is worthy of more description and discussion. I'll come back to that another time.

Statistical Study on Benefits of Meditation

The Shambhala Mountain Center conducted a study of 60 people on the subject of meditation. Half of the group went through an intense training and practice of meditation for three months. The other half were on the backup list for the intense training but did not participate in the training. (see article in Nov 19 Huffington Post)

Researchers from UC Davis designed the study and performed tests on both groups before, half way through and at the end of the three months. The results are now appearing in peer reviewed journals.

Some of the benefits of meditation are in this quote. Read the whole article for more source information and details on the study. This will become required reading for my students.

Tonya Jacobs, a scientist at UC Davis's Center for Mind and Brain, has just reported (on-line in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology) that meditators show improved psychological well-being, and that these improvements lead to biochemical changes associated with resistance to aging at the cellular level. Specifically, an analysis of meditators' white blood cells showed a 30 percent increase in an enzyme called telomerase, a chemical essential to the long-term health of the body's chromosomes and cells.

The scientists emphasize that meditation does not lead directly to cellular health and longevity. Instead, the practice appears to give people an increased sense of meaning and purpose in life, which in turn leads to an increased sense of control over their lives and to less negative emotion. This cascade of emotional and psychological changes is what regulates the levels of telomerase, the anti-aging enzyme.

Positivity appears to be the link between meditative practice and a variety of health benefits. In a study scheduled for publication in the journal Emotion, UC Davis psychological scientist Baljinder Sahdra is reporting that meditation leads to a decrease in impulsive reactions -- another health improvement linked to psychological positivity. Impulsivity has been tied to an array of health problems, including addictions and other risky behavior.

Rev. Michael B on Visioning

This week's Huffington Post included an article by Rev. Michael Beckwith on attracting things into your life.

The metaphors and references to magnetism and vibration can be misleading to some audiences but we sense and witness the effect. I enjoyed his summary enclosed in three points-

To accelerate your magnetic frequency and manifest your vision for your life, you must enter the laboratory of your own mind and soul and evolve through three domains:

(first) Discovering, activating, expressing and promoting your gifts, talents and skills, which attunes you to the law of divine right action;

(second) Moving into a deeper spiritual understanding and practice of working with the laws governing the universe through affirmative prayer, Life Visioning, and visualization, which attune you to the law of attraction;

(third) Practicing meditation and surrender at such a depth that you no longer need to attract anything because you live in alignment with the law of radiance which automatically provides all that is required to sustain you and cause you to flourish.

Visioning, Timing and Force

Teaching the Life Visioning Process, a part of UCSL, ICSL and so well described by its author Rev. Michael Beckwith in "The Life Visioning Process" has sharpened my interest actively listen to what's next, and what is the greatest idea for projects in my life.
I tell my students...the number one idea of using Visioning is to disassociate or separate visioning from 'the to do list'. You will know when it is time to create the list. Just (sometimes a big step) allow it to come into form.

Last week about an hour after completing a Visioning exercise two phrases come to mind. They just came into mind, one after the other. I sat with them for a day to monitor if the idea drifted or diminished. Within 48 hours they seemed right. I believe that each of us has a personal indicator, an internal compass, that brightens whenever we are on a congruent path. One of mine congruency indicators comes as a fast shutter. It is as if a breath of the infinite has swooped in- from mind to emotion to physical. Enough of me trying to describe it. You will have your own indicator.

I used the two phrases to prepare for and to test my work for the week. This led to a week of satisfaction, peace and joy in the preparation and the presentation a new idea. I interpret this as the satisfaction of being personally aligned. The Vision pulled me. The list and the activities came to mind as the Vision unfolded. I am celebrating my amazement and the demonstration of the project.

I encourage you to try Visioning for your life purpose and projects. Aligning passion, purpose and projects is monumental. This works and I am knowing graceful unfolding for each of you.

Meditation Shapes the Mind

The Meditation Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA was founded by Dr Susan Smalley, PhD, who was interviewed in the Huffington Post by wellness editor Patricia Fitzgerald. There are several great links in the article, including meditation teacher, Diana Winston, a link to meditations and research measuring brain lobe thickness for people who meditate compared to those who do not.

From that data "brain areas are thicker in practitioners of Insight meditation than control subjects who do not meditate. Graphs show age and cortical thickness of each individual, red= control subjects, blue = meditators.

The study doesn't interpret lobe difference to mean better lifestyle it simply notes the difference in the shape.