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3 Amazing Scientific Studies Show How Meditation Can Affect Your Health and Mind

Meditation is an excellent way to decompress from a hectic daily life. Let’s paint a picture of what your typical morning looks like.

You open your eyes and slowly begin to wake your body out of a nice, warm bed. Already, your brain is firing thoughts about where you need to be. Then, you worry about when you need to be there. And, you even begin to consider much “stuff” you need to get done today.

As your day progresses, you experience several distractions. And, each interruption requires you to discipline yourself to stay on task. This is not always easy to do. Tha’s especially if you work for with others and you hear ringing phones, loud co-workers, meetings, email, conference calls…whew!

This constant barrage of information overload and distractions takes its toll on our brains and overall mental and physical health.

People who practice meditation often say that it’s the answer to these and other problems. They swear that meditation keeps them healthy both mentally and physically.

Does it? What do scientists and doctors have to say?

Let’s first delve into some basics on meditation.

What is meditation?

how-to-meditate First, it’s important to discuss what meditation is and is not.

Meditation is simply mindfulness and being present. It is the observance of your thoughts. In addition, it is being attuned to your breath, mind, and body. It is an ongoing process and practice that can be learned by nearly everyone.

Meditation is not the elimination of your thoughts. It is not a religious practice (although you can certainly meditate on your God, religious texts, etc.). It is not something that is going to feel comfortable and natural the first time – in other words, there are no naturally-talented meditators.

 

What Science is Saying

Scientists train to remain objective and base their findings on evidence. Thus, they monitor experiments and studies are closely and record data precisely. It has to be this way for a scientist’s findings and work to be taken seriously by his or her peers.

So, when numerous scientific studies (over 200 in 2013) are concluding that there are many positive benefits to meditation, it’s a big deal.

And, when the American Medical Association – the largest association of physicians in the United States – says that meditation is a beneficial practice, it’s a big deal.

 

Harvard scientists – meditation can shape your brain

Neuroscientists at Harvard University conducted a study that shows the brain can be physically changed with meditative practice.

In the study, Anatomical magnetic resonance images (MRI) were taken of 16 healthy participants before and after they underwent an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This program is one of the most widely-practiced by those seeking better mental functioning and emotional control.

After the program was complete, a second set of MRI scans were taken. The images showed increased gray matter concentration in 4 regions of the brain, including the hippocampus and cerebellum, responsible for learning and memory processes and emotional regulation!

The participants reported improved mental processing, emotional balance, and other benefits.miracle-attitudes-positive-mindset-gratitude-hope-meditation

Brita Holzel, the lead author of the student notes:

“It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation; we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life.”

According to Sara Lazar, Ph.D, author and scientist involved in the study:

“This study demonstrates that changes in the brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

Can meditation help change the brain? Yes!

American Heart Association – Meditation can reduce heart attack, stroke, and death

According to the research contained within an American Heart Association (AMA) journal, African Americans with heart disease that practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) were 48% less likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or die than a group that just exercised and dieted.

201 people were split into two groups – one practiced the technique of TM and one attended a physical education class.

The TM group sat, eyes closed for 20 minutes twice daily practicing the technique, allowing deep rest of their minds and bodies while remaining alert.

Researchers advised the exercise group to spend at least 20 minutes a day at home exercising, eating well, and relaxing.

Researchers found that those in the TM group had reduced blood pressure and reduced smoking and other adverse habits, as well.

Can meditation help the heart? Yes!

MIT and Harvard neuroscientists: Meditation practice can reduce distractions and relieve pain

Neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University split a group of 12 subjects into two groups – a group of 6 that practiced Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and 6 that did not meditate.

Once a day, the MBSR group listened to a 45-minute program that guided them through the lessons. These lessons consisted of mindfulness meditations, body awareness, and simple yoga.

Researchers conducted two brain scans of the subjects during the study. They performed these three weeks in and at the end of eight weeks.

There were two amazing findings:

First, the meditation group had greater changes in the amplitude (size) of the Alpha brainwaves than the group that did not meditate. Essentially, the meditators had a greater improvement in focus and bodily awareness. The meditation group also expressed that they experienced less stress and reactive behavior.

Second, individuals that experience chronic pain may benefit from meditative practice. Findings from this study indicate that chronic pain sufferers may be able to lower their pain signals. According to Catherine Kerr, a professor at Harvard Medical School and the lead author of the study:

“They learn to be aware of where their attention is focused and not get stuck on the painful area.”

Can meditation reduce distractions and ease pain? Yes!

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Conclusion

The fact that neuroscientists, doctors, and others within the scientific and medical community and now validating meditation through rigorous studies is a phenomenal development.

The fact that we can literally reshape our brain through meditation is incredible.

Meditation can reduce or eliminate our chances for heart disease, stroke, and other heart and brain-related ailments.

Moreover, meditation can result in better mental functioning and emotional stability.

Most importantly, meditation can help us find peace within ourselves.

11 Life Changing Lessons to Learn from Buddha

1. Thoughts and words have power. They can either hurt or heal. Choose wisely.   ~Buddha

“Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
– Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”
– Buddha

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
– Buddha

“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
– Buddha

“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?”
– Buddha

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”– Buddha

“He is able who thinks he is able.”
– Buddha

2. There is an abundance for all. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
– Buddha

3. Let go of fear.

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”
– Buddha

4. The truth will always be revealed. Always believe your own truth.

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
– Buddha

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
– Buddha

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

5. You, yourself, deserves your love and affection. Self love is the most deserving love.

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
– Buddha

6. We are all spiritual beings in need of a spiritual life that nourishes the soul.

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
– Buddha

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
– Buddha

“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
– Buddha

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”

– Buddha

7. True peace comes from within. Peace is the answer.

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
– Buddha

“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
– Buddha

8. Choose friends wisely.

“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

“A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.”

9. Remove separation and give up labels. We are all ONE.

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”

“Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.”
– Buddha
“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”

10. Happiness is the journey, not the destination. Enjoy the journey.

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.”
– Buddha

“A jug fills drop by drop.”
– Buddha

It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
Buddha

buddha

11. Health is Wealth!

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

4 Ways to Find Your Purpose

Find out what you’re passionate about.  What makes your soul smile? The things you are passionate about are leading you to your purpose.

Passion is a powerful and intense emotion. So powerful, that when used properly it has the potentiality for the highest level of achievement and fulfillment. The purpose of our life is revealed in our passions.

Life loves when we are passionate because we’re in our happiest and most creative state. Passion with the right action leads to creation that exceeds our expectations.

The immeasurable power within us is summoned in our passion and craves to thrive. So, it’s a wonderful thing when passion collides with a career. Add dedication, hard work and positive thinking to the mix and you have S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

When you love what you do, you will always do it better and have higher results – that’s because of passion.

Are you doing what you TRULY love to do?

Could you do more of it?

If you’re passionate about something, but you aren’t doing enough of it, chances are you aren’t happy. The good news is, nothing is truly permanent, even if it appears that way. You can do what you love to do and earn a good living from doing it.

Here are 4 Clues to Help You Find Your Purpose

purpose-soul-quote

1. Uncover your Fears.

Oftentimes, our purpose is hidden under a trunkload of junk called fears. These false little dictators chase us away from our purpose and scare us into believing we would fail if we follow our passions. Fear is simply this: False Evidence Appearing Real.

It’s never real, but it sure feels real. Doesn’t it?  When we let go of fears, we are FREE. Usually, this chain-breaking event aligns us with our passions and our purpose almost instantly.

What are some of your biggest fears?

Whatever your fears are, look at the opposite and you’ll surely find where your success lies. Once you discover your main passion, write down actionable steps to do more of it and then dive in.

2. Focus on your strengths and talents.

Our society, beginning in early childhood, tends to focus on our weaknesses instead of our strengths and talents. This subconscious habit starts early and, unless stopped, roots itself into our adulthood and stays. Some of us realize this and work to reverse it, while others wander around living average or unhappy lives.

Instead, let’s focus on our strengths and build on making them even stronger. Let’s follow what we love to do instead of trying to catch up in other areas. Our passion and purpose lie in our strengths and talents.

Do you know what your unique gifts and abilities are?

If  you do, congratulations. You are probably well on your way to living your purpose. If you haven’t fully realized them yet, that’s okay too. StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a great book and assessment by Tom Rath that has sold over 4 million copies. It’s one of the best ways to find your strengths and talents with actionable steps.

3. Reflect on your childhood dreams.

Research and experts agree that many of our childhood passions and dreams hold clues to our future purpose. But, most people do not realize that, nor are they encouraged at a young age to pursue them. As a result,  they usually do not discover them until they are well into their adult or middle-aged years.

You can’t turn back time, but you can write down memories of things you passionately enjoyed as a child.

What were you really enthusiastic about?

Where did you receive the most compliments?

What were you good at?

Children are pure love and innocence. Children are their authentic self. Our authentic self can reveal our best self.

As you answer the questions above and reflect, notice which area makes you feel really good right now. This is your calling. 🙂

4. Follow what feels right.

Your soul is your best guide. It’s the connection to your Creator and access to infinite, divine energy. It’s who you truly are and it’s the source that guides you.

Are you listening?

You’ll know if you are on the right path if what you are doing feels right. When something feels right and you follow it, the energy builds and passion is created. The more you follow your passion, the more creative ideas that will flow from it. These creative ideas will lead you to your purpose.

Your purpose can be different at different times in your life. That’s okay. We are not meant to be here and do just one thing. Our purpose can be grand and it can also be small, depending on how we look at it. For example,  our purpose could be following a career path, being a parent, being a helpful friend, volunteering, learning a new skill, etc.

When we follow our passion and it truly feels right in our heart and mind we can always be assured we’re on the right path. It’s not always perfect or easy, but it is worth it.

The Bottom Line

All in all, if you aren’t experiencing the success you have expected in your life, you may not being putting your time and attention into what you are truly passionate about, therefore unlocking your purpose.

If you feel like you’ve explored all of these tips and you still aren’t sure of your passion or purpose try asking yourself this very simple, yet profound question. . .

“What would I be doing right now, full time, if I were guaranteed success?”

The answer to that question may be your answer.

Remember: You will never fail if you follow what you love. There will be mistakes along the way, but that’s how you learn and grow. The most successful and happiest people have made many mistakes along the way. But, they never gave up.

If you follow your passion long enough you WILL be aligned with your purpose. Consistently living that purpose will guarantee lasting fulfillment.  In fact, you can bet your best life will miraculously unfold before your very eyes.  <3

ACTIONABLE AFFIRMATION:

Pursuing my passion paves the path to my purpose and prosperity.

DAILY INSPIRATION:

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Sometimes the bad things that happen in our life. . .

POSITIVE THINKING QUOTE:

Sometimes the bad things
that happen in our life
put us on a direct path
to the very – BEST –
times in our life
when we keep on believing.

EXTRA INSPIRATION:

During the tough times, it’s important to keep believing that better days are ahead. In fact, it’s a positive, faithful attitude that brings them to you. Being a positive person doesn’t mean you or your life are will always be perfect. Without hardships we couldn’t truly and fully appreciate our best days.

When we keep believing in our dreams and in our success, tough times WILL pave the way for our best life. They will equip us with a deeper level of knowledge, experience and wisdom. This is the purpose of the school of LIFE  –  to allow us to grow into our fullest potential.

So, during the tough times, affirm that it will set you up for the BEST times in your life. Listen to your intuition, connect with divine energy (however you choose) and look and focus on solutions.

ACTIONABLE AFFIRMATION:

Challenges summon my will and bring me to a higher level of victory!
 

DAILY INSPIRATION:

For more positive thinking quotes and daily inspiration follow Power of Positivity on FB and Subscribe to our website.

life-quote-inspiration

Bringing JOY to Others is a Beautiful Quality. But, Remember. . .

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positive thinking quote

Positive Thinking Quote

Bringing joy to others is a beautiful quality.
But, remember sometimes some people
no matter how hard you try just aren’t happy.
Don’t blame yourself.
They must make the choice to be happy.
It has nothing to do with you.
Keep your happiness and continue to share it with others.
You make the world A better place!

DAILY DOSE OF INSPIRATION:

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Is Lucid Dreaming the Greatest Human Discovery?

Have you ever experienced lucid dreaming? That is, a dream in which you knew you were dreaming?

Have you experienced a dream in which you knew you were dreaming and was able to shape your dream and the experience?

Congratulations! You produced Gamma waves, the highest frequency brain waves possible. Also, you had a “lucid dream” – a dream in which you were able to realize a higher consciousness and reality than is normally attainable.

Pretty cool, huh? Let’s delve into this a little by explaining the science behind lucid dreaming, Gamma and other brainwaves and their benefits and uses, and how you can consciously form your own lucid dreams.

lucid-dreaming

Your Amazing Brainwaves

Your brain produces five types of brainwaves: Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

Delta brainwaves operate at a very low frequency – .5 to 2 Hertz. This is the slowest possible brain frequency you can experience, and normally happens in a state of deep, dreamless sleep. Delta waves are very important for deep sleep, which is essential for healing and regeneration of mind and body.

Theta brainwaves operate at a frequency of 4 to 7.5 Hertz. These brainwaves are present during moments of light sleep and deep meditation. You experience Theta waves briefly as you drift off to sleep and when awakening from a deep sleep. Scientists believe these waves to be important for creativity and inspiration (here’s to you, artists!)

Alpha brainwaves operate between 7.5 to 14 Hertz. The waves are the doorway to your subconscious mind. Formed during moments of deep relaxation, such as a daydream or light meditation, these waves are the most valuable of all types for visualization and imagination.

Beta brainwaves, our most commonly experienced, operate between 14 and 40 Hertz andc4rvd occur when you are awake and alert. Obviously, these waves are important for essential functions such as work, driving, active learning and listening. However, these are also the most stressful, as your brain works hardest at this state. Beta waves are the reason why rest and relaxation are a necessity.

Finally, there are the Gamma brainwaves. These waves are the fastest type, operating at a frequency of over 40 Hertz. In addition to being the source of lucid dreams, Gamma waves also produce breakthrough insights, very high-level cognitive functioning, and peak focus.

Other great benefits of Gamma waves: joy, self-control, love and compassion!

nerve-cell-lucid-dreaming
Increasing Gamma Waves – the Dalai Lama story

With all of the incredible benefits of Gamma wave production, you are probably thinking: I want Gamma waves! Give me more Gamma! Or something to that effect…

Here is the wonderful news: you can perform activities that will increase Gamma waves!

The best, most proactive activity for increasing Gamma production: meditation. Let’s take a look at perhaps the most prominent ever study done proving this assertion.

A renowned, brilliant neuroscientist by the name of Dr. Richard Davidson (please “Google” him) is perhaps the most prominent, sought after expert on contemplative practices (i.e. meditation) in the world.

He’s also a long-time friend and companion of the Dalai Lama.

In 2002, his Holiness sent eight of his monks to visit Davidson’s lab for a groundbreaking study; during which, the Buddhist practitioners were connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG) machine for brain testing and scanning. As a comparative element of the study, Dr. Davidson used ten student volunteers with no meditation experience.

The monks and students were connected to 256 electrical sensors and asked to meditate for a short period of time. The results of the study are nothing short of extraordinary…

Davidson discovered that meditation activated the monk’s trained minds in very different ways than those of the students. Most notably, the monks produced the strongest, most frequent Gamma brainwave activity ever recorded, far surpassing the Gamma production of the student participants.

In other words – meditative practice can change your brain and has a profound effect on your ability to produce more Gamma waves.

If you never had a great reason to become a student of meditation, you do now…

lucid-dreaming

Gamma Waves, Lucid Dreams and the Future

Needless to say, scientists all over the world are excited about Dr. Davidson’s studies and others like them.

In one study in Frankfurt, Germany, scientists administered an electrical current to sleeping people’s brains and were able to induce lucid dreaming in many participants. The volunteers noted that they were able to control the dream’s plot and observe and interact willingly.

Breakthrough studies such as these are opening up an entirely new discussion on what is possible with the human brain and our realities. The ability to induce lucid dreams, treat mental ailments such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and even access a realm unknown to us in our regular, everyday states now seems more possible than ever.

All of a sudden with the help of modern technology, visionary scientists and their remarkable studies, the Dalai Lama and his monks, and meditative techniques, Humankind may just made one of the most important discoveries in our history: the ability to literally transform our realities.

Amazing stuff, indeed.lucid-dreaming

Just don’t forget to drop the Dalai Lama a “Thank You” card.

As a side note, Dr. Davidson continues to conduct rigorous scientific research on healthy qualities of the mind within his organization. The Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center can be visited online at www.investigatinghealthminds.org

For more information on the famous study in Frankfurt, Germany, and more information on lucid dreaming, visit http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/lucid-dream-research.html

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