Many years ago I was interviewed on TV for one of my books. The last, rather surprising question was: What is the secret of life? Without thought or hesitation I answered: Breath. Even before my father took his last breath almost twenty-nine years ago, an event that rocked my world and set me on a [...]
"I think this study offers a very useful component of therapy for these patients, for several reasons," David Geldmacher, MD, professor and Patsy and Charles Collat Scholar in Neuroscience in the Division of Memory Disorders and Behavioral Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, toldMedscape Medical News. "First, we know that it's a stressful [...]
This soup by Seppo was created too late to make our 3 Bowls cookbook, but it’s become a favorite of mine especially for large gatherings like Sunday’s All Day Sit. It’s a comforting soup for the fall with its array of colors and creamy texture. I usually mix in a bag of frozen green peas [...]
Sometimes the beginning is the hardest part of any task. Check out what Huffington Post suggests to help you begin, and maintain, your meditation practice! "1. Make a Contract with Yourself There's this funny thing about the brain. It wants to appear consistent to itself, and really dislikes things that make you look contradictory or [...]
October has been a month of ups and downs: Mercury in retrograde affected all sorts of communication and perhaps contributed to the logy feeling I carried with me to the hospital this week. Prior to this week, I’d always been completely present and engaged during my visits, and I always left with an uplifted spirit [...]
"A 2005 breakthrough study published in Neuroreport found meditation increased the thickness of the brain's prefrontal cortex. Normally, as the brain ages the cortex thins and the brain shrinks. The prefrontal cortex is associated with attention, higher thought and planning. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston took MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans of 20 experienced meditators [...]
“Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” ― William Faulkner “And by the way, [...]
A term for mental training reaches the height of trendiness, and like yoga before it, may be leaving its mark. "As Soren Gordhamer patiently quieted a packed Wisdom 2.0 event in San Francisco in September for a guided meditation, a few in the communal meeting space known as the Hub couldn’t resist thumbing another message or two [...]
“The brighter your light, the darker your shadow.” Carl Jung If this is true, my light must be piercingly bright, because one of my darkest shadows is murderous rage. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I write murder mysteries, especially as I continue to deepen my spiritual practice. Why do I love watching [...]
Even science can agree with our consensus; the benefits of meditation are undeniable. "Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have documented changes in the brains of novice practitioners who took an introductory eight-week class and meditated as little as 15 minutes a day. Sroka said the techniques can become second nature. In times of stress, [...]
