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The Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter recently carried an article explaining how a regular meditation practice can help your brain better manage stress and anxiety that can trigger depression.
The writers cited this fact: depression continues to be a major health issue for older adults. It affects about 20% of adults ages 65 and older, and regular depression can lead to higher risks for heart disease and death from illnesses. It also affects people's daily lives by making them more socially isolated and affecting cognitive function, especially memory.
Stress and anxiety are major triggers of depression. It is meditation which can alter your reaction to those feelings.
"Meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, and to return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude — which happens a lot when you feel stressed and anxious," says Dr. John W. Denninger, director of research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
One way meditation helps the brain is by protecting the hippocampus (a brain area involved in memory). One study discovered that people who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks increased the volume of gray matter in their hippocampus, and other research has shown that people who suffer from recurrent depression tend to have a smaller hippocampus.
The aim of meditation is not to push aside stress or block out negative thinking, but rather to notice those thoughts and feelings, all the while understanding that you don't have to act on them. This could be as simple as closing your eyes and repeating a single phrase or word, or counting breaths. "This helps provide some distance from those negative thoughts or stressful feelings, allowing you to recognize that, although they affect you, they are not you," says Dr. Denninger.
Here’s a brief meditation you can do in the comfort of your home. It takes less than ten minutes but is highly effective. Find a place to sit, either on a chair, bed or cushion on the floor. As you inhale, say “one”; then exhale. On the next inhale, say “two”; then exhale. Count your inhales to ten. Then, start over but this time, only count your exhales up to ten. Begin a third round but this time count both the inhalations and the exhalations. (Inhale and say one; exhale and say one...inhale two and exhale two, all the way to ten). For the final round simply sit and breathe. Don’t count anything. Just sit quietly for 60 to 90 seconds.
The writers cited this fact: depression continues to be a major health issue for older adults. It affects about 20% of adults ages 65 and older, and regular depression can lead to higher risks for heart disease and death from illnesses. It also affects people's daily lives by making them more socially isolated and affecting cognitive function, especially memory.
Stress and anxiety are major triggers of depression. It is meditation which can alter your reaction to those feelings.
"Meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, and to return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude — which happens a lot when you feel stressed and anxious," says Dr. John W. Denninger, director of research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
One way meditation helps the brain is by protecting the hippocampus (a brain area involved in memory). One study discovered that people who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks increased the volume of gray matter in their hippocampus, and other research has shown that people who suffer from recurrent depression tend to have a smaller hippocampus.
The aim of meditation is not to push aside stress or block out negative thinking, but rather to notice those thoughts and feelings, all the while understanding that you don't have to act on them. This could be as simple as closing your eyes and repeating a single phrase or word, or counting breaths. "This helps provide some distance from those negative thoughts or stressful feelings, allowing you to recognize that, although they affect you, they are not you," says Dr. Denninger.
Here’s a brief meditation you can do in the comfort of your home. It takes less than ten minutes but is highly effective. Find a place to sit, either on a chair, bed or cushion on the floor. As you inhale, say “one”; then exhale. On the next inhale, say “two”; then exhale. Count your inhales to ten. Then, start over but this time, only count your exhales up to ten. Begin a third round but this time count both the inhalations and the exhalations. (Inhale and say one; exhale and say one...inhale two and exhale two, all the way to ten). For the final round simply sit and breathe. Don’t count anything. Just sit quietly for 60 to 90 seconds.
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Most of us appreciate praise, but it is disastrous to become dependent on it. If we are going to allow our security to be bolstered up by the praise, appreciation and applause of others, we are done for. - Eknath Easwaran
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In his book, The Leader's Way (with Laurens Van Den Muynzenberg), the Dalai Lama writes "our world faces very serious problems." Here are the four which he considers especially serious and highly unfortunate:
1. the overwhelming degree of poverty in poor countries;
2. the stagnating sense of satisfaction and happiness in prosperous countries;
3. the environmental impact of the rising standard of living on the planet;
4. the lack of peace in many parts of the world.
In spite of what appear to be overwhelming issues, the Dalai Lama is an optimist knowing that humans can correct these problems with right thinking and right acting.
1. the overwhelming degree of poverty in poor countries;
2. the stagnating sense of satisfaction and happiness in prosperous countries;
3. the environmental impact of the rising standard of living on the planet;
4. the lack of peace in many parts of the world.
In spite of what appear to be overwhelming issues, the Dalai Lama is an optimist knowing that humans can correct these problems with right thinking and right acting.
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Vegan activits Tal Gilboa was recently appointed as the animal-rights advisor to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I asked Tal Gilboa to advise me on animal-rights issues, a subject that has gradually become closer to my heart,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. Gilboa—who called his appointment “a historic day for animals”—founded animal-rights organization Israeli Animal Liberation Front (now known as Total Liberation).
Gilboa is not the only animal-rights activist to have a say in Israeli’s government. Last month, Israeli politician and vegan Miki Haimovich requested that her leather seat in the plenum of Israeli’s national legislature be replaced with one made with animal-free materials because it represented the unnecessary suffering of animals for leather products.
(source: www.vegnews.com)
Gilboa is not the only animal-rights activist to have a say in Israeli’s government. Last month, Israeli politician and vegan Miki Haimovich requested that her leather seat in the plenum of Israeli’s national legislature be replaced with one made with animal-free materials because it represented the unnecessary suffering of animals for leather products.
(source: www.vegnews.com)
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People can add to the charm of life by diligently sweeping their yards every day, by cleaning their houses and windows, by making their homes cozy and by cultivating their gardens. - Hsing Yun
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"When I look around me now, I see a welcome change in how close and tender many young fathers are with their children. The old image of the distant, emotionally unavailable father is fading. I take this as a sign of rising consciousness.
"Our children reflect who we are, not just as parents but as conscious beings. In the highest sense, a father exists not only to protect and provide for his family but to embrace them as his own expanded self.
"The next sign of rising consciousness I foresee is that children will learn peace and love from a father, and that instead of teaching the next generation to continue the tradition of war, anger, and rivalry as acceptable masculine traits, the new masculinity will acquire its power from within."
(source. www.mindbodygreen.com)
"Our children reflect who we are, not just as parents but as conscious beings. In the highest sense, a father exists not only to protect and provide for his family but to embrace them as his own expanded self.
"The next sign of rising consciousness I foresee is that children will learn peace and love from a father, and that instead of teaching the next generation to continue the tradition of war, anger, and rivalry as acceptable masculine traits, the new masculinity will acquire its power from within."
(source. www.mindbodygreen.com)
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- President Richard Nixon ( 1972 ) signed Father's Day into law the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
- US Census data shows that of the 152 million males in America, 46% of them or 70.1 million are fathers. One third of them are married with children under 18. Two million fathers are single parents.
- Spending on Father’s day is significantly less than what is spent for Mother’s Day, $12.7 billion versus $21 billion for mothers.
- Father’s day is the fourth biggest day for buying and giving greeting cards notes the Greeting Card Association. More cards are purchased for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
- Nearly 220,000 men are stay-at-home fathers.
- March 14, Iran;
- March 19, Bolivia, Honduras, Italy, Portugal, Spain
- May 8, South Korea
- June 17, Guatamela, El Salvador;
- August 8, Taiwan and China;
- First Sunday in September, Australia and New Zealand;
- Second Sunday in November, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Estonia.
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Live with compassion. Work with compassion. Die with compassion. Meditate with compassion. Enjoy with compassion. When problems come, experience them with compassion. —Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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1. Is your life balanced enough to support a regular and useful meditation practice? It can be counterproductive to add meditation to a life already packed with too many activities.
2. Do you have a healthy balance between work and time off?
3. Is there an appropriate balance between time with others and time alone?
These are questions raised by Gil Fronsdal, author and meditation teacher who recommends evaluating why meditation is or isn't working for you.
2. Do you have a healthy balance between work and time off?
3. Is there an appropriate balance between time with others and time alone?
These are questions raised by Gil Fronsdal, author and meditation teacher who recommends evaluating why meditation is or isn't working for you.
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Terrorism is an expression of spiritual deafness, moral blindness and irrational anger.
- Georg Feuerstein
- Georg Feuerstein