This week, below the fold, you will find a 16 minute video of Richard Davison, PhD, who is the founder of Center for Healthy Minds. Davison, a neuro-scientist, began using modern tools of measurement to study the positive effects of healthy minds in response to a challenge by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In the video he shares the scientific biases he has faced through the years, and as well expresses that it is beginning to look like Contemplative Neuro-science is actually becoming an accepted field of study. On the Center’s Join the Movement page, if one scrolls down a short way you will find a lot of interesting, easy practices to encourage well-being.
The fact that this work is being carried out, and also that so many people are becoming interested in this work, gives me hope and I thought you might find it interesting as well.
Good evening and welcome to Monday Group Meditation. We will be sitting from 8:00 to 10:30 PM Eastern Time. It is not necessary to sit for the entire extended time, which is set up to make it convenient for people in four North American Time Zones; sit for as long as you like and when it is most convenient for you. Monday Group Meditation is open to everyone, believers and non-believers, who are interested in gathering in silence. If you are new to meditation and would like to try it for yourself, Mindful Nature gave a good description of one way to meditate in an earlier diary, copied and pasted below:
"It is a matter of focusing attention mostly. In many traditions, the idea is to sit and focus on the rising and falling of the breath. Not controlling it, but sitting in a relaxed fashion and merely observing experiences of breathing, sounds, etc. Be aware of your thoughts, but don't engage in them. When your mind wanders (it will, often), then return to focus on breath and repeat."
Note: You are also welcome to join us on Sunday mornings at 10:00AM for the Dkos Sangha Open Threads which are hosted by davehouck.
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