How to Train Your Brain to Keep You Healthy and Happy

When you are unhappy what do you do? Do you go out for a meal? Go to the cinema? The theatre, perhaps? Do you go shopping? Perhaps you like a drink to overcome your unhappiness. Or do you get a buzz from jogging or going to the gym?

Whatever it is scientist are in the process of proving that internal change is the only thing that can give you health and happiness. Everything else is an illusion.

What does this mean?

Your brain is the only thing that can keep you healthy and happy.

Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin and Jon Kabat-Zinn from the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre have just completed some interesting research that can actually be of benefit to you and me and the way we run our lives.

They took a group of 41 stressed, but otherwise healthy, individuals working in a biotechnology firm in Wisconsin. 25 were taught meditation. In this case: mindfulness meditation. The group met for a 2.5 to 3 hour meditation class each week. After six weeks they all attended a seven hour meditation retreat. In addition each member was asked to meditate, at home, for one hour a day using a guided meditation tape.

The other 16 were held as a control group and did not receive meditation training until the study was completed.

At the end of the eight week programme, in November, they also gave all the participants a flu jab. And guess what. "The members of the meditation group had a significant increase in antibody titers" in other words they have less chance of catching flu.

The bottom line appears to be. If you want to have good health and overcome the day by day blues and maintain happiness learn to meditate. When you meditate you change the way your brain operates.

In addition, they found, the more you practice meditation the better your daily performance.

What we found is that the long time practitioners showed brain activation on a scale we have never seen before. Their mental practice is having an effect on the brain in the same way golf or tennis practice will enhance performance.'' It demonstrates, that the brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few people can imagine. --(Richard Davidson)

So give yourself the space each day to train your brain. It works.

Good Luck

Graham and Julie
www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels. Please go to: http://www.desktop-meditation.com It's free.

In The News:


Long-term meditation leads to different brain organization
Medical Xpress
The research team was curious to know if the effects of meditation persisted after the exercise was completed. Credit: IStock (Medical Xpress) -- People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind ...

and more »

Tibetan leader's meditation session draws crowds in Shimla
Newstrack India
Shimla, May 25 (ANI): A special meditation session organized by Tibetan leader Taklung Tsetul Rinpoche drew hundreds of monks here on Friday. Rinpoche, the 6th head of the Nyingma School, presided over the special session of the teachings of the ...

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As Myanmar opens up, spiritual tourists journey in
CNN (blog)
It's a typical day for a foreign tourist at the Mahasi meditation center here. Founded by the late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, the center opens its doors not only to Burmese residents but also to foreign visitors wishing to learn Buddhist meditation ...


National Turk English

Miley Cyrus urges young girls to meditate to get real-life answers
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Miley Cyrus is encouraging young girls to meditate more and take time to discover what they really want out of life. The pop star and actress admits she lost her way during a tough period in her life – and started hanging out with people she thought ...
Hindus welcome Miley Cyrus' championing of “meditation”The Jet Newspaper
Hindus appreciate Miley Cyrus' support of ' meditation 'National Turk English
“Hanna Montana” star Miley Cyrus on life and sexEOTM! Online (blog)

all 332 news articles »

GPS to a Quiet Mind: 6 Meditative Steps to Freedom
Huffington Post
Meditation is simple and transformative, yet it is highly misunderstood. Some people think it is about controlling our mind or stopping our thinking, while others see it as both weird and wacky or boring and meaningless. Yet meditation really just ...

and more »

Wired News

Meditation for Geeks: Part 1
Wired News
I was first introduced to the practice of meditation in a hot yoga class. It was part of the teacher's routine to do a short meditation session at the end of the class. After 45 minutes of grueling hot yoga, the last 15 minutes of relaxing were heaven ...


Meditation rejuvenates the soul
IBNLive.com
For the next five days, make this resolve when you meditate — I will respect and value the time and space that has been given to me. I will value time and cherish every single minute as a wonderful gift. I will structure my life on the foundation of ...


The Guardian

Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill – he's not the first
The Guardian
Meditation makes you calmer and clearer and encourages empathy and kindness … right? Not if you are Anders Behring Breivik who has told psychiatrists that he used meditation to "numb the full spectrum of human emotion – happiness to sorrow, despair, ...

and more »

Mood of meditation at Buddhist Temple
EMC Stittsville/Richmond
Rath Sam, left, of the Cambodian Buddhist Temple on Hazeldean Road in Stittsville and Bhante Kovida, right, take part in a meditation session led by Bhante Kovida at the Temple on Thursday evening, May 17. EMC news - Except for the intermittent sounds ...


Unique Dahn Yoga Workshop for Inspired Young People
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The event featured nature walks and meditation techniques. There is a unique Dahn Yoga workshop that includes a special mind body program for young people called the Young Earth Human Alliance (YEHA). The YEHA Camp, developed by the national leader in ...

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