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SEATTLE - Health experts say we are seeing a big increase in depression, anxiety, and stress right now, and with it, the amount of people practicing meditation is skyrocketing!

Allie Henderson, Wellness Consultant with Regence, says back in March when we saw our first round of lockdowns, there was a 25% increase in downloads for popular meditation apps.

Henderson says most people think relaxation is the biggest benefit and while that is one of them, the benefits are more focused on being in control of our thoughts and emotions,During this year, we are feeling a lot of difficult emotions, things like fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, anger, depression, loneliness, all of these things that sometimes we label as bad, and we feel like we shouldnt be feeling this way and we try to shove them aside. Any emotion is there to tell us something.

Henderson says meditation is a way to sit and experience those emotions. So, how can you practice meditation at your home right now?Meditation is a broad term and there are multiple ways to practice it. Henderson says mindfulness meditation is focusing on being in the present moment, acting with intention, and removing judgment. Imagery or visualization meditation is when you immerse yourself in another environment to relax. Mantra meditation is repeating a word over and over to stay focusedand then there are movement-based meditations like yoga or Tai Chi.

Henderson says when it comes to people who practice, they also see improved overall psychological benefits, improved self-esteem, decreased pain, and meditation can even help when coping with illnesses.

Here are a few free apps that Henderson recommends if you want to get started:

Henderson says dont set yourself up for failure by trying to commit to 30 or 60 minutes when you get started,she says to look for 2 to 5-minute meditations instead,Your mind is gonna wander but this is a practice and even those who have been doing it for years, are still learning, so give yourself grace and just enjoy the process.

Find a quiet spot, if possible, sit with one of the apps, and regain some control in a world that feels so very out of control right now.

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Market, By Types: Paid Free

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For an understanding of the origins of Western psychotherapy, we must start at the beginning with Sigmund Freud. As a neurologist in the late 19th century, he was treating patients who had apparent neurological symptoms, but neurological exam suggested that their symptoms had no physiological basis. Inspired partly by his knowledge of hypnotic phenomena, Freud developed the technique of free association, which he viewed as a tool for investigating a patients psyche. Consider how he would introduce the technique to a new patient: We instruct the patient to put himself into a state of quiet, unreflecting self-observation, and to report to us whatever internal observations he is able to make, taking care not to exclude any of them, whether on the ground that it is toodisagreeableor tooindiscreetto say, or that it is toounimportantorirrelevant, or that it isnonsensicaland need not be said.2 Furthermore, Freud advised the analyst to adopt a mental state of evenly suspended attention while listening to a patient, even referring to it as a meditative attitude.3

Based on the dramatic improvement seen in many patients and on recurrent themes observed in the course of his work, Freud developed a theoretical structure of the human psyche that offered an explanation of mental suffering. He proposed 3 fundamental psychic structures: id, the repository of our primitive animal drives; superego, a repository of morality passed down from society in general and religion in particular; and ego. Ego includes our sense of self and mediates, as best it can, between the basic survival drives, the moral demands of the tradition we grew up in, and the reality we find ourselves in. If egos narrative is sufficiently consistent with the reality situation and with the cultural context in which we live, we appear mentally healthy to ourselves and those around us. The more our narrative is inconsistent with our situation, whether due to unfortunate early childhood programming, other trauma, or to some biochemical dysfunction, the more we will appear to be poorly adjusted, or perhaps ill, and the more mental distress we are likely to experience. This model proved so compelling that, in addition to becoming the bedrock on which our Western psychodynamic theories are built, it has become embedded in our popular culture.

Freud elaborated the technique of free-association into a system of psyche-therapy, or psychotherapy, in which the analyst guides the patient through the experiences that arise in the course of treatment. To grossly oversimplify, the fundamental premise is that mental suffering derives from conflicts that are largely unconscious, and these conflicts can be mitigated by bringing them into consciousness. Later traditions of psychotherapy developed variations in understanding of the nature of intra-psychic conflict and how to deal with it, but in general the focus remains on bringing unconscious conflicts into consciousness and dissecting their meaning.

If you drop the requirement to verbalize ones thoughts (and dispense with the analyst) Freuds instructions are a fair approximation of the basic instructions for mindfulness meditation. This form of meditation, fundamental to all Buddhist teachings, is essentially a technique for observing our thought flow in granular detail without attempting to control it or shape it. As we make a sustained effort to simply observe our thoughts without our habitual judgmental attitude, we begin to develop some degree of equanimity toward our own thought processes. This meditative practice gradually translates into an increased capacity for equanimity as we encounter the vicissitudes of life. The change is experienced subjectively as reduced anxiety, increased emotional stability, increased clarity of mind, and an improved global sense of well-being. These positive results seem to be a natural outcome of the process, and do not depend on adopting any particular belief system or theory of mind.

To understand the Buddhist view of meditation we must again start at the beginning, in this case about 2500 years ago with the life of the Buddha. The Buddha was raised as a prince in Northern India, protected from any knowledge of the suffering inevitably associated with being alive. As he came of age and was confronted with examples of human suffering, he renounced his privileged life and became a wandering yogi, seeking to escape suffering by pursuing the ascetic practices that are still taught in that part of the world. He ultimately abandoned ascetic practices and developed a novel meditative path that led him to what he called enlightenment, which can be understood as a complete understanding of mind and of mental suffering.

When he began to teach he started with 4 simple statements which, translated into English, are known as the Four Noble Truths4:

The meaning of these statements is not self-evident. First, what exactly do we mean by suffering? The teachings discuss the full range of human suffering, summarized by the traditional phrase birth, sickness, old-age, and death. The culture in which Buddhism originated believed in reincarnation as an obvious fact, and the traditional teachings promise that at the culmination of the Buddhist path there is the possibility of escape from the endless cycle of death and rebirththe ultimate escape from suffering. In our role as mental health professionals we do not concern ourselves with speculations about the afterlife, but Buddhist teachings also make it clear that meditation practice is a tool for mitigating mental suffering in this life, which is why we should be interested in understanding it.

The second Noble Truth states that the cause of suffering is ignorance. Ignorance of what? The simple answer is that we are ignorant of the true nature of our own minds. As human beings we all create a complex mental narrative about who we are, what the world is about, and how we fit into it. Buddhist teachers are very comfortable referring to this whole process as ego. Their definition of ego is broader than ours, including all the mental processes and concepts that go into creating and maintaining our experience of ourselves and the world around us. Ego is our natural state, which allows us to navigate the world successfully (or not so successfully, as we in the mental health trade know so well), yet it is also the mechanism through which we unintentionally create suffering for ourselves and those around us.

The third Noble Truth states that there is a way to escape this self-created suffering, and the fourth Noble truth tells us we can achieve this by following the Buddhas instructions, thus replicating his path. The Buddha is presented as a human being who practiced a particular mental discipline that led to specific results, and the assertion is that any person can, at least in principle, attain the same results if they are willing to practice the mental discipline. From this perspective, the Buddhist teachings amount to a psychological system designed to mitigate mental suffering. Interestingly, the Buddha has traditionally been referred to as the ultimate physician, who identified the cause of suffering and pointed out the cure.

Our usual experience of ego is a continuous, more-or-less consistent sense of self. Buddhist psychology asserts that this experience of ego as a solid entity is an illusion. Ego is actually an ongoing process that requires a tremendous amount of mental energy to sustain. The importance of intra-psychic conflict is recognized, but it is felt that there is limited value (and possibly some harm) in focusing too much time and effort on contemplating and analyzing the details of ones personal history. That is, a purely psychotherapeutic approach runs the risk of turning our personal history into an immoveable monument, without necessarily relieving emotional suffering.

Instead, Buddhist psychology focuses, through the lens of meditation, on the moment-to-moment process by which we construct our version of self and the world. When we watch a movie, we are seeing a series of individual frames that are projected on a screen at a speed that gives the illusion of watching real objects and real events. If we stop the projector (or, these days, freeze the data stream), the illusion of motion and reality disappears. We see that the vivid experience of the movie, which perhaps moved us to tears or rage, is just a series of pictures. So it is with ego. We are continuously constructing a series of mental frames that are strung together to give an illusion of a solid self, the world, and a narrative involving our place in the world. The practice of meditation allows us to perceive this reality: that our story about who we are and what the world is about is something we are constantly creating and defending.

Buddhist psychology is not suggesting that we and the world are an illusion, but that our perception of self and the world is an illusion that we are constantly constructing, and it is constantly threatening to fall apart. Whether we are psychologically healthy, just poorly adapted, or suffering from bona fide mental illness, the direct experience of egos insubstantiality resulting from meditation practice can lead to some degree of relaxation of our allegiance to the illusion. This relaxation can reduce the intensity of whatever psychic conflicts we struggle with, regardless of their nature or origin. It may result in an improved ability to relate to the world in an accurate and straightforward manner.5

In summary, psychotherapy and meditation are both widely used for mitigation of mental distress and behavioral dysfunction. There are various theories about the causes of mental distress and about the mechanisms by which these modalities help people, but the reality is that we have no certainty about how it all works, and our methods are at least as much of an art as they are science. This discussion has pointed out that the operational mechanisms of psychotherapy and meditation overlap to some degree, and it is beginning to be accepted that they can be additive in their benefits. If a therapeutic modality seems to have clinical benefit, and if there is no reason to think it can cause significant harm, we are justified in using it even in the absence of rigorous proof of efficacy. It is accordingly reasonable to continue to explore the use of meditation in combination with psychotherapy in the treatment of mental disorders.

However, there is a conundrum at the core of any discussion of psychotherapy and meditation. The underlying theory of mind and of the causes of mental distress offered by the 2 traditions are not only different; they are fundamentally contradictory. The optimal outcome of psychotherapy is a strong and well-functioning ego that can effectively balance our primitive drives with the moral dictates of our society and the reality circumstances of our lives. Meditation practice can be helpful in this endeavor, but the goal of the meditative path as presented by Buddhist psychology is quite different. It is not to strengthen ego or to restructure it to some more favorable configuration, but rather to see through the process of ego altogether in order to systematically reduce its influence on our perception of reality.

But conflicting theories of mind aside, the clinical experience of the meditative tradition suggests that the further one goes on the meditative path, thereby cultivating a reduced intensity of the process we call ego, the more benefit there is in terms of reduction of mental distress, development of emotional stability, and an increased sense of connectedness to the world and to other people. The implications of this observation require an exploration of spirituality and spiritual experiences, which is a larger discussion.

Dr Goderezis a psychopharmacologist and integrative medicine practitioner in private practice.

References

1. Miller J. Mindfulness. Psychiatric Times. December 11, 2019. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/mindfulness

2. Freud S.On the beginning of treatment. In: Strachey J, ed. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Vol. 12. The Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-Analysis;1958:123-144.

3. Freud S. Recommendations to Physicians Practicing Psychoanalysis. In: Thompson M. The Truth About Freuds Technique: The Encounter with the Real. New York University Press;1994:145-154.

4. The four noble truths. British Broadcasting Company. Updated November 17, 2009. Accessed December 15, 2020. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml

5. Trungpa, C. The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology. Shambhala Publications, Inc.; 2005.

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Psychotherapy and Meditation in the Treatment of Mental Suffering - Psychiatric Times

Mantras are used in meditation practice to help ground you to the current moment and release your mind from invading thoughts.

Mantra meditation is meant to relax and center you by releasing judgments and worries.

To put it simply: it helps you be present in the moment. And by practicing mantra meditations, you'll help focus yourself even deeper into this sense of calm and release.

RELATED:How To Transform Your Life By Doing Absolutely Nothing

If you want to begin mantra meditation, it's important to consider what you want to focus on before you get started.

Some people like to practice this exercise while focusing on reaching a higher connection to the divine within themselves, be it spiritual or religious. And some simply like the health benefits of meditative focus and the increased connection with their own inner peace.

Meditation is much more easily said than done, though.

You may worry that because you can't still your thoughts that you're bad at meditation, but this is something that affects everyone and can get better with practice. Sometimes it feels like you can't help but think, and during meditation, it's common for thoughts to enter your mind.

That's why mantras are a helpful tool for concentration during meditation.

When you focus on a specific word or phrase, it's harder for other thoughts to slip in.

This is not to say that other thoughts wont still intrude upon your meditation, but having an anchor, like a mantra, can bring you back to the center.

Regularly practiced, mantra meditation can improve your focus, decrease ruminating thoughts, and relieve stress that causes tension in your body and plagues your mind.

However you practice meditation, mantras are a useful tool for helping ground you and maintain your focus while also creating a specific intention for your meditation practices.

In Sanskrit mediation, om is thought to be the sound of the universe. Using om as a mantra is recognizing the oneness of yourself with the universe.

Mantras can be a great reminder to be kind, not only to others but to yourself as well.

A lot of people like to make meditation a part of their morning routine. This mantra would be great for a morning meditation to start your day right.

RELATED:How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide To Mindfulness Meditation

This mantra plays on the fake-it-'til-you-make-it idea. Even if you dont feel calm when you start your meditation, as you get deeper into the practice and use this mantra as your anchor, it will calm you.

Similar to the I am calm mantra, repeating the word peace can actually then manifest peace inside you.

This mantra follows the powerful rule of three creating cohesion and strength in the affirmation. The may I parts preceding the positive states/wishes is like asking and allowing permission for these positive things to come into you.

This affirmation is to remind you that you are enough and doing your best. You deserve all the good that you receive.

Release all that was, accept what is to come, and be in the present.

You dont need to turn to the external world for validation or fulfillment, in this meditation, you will find all that you need within yourself, you're already complete.

This phrase is a great anchor when meditation seems too difficult, and it also reassures you in a broader sense with all of your goals.

Meditation is a form of self-care. Reminding yourself of that care and compassion during meditation will strengthen these ideas in yourself.

This can even be supported with mudras, or hand gestures you can use during your meditation to help deepen focus and attract what you want as well.

This can mean take care of yourself, or others, or just in general. Simply in meditating, you're taking care, and this phrase as your anchor will bring you back into that practice.

This is another Sanskrit mantra meaning I am to enforce self-awareness and staying in the present.

Remember that mantra meditation practice is for you. You can create any mantra that you feel is the best fit for you. This list can be an inspiration, or you can take from it whatever feels right for you.

Practicing with mantras can help you become more skilled at it.

Meditation can be done strictly by the book, or with personalized variants.

Commonly, you may meditate while sitting upright on a level, not too cushiony, surface with your eyes closed or softly gazing at a point on the floor. You focus on your breathing and softly chant your mantra, letting it ease out with your breath.

If a thought comes into your mind, accept it without judgment and let it pass. Bring yourself back into the meditation with your mantra and/or breathing as an anchor.

Of course, sometimes people feel strict meditation is too stringent, which could potentially impede upon the whole point of it. So, some prefer to sit more comfortably, or sometimes they need to practice meditation in an emergency moment, which can push posture to the back burner.

The most important thing to remember is that meditation is for your benefit, so do it however makes you feel most comfortable.

RELATED: 3 Meditations To Help You Find Your Center

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Colleen Fogarty is a writer who covers self-care, astrology, and relationship topics.

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What Is Mantra Meditation & 13 Mantras To Get You Started - YourTango

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Mindfulness is the art of living in the present moment. Its also a rapidly growing billion-dollar industry. These two faces throw up some hilarious contradictions, especially when combined with technology.

Im not against the meditation app industry. Theyre making the big bucks, but theyve introduced healthy practices in many peoples lives which non-profits have been trying for years. Maintaining purity could mean denying millions of a means to de-stress.

My own practice has come from what Ive learned in karate and yoga. Id never considered using an app because part of the joy in my training is a completely tech-free hour. But I let my curiosity get the better of me when I got a perk that allowed me a year free subscription to an app.

The actual meditations are well made and Ive enjoyed them. Yet the business side worms its way through the app and its clear the sacrifices made for money and growth. I left the default settings on for a month as an experiment to see if it could win me over. Heres what you need to be careful of!

P.S. I wont say which app it is but it has millions of users.

Read the original:

4 Ways Meditation Apps Fail At Aiding Mindfulness | by Amardeep Parmar | Mind Cafe | Dec, 2020 - Medium

In todays crazy world it can be hard to take a moment to reflect and be mindful, but with the right meditation podcast, you can easily fit the practice into your everyday routine.

Our days are chock full of errands and to-do lists and most people assume they simply dont have the time to stop for anything else.

With our minds so busy, meditation is a great way to combat stress and help achieve that inner calm everyone always talks about (even if its only for a few minutes).

Meditation can seem intimidating at first: maybe you dont know a lot about meditation or perhaps you have no idea where to start your journey toward mindfulness.

Never fear, because today we want to talk to you about the best meditation podcasts to help get you in the zone!

RELATED:How To Find The Right Meditation Practice For You

This is the perfect place to start for those beginning their meditation journey.

Host Meryl Arnett takes you through simple guided meditations designed to help you escape your troubles for a moment and focus on the present. Her goal is to help her listeners live their lives more mindfully, easily, and happily.

There's a new podcast each week, making it a great place to start for those who are worried about the time commitment of meditation but still want to take steps toward mindfulness.

The Mindful Minute Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Anyone short on time will love Meditation Station.

Designed for an on-the-go lifestyle, the podcast provides quick exercises in a variety of different areas (such as sleep, anxiety, and unhealthy urges) to help improve your overall quality of life.

This meditation podcast is a great way to dip your toe into meditation that doesnt require setting aside an hour of your time.

The Meditation Station podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, so go ahead and give it a try!

An expert in mindfulness, Michael Chaskalson, hosts this podcast that accompanies his book, Mindfulness in Eight Weeks.

This 8-week plan is perfect for those who feel ready to invest more time into making their lives more mindful and focused. Each episode is about 20 minutes per day and focuses on a different exercise.

This meditation podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and is a great way to begin to dive deeper into meditation as a lifestyle.

RELATED:How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide To Mindfulness Meditation

For anyone who cant seem to turn off their thoughts at night, theGuided Sleep Meditation podcast is the one for you.

With so much going on every day and a busy day tomorrow, its no wonder people have a hard time switching to relax-mode.

This meditation podcast is designed to help you fall asleep quickly and easily with exercises to relax your body and mind. Its available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, so consider adding this one to your nightly routine.

For all my athletes out there, Meditation for Fitness Peeps is the best way to take care of your mind the same way you take care of your body.

Prioritizing your physical health is great, but not if it stresses you out in the process. Take care of both your physical and mental healthin this fantastic podcast that focuses on gratitude, inspiration, and a number of other important topics.

Each episode has a set structure featuring a moment of gratitude, an inspirational quote, a visualization, and a five-minute meditation.

Its available on Stitcher and is ideal for anyone looking to improve their mental training as well as their physical.

For anyone who still isnt quite sure meditation is for them or doesnt understand the benefits it can have in your daily life, try Untangle.

This podcast is specifically designed for those doubters who want to know a little more about what theyre getting themselves into. This podcast features interviews with psychologists, neuroscientists, authors, etc. to discuss the importance of meditation, how it changes us, and what it can do for you.

There are a ton of first-hand accounts from people who share their own journeys to inspire and encourage anyone wondering if meditation could be for them.

The podcast is available on a few different channels such as SpotifyandApple Podcasts.

RELATED:What Is Buddhism? + 6 Meditations To Find Your Inner Zen

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6 Best Meditation Podcasts To Help Get You In The Zone - YourTango

A spike in COVID-19 cases combined with the holidays make for an extraordinary amount of stress. For ways to deal with it, I called Alejandro Chaoul. For decades, working with MD Anderson Cancer Hospital, hes researched the therapeutic effects of meditation and Tibetan yoga; and hes the founding director of the Jung Centers Mind Body Spirit Institute. Chaoul spoke with me sitting cross-legged on the floor of his wifes familys house in Costa Rica, where the family was quarantining.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Early in the pandemic, I saw you in a Jung Center video on YouTube. You were showing people how to wash their hands mindfully. Could you explain that?

Meditation doesnt always have to be formal. We can use activities that were doing in everyday life to clear our minds and reconnect to our hearts or to our sense of being present. So as we were told over and over again to wash our hands more often, I thought people could see hand-washing not as a burden, but actually as an opportunity.

We were told to wash our hands for 20 seconds. Ive been working at MD Anderson for 20 years, so Id heard that rule often before. Sometimes its suggested that you time it by singing Happy Birthday twice. Thats usually not in the right tone, not the way that I want to feel that moment. I mean, sure, if its someones birthday, thats different.

Otherwise, we can just use hand-washing as an opportunity to be mindful. As you wash your hands, youre also watching your mind, particularly your brain and the way that the brain goes from thought to thought and emotion to emotion, and then settle in.

So as you finish washing your hands, youre also connected.

We can also even do it with a sanitizer gel. A colleague of mine at MD Anderson came to me one time and said, Ale, did you realize that now we have a meditation device in every patients room?

I said, Really?

He said, Yeah! The gel: Every time I go to see a patient, and I get to wash my hands with the gel, I take a moment and I breathe. And as I clear my mind, its like clearing away everything maybe an unpleasant discussion with a colleague or my spouse, but even a good conversation I may have had with the last patient. That way, in the few minutes I have with this patient, I can be fully there.

Thats whats really important: to be fully there.

I understand what to do with my hands: I lather up, I rub them together. But whats the brain part of that meditation?

We can use a mnemonic device: STOP.

With the S, we Stop meaning that whatever we were doing before, we take a moment to stop it.

T is, Take a deep breath. (Inhales deeply to demonstrate.) As we take that deep breath, in a way were disconnecting from external things and reconnecting internally.

O is being Open, and observing what is going on there. No judgment, no criticism, just observing.

On RenewHouston.com: Struggling to be more present? Look to meditation

Then, at the end, P is Proceed: You go on with your day.

But many times, after O, were not ready to proceed. So we T Take another deep breath. And again we O, observe how we feel before now. And then, yes: Proceed.

Whats beautiful is, this takes 45 seconds or maybe a minute and a half if you extend it. But its a way of disconnecting from whatever is stressing the stressor and reconnecting to yourself.

Many times we conflate the stressor and stress. We say, This is stressing me out. Or COVID is stressing me out.

We dont realize that we actually have a choice. At the moment of stress, of course, we dont feel we have a choice. But if we stop, we can notice that theres a difference between the stressor and the stress. And then we can take that breath, connect with ourselves, observe in that nonjudgmental way be with ourselves as we connect more deeply.

And then, when we feel that connection, we proceed.

A lot of people feel lonely these days, because theyre alone in quarantine or because theyre vulnerable to infection. What are ways to deal with that?

Loneliness has to do with connecting both inner connection and outer connection. I think its important to start with inner connection, although different people learn in different ways. For me, that means noticing the moment that something gets me in a situation or a difficult mood feeling lonely, sad, angry, those sorts of things.

Different people have different tendencies. I know my own tendencies: I used to try to push these feelings away, rejecting them, and try to find a happy space or if I really couldnt find it, to find kind of my own little cave. What Ive learned with meditation techniques is that we can allow those feelings to be there. We dont have to reject them. But we have to prepare a little bit.

We have to prepare our inner space sometimes, thats just by breathing, like with that STOP formula, or with other breathing practices. When we breathe lower into our abdomen, we elicit the relaxation response that Herbert Benson found 40 years ago in his research with meditation. Instead of getting into that fight-or-flight stress response, we can reconnect and find a sense of relaxation.

When we find that sense of relaxation, thats not the end of it. Its actually the beginning. Now we have the possibility of opening our heart in a different way.

On RenewHouston.com: The pandemic has tripled the number of people who say theyre lonely. But theres hope.

But if we go too much into relaxation, we go into the famous mantra of (makes a loud snoring noise). Thats not really what we aim to do in meditation, either, right? (Laughs.) It can be a nice nap maybe a much-needed nap. But what we want is to maintain some sense of alertness.

So within that relaxation response, within that feeling of relaxing in our whole body, we find energy in mind, and with that energy, we maintain awareness. What happens with awareness is like the sun at dawn. As it rises, it starts illuminating, and it doesnt judge. It doesnt criticize. It doesnt make up stories. It just illuminates, and as it illuminates, it sees whatever is there.

So even that sadness, even that loneliness, even that stress now its seen. As its seen, its acknowledged. And once its acknowledged, we can do something, not only meditate about it but, for example, bring our hands to our heart.

(Demonstrates, placing his palms on his breastbone.) In a way, the motion is containing ourselves like when we hug a child that is in pain and crying, the hug just contains him or her, and were able to be there.

Many of us particularly men often feel like, No, Im strong. I dont need to do that. But I find it so useful to be open and vulnerable. Roshi Joan Halifax, a wonderful friend whos a Zen teacher, talks about having a strong back so that then we can have a soft front and an open heart. If we do that, we are strong where we need to be, but also were soft and open where we need to be.

Once we are vulnerable, we can accept that loneliness. We are inviting it from a place of openness. As my teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche said, with spaciousness, awareness and warmth. That warmth is what arises when we meet that loneliness and stress from a more open and aware state.

Its like sky and sun, space and light. In that embrace, theres warmth and rays of light. There are all your beautiful qualities: lovingkindness, compassion, joy, peace of mind, equanimity. Thats what we stay with.

Let me ask about anxiety: Meditation and yoga help with that?

Yes, they do.

Take a moment to wake up and breathe. Allow that relaxation response as you start your day. Then keep on doing that during the day. Find these moments washing your hands, walking more slowly, before you open the door of your car to take a moment to breathe. By doing that, youre getting more of that relaxation response and therefore also helping with your anxiety.

We found and many other researchers have found that through these practices, such as meditation, yoga, Tibetan yoga that anxiety can be lowered.

Let me share another technique that I particularly like. Its showering. When I showered in the morning, I used to start thinking, At 7 oclock I have this meeting, 8 oclock that meeting, 9 oclock, I have to talk to Lisa you know, whatever my day was.

But I had a teacher that said, Oh, dont do that. Thats not good for your health. What you want to do is, when youre taking a shower, shower. Dont just shower externally, but also internally. As you shower internally, its like youre clearing your mind, youre clearing your body, youre clearing your energy.

The way that they describe it in the Tibetan tradition is, you become like a crystal. And if you become like a crystal, and your mind rises like the sun or dawn, what happens?

Rainbows! Bring that light and rainbows into your day! Have a day with rainbows.

And I can start all of that just by paying attention to my body and my breathing while Im smearing a blob of hand sanitizer gel?

Yes. Thats a great start.

Remember, meditation is a state of mind. Instead of focusing so much on the brain-mind, we start coming to our heart-mind. Its the wisdom of our grandparents, whod say, When you have an important decision, do it with your heart.

The heart is where that intelligence is, in the meditation world. In the Eastern world, in India and Tibet, when they you ask where the mind is, they point to the heart.

The brain is an important aspect of the mind, but its the office its the minds office. The heart is the minds home. At the office, the mind works, goes from thought to thought, emotion to emotion. Thats what it needs to do. It even asks us to multitask, though we cant really do that.

But at home, in the heart, the mind is at rest. That rest isnt sleep. Rest is rest with awareness. What you start cultivating is learning how to rest. And as you learn how to rest, you learn that theres more space. You learn theres more light.

And when theres light and space, you learn, there are rays. There are rainbows. You learn to contact that lovingkindness, that compassion, that joy not by rejecting sadness, loneliness and stress, but by hosting them, acknowledging them, embracing them, being with them, breathing with them.

(Closes his eyes. Inhales. Exhales. Opens his eyes and smiles.)

And from there, we continue.

lisa.gray@chron.com, twitter.com/LisaGray_HouTX

Lisa Gray is a senior writer on the features desk. Previously, she's held many of the Chronicle's most interesting jobs: Senior editor for digital, features enterprise editor, member of the editorial board, acting op-ed editor, columnist--and, most fun of all, founding editor of Gray Matters, the Chronicle site named "Best Blog" in Texas three years in a row.

Email her at lisa.gray@chron.com. Or follow her on Facebook, where she spends way too much time.

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How the act of hand-washing can help you cope with COVID stress - Houston Chronicle

Bitcoin BTC broke $20,000 to set new all-time highs on Wednesday around three years after its previous price record.

Almost on cue, the rally sent major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase temporarily offline, turning profit-taking from the sudden 6% surge into a headache for traders.

The new record highs sent Bitcoin to the top of Twitters trending topics as BTC fans rushed to hit publish on fire tweets theyve been keeping for the occasion (who can blame them?).

Indeed, the last time Bitcoin was worth this much was in December 2017. But after trading as low as $3,200 a year later more than 80% below its record highs itsback.

The rally comes after a flurry of interest from the covetedinstitutional classthis year.

Jack Dorseys fintech Square allocated 1% of its assets ($50 million) to BTC,followed by the NASDAQ-listed MicroStrategy, which has bought over half a billion dollars worth of the cryptocurrency since August (andplans to buy even more).

Then theres MassMutual, a relatively large mutual life insurance company. It recently announced its general fund was buying up BTC in a bid to diversify its portfolio. So too did UK asset manager Ruffer earlier today.

Not to mention, industry giant PayPal added support for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in October.

Bitcoin is now up nearly 190% in 2020, having jumped from under $7,200 to $20,633 at pixel time.

This is not investment advice. Dont pretend it is. Always do your own research.

Published December 16, 2020 16:10 UTC

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Winklevoss comes out of meditation to witness Bitcoins record high - The Next Web

News releases

December 14, 2020

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunitiesto connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.

Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access toZoom Pro via UW-IT.

Set in Motion: A Public Art Exhibition

December 2020 February 2021 | Throughout Seattle

The Henry Art Gallery is pleased to presentSet in Motion, the museums first city-wide public art exhibition.The work of ten artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond will be presented on public buses throughout the Seattle area. The title,Set in Motion, while in part referring literally to the mobile and transitory aspect of the exhibition format, also provided a loose thematic framework for artists to consider. Through their work, artists were able to respond to the rapidly changing social, political, economic, and environmental climates in which we find ourselves, interpreted through their different perspectives, aesthetic/conceptual approaches, and personal narratives.

Drop-in Meditation Session: Atencin Plena y Compasin Para Cerrar el Ao

December 21, 6:00 7:00 PM | Online

The Center for Child and Family Well-Being will be hosting a drop-in Spanish language meditation session hosted byAngelica Zapata,a facilitator for the CCFWs professional and parent well-being training programs.

Esta sesin est basada en la prctica de la atencin plena, la compasin y la bondad. Estos son los mejores regalos que podemos darnos a nosotros mismos y a los dems en estos das festivos.

Public Opinion and Polls in the 2020 Presidential Election

Recorded event | Online

While polls and public opinion research are essential components of a healthy democracy, they also have come under attack in recent years, particularly for miscalling various elections. In October, the Department of Communication hosted a virtual conversation with Kate Kenski (University of Arizona) and Lydia Saad (Gallup) to discuss polling and public opinion today and their implications for the health of American politics beyond 2020. The event was organized by the University of Washingtons Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy.

Free | Watch and More Info

KNKXs Virtual Studio Session with the Marc Seales Group at Town Hall

Recorded event | Online

KNKX presented an exclusive live streamed Studio Session with the Marc Seales Group from The Forum at Town Hall Seattle on November 14, hosted by KNKX jazz ambassador Abe Beeson. Marc Seales,Professor of Music in the Jazz Studies Program, was joined by bassist Steve Rodby, guitarist Jesse Seales (Marcs brother), and drummer Alek Gayton. The show began with Abes Q&A with Marc, followed by a nearly 75-minute music set ending with the quartets spirited rendition of The Doobie Brothers Takin It To The Streets.

Free | Watch and More Info

Crossing North Podcast

Ongoing | Online

Crossing Northis a podcast about Nordic and Baltic society and culture. Episodes feature interviews with authors, performers, and leaders from Scandinavia and the Baltic, as well as discussions with faculty in the Scandinavian Studies Department and Baltic Studies Program.Crossing Northis produced and hosted by Colin Gioia Connors, Assistant Teaching Professor of Scandinavian Studies, with Kristian Nsby, Visiting Lecturer of Danish.

Free | Listen and More Info

Looking for more?

Check out UWAAs Stronger Together web page formore digital engagement opportunities.

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ArtSci Roundup: Set in Motion, Drop-in Meditation Session, and More - UW News

Added on December 21, 2020 Images News Netwok Addresses valedictory session of IGNCA on 3rd Edition of Bodh Gaya Global Dialogue on Sustainable Development, Heritage and Enlightenment

While addressing the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that the timeless teachings of Lord Buddha have strong relevance even in contemporary times and are very important for thinkers and intellectuals because of the dynamic changes we are seeing in every field in todays era.

The wisdom of Buddha, in essence, is a seed with the potential to grow and awaken the whole of humanity. Let us imbibe the wisdom of Mahatma Buddha and conserve and preserve our tangible and intangible heritage and society woven around it, said the Lt Governor.

I am delighted to be a part of the deliberation on the important topic Sustainable Development, Heritage and Enlightenment. I believe that sustainable development caters both material developments of Individual, region, place as well as nourishment of the soul. In this context, our focus has to be on conservation, restoration of tangible heritage as well as dissemination of intangible legacy to kindle the center of humanity, the Lt Governor maintained.

While appreciating the efforts of the organizers for conducting Global dialogue, the Lt Governor observed that Bodh Gaya Global Dialogue is in fact a rare opportunity where people from different walks of life come together, in communion, with the spirit of oneness to promote Bodh Gaya as a World Heritage site, besides strengthening the relationship between Buddhist Pilgrimage in India and the South East Asian Nations.

The Lt Governor said that the religious places depict our beliefs, moral values, and cultural heritage and it is the responsibility of one and all to contribute their bit to preserve and redevelop them.

Highlighting the significance of Bodh Gaya, the Lt Governor said that Bodh Gaya is a source of spirituality, meditation, human welfare, and compassion.

Bodh Gaya teaches the whole world the values of thought, analysis, faith, respect, and is a symbol of kindness and compassion for all living beings. Bodh Gaya is a cradle of Buddhism culture, Buddha teachings, and heritage and a unique location for seekers from India and abroad, he observed.

The Lt Governor further lauded the efforts of IGNCA and Deshkal Society on various fronts for the multi-dimensional development of Bodh Gaya to strengthen relationships and build a strong and sustainable network between Bodh Gaya and South-East-Asian Nations.

I am witnessing a great miracle happening for mankind through this initiative. The worshippers from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, Japan, and eminent monks and scholars have been coming regularly to Bodh Gaya and are taking a lead in reviving and developing Southeast Asias rich ancient legacy, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor also suggested linking Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Sarnath with eminent places in East Asia for sustainable development of our collective heritage.

The Lt Governor said as per UNESCO Bodh Gaya is of Supreme Value to the World. The efforts put in by various stakeholders during recent years have led to the promotion of Tourism along with Ecological Sustainability, Livelihood Generation, besides massive transformation has been seen in the Civil Society group regarding Urban Heritage Planning.

Recalling the teachings of Lord Buddha, the Lt Governor said the total awareness comes with an empty mind and that is the state of Buddhahood. We all have that potential of Buddhahood and all we need is a little bit more awareness in our life, in our work, he added.

I see this occasion as an opportunity to be more spontaneous, be ourselves and live and work compassionately for others too in order to eradicate inequality in society. The message of Mahatma Buddha is to awaken people and show them how to live as pure consciousness and this is what IGNCA and Deshkal Society is doing through Bodh Gaya Dialogues. Be aware, be more loving, and be more compassionate, observed the Lt Governor.

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Bodh Gaya is a source of spirituality, meditation, human welfare, and compassion: Lt Governor - Kashmir Images