The subjective feeling of well-being experienced by many people with the practice of meditation is associated with specific changes in the brain, according to a study which may lead to better clinical recommendations of the practice.

The study, published in the journal Brain and Cognition, examined the effects of the technique known as Transcendental Meditation (TM), which consists of the silent repetition of a meaningless sound.

In the study, the researchers from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy, enrolled 34 healthy young volunteers and divided them in two groups.

They said the first group practised TM 40 minutes per day in two sessions of 20 minutes each, one in the morning and the other in the evening.

The second group, the scientists said, did not change its daily routine.

Using questionnaires, they also measured the anxiety and stress levels of all the participants at the beginning of the study, as well as the subjects' ability to manage stressful situations.

According to the researchers, the participants were also subjected to a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scan, in order to measure the organ's activity at rest, and changes in the excitation among different cerebral areas.

They repeated the tests after three months, at the end of the study.

According to the study, the levels of anxiety and stress perceived by the subjects who followed the meditation program were significantly reduced in comparison with those of the volunteers who did not practice TM.

"Magnetic resonance imaging also shows that the reduction of anxiety levels is associated with specific changes in the connectivity between different cerebral areas, such as precuneus, left parietal lobe and insula, which all have an important role in the modulation of emotions and inner states," said study co-author Giulia Avvenuti from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca.

"In the control group, instead, none of these changes was observed. The fact that Transcendental Meditation has measurable effects on the 'dialogue' between brain structures involved in the modulation of affective states opens new perspectives for the understanding of brain-mind relationships," said Pietro Pietrini, IMT School's Director, and co-author of the study.

"It also extends the results of recent research suggesting that drugs therapies and psychotherapy leverage on the same biological mechanism," Pietrini said.

According to the researchers, even a few months of practice of TM can have positive effects which can be correlated with measurable changes in the brain.

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Meditation may be associated with specific brain connection changes: Study - Deccan Herald

Houston writer Kate Murphy discusses her book, Youre Not Listening: What Youre Missing and Why It Matters.

From an early age were conditioned to not listen.

Were told to lead the conversation, not follow it, says Houston-based writer and journalist Kate Murphy. Theres sort of this urgency in our culture to shape the narrative stay on message.

Or, as a kid, if your parent stopped you and said, Listen to me, that was usually bad news.

Its a sure bet you were not going to like what was coming next, she said.

The same goes when a romantic partner says, Listen, we need to talk.

Plus, nowadays, technology is everywhere.

Everything around us is almost conspiring to keep us from listening, Murphy said.

She explores the often-lost art of listening in her book Youre Not Listening: What Youre Missing and Why It Matters. In the audio above, she discusses what she discovered with Houston Matters host Craig Cohen.

Murphy will discuss the book at Brazos Bookstore on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m.

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

1. Listening Takes Effort. Wanting to listen is the first step, but there are plenty of tangible and psychological hurdles to clear too.

We can think a lot faster than people can talk, Murphy said. And, as a result, our minds start to drift. So it does it takes effort. And with all these other things going on keeping us from listening, it is becoming very much of a lost art.

2. Multitasking Is A Myth

Murphy says theres this persistent myth that we can successfully multitask.

But the research is really clear: each additional input degrades your ability to listen, she said.

3. Listening Is A Skill

To learn how good listeners hone that skill, she interviewed people from professions that demand a higher level of it.

I like to call them the Olympic athletes of listeners, she said. These are people like air traffic controllers, CIA agents, focus group moderators, bartenders, hair dressers. Theyre the people that have put in their 10,000 hours.

And just like any other skill, it gets better with practice.

Like a sport or playing a musical instrument the more you do it the better you get at it, Murphy said.

4. Your Listening Skills Can Atrophy

Murphy says, in a culture where good listening happens less and less, that compounds the problem.

Theres less and less listening going on, and as a result people get worse and worse at it, and when you get worse at something then you resist doing it, she said. Like, if you havent run for a long time, and then you try and run you feel like, OK, this is painful. Its hard for me to go back to doing that.

5. Treat Listening Like Meditation

So, in a world where distractions cant be completely avoided, what can someone do to improve their listening?

Murphy says to think about listening like meditation.

Where you acknowledge distractions but then bring your focus back to the listener, she said. Whereas, in meditation, you bring your focus back to breathing or a mantra. But, with listening, you bring yourself back to the conversation at hand.

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5 Things To Know About The Lost Art Of Listening - Houston Public Media

The mega-round isn't going anywhere, as startups wait longer to raise outside capital and investors stockpile funds for backing the most mature companies.

Headspace, a startup that makes an app for guided meditation, is one of the latest beneficiaries of the capital blitz. The company that waited five years to raise its first significant round of financing in 2015 has just closed on $93 million in new funding. The Series C round is only a few million dollars short of being a mega-round, the term du jour for the industry, which describes a financing event where a company pulls in at least $100 million.

The cash injection will allow the Southern California startup to pour gasoline on its newer enterprise business, which sells app subscriptions to corporations as an employee benefit. Headspace for Work has doubled revenue two years in a row, according to a company statement.

The deal's size isn't unusual. Last year, the tech industry recorded 257 mega-rounds, an increase of almost 12% from 2018, according to PitchBook data.

However, the Headspace round is remarkable in the details.

Rich Pierson, cofounder and chief executive officer of Headspace, said the company fielded "lots of term sheets" from investors. The interest meant that the two founders could craft the conditions of the round to their liking.

They structured the deal in a way that it would not dilute shares of the company more than was necessary. And they selected a lead investor that offered terms that put the company's best interests ahead of their own, according to Pierson.

His advice for founders: "I wouldn't be forced to take some of the checks and terms that people are offering in this kind of cycle," Pierson told Business Insider.

The new funding has an almost even mix of equity and debt financing, which the company will have to pay back with interest. It includes $40 million of debt financing from Pacific Western Bank.

The main reason a startup would want to raise debt financing is because it doesn't create new chunks of ownership. That means the value of the equity held by existing shareholders remains the same.

Typically, a startup takes on debt when it expects to make enough money to settle up. Headspace's consumer business, which sells subscriptions to the app, is profitable, according to the company.

That wasn't always the case. Headspace began in 2010 as a meditation events company backed by a family-and-friends round of financing. The business model was "terrible," Pierson said, and two years later, the startup reinvented itself as an app with a business model baked in. The app requires a subscription to access that costs $12.99 a month or $70 for the year.

The latest round also includes $53 million in venture capital, which Headspace can spend to grow the parts of the business that are less predictable, like Headspace for Work. Pierson said hiring a larger staff is among the startup's biggest expenses.

Headspace could also use the capital to provide funding for clinical trials that study the effects of its app on a number of health conditions. If it gets approval from the Federal Drug Administration, the app could be prescribed by a doctor and paid for a health insurer. Healthcare opens a huge market opportunity for Headspace.

But the success of its healthcare business relies on an approval it doesn't have yet.

"We are at the mercy of the research results that come back," Pierson said.

The founders could have their pick of investors if the round was as competitive as Pierson said. They went with a mix of sector-specific funds and lesser-known firms that invest at the growth stage.

The round includes several venture capital firms that were founded by media moguls, including Shari Redstone's Advancit Capital and Peter Chernin's fund.Times Bridge, an investment vehicle affiliated with the largest media conglomerate in India, also participated.

Pierson said he and his cofounder, Andy Puddicombe, got to know their investors before signing term sheets to make sure they shared their values around "selfless drive," personal growth, and courage.

"The thing that sometimes people forget is that when you take an investment, it's harder to get out of than a marriage. You are in that thing," Pierson said.

As part of the process, they learned that Rishi Jaitly, the chief executive of Times Bridge, lost his brother to depression and addiction. He felt compelled to invest because of the benefits of meditation.

For a lead investor, the founders picked Blisce, a venture capital firm that writes checks into late-stage startups. They first got to know Alexandre Mars, one of the firm's partners, in a conversation about his foundation, Epic. It raises donations for a portfolio of organizations fighting social injustices experienced by children.

"They were people we wanted to spend time with," Pierson said of the two Blisce partners. The firm also gives 20% of its returns back to the foundation, according to its website.

The firm also stood out because of an offer it made: Blisce would surrender a board seat so the company could add a director who brings operating experience in the healthcare sector. A board seat is the typical remittance for an investment in a company of this stage, which made the firm's offer even more meaningful.

"That tells you a thing about them," Pierson said.

More here:

Tech's favorite meditation app just raised another $93 million. The CEO reveals his unusual strategy for crafting the new funding round. - Business...

As per a report Market-research, the Mindfulness Meditation Apps economy is likely to see a CAGR increase of XX% within the forecast period (2019-2029) and reach at a value of US$ at the ending of 2029. The macro economic and micro elements which are predicted to influence the trajectory of this market are examined from the market analysis that was presented.

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Mindfulness Meditation Apps market is forecasted to register a CAGR growth of XX% over the forecast period 2019 to 2029 - News Times

Few things in life are more frustrating than lying awake at night, unable to sleep. Dragging yourself out of bed after a long night of tossing and turning can be demoralizing, to say the least, and nights like this can leave you exhausted.

If you've been spending the night staring at your ceiling instead of snoozing, one potential remedy could be meditation.

But how does it work?

We turned to two meditation specialists, Dr. Darshan Mehta, Medical Director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, and Andy Puddicombe, CEO of the meditation app Headspace, for their insight.

"Top-line, [meditation] is a way of looking after and caring for the mind," says Puddicombe. It isn't about turning off your thoughts entirely, but observing the thoughts you have. You don't have to achieve any particular state of mind to be meditating correctly.

"Our job is to show up and witness the mind as it is, knowing that what we are looking for is already here," says Puddicombe, "not that we need to try and somehow intellectually create that idea of peace in our mind."

Keep in mind that there are lots of different ways to meditate and one doesn't necessarily trump the others.

"Culturally speaking, it has origins in many, many different religious and spiritual traditions around the world," says Mehta. Popular forms of meditation include mindfulness or calming meditation, insight meditation or Vipassana meditation, and transcendental meditation. Mindfulness meditation is intended to create a quieter, more peaceful mind while insight meditation aims to develop particular qualities like wisdom or compassion. Transcendental meditation is a popular branch of meditation founded on the techniques of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

"Weve learned many of these practices do have health benefits associated with them from improving symptoms of anxiety and depression to reducing blood pressure and having better control of other metabolic parameters," Mehta says of the scientifically proven side effects of meditation.

Science has yet to pinpoint which types of meditation can help with which specific issues patients are facing, but Mehta believes this knowledge will be the next frontier in clinical meditation studies.

"In the next five years, we should be able to 'prescribe' the form or type of meditation that might be best served for that individual, for that symptom," he explains.

When we feel stressed, our bodies go into a physiological response called "fight or flight." In this state of hypervigilance, the body makes you stay awake because it fears danger. If you can release stress in your life and practice a calm mind, you'll find yourself falling asleep much easier.

"A lot of people I know get very anxious and fearful around sleep," says Puddicombe. "All that thinking does is make us feel more stressed and less likely to go to sleep."

Both experts agree meditation can help with sleep, but maybe not in the way you'd imagine it's not like turning on some quiet music or white noise before you tuck yourself in.

"Most people assume mindfulness meditation will be done immediately before sleep," says Puddicombe. In actuality, he notes, "Most of the mindfulness research gets people to meditate first thing in the morning."

Meditation benefits our ability to sleep by setting up a calmer mind, decreasing the stress response, regulating circadian rhythms and allowing us to approach sleep differently.

While traditional meditation should help, Mehta also recommends yoga nidra, or yoga for sleep, as a popular form of meditation for people who struggle to get rest at night.

"It is a series of practices that permit sleep," Mehta explains of the guided practice. "Most of it is intentional relaxation of the muscle groups and ultimately finding a space of equanimity."

Unlike other meditative practices, Mehta advises it's best to practice yoga nidra when you're trying to go to bed: "The best way to describe it is a body scan. You are sort of scanning different parts of the body, but you are really going into intentional relaxation from one point of the body to another."

Early research suggests yoga nidra can help to reduce one's feelings of stress and anxiety and that it may help improve the quality of sleep in those suffering from insomnia.

The Headspace app also has an entire channel dedicated to sleep that includes guided meditation exercises and more immediate sleep aids like calming music.

Long story short, all of the health benefits you receive from meditation will play into your body's ability to get a better night of rest.

"Start small," says Puddicombe, "Its more about frequency than it is duration."

Puddicombe recommends meditating for 10 minutes a day to receive the maximum benefits from the activity, although he says it's best to work your way up to that amount of time. If you are new to meditation, even 3 to 5 minutes a day will make a difference.

In the beginning, Puddicombe suggests connecting meditation to something you do every day.

"Let's say you shower every morning or you have a cup of coffee every morning, tie it to one of those things," says Puddicombe. "Once you tie meditation to it, you are more likely to remember to do it."

Mehta also recommends asking for professional advice if you're having trouble getting started.

"The biggest reason people come to see us is for sleep," he says. "Having some guidance is important and then it can be self-sustainable. You need to talk to your health care provider about this, having open conversations."

For more on meditation, check out:

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Forget the melatonin meditation might be the trick to sleeping better - Yahoo News

Ever considered sleep meditation? Bedtime can be nothing short of a nightmare if you have little ones who just don't want to go to sleep, no matter how tired you know they are. Or maybe you have kids who sleep well, but could benefit from a little mindfulness and help to develop healthy sleep habits. Either way, research suggests that children and adults, alike, could benefit from a little downtime before bed in order to aid sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

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So, why meditation? Well, researchers suggest that meditation can help decrease heart rate and slow breathing, which is really important for helping children unwind after a long day at school, extra-curricular clubs or whatever else they have been up to.

After all, it makes complete sense that we need a little time to still our minds before we can even think about the benefits of a good night's sleep.

And if you don't know where to get started with kids' sleep meditation, no need to fear. Headspace offer specialised programmes targeted at helping kids unwind and enjoy the benefits of meditation, with options for children aged five and under, six to eight, and nine to 12.

Once you've connected your account to your smart speaker, simply say 'Alexa, open Headspace' and enjoy some quality time with your kids learning how to unwind and become more mindful. Who knows, you may even reap some of the benefits yourself...

For more advice, read our guide to how to sleep well.

Link:

Try this kids' sleep meditation if your little one is struggling to wind down - Real Homes

As you start your days off ready to take on the world, remember that every athlete knows that rest is part of performance and even Olympians take a break.

Although you want to tackle everything at lightning speed, its important to take calculated breaks as part of this approach, before this approach starts to tackle you.

Although it seems paradoxical, unstoppable leaders know that stopping at tactical moments is a massive part of the success equation. They include rest, restoration and celebration as part of that equation.

This is not about steeling yourself until you can get to a holiday. Daily rest and recharging is a lifestyle, and just a few minutes of being mindful and present can make a world of difference. Studies show that just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety, improve your memory, and offer a plethora of other benefits.

Start a habit to unplug from the digital world and plug into your conscious thinking. I know that might sound terrifying or impossible but stay with me for a moment. Unplug to observe what you are thinking. Are you in the past or the future?

So pause, take a breath and focus on the now. Notice what distracts you. And why? Is thinking about the past of the future merely a habit?

Prioritizing making being present a daily practice allows us to become aware of our thoughts and where they come from and if they are beneficial or not. Then, we can change them. Our thoughts inform our decisions and actions, which ultimately determines our success.

Conscious rest during the day can have a dramatic impact on your success and feelings of fulfillment.

Ten minutes of meditation, or anything other than work or caring for your family, may seem like a lot to you. Fair enough. With the onslaught of a thousand things that need your attention, I get it. But daily presence work is an absolute necessity for unstoppable conscious leaders. So heres my challenge for you: Are you willing to practice training your mind to be present for one minute a day to start?

Pick a word you hold sacred and love to meditate on. Set your timer for one minute.

Get comfortable. Start. Close your eyes and meditate on your word.

As Gautama Buddha said, Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

If your mind wanders notice if you are in the past or the future. Then bring yourself back to present by refocusing on your sacred word.

As you relax into this and become more confident you can increase your practice for three minutes. And once you start to notice the benefits, it will become easier to chunk out time and make this an integral part of your lifestyle.

_____________

Looking for more information on how to be mindful and improve your leadership? Work with me directly in The StillPoint Experience.

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This Ten-Minute Habit Will Improve Your Life, According To Science - Thrive Global

LOS ANGELES (HOODLINE) From an album release show to a yoga and meditation practice, theres plenty to enjoy in Los Angeles this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar.

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

From the event description:

Lodge Room [and] Desert Daze present The Undercover Dream Lovers Album Release Show with special guests Video Age [and] Scott Gilmore.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 8-11 p.m. Where:Lodge Room, 104 N. Ave. 56th Admission:$16 $44.5 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Come out and join us for a night of good vibes, great entertainment and a chance to have a meet [and] greet with Royce Lovett.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 29, 11 p.m. Where:Oeno Vino Underground Winery, 3111 Glendale Blvd. Admission:$20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

We are pleased to announce the Los Angeles debut of the talented Kyle Kinch. This is going to be an incredible night of groovy house music.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 29, 2 a.m. Where:Madame Siam, 1723 N. Hudson Ave. Admission:Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Games for Change is hosting a game jam [that] challenges students to create social impact games all in one day!

When:Saturday, Feb. 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Where:Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch Library, 694 S. Oxford Ave. Admission:Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Join us for a 45-minute all-levels vinyasa flow yoga class followed by a 30-minute sound bath experience, led by Kelsey Cook [and] Natalie Valle.The physical practice of yoga helps you to bridge the gap between your mind, body [and] spirit, while the synergistic sound meditation techniques used during the sound bath teach you to enter a state of deep meditation, relaxation [and] rejuvenation.

When:Saturday, Feb. 29, 2:30-4 p.m. Where:Hallowed Ground, 114 Washington Blvd., Suite B Admission:$33 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

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Heres What To Do In Los Angeles This Week - CBS Los Angeles

MONT ALTO, Pa. A Buddhist monk will make his annual visit to Penn State Mont Alto to show people how daily life can be a powerful form of meditation.

The Venerable Bhante Sujatha will speak from 10:10 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 6, to the English 196 class in room 206 of the General Studies Building. From 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., he will address the Honors 297 class in room 305 of the same building. Both free sessions are open to the public and the entire campus community.

Sujatha has visited Mont Alto every year since 2010 as one of many culturally enriching opportunities offered at Penn State Mont Alto. A native of Sri Lanka, he began the monastic life at age 11. The rigorous training he underwent, he said, taught him how to get along with people anywhere in the world and how it is easier to handle peoples issues and personalities when you can get a grasp on your own.

In 1993, he left Sri Lanka for Brisbane, Australia, where he taught meditation and Buddhism. Four years later, he accepted the invitation of one of his former teachers to join him in the United States. He relocated to the Midwest, where he helped establish the Great Lakes Buddhist Vihara in Southfield, Michigan.

The next stop on his lifes journey was Illinois, where he pursued a degree in psychology at McHenry County College and started a meditation class at a Unitarian church in Woodstock, Illinois. There, the Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center was established. Sujatha said he believes his job is not only leading meditation, but teaching people how to be happy. He said he aims to show how work can be a spiritual practice, allowing individuals to enjoy whatever they are doing in the moment, instead of worrying about the future or past.

For more information about the spiritual leader of the Blue Lotus Temple, visit bluelotustemple.org/bhante-sujatha.

Last Updated February 25, 2020

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The Venerable Bhante Sujatha will once again be visiting Penn State Mont Alto - Penn State News

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Stress is a modern epidemic 40 per cent of us Brits experience stress and burn-out EVERY day. Could gratitude meditation help? We explain how, along with other tips for combatting burnout.

From workload pressure to juggling family demands, stress-related sickness costs the UK economy more than 5 billion a year

But there are ways to beat our 24/7 culture. Its all about managing our life force, the Qi energy in our body, says Qi Energy practitioner Master Oh.

Stress levels and Qi energy levels are intrinsically linked. With high levels of stress come low levels of Qi energy, and with low levels of energy come higher levels of stress.

Most people think stress is due to external influences, but it really comes from within us, says Oh. It is our inability to manage the thoughts and emotions that are causing our stress levels to soar.

Over time, this lack of energy flow creates chronic pain and fatigue in the body which is essentially burnout, Oh explains. There is no quick fix, however Master Oh has five tips to help encourage positive energy and start the re-energising process.

Gratitude is the emotion with the highest vibration. When we appreciate what we have and feel deep gratitude, our mind is positive and our heart is open.

Try this meditation:

Sit in a comfortable position, either sitting on the floor or in a chair with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.

Close your eyes and start by taking in deep breaths, bringing the air down to your abdomen. Feel your abdomen expand with every breath in and contract with every breath out.

Slowly bring your mind to someone or something that you are grateful for. No matter what, there is always something in our life that we can feel grateful for.

Focus on the deep feeling of gratitude, notice how it makes you feel, stay with this feeling. Allow the feeling of gratitude to grow inside you with every breath.

Feel how your heart responds, wanting to give something back. Let this feeling of love permeate your whole body.Try the Master Oh stress test to see who high your levels are.

Youll get a personalised recommendation on more steps to combat stress and re-energise your life.

* According to the Health & Safety Executive.

Living beings have three vital ingredients: mind, body and spirit. If you support your spirit by practising a positive, happy and loving mind, you will feel better. Thats because a positive mind enables your energy system to remain open, so Qi can flow freely, allowing you to better deal with stress.

Introduce a daily form of exercise to oxygenate your body, improve your circulation and bring down your heart rate. This also eleases endorphins which are happy hormones. Dont have much time? Try these 15 minute workouts.

Studies have shown that vitamin C is a highly effective stress buster, so treat yourself to a daily lemon, grapefruit or kiwi. Omega 3 can help with stress because it supports your nervous system. Avocado, linseed and olive oil are good sources.

READ MORE: Whats the difference between good fats and bad fats? The popular diet terms decoded

Use moments alone to reflect on what you need to change in your life. These may be deep patterns or lifestyle choices that are unsustainable. This can seem daunting in the beginning, but by recognising what needs to be changed, you will be putting your health first.

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How to practice gratitude meditation and four other tips to combat stress and burnout - goodtoknow