Lenovois slashing prices on a swath oflaptopsand PCs during its Presidents Day sale. The sale started Monday and runs through next Sunday, Feb. 23. You'll find steep discounts on ThinkPads, IdeaPads, Yogas and more.

To help you find the best bargains, I've scoured Lenovo's offerings and picked five of the best deals available now. See below for my five picks, and you can check out all of the current models on sale here at Lenovo's Presidents Day sale.

It's neither the thinnest nor lightest ThinkPad, and it runs on an older eighth-gen Core i5 processor, but the ThinkPad T480 is about the least expensive ThinkPad you'll find. It features the Core i5-8250U CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Battery life isn't likely to be great with a tiny three-cell, 24-watt-hour battery. The 14-inch display does not offer touch support but has a 1,920x1,080 resolution. The CPU is older and the 8GB of RAM is average, but getting a 512GB SSD at this price is a boon. Plus, you get the fantastic ThinkPad keyboard and security features.

This Yoga C940 model delivers an eighth-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The 14-inch touchscreen can be rotated 360 degrees into tablet mode and is both crisp and bright, with a 4K resolution and a rated 500-nit max brightness.

The ThinkPad T495s is the AMD version of the Intel-based ThinkPad T490s. These ThinkPad T Series models with the "s" suffix are the thinnest and lightest models in Lenovo's fleet without venturing into pricey ThinkPad X1 Carbon territory. This model features an AMD Ryzen 5 Pro processor, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. (For the same price, you can get aThinkPad T495s with a Ryzen 7 Pro CPU but only a 256GB SSD. Given the choice, I'd opt for a slight decrease in speed for double the storage capacity.) The 14-inch display does not offer touch support but has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution.

This clearance model features an older eighth-gen Core i7 CPU but an ample 16GB of RAM and a roomy 512GB SSD. The 14-inch display can rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode and features a 2,560x1,440 resolution, which will look incredibly sharp on a 14-inch screen without exacting the same toll on battery life as a 4K display would. And battery life should be pretty good from the four-cell, 54-watt-hour battery.

The Gen 8 models were announced last month, which makes it a great time to find a deal on a Gen 7 version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which CNET loved, calling it "a best-in-class ultraportable that combines premium design appeal with business-grade privacy and security features." This seventh-gen configuration features a current, 10th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU along with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The 14-inch touchscreen has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. Read our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th gen) review.

Originally published earlier this month. Updated to reflect new sale prices and deal availability.

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Lenovo Presidents Day sale: Save big on ThinkPad and Yoga laptops - CNET

Photo Courtesy: Oluremi Adebayo

By: Saraana Jamraj

Yoga, one of the most popular ways to exercise and relax, is coming to Tamarac for free, and its open to residents of all experience levels.

Tamarac Parks and Recreation has partnered with Yoga 4 Change and will be offering weekly yoga classes and guided meditations to residents and visitors at no cost.

Both yoga and meditation are ancient practices that have gained popularity in recent decades, especially due to their reputation for increasing mindfulness.

The classes offered by Tamarac are specifically geared to improve concentration, decrease muscle tension, alleviate pain, and promote relaxation.

The classes take place every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Mainlands Park, 4500 Monterey Drive. Attendees must bring their own mats, and while the class itself is complimentary, donations are welcomed.

She's currently the communications manager at The Salt Box in Parkland and has lived in Coral Springs since 2004.

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Tamarac Offers Peace and Relaxation with Free Yoga in the Park - Tamarac Talk

The market report envelopes an all-in information of the global Yoga Bolster market and the nature of the market growth over the foreseeable period. The report provides a comprehensive elaboration of the positives and negatives of the global Yoga Bolster market with DROT and Porters Five Forces analysis. With SWOT analysis, the report offers detailed insights about different players operating within the Yoga Bolster market. In addition, the analysts of the report have served the qualitative and quantitative scrutinizing of different micro- and macro-economic factors influencing the global Yoga Bolster market.

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Yoga Bolster Market: Strategic Analysis to Understand the Competitive Outlook of the Industry, 2023 - Instant Tech News

Global Women Yoga Clothing Market Research Report 2020 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changinginvestment structure of the Global Women Yoga Clothing Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Lululemon athletica, Cozy Orange, SOLOW, Be present, ANJALI, Green Apple, Inner Waves, Lily Lotus, Prana, Shining Shatki, Soybu, Mika Yoga Wear, Hosa Yoga, Athleta, ALO Yoga, Pieryoga, Hatha Yoga, Easyoga, Yomer, Beyond Yoga, Bia Brazil & Bluefish.

At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer

Women Yoga Clothing Market Overview:

If you are involved in the Women Yoga Clothing industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Online Store, Supermarket & Direct Store, , Yoga Tops, Yoga Pants, Yoga Capris & Yoga Tank Tops and major players. If you want to classify different company according to your targeted objective or geography we can provide customization according to your requirement.

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Women Yoga Clothing Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2025

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Important years considered in the study are: Historical year 2014-2019 ; Base year 2019; Forecast period** 2020 to 2025 [** unless otherwise stated]

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Key Answers Captured in Study are Which geography would have better demand for product/services? What strategies of big players help them acquire share in regional market? Countries that may see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth? How feasible is market for long term investment? What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the Women Yoga Clothing market? Risk side analysis involved with suppliers in specific geography? What influencing factors driving the demand of Women Yoga Clothing near future? What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global Women Yoga Clothing market growth? What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?

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There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Women Yoga Clothing market. Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Women Yoga Clothing market, Applications [Online Store, Supermarket & Direct Store], Market Segment by Types , Yoga Tops, Yoga Pants, Yoga Capris & Yoga Tank Tops; Chapter 2, objective of the study. Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques. Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Women Yoga Clothing Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics; Chapter 6 and 7, to show Five forces (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition; Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America, Europe, China & Japan ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis Chapter 10, to identify major decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers; Chapter 11 and 12, Global Women Yoga Clothing Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behavior, Marketing Channels Chapter 13 and 14, about vendor landscape (classification and Market Ranking) Chapter 15, deals with Global Women Yoga Clothing Market sales channel, distributors, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].

About Author: HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.

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Women Yoga Clothing Market Trends & Size is expected to grow Upcoming Years 2020-2025| Hosa Yoga, Athleta, ALO Yoga, Pieryoga - News Parents

Be it while facing an interview or an exam, while giving a presentation at work or a performance on stage, the one thing that you absolutely need is confidence. If you lack it, stress, anxiety and even depressive disorders are likely to plague you.

Representative image. Image by Annemiek Smegen from Pixabay

One of the most wholesome ways of giving your confidence levels a good boost is yoga. Practising yoga regularly can improve focus, clarity of mind, flexibility and posture while also strengthening your body. Its the perfect way of relieving stress and instilling a sense of empowerment - and thats everything you need to increase your confidence level.

Here are a few yoga asanas you should practise to give your confidence that much-needed boost.

This relaxing seated pose gently stretches your muscles and relieves pain, stress and fatigue simultaneously.

While stretching the entire body, this asana also works as a great stress-buster. You will definitely feel more energized after doing this one.

This asana gently stimulates all the abdominal organs while continuing with the relaxing stretch you did with the downward dog pose.

This asana is meant to turn you into a spiritual warrior who fights ignorance with confidence. Virabhadrasana also stretches the muscles of the entire body and opens up the joints.

Apart from relieving tension from the face and chest, and boosting immunity, Simhasana also makes you feel fierce and ready to face the world.

Nothing boosts confidence than mastering the art of relaxation, and this asana teaches you how to surrender and relax all the muscles of your body simultaneously.

For more information, read our article onYoga: Benefits, Types, Importance and Rules.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

Updated Date: Feb 14, 2020 13:37:24 IST

Tags : Anxiety, Confidence, Downward Dog Pose, Mental Health, NewsTracker, Stress, Yoga, Yoga Asanas, Yoga ChildS Pose, Yoga Lion Pose, Yoga Warrior Pose

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6 yoga asanas that will give your confidence the ultimate boost - Firstpost

Dittmar notes how people may experience a wide range of emotions after a breathwork practice. Some people feel elated, some feel rather peaceful or neutral, while others can feel sadness or grief.

That's because breathwork can clear energy from your body that you didn't even realize you had. It's sort of like when you feel stressed, but you don't know what you exactly feel stressed about; breathwork can help clear that energy, even when you don't know how you're feeling, yourself.

Breathwork can also clear out energy that you might've picked up from others that you didn't even know you've been harboring. "It starts to clear out energy that is not yours, or energy that you've picked up, so you can better connect with your own energy," Dittmar explains.

That's why a lot of times people may vibrate or shake during their breathwork practice without knowing exactly why. "People just feel very activated, and a lot of them will say, 'What is this? What is that? What's happening?' My answer is that it's just your life force," Dittmar notes.

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Is Breathwork The New Meditation? 5 Ways This Instructor Says It's More Useful - mindbodygreen.com

The phones screen turns a serene blue, and Calm, the leading mindfulness application, opens. At the very center, without capitalization or punctuation, small and faint, are the words take a deep breath.

That gives way to a menu. What brings you to Calm?

The app offers options to reduce anxiety, develop gratitude, build self esteem, even increase happiness.

The next screen offers a seven-day free trial. Once the trial has ended, the annual rate is $69.99, a small price for happiness.

Somewhere around 2010, according to experts and Google search data, the practice of mindfulness began an upward swing. In less than a decade, it has become the fastest-growing health trend in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mindfulness rules the online app store. The San Francisco-based Calm is valued at $1 billion, and its competitor Headspace at $350 million. (The industry as a whole has been estimated to be worth as much as $4 billion.) Meditation retreats are en vogue. Corporations offer access to mindfulness in the same way they do for gyms. Even the military uses mindfulness breathing techniques to boost soldiers performance.

But as with any Next Big Thing, there are reasons to be cautious. Some say this rush into mindfulness has outpaced the science and stripped it of its cultural context. All of this threatens to turn a tool for well-being, for situating oneself in the current moment, into a tool for standard American commercialism.

Around the same time mindfulness began its upward trajectory, Ronald Purser, a management professor at San Francisco State University, started to feel the familiar weight of doubt. Hed been doing a fair amount of corporate management training and consulting redesigning the workplace to work better, at least in theory, for everybody. I became somewhat disillusioned and disenchanted, he says. Even when we were making progress, trying to redesign work so employees would have more autonomy and decision-making, the management sort of pulled the plug on some of those experiments.

It was around this time, too, that Chade-Meng Tan, a software engineer at Google, gained notoriety for integrating mindfulness into Googles corporate culture through a series of in-house mindfulness seminars. In 2012, Tan turned those courses into a blockbuster book, Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace), and Purser found himself attending Tans very first public offering.

I became very disappointed by what I saw, just in terms of what the program was and how superficial it was, Purser says. I just saw this as part of the interest in behavioral science techniques as a way of yoking the interest or subjectivity of employees to corporate goals.

A year later, Purser published an essay with the Huffington Post. It was titled Beyond McMindfulness. Mindfulness meditation, he wrote, was making its way into schools, corporations, prisons, and government agencies including the U.S. military. Purser, a student of mindfulness for 40 years, wasnt knocking the practice but was wary of its growing reputation as a universal panacea for resolving almost every area of daily concern. Last year, Purser expanded on the essay and published a book titled McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality.

Early on in his book, he writes this: I do not question the value of adapting mindfulness for therapeutic use, nor do I deny that it can help people. What bothers me is how its promoters want things both ways: one minute, mindfulness is science, since thats what sells; the next, it stands for everything in Buddhism, since thats what makes it sound deep.

The issues Purser called out eight years ago have only grown with time. Rhetoric, he says, still outpaces results. The practice becomes increasingly decontextualized, meme-ified and gamified. Mindfulness becomes a cure for more and more our happiness, our anxiety, our pain, even world peace.

Its worth pausing a moment to define or at least try to define mindfulness.

At its very core, its deepest and truest roots, mindfulness is a Buddhist meditation technique. There are hundreds, probably thousands of different meditative techniques. This is only one of them, says Mushim Ikeda, a Buddhist meditation teacher. Traditionally, in the Buddhist scriptures, it is said that what we call mindfulness meditation was one of 40 different techniques that the historical Buddha, the one we call the Buddha, talked about. So it wasnt even his one and only meditation technique according to those scriptures.

She knows those scriptures well. Ikeda, who primarily teaches at the East Bay Meditation Center, describes herself as a socially engaged teacher a social justice activist, author, and diversity and inclusion facilitator.

She describes mindfulness meditation as a secular term in Buddhism, one thats also called insight meditation. This is a sort of awareness, she says, that is different from the awareness that we might call everyday awareness the sort we need to drive a car, or maintain a conversation, or use an ATM. She and others describe mindful awareness as spacious and nonjudgmental. Ikeda says, Its been said mindfulness only sees. It does not judge.

The most common technique involves closing the eyes and focusing on the breath and only the breath, moving other thoughts, and the thoughts that come with those thoughts, away and out.

Mindfulness as a secular, western therapeutic intervention did not begin in Silicon Valley. Rather, youd have to go back to 1979 and a man named Jon Kabat-Zinn and the founding of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn has studied the effects of what he dubbed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR for short), on everything from brain function to skin disease.

Still, its hard to ignore Silicon Valleys latest role in spreading and expanding mindfulness in the pursuit of a different tech culture value, peak performance. There is Search Inside Yourself, the book that coincided with the movements growth spurt. There are Twitter co-founder Jack Dorseys much-publicized meditation retreats. (Black Mirror, the dystopian science fiction show, seemed to parody both him and the now-ubiquitous apps.) Recently, there was the dopamine fast, a pseudo-scientific dopamine reset by way of doing nothing. (One originator said he drew directly from Buddhist Vipassana meditation when he crafted the fast.)

The voices are soothing and smooth soft, but not quite a whisper. The cadence and diction perfect, gently pulling you along. Birds chatter in the background. Waves move gently to meet a beach. Or maybe a brook babbles as it pushes over and under and between river rocks.

Breathing in ... I am calm.

Breathing out ... I am at peace.

A chime rings, a signal that this 90-second meditation to calm anger has ended. Calm offers its congratulations.

The danger in this rapid evolution is that it threatens to turn a very old practice into a fad that overpromises and underdelivers.

Helen Weng has practiced Buddhist meditation for more than two decades. I was reading a lot of books about psychology because I was unhappy because high school is horrible, she says. And her father, who, along with her mother, had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, could offer her books about Buddhist philosophy. The two came together. The Dalai Lamas teachings offered her an opportunity to cultivate her own well-being. I dont like the word happiness anymore, but you can use mental exercises to become more aware of your feeling states and your thoughts.

Now Weng works as a clinical psychologist with the psychiatry department at UCSF and a neuroscientist with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the Neuroscape Center, both at UCSF as well. Her scientific work uses magnetic resonance imaging to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood that flows to the brain as people meditate. Essentially, she can track whether the meditator is actually focused on their breath or if their attention has wandered. And in her clinical work, she offers meditation as one of many possible therapeutic interventions.

Still, she calls the recent spread of mindfulness very freaky.

Im very proud that practices from eastern cultures and religions generate so much interest, she says. At the same time, mindfulness and its results are super hard to study. So much so that I just thought I was a bad scientist for a long time. Whats more, she says, meditation isnt always the right sort of behavioral therapy.

Im very disturbed by these messages that meditation basically cures everything or its good for everyone or theres universally very good positive effects. The effects are really moderate and subtle. Its not any better than any other kind of psychotherapy, she says. Part of it is cultural appropriation where its this magical, mystical thing that then people can say does all these things, and I think were still in the height of that and its going to take some time for things to settle down.

Medical students, she says, inevitably ask her how much time they have to commit to mindfulness to make it work. There are studies that show clear benefits to mindfulness. Weng points to one that indicated 30 minutes a day of compassion meditation for two weeks increased altruistic giving to strangers and brain responses to pictures of people suffering.

But the key here is consistency. What happens if you work out for 30 minutes just once? she asks. It benefits you a little bit. Thats good. But if you just do it once, its not going to have a long-term effect.

After the chime and the congratulations, the waves keep moving in and out, and a quote appears onscreen. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. (A quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein, but probably more correctly attributed to Narcotics Anonymous.) And in that moment, Calm reminds you that you really should turn on push notifications, in order to fully experience Calm. Decline and itll ask one more time about its mindfulness reminders.

Are you sure? Its hard to set aside time for yourself in our busy world without a little help.

Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors are jogging. Theyre tan, of course. Their shorts are short. Her blond hair is fanned out, so are his brown curls. She has a broad, blindingly white smile and a red handkerchief tied around her neck. His jacket is zipped down almost to his navel; his chest is hairy. And right beside them, a headline: Farrah & Lee & Everybodys Doing It: Stars Join The Jogging Craze.

This is the cover of the July 4, 1977, issue of People magazine. Alex Will, the chief strategy officer for Calm, the industry-leading mindfulness meditation app, likes to reference this cover when he talks about mindfulness. (Theres even a copy of the issue at the office.) To understand the future of mindfulness, just look to the past.

Mindfulness is becoming mainstream, Will says. People are starting to understand that taking care of the mind is just as important as taking care of the body. Meditation and mindfulness is one way to do that.

In some respects, Calm isnt doing anything that hasnt already been done. Before smartphones, one could buy a meditation CD, slip it into a home stereo and start counting breaths. The app just makes it more portable and more accessible than ever before. I think one of the reasons Ive been so successful is that it is a very low bar for someone to try and get into, Will says. There are short, two-minute long meditations, narrations to help with sleep, even a beginners guide to mindfulness. Similarly, if you want to go deeper, we have a 30-minute master class where you can learn how to break bad habits.

All of the content, Will says, is vetted by mindfulness instructors, and, now that the app is available in more than 100 countries, the programming is also run by people to make sure translations work. This is very nuanced, he says. Language really matters. The Calm app has also been part of various clinical studies in an attempt to back up the applications rhetoric.

Mindfulness, by the way, has already had its magazine-cover moment. Not quite 37 years after the jogging craze, Time magazine featured the Mindfulness Revolution on its Feb. 3, 2014, issue. A blond, fair-skinned model stands straight, hands at her sides, eyes closed, face slightly upward. And the headline: The science of finding focus in a stressed-out multitasking culture.

Mindfulness began to trend in large part because corporations embraced the practice as a way to help employees relieve stress. This is one of the cruxes of Pursers concerns that mindfulness is just a way to wring more productivity from employees, a sleight of hand that shifts the onus from the company to the worker.

In 2012, the year Chade-Meng Tan published Search Inside Yourself, the idea of offering mindfulness courses to employees still felt novel. The New York Times featured Tan and the course hed developed for Google employees a course that involved meditation, Tibetan brass bowls, stream-of-consciousness journaling and lots of emotional openness. Even then the course was framed as a way to help employees deal with their intense workplace no mention of toning down the intensity.

Eight years later, mindfulness courses are the rule, not the exception. Apple, Nike, HBO and Target have all offered some form of mindfulness training to employees. Aetna, the insurance provider, decided to offer mindfulness and other stress-relief activities (including dog petting) after an internal study found that the most stressed-out employees spent $1,500 more a year on health care. And if a company cant bring a trained expert on board, well, they can always give employees memberships to Calm or Headspace.

The Buddha taught that almost everything comes and goes, says Mushim Ikeda, the East Bay Meditation Center instructor. Its called impermanence or change. And health trends famously come and go. Its a product of our capitalist system.

One year, its a certain kind of berry thats going to cure everything. Another year, its mindfulness meditation thats going to cure everything. Five years from now, heaven only knows, itll be something else. Burnt toast who knows?

Ikeda offers a path forward, a path separate from capitalism, a path that encourages students to cultivate a practice in which they care for themselves so that they may, in turn, care for their communities. Its an approach based in social justice and altruism. And yet, she isnt dogmatic.

Mindfulness, Ikeda says, does not judge.

A person might use mindfulness to lower their blood pressure or achieve peak performance. A corporation might use mindfulness to paper over an inherently unjust and healthy system. All this, she says, is like using a Swiss Army knife for just one thing. Its not what the tool was intended to do, and its not all it can do.

Mindfulness is always mindful awareness of something, Ikeda says. Who knows what a given individual is going to do with it? Or what it will do for them?

An individual might, for instance, become mindfully aware of a broken system.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost

Ryan Kost writes for The San Francisco Chronicles Culture Desk. Hes always on the look out for unexpected and untold story and loves covering the people and communities that dont always get a lot of press the stuff we miss, the stuff we look past. Sometimes we miss whole worlds and communities, even though we live right alongside them. A big part of what he tries to do is make all that a little more visible for our readers.

He loves getting tips and story ideas from readers, so dont hesitate to reach out. Previously, he lived in Portland, Ore. where he wrote for The Oregonian and The Associated Press, covering national, state and city politics. He helped launch PolitiFact Oregon, a fact-checking website aimed at keeping politicians truthful. Hes also worked at The Boston Globe, The Arizona Republic and The Tampa Tribune. Hes won a number of state and national awards.

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The (over) promise of the mindfulness revolution - San Francisco Chronicle

12 February 2020 JARRETT STEVENS

Chicago, US ViaRNS

Years ago, Southern Baptist theologian Albert Mohler wrote anarticlewarning Christians that Eastern meditation, which encourages participants to embrace silence and clear their minds, was not a means to spiritual growth". More than being just ineffective, he concluded, it was dangerous and an empty promise".

Coming from an evangelical upbringing, I can understand his concern. Ive heard plenty of religious leaders make similar claims, casting meditation as some sort of boogeyman wooing Christians away from the faith with pagan practices. In the world in which I was raised, meditation was not on the list of approved spiritual practices. We prayed and read and sang and journaled. But meditation was not on the menu.

PICTURE: Ian Stauffer/Unsplash.

But a few years back, I began to explore the practices of silence and meditation - not due to some sort of spiritual curiosity, but out of spiritual exhaustion. Our church was only a few years old, but the process of launching it had taken quite a toll on my wife and me. We were simultaneously full-time parents of young kids and full-time pastors of a young church, and the combination had left us undone.

In an attempt to spiritually revive myself, I tried all the practices in the toolbox inherited from my childhood. None of them worked. In my search for something new, I stumbled on something ancient. And meditation has become an indispensable part of my spiritual life ever since.

Silence and meditation have been a part of most religious traditions - most notably, among Hindus and Buddhists - since their inceptions. For this reason, some Western Christians assume that these practices will somehow make them less Christian or open the door to harmful spiritual forces. What many dont realise is that these practices have always been a part of our tradition, too.

The Bible uses the word meditation 23 times, the majority found in the book of Psalms. Ironically, one of my favorite verses has always been Psalm 46:10, in which God invites us to Be still and know that I am God. This passage has become the foundation of my meditative practice.

In the New Testament, we find Jesus practicing solitude and meditation as well. The Gospels regularly refer to him retreating to quiet places. Away from the noise. Away from the demands. Away to be alone and steep in silence with God.

These cues were picked up by many of our Christian forebears throughout the history of our faith as they integrated meditation into their own spiritual practice. Meditation and interior silence were central practices for the early Christians known as desert fathers and desert mothers who fled to the wilderness to form spiritual communities in the second century AD.

Meditation was prioritised by Christian monastic communities, which proliferated in the fourth and fifth centuries. It formed a centrepiece for the spirituality of medieval Christian mystics such as Teresa of Avila and Julian of Norwich. It was the 16th century reformer St John of the Cross who once declared that Silence is Gods first language. But then the Enlightenment happened, and Westerners were drawn to more scientific, systematic and structured ways of being Christian.

Jarrett Stevens and his book, 'Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us From God'. PICTURES: Aaron Bean Photo Film/Supplied

Western Christians have missed out on much since our abandonment of meditation, both spiritually and physically. It has deprived us of a helpful tool for connecting with the God in whom we place our faith, and it has robbed us of the practices many built-in health benefits. From lowered levels of stress to an increased immune system to helping curb and cope with depression and anxiety, meditation is as good for our bodies as it is for our spirits. The evidence of its effectiveness is abundant.

This is why, for the last few years now, I try to begin each day with a simple practice. I close my eyes and set an intention for my attention. I ground my feet into the floor, rest my hands open in my lap, and slow my breath. Rather than chase every thought out of my brain, I simply notice them and let them settle into their proper place on the horizon of my mind.

Now comes the counterintuitive part. I set aside everything that could distract me - even things that might be helpful at other times. I dont open my Bible, I dont play music, I dont listen to a spiritual podcast, and I dont speak any words. These are also wonderful ways to connect with God as well, but they can so easily distract me from just being still and knowing God. And then, for five to 10 minutes, I just sit in silence before the creator and sustainer of all things.

Some mornings, God speaks. Other days, God is silent. Ive learned to cherish both experiences and trust that they are just what I need at that moment.

Ive done this for a few years now, and I have yet to find what is so potentially dangerous about this practice. Instead, Ive found that it has been a powerful means for spiritual growth. It allows me to come to God just as I am. To show up without an agenda and simply be with God in the midst of all of my exhaustions, frustrations, longings and fears.

Meditation helps me to practice trusting that God is in control of every breath, and it reminds me that he doesnt need me to perform in order to experience his presence.

There will always be those who issue warnings against seemingly strange or uncommon spiritual practices. And many of them are well-intended. I can appreciate that. But if you want to overcome some of the obstacles that are keeping you from God, looking eastward might just be what helps you look upward.

Jarrett Stevens is pastor of Soul City Church in Chicago and author of Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God.

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SIGHT-SEEING: HOW A WESTERN MEGACHURCH PASTOR FELL IN LOVE WITH EASTERN MEDITATION - Sight Magazine

Meditation practices that help you stay calm and composed

Anger is just a 5 letter word, however, it has the ability to destroy your closest bonds, get in the way of your life and cause you emotional pain. One person's fit of rage can cause conflicts between nations and even cause social unrest. On a personal level, it can affect one's health andmental peace. Several research studies have revealed in the past that anger is like poison and it has long-term physicaleffects on a person's health.Which is why it becomes important for every person to work on their temperament.

While many might believe that anger is natural and people cannot control it, Mahayana Buddhism says the opposite and it suggests that a person can tame their anger through simple and easy self-controlling and self-restraining practices and meditation plays a huge role in it. As Buddha once said, "With practice, the quiet, patient mind can overcome the destructive flash of anger." Aperson can train his/her mind to deal with anger in the best way possible through meditation.

And, this guide will help you master the art of meditation that focuses on combating negative emotions likehate andanger.

This meditation practice bringspositive attitudinal changeandit systematically helps a person developthe qualitiesof compassion, love and kindness. It actsas a form of self-psychotherapy and it helps in healing the troubled mind. And, ithas immediate effects on one's old habituated negative patterns of mind.

In this meditation practice, a person has to develop the qualities of empathy, compassion and equanimity. And this is done throughvisualisation andreflection.

Now, move to someoneyou do not like or have difficulty dealing with. Repeatthe phrases for them with the same genuine feelings and love.

Next, extend your love and care for all sentient beings living across universes.

Lastly, visualise a happy world and say thisphraseout loud -May all sentient beings be happy, safe,healthy andlive joyously.

Note: Remembering all of these stepsis humanly not possible which is why people meditate in the presence of a guru who guides them through the meditation process. However, it's not always possible to meditate in the presence of a master which is why several guided meditation videos are uploaded online for our convenience.

A fact of life is that people are bothered by unmanageable emotional states as we live in pressured societies. However, only a few make efforts todevelop skills thatdeal with anger issues. I cannot stress enough on the fact that every person must becomea master of his or hermindand not let their minds overpower their decisions. And this can only be done through self-training.

Speaking of my personal experience, I began meditating at the age of 16 after reading in a book that certain meditation practices can help inanger management. When you are in your teens, your hormones tend to go haywire, making you short-tempered. When I experienced the same, I looked for every remedy to get rid of these negative emotions.And after reading several books and attending various meditation sessions at monasteries, I can finally say that it really helps. From being a rebellious unruly teenager to a compassionate woman, meditation helped me achieve my biggest milestone in life. And,I hope it helps you too.

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Tame your temper by mastering the art of meditation - Times Now

Mindful practices like meditation have been shown to reduce stress and improve our ability to concentrate and live in the moment (even Barbie is into it). But how do you find the time to unplug in an always-on world where multitasking is the norm? Enter the mindful manicure, intended to make you look and feel good with solid zoning-out time and guided meditation while you get you pampered.

"I think meditation can bring us back to the ground base from overthinking or overwhelming; it reconnects us with ourselves and with the present moment," says Amy Lin, founder of Sundays in New York City, which offers a custom guided meditation + manicure. A meditation manicure, she says, is an effortless way to meditate because you're expected to sit for 20 minutes anyway.

Here are a few mindful manis to get your hands on...

Photo via Sundays

Rock a set of headphones and choose from six short, easy-to-follow guided meditation programs from "Grounding" to "Gratitude" while being treated to a natural soak, cuticle work, buffing, shaping and an essential oil treatment, followed by a couple brushes of nontoxic, 10-free, vegan and cruelty-free polish. The salon's mindful organic tea bar, self-love letter-writing station, and warm and welcoming Danish hygge-inspired design enhance the experience. "Sometimes, you just need a little time with yourself to receive clarity, a moment of rest or escape, and then you can keep going," says Lin.

Photo via SpaRitual

The Sound of Color manicure pairs 36 vegan SpaRitual polish shades with curated guided meditation sessions from Unplug Meditation, offered at several spas around the country, including Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas and Yellowstone Club in Bozeman, MT. Themed programs delivered by renowned meditation gurus range from "Self-Compassion" to "Peaceful Day" and "My Ideal Life." Choose your shade and meditation program on the customized app, slip on the headphones and prepare to enter into a state of total zen.

Photo via Bellacures

If it's total escapism you're after, Bellacures in Beverly Hills, CA, offers a virtual reality mani/pedi that transports you to a beautiful beach on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, a rushing waterfall in Iceland or a lush forest in rural New York via a VR headset and a treatment of custom-scented lotions and scrubs. Save on your travel budget!

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Treat Your Body and Soul With a Mindful Manicure - Brit + Co