Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe Portrait in Yellow, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California

Taking inspiration from strangers he meets on the street, encounters on social media or from friends and colleagues, Ghanian artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe paints bright and luminous portraits of black men and women.

Celebrating African culture, his latest paintings, Black Like Me, are to go on show at Roberts Projects in Culver City from 11 January, which the gallery says stand as "visual testaments to the resilience, power and strength inherent in African culture, as articulated by the artist".

A common theme throughout Otis's work is colour and how it depicts his subjects. "These are images of empowerment and redemption, sophistication and humility, curiosity and quietude," adds the Gallery. "Each figure becomes a symbol of the reclamation of cultural dignity, embracing the idea of origin and personal narrative as it relates to gender and race dynamics. That they are posed in classically derived poses only serves to reinforce the artist constructed narrative."

As Quaicoe explains: "Colour means a great deal where I come from. It's a distinguishing quality the very means of self-expression." Indeed, the colours reflect the subject's state of mind and suggest a more complicated and celebrated relationship to the world around them.

Using bright oranges, Yves Klein blues, lurid yellows and cherry reds, Otis aims to capture the essence of each of his subjects, including their sense of style and fashion.

Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe was born in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. He attended the Ghanatta College of Art and Design for Fine Art with a focus on painting. He currently resides in Gresham, Oregon.

Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe: Black Like Me runs from 11 January until 7 March at Roberts Projects gallery in Culver City, California.

Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe The Artist II. Kewsi Botchway, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California

Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe Portrait of Albert Sowah Anan, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California

Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe Orange Turtleneck, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California

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Lush and luminous oil paintings of black men and women by Ghanian artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe - Creative Boom

By now it is pretty clear, if you want to be considered an elite law firm and be able to compete for the best legal talent you have to pony up with a generous parental leave policy. We are seeing more and more firms offering their attorneys generous paid leave, and the programs are increasingly gender neutral and offered without a primary caregiver stipulation.

The latest firm to offer improved parental leave is Dorsey & Whitney. Their newly expanded program, effective January 1, 2020, provides attorneys with 15 weeks paid leave up from 10 as well as a 4 week ramp up/down periods surrounding leave (for anyone that takes at least 12 continuous weeks of parental leave) which consists of a 50 percent billable hours expectation. The firm is also doubling their adoption assistance program, increasing the reimbursable expenses from $5,000 to $10,000 for qualified adoption expenses.

Bill Stoeri, Managing Partner, said the programs expansion is part of the firms commitment to helping employees have a real work/life balance:

We are committed to being a family-friendly workplace and to having the policies and benefits in place that enable our attorneys and staff to manage their professional and personal lives in the way that works best for them. We believe this benefits our lawyers, the Firm as a whole, and most importantly, our clients.

Staff at the firm also receive paid leave, but it is only 8 weeks (plus any applicable disability).

Dorsey has been recognized in the past for their family friendly benefits, including being named a Best Law Firm for Women by Working Mother magazine, an Adoption Advocate by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum.

You can read the firms full announcement of the new program on the next page.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email herwith any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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Biglaw Firm Announces Generous Expansion Of Parental Leave Benefits For Lawyers - Above the Law

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Milwaukee Independent: What was the inspiration for Rise and Thrive and how did it become a public exhibit?

Brianna Joy Seipel: My oil paintings typically fall into two categories commissions and passion projects capturing places that have transformed my life. Last summer I began to wonder how I could develop the latter into a charitable project to bless others, helping them find a visual language to describe their lives in a landscape. With this idea, I wanted to explore how the natural world shapes our identities. So I began considering why certain landscapes endure in our hearts, our memories, and most importantly in our stories That took me on a path to one of my favorite Milwaukee-area nonprofits. In December of 2018 I approached my friend and mentor Rachel Monaco-Wilcox, Founder and CEO of LOTUS Legal Clinic, to see if we could pilot the program as part of their ongoing empowerment initiative for survivors of sexual violence and trafficking. Serving the state of Wisconsin since 2013, LOTUS has provided direct, comprehensive legal services, advocacy, community education, and they invest in survivors as change agents. Specifically, I was interested in working with alumni of their Untold Stories program. As of this year more than 117 survivors have participated in Untold Stories trauma-informed writing workshops learning to be a witness and share their stories as platforms for social change. We presented the idea for Rise and Thrive to a small group of Untold Stories alumni as an opportunity to approach their story from a new perspective one of healing, inspiration, and transformation. Survivors were invited to write about a particular place in the natural world that had deep personal meaning, and to provide me with a photograph of that place, which I would respond to artistically and in writing. It turned out to be a powerful combination.

Milwaukee Independent: What was the creative process like for the survivors of sexual violence who participated?

Brianna Joy Seipel: All participants were asked a series of pre-interview questions via email to help them reflect on their journey to healing. These questions included writing prompts like telling me about a place where you find peace or purpose, a place that filled you with joy, or a place where you found courage. That was followed by an in-person meeting, usually at a coffee shop, to get to know one another. It is hard to describe how cool it was to sit down with a total stranger and talk about the landscapes that inspire us. It was also a little nerve wracking. Although I have experience designing programs like this from my past work in the nonprofit sector, I had never implemented one as the primary artist. The participants truly took a leap of faith on this journey with me, and I am so grateful for that trust. After our initial meeting, the survivor-writers chose a final photo and wrote rough drafts of the story they wanted to tell. Together we worked for several months to finalize those written statements. Throughout the summer and fall of 2019 I wrote responses to their work, and created oil paintings inspired by their photographs. Participants were welcome to visit my studio throughout the painting process, and all six survivor-writers chose to do so at various times. That was an unexpected joy. It was so fun to connect and share my workspace with fellow creatives.

Milwaukee Independent: Who helped to shape the project and were you able reach the goal you originally envisioned for it?

Brianna Joy Seipel: The amazing LOTUS team members provided feedback and oversight to help ensure the project ran smoothly and was respectful of each survivors privacy. One of the earliest decisions we made was to donate the original oil paintings to the survivors as a gift. It was really important to me that participants could walk away from the project with a tangible piece and these paintings are first and foremost their stories. It made perfect sense to structure the project that way.

Milwaukee Independent: What was the ultimate goal of the project and were you able to achieve what you originally envisioned for it?

Brianna Joy Seipel: This project was designed simply to honor the stories and celebrate the spirits of these individuals who have learned what it means to rise, and thrive. The work culminated in a series of 12 oil paintings, six sketches on paper, and six larger paintings on panel. They were accompanied by artist statements, which I wrote together with the participants. We hosted the exhibition at Knowlton Law Group Kate Knowltons private practice. Kate has always had a dream to host art exhibits in her space, and her office was the perfect destination for this show. The exhibition was a two-day event from November 15 to 16. Friday night was a private opening for survivor-writers and their families, and Saturday was a public exhibition. The show included process sketches, final paintings, artist statements, a print magazine, archival prints of each painting, and other print collateral for sale. With the exception of the original artwork, all of these pieces were for sale, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the ongoing work of LOTUS Legal Clinic.

Milwaukee Independent: How do you measure success with your art and creative work?

Brianna Joy Seipel: I believe we find satisfaction in knowing what our work is, doing it well, and the relationships we build along the way. This project has been especially rich in relationships. Being a self-employed artist can be isolating work, so the process of creating alongside LOTUS survivor-writers to collaboratively tell their story has been so inspiring.

Milwaukee Independent: What has been the most impactful creative challenge that you faced recently, and what did you learn from the experience?

Brianna Joy Seipel: As an artist, this was new territory for me because these stories were so deeply personal and yet the images and ideas themselves are truly universal. When working with survivors, I had to be sensitive to the fact that each individual is in a different place of their healing process. Privacy is incredibly important. Making sure we had contracts, so I knew how each participant wished to be represented, that was also a key element to make sure I was proceeding in a respectful way. LOTUS staff were always there to answer my questions. That was invaluable. One of the biggest lessons I learned this year actually came from a commission project that ran concurrent with the creation of this exhibit. I was really struggling with the piece and a mentor recommended literally putting the piece in a closet and taking time to play artistically with subject matter that brought me joy. She then recommended coming back to the piece in a week or two, and approach the piece differently by making a series of small sketches to see the work in a new light. That process was transformative. I never had a dedicated sketchbook practice until this year, but now I am hooked. Working small eliminates fear and leads to creative discoveries that I can take to the larger painting. Each painting in the Rise and Thrive exhibit began with such a sketch, and I feel that the final pieces are much better for that change in my artistic practice.

Milwaukee Independent: Was there a part of the project that exceeded your expectations or offered a pleasant surprise?

Brianna Joy Seipel: The Untold Stories alumni were incredibly creative and articulate writers, and the project blossomed above and beyond what I had originally imagined it would be. I am so thrilled with the resulting landscape-narrative pairings, and so honored to be trusted with the curation of these stories. In addition, I loved meeting visitors on our opening weekend who recognized physical locations in the paintings and began to tell their own stories connected to that place. There is something powerful about storytelling over shared places that brings us together. I want to continue to dig deeper into this idea with future projects.

Milwaukee Independent: Are there plans for a continuation of the project or was this exhibit all there will be?

Brianna Joy Seipel: Yes, planning for 2020s Rise and Thrive exhibit is already underway with a similar timeline interviews in the spring, artwork creation in the summer, and a culminating exhibition in the fall. We are also exploring ways in which this model can be replicated with other artists to keep the project sustainable long-term.

Support from LOTUS Legal Clinics team, particularly Director of Survivor Empowerment Austin Mahlon Reece, and interim Executive Director Kate Knowlton, was vital for the completion of the project. Their passion for championing the voices of survivors, both here in Wisconsin and sharing their program model across the United States, is unparalleled.

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Rise and Thrive: Brianna Joy Seipel creates landscapes of witness at the crossroads of art and allyship - Milwaukee Independent

Wellness January 2, 2020 5:13 PM ByErica Sweeney Parade @ericapsweeney More by Erica

As we race from task to task and juggle lifes responsibilities, many of us strive to calm our minds and feel centered. Practicing meditation and mindfulness can help get us therein fact, the benefits of meditation are plentiful.

Meditation helps people hit the pause button, helping them become more present in a given moment, says Spring Washam, meditation educator and author of A Fierce Heart.

Its like the TV is blaring, and then we turn it off for a moment, and we just take a breath, she says. Meditation is a way that we gain that a sort of calmness and a centeredness and we connect with ourselves in that moment.

Whether its five minutes or 20 minutes, finding time to meditate throughout the day can help you feel happier and more at peace. And, your mind and body will thank you. Meditation offers a wealth of benefits to improve your physical health and well being.

Related: 10 Ways Meditation Can Fix Your Life

1. It lowers cortisol levels. Research shows that mindfulness meditation lowers levels of cortisol, the hormone that causes stress. Reducing cortisol can decrease general stress, anxiety and depression.

2. You can better deal with stress. Meditation brings a sense of calm to the mind and body that can reduce stress, Washam says.

When the mind relaxes and lets go, the body follows, she says. We want our adrenaline and our nervous system to take a break at times, to unplug, to recycle, to rejuvenate.

3. It eases anxiety. Meditation is literally the perfect, portable anti-anxiety treatment, says health coach Traci Shoblom. Taking just a few minutes to close your eyes and do breathing exercises can turn off the mechanisms in your brain that cause anxiety.

4. It reduces depression symptoms. Depression is a series mental health condition often triggered by stress and anxiety. Research suggests meditation can change areas of the brain, including the me center and fear center, that are linked to depression. People who meditate also show increased gray matter in the brains hippocampus, responsible for memory.

5. Youll get a mood boost. Meditation helps you deal with stress, anxiety and difficult situations, which makes you happier and feel better. Were just able to deal with difficult things without letting it affect your mood, Washam says.

6. You can retrain your brain. The brain tends to develop as its used. Meditation may retrain the brain to use the prefrontal cortex, known as the me center, to regulate the amygdala, or fear center, says researcher and author Bracha Goetz.

This means that when faced with a stressor, when we are not meditating, we will have gotten in the habit of using our prefrontal cortex to direct our minds back to think more calmly and clearly focus, rather than letting our impulsive reactions direct us, Goetz says.

7. Its good for your heart. Research shows meditation can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, says Chirag Shah, physician and founder of online healthcare platform Push Health. Meditation positively impacts blood pressure, heart muscle effectiveness and general cardiovascular mortality.

8. It lowers blood pressure. High blood pressure affects about 30% of U.S. adults and is considered a worldwide epidemic that heightens the risk of stroke and heart attack. Meditation may improve blood pressure naturally, without medication, research shows.

9. It enhances serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical produced in nerve cells that works as a natural mood stabilizer. When you meditate, youll increase serotonin levels, which Washam says acts like a natural anti-depressant.

10. Youll break bad habits. Whether its smoking or shopping too much, meditation brings awareness to your actions in that moment and help you break the cycle of a bad habit, Washam says.

Most habits form unconsciously, she says, and, Over time, (meditation) brings awareness to what were doing, so were not acting out unconsciously. Mindfulness interrupts the habit.

11. Youll strengthen relationships. Good communication, empathy and respect are the hallmarks of a strong relationship, and meditation helps improve all of those qualities. Creating a deeper connection with yourself makes relationships easier and more fulfilling, Washam says.

The moment I become present, Im available to my partner, to my friends, to myself, she says.

12. It boosts concentration. When so many things are racing through our minds at any given time, it can be tough to concentrate on tasks at work or even hobbies like reading a book. Meditation centers your mind so you can focus on what you need to get done.

13. It helps build inner strength. Weve all been stuck in traffic or in a long, boring meeting and couldnt wait to escape. Practicing meditation and mindfulness helps build inner strength and endurance to calmly get through these situations, Washam says.

It creates an ability to be in the moment no matter how it is, she says. Were just able to be with difficult things without unraveling or letting it affect you.

14. Youll learn to be present. Research shows meditation can decrease brain activity in the default mode network (DMN), the part of the brain that wonders, worries and overthinks, helping us stay in the present, says Adina Mahalli, relationship expert and mental health professional at Maple Holistics.

Meditation promotes being in the present moment and focusing our thoughts, Mahalli says, explaining that meditation works the brain like a muscle. The more you meditate the more easily youre able to snap out of DMN mode and into the present.

15. Youll become comfortable in stillness. These days, most of us are always on the go and rarely take the time to calm down. Meditation can make you feel comfortable with stillness, says Josee Perron, life coach and yoga and meditation teacher.

Weve become accustomed to needing to be on the go all the time, Perron says. But, so much running around doesnt leave any time for stillness, which is the gateway to connecting with your deeper inner self.

16. It helps with brain fog. If you struggle with concentration, forget things easily and have a hard time focusing, you might have brain fog. Its often caused by stress, and a meditation practice can calm your mind and let you focus on your breath so you feel more present.

Meditation cuts through the fog because were waking up in that moment in a way, literally, Washam says. Were stopping the habitual distraction, which has effects in the brain long term.

17. Youll better handle anger. Getting angry is a natural feeling when dealing with difficult people or situations. If you act impulsively, you could make things worse, however. When you meditate, you train your brain to focus on the present, and this can help you learn to control and process your emotions in the moment.

Maybe youre upset, but you slow down and just feel your emotions, Washam says. Just that simple act of turning toward your breath creates a kind of relief in the mind.

18. You can work through grudges. Holding onto anger and reliving past wrongs in your mind takes a toll on the mind and body. To calm these feelings, Washam suggests using STOP, a mindfulnessbased meditation technique, which stands for stopping in the moment, taking a breath, observing your internal feelings and proceeding with your day.

19. Youll live in the moment. Learning to focus and live in the moment is important benefit of meditation, but its easier said than done. Often, our thoughts turn to past events or things we need or want to do in the future, and we seem to forget about the here and now.

20. It helps you cope with pain. Meditation activates areas of the brain that are associated with processing pain, so mindful breathing can help people manage chronic pain, says Megan Junchaya, health coach and founder of Vibe N Thrive. Research shows that even a short amount of meditation can boost pain tolerance and reduce pain-related anxietyand, it could possibly alleviate the need for opioid pain medication.

21. Meditation helps you relax. Learning to simply relax and keep calm under pressure are huge mental and physical health benefits of meditation. Practicing mindfulness can reduce stress and lower blood pressure so youll feel more relaxed.

22. Youll sleep better. Most Americans dont get enough sleep, and its tough to get through the day when youre exhausted. Its also bad for your health. When you meditate, you may find yourself drifting off to sleep more easily and getting better quality sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Related: 5 Mental Health Influencers Explain Why Meditation for Sleep Really Works

23. It helps with insomnia. If you have a sleep disorder, like insomnia, meditation can be especially helpful. It reduces anxiety and retrains the brain to slow down and respond differently to stressors.

24. But, you may not need as much sleep. Meditation is not a sleep replacement, and we all need our eight hours. But, when long-term meditation practitioners spent several hours meditating, they experienced a significant drop in sleep time compared to those who dont meditate, according to a 2010 study published in Behavioral and Brain Functions.

25. Meditation teaches you to self-soothe. You will learn to work through anxiety, anger and other problems so that you dont turn to unhealthy behaviors, like drugs or alcohol, to self-soothe.

26. Youll become your own cheerleader. Meditation acts as a support system to help you through a rough time. Youll realize the value of celebrating your strengths and successes and not worrying so much about any faults or mistakes.

27. It reduces inflammation. Meditations ability to help reduce stress is well known. But, chronic stress creates inflammation in the body, which is linked with heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity, says Paul Claybrook, a certified nutritionist.

28. It adds balance to your life. Finding balancewhether its juggling work and home life, dealing with stress and taking some down timeis vital for our mental health and well-being. Practicing mindfulness and learning to center your thoughts will get you there.

29. Youll be more productive. Bringing more awareness to your day-to-day focuses you on the task at hand, rather than jumping around from one project to anotherand, this increases productivity, says Cory Muscara, founder of Long Island Mindfulness Center.

When were going through our day on autopilot, we miss those quick transition moments from working on a project to scrolling through our friends cat pictures on Facebook, he says. The quicker we catch these transitions, the quicker we can come back to the task at hand, and the more we can get done.

30. It boosts the immune system. Among the many health benefits of meditation is an immune system boost, says Mick Cassell, clinical hypnotherapist and founder of wellness app ThinkWell-LiveWell. Research shows that mindfulness lowers blood pressure and enhances the immune system, making you feel better and maybe even live longer.

31. It improves mental functioning. Practice meditation regularly and youll see a chain reaction that leads to better mental functioning, Cassell says. That can include becoming more relaxed, sleeping better and improving concentration, reasoning, performance and productivity.

32. Youll feel more creative. Meditation helps you dial up your creativity, which you can extend to your daily life, Cassell says. Creativity offers benefits like problem-solving, adaptability and self-confidence.

33. It makes you kind. We all need a little more kindness in our lives, and meditation can do the trick. A type of meditation, called Metta, focuses on a feelings-related practice that promotes kindness, says Stella Samuel, wellness coach at Brandnic.com.

34. It improves memory. Meditation enhances cognitive function, which can be a mood-booster and help prevent memory loss, says Brittany Ferri, occupational therapist and founder of Simplicity of Health.

35. Meditation prevents burnout. As we work longer hours and continue to add to our load of responsibilities, its easy to burn out. Practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction could actually shrink the part of the brain that causes worry and fear, and strengthens the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for personality development, research suggests.

36. Youll have a spiritual awakening. Meditation takes us to a place deep inside ourselves, which can bring feelings of love and peace. For some, that could lead to a spiritual awakening.

37. Meditation builds resilience. Focusing on all emotionshappiness, failure and regretlets you observe these feelings and experience a seat of awareness, says Sherrell Moore-Tucker, author and wellness educator.

While sitting with those feelings and experiences, inner strength is cultivated and resilience emerges, she says.

38. Your sex life will heat up. Mindfulness lets you tap into a more authentic, compassionate and honest relationship to sex, says Shauna Shapiro, clinical psychologist and author of Good Morning, I Love You. Studies show practicing mindfulness increases sexual arousal and overall sexual satisfaction, because it enhances your connection with your body.

39. It promotes mindful eating. Our relationship with food can be a complex one, and dieting or overeating can be harmful to our physical and mental health. Mindfulness helps counter your consciousness and reactivity around food, adding to the enjoyment of eating while recognizing hunger cues, Shapiro says.

As we eat mindfully, we are able to listen to the messages of our body, recognizing what foods our body wants, as well as appreciating when we feel hungry and when we become full, she says.

40. Youll become more in tune with your body. Many of us go through the day with a constant dialogue running through our minds. Meditation facilitates a direct experience, or wordless experience of pure sensation, says Brooke Nicole Smith, mindful eating expert and integrative wellness and life coach. This lets you learn to check in with the body.

41. It helps you deal with uncomfortable situations. Getting out of your comfort zone builds strength and leads to personal growth. Meditation teaches you to experience discomfort without freaking out about it, opening the door to new possibilities, where youll feel more comfortable asking for a raise, having a tough conversation or tackling anything else youve been avoiding, Smith says.

42. It could alter gene expression. Research shows that mindfulness-based meditation can lead to molecular changes in the body, which may reduce levels of pro-inflammatory genes. That means you could recover more quickly from stressful situations.

43. Meditation could help fight addiction. Practicing mindfulness lets you better control emotions, thoughts and behaviors, giving you greater control over subconscious habits and addictions, Junchaya says. Research suggests mindfulness-based interventions could treat addictions, including alcohol, smoking, opioids and other drugs.

44. Meditation fosters accountability. Self-exploration leads to self-awareness. Meditation teaches you to own up to actions and behaviors, and stop living in denial or lying to yourself about issues in your life, says Fran Walfish, family and relationship psychotherapist and author of The Self-Aware Parent.

45. Youll make better decisions. Being constantly on the go means we often make impulsive decisions. Since meditation helps you slow down, you can make better decisions and fewer mistakes in your home and work life, says Sadi Khan, fitness research analyst at RunRepeat.

46. It boosts self-esteem. Meditation helps quell negative thoughts, calms the mind and reduces anxiety, helping you feel good about yourself and the decisions you make.

47. Meditation eases loneliness. A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity showed older adults, who took part in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program, saw a decrease in pro-inflammatory gene expressionand, this reduced feelings of loneliness.

48. It improves memory. Brief meditation training has been shown to improve visuo-spatial processing, working memory and executive functioning, according to a study published in Consciousness and Cognition. After just four days of meditation training, people showed a stronger ability to pay attention longer.

49. It can alleviate PMS. Headaches, cramps, hot flashes and water retentionmeditation has been shown to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and change how you perceive period pain, according to a study published in Mindfulness.

50. Meditation may improve arthritis symptoms. Several studies have shown that meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction can help manage chronic pain, which is welcome news for people living with arthritis. Embracing meditation can help lessen the intensity of pain, enhance functionality and improve mood and quality of life.

51. It changes how the body responds to stress. Stressful situations happen, but meditation helps you manage your reactions to stress. Not only is this good for your health, it can also diffuses stressful moments so they dont escalate.

52. Meditation encourages movement. Meditation fosters a mind-body connection that will encourage you to get up and move. Combined with yoga, tai chi or a casual walk, meditation focuses on being present in your own body and expanding awareness during physical activity, says Lisa Ballehr, an osteopathic physician.

53. It helps you focus. Having trouble focusing on a specific task? Meditation can change that. It could be the simple act of sitting down to a good meal or pushing through a workout session, but the intent is to focus on simply that task at hand and not letting the mind wander, Ballehr says.

54. Youll become more self-confident. Once you learn that you are not your thoughts, you can finally let go of your fears, says Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez, a yoga teacher and holistic health coach. Focusing on your meditation practice helps you find stability, peace of mind and self-acceptance.

55. It promotes emotional stability. Meditation lets you focus on your mind and identify thought patterns, so that you can address them, Rodriguez says. Youll discover healthy ways to deal with your emotions and repressed feelings.

56. Youll perform better. So much focus is on productivity and getting as much done as you can in a day. Meditation can improve performance in all areas of your life. Meditation is commonly used by high-performers in every discipline, as it helps you find your state of flow and truly excel in a task, Rodriguez says.

57. Youll get in touch with your inner voice. When we calm the overactive mind through meditation, we open ourselves up to new feelings and experiences. We are able to tune into and listen to that voice within, our intuition, versus the confusing chitter chatter of our minds stories, says Tara Skubella, an earthing and meditation expert and founder of Earth Tantra.

58. Youll learn to focus your breathing. Breathing is a natural function of the body, of course, but how often do you truly focus on each breath? Meditation provides a space for us to slow and deepen our breath for more oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, Skubella says.

59. Youll make a mind-body connection. How often do we actually give ourselves permission to feel even the most subtle sensations within the body? Skubella asks. If we listen, our body will let us know what needs to be healed.

Practicing meditation provides a chance to stop and build a relationship with the body.

60. Meditation keeps your brain younger. When you focus on your breath during meditation, youre also giving the brain a boost, says Tara Huber of Take Five Meditation. Research published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement shows that regular mindfulness meditation can even slow the aging process and reverse brain aging.

61. It helps you cope with trauma. The death of a loved one or recovering from past abuse can mean dealing with trauma and grief on a daily basis. Meditation can provide emotional safety and focus, so that you can process these feelings, says meditation teacher Colette Coleman.

62. It keeps distractions away. The need for constant multitasking can have our minds scattered. A mindfulness practice pushes away distractions so that you can tackle your to-do list in a calculated way.

63. Youll simplify your life. Living peacefully in the moment not only helps you feel more present, but it relieves the pressure of having to do so much. After we adjust to the challenges of quieting ourselves and letting go of restlessness, we can feel the relief of not having to constantly do, says Connie Habash, psychotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher, and author of Awakening from Anxiety. This realization lets you simplify your life and find joy.

64. Youll feel more alert. Fighting drowsiness and brain fog may be a daily occurrence. Mindfulness training can improve your ability to stay continually alert over a longer period of time, says Keiland Cooper, neuroscientist at the University of California. Research shows that meditation increases activation of the prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion and attention, and decreases activity in the amygdala, which controls fear.

65. Youll become more patient. Patience is truly a virtue, especially dealing with difficult people. Meditation allows you to become more adept at dealing with mental distractions, maintaining calm in moments of chaos, improving patience levels, increasing your tolerance of others (and yourself), and responding thoughtfully instead of reacting emotionally throughout your day, says Amber Trueblood, a marriage and family therapist and author.

66. Youll be more tolerant of others. It may be tough to see eye-to-eye with difficult co-workers or relatives with differing political views. A regular meditation practice will keep you calm in these instances so you can embrace tolerance. Its an important part of building relationships.

67. Meditation enhances your metabolism. Practicing meditation will likely inspire you to move more or take up yoga or another fitness routine. Research has also shown a link between mindfulness and an enhanced metabolism.

68. It improves digestion. The mind-body balance and reduced stress that youll experience from meditation is great for your digestive system. It could relieve symptoms of indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and other health issues.

69. Youll have more energy. Maintaining a mind-body connection and reducing stress will give you an energy boost. Meditation helps you feel less weighed down by your emotions and ready to move or take on new projects.

70. Youll have better impulse control. Through practicing mindfulness, youll learn to center your mind and focus on your breath, which helps you control your emotions and impulses.

71. Meditation releases endorphins. The practice of meditation releases endorphins and lowers cortisol levels, making you feel happier and more energetic.

72. Meditation helps curb food cravings. The self-control and stress management that you learn through practicing mindfulness could help curb food cravings and break unhealthy eating habits. It lets you tap into whats driving you to specific foods, Amber Stevens, integrative nutrition health coach and author of Food, Feelings and Freedom.

Meditation lets you master your own mind, so you can pause and ask yourself, Why is this ice cream important, and allow your mind to connect dots, she says, adding that youll be open to explore, not critique, your eating habits.

73. Meditation reduces instances of binge eating. Mindfulness meditation can decrease binge eating and emotional eating, according to a study published in Eating Behaviors.

74. Meditation could help you lose weight. Research has linked meditation to more mindful eating, a boost in metabolism and increased energy levels, which suggests that it could help with weight loss.

75. Youll better understand hunger cues. If you tend to feel peckish in the afternoons, mindfulness could help you get in touch with the real reason why. It may not be actual hunger, says Pamela Hernandez, personal trainer and health coach.

Mindfulness helps get sense how hungry they are and other emotions they are feeling that might lead them to overeat, she says. It creates a more mindful state, which gives you a better chance of pushing away from the table before you reach the stuffed feeling of overeating.

76. It helps you forget about past wrongs. Rather than letting the past define (you), fully surrender to the now and embrace your journey in its entirety without shame or guilt, says AnushaWijeyakumar, wellness coach and meditation and mindfulness educator.

Meditation helps you leave the past in the past and drown out the noise thats preventing you from experiencing inner peace, she says. Youll sever any attachment to past wrongs and move forward.

77. Youll quiet negative thoughts. Learn to let go of the past and crush negative thoughts, which may be holding you back. Replace those negative thoughts with something positive.

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Benefits of Meditation100 Ways Meditation is Good for Your Health - Parade

Kai Koerber has partnered with BrainCo. in hopes of bringing quantified meditation to U.C. Berkeley.

Image: Alana Koerber

At CES, tech execs and thirsty industry analysts abound. This year, there was also a college student and mass shooting survivor named Kai Koerber preaching about the benefits of meditation.

Koerber is a U.C. Berkeley student and activist who is a survivor of the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida. Parkland survivors took action in the wake of the shooting by advocating for gun control legislation, and now, Koerber is calling for mental health resources in schools.

He founded an organization called the Societal Reform Corp. that raises money and champions mental health, mediation, and mindfulness education.

Koerber attended CES in Las Vegas to help make a high-tech announcement: Societal Reform Corp. has partnered with much-hyped "brain machine interface" (BMI) company BrainCo. to advocate for a Berkeley program that would encourage students to meditate, with a little help from some brainwave monitoring headbands.

BrainCo. makes a wearable device, the Focus1 headset, that monitors brainwaves and analyzes them in an accompanying app. The app gives users games and exercises for meditation and focus. Then, users are ideally able to better understand the power of the practice.

"They can literally change their brain activity," Max Newlon, BrainCo.'s USA president said during the presentation. "Seeing this really gives them the empowerment that theyre in control."

The science behind the efficacy of technology like BrainCo.'s is promising, but not entirely well established. However, the company has raised millions, has undertaken its own studies to examine how its activities can help people with attention challenges focus, and is working to optimize mental states for fitness.

BrainCo. and Koerber say that it is early days for their partnership. A BrainCo. representative clarified that, while nothing is final yet, Koerber would like to bring a meditation center to Berkeley's campus equipped with BrainCo. devices. Students would be able to take the devices back to their dorms and homes to continue their practices on their own.

Koerber thinks seeing visual representations of your brain activity while meditating could encourage critics who see meditation as wishy-washy to commit to a mental health practice.

He also considers promoting mental health his own form of anti-gun violence advocacy.

"Any person who walks into a room and kills 20 people is not well," Koerber told Mashable. "From a wellness perspective, there's something wrong there."

Meditation and mindfulness has become a much-talked about tool in trauma care. However, it is not the holy grail. In some cases, a mindfulness practice might be ineffective or re-traumatizing for people with PTSD. It could also be overly simplistic to posit mindfulness as a way to stop a potential future shooter.

But Koerber views what he calls "social emotional learning" as one part of the solution.

"If we provide students with the ability to manage stress, and positively construct a new reality for themselves, I think we'd start to see a lot more difference in the world we're living in today."

Link:

Parkland survivor on why he believes in brain-scanning meditation wearables - Mashable

Maybe you remember the Muse Softband from last years CES. Honestly, probably you dont. I do, but only because A) I was there and B) I actually really liked the companys regular version. Im still pretty skeptical about the concept of using meditation to jumpstart mindfulness, but the Muse 2 makes a compelling case for hardware as a means of quieting ones thoughts.

After a year of silence, the rebranded Muse S is ready to launch. I like the name. It beats Softband, in that it doesnt sound like a Japanese investment firm. S is for soft and also sleep two elements that obviously go hand in hand. Its also s for savvy move on Muses part, as sleep tech is all the rage at this CES. And certainly meditation and sleep go hand in hand.

The fabric headband offers similar biofeedback-enhanced meditation, measuring brainwaves to determine where your concentration is. Sleep is added to the mix, as well, designed to be worn for five or so minutes a night before trying to get to sleep. The system pairs up with the Muse app, which features Go-to-Sleep Journeys essentially guided sleep meditations. Unlike some comparable sleep masks, however, the headphones arent built in.

Instead, you pair it with your headphones and put your phone away. Comfort levels will vary, of course, depending on your headphones. The sounds are impacted in real time based on biofeedback, including brain activity, movement and heart rate, adjusting the soundtrack accordingly. Compelling for sure. Ive got it on good authority that theres a unit waiting for me back at home. Sadly, it didnt get to me in time would have been nice for CES hell week.

Anyway, review soon, probably. For the rest of you, the Muse S is currently available for $350 through Muses site and Amazon. The Muse meditation app runs $13 a month.

More here:

Muses innovative meditation headband gets a softer, sleepier version - TechCrunch

Bagia Arif Saputra runs a meditation studio in Jakata, Indonesia. Photograph: Krithika Varagur

When Bagia Arif Saputra was growing up in a university town near Jakarta, becoming a jihadist seemed a natural choice for young men like him, who were steeped in the teachings of Islamic fundamentalism. Less easy was reconciling this identity with his sexuality.

I was living a double life, says Saputra. I would go to the campus mosque, try to focus on my prayers and find myself checking out a guy and thinking, Nice ass. And then immediately, Astaghfirullah [God forgive me]! So then I would have to redo my prayers. It was a vicious cycle.

Saputra, now 34 and openly gay, recounts this serenely at the meditation centre he runs in the centre of the Indonesian capital. As a mindfulness expert who spent his formative years in student jihadist circles in conservative West Java, his life has combined two vastly different currents of modern Indonesia since its transition to democracy in 1998: the rise of religious piety and fundamentalism, and the explosion of a young, globalised middle-class.

At the Golden Space meditation centre, in a high-rise apartment block, Saputra says he first attracted wider attention when he started appearing on the Indonesian lecture circuit as an ex-closeted gay jihadist who found his dream job.

The mere fact of openly identifying as gay in Indonesia, where in recent years the LGBTQ+ community has faced a rise in hateful political rhetoric , raids, and potential criminalisation, seemed remarkable.

My parents definitely cried and were upset with my choice, he says, recalling coming out to his family in June 2015, during Ramadan. But they still love me and today we have a great relationship.

Saputra grew up in Bandung, a university town three hours east of Jakarta that is known both for its lively cafe culture and as a hotbed of fundamentalism. He went to a pesantren, a traditional Muslim boarding school, and then to the Indonesia University of Education.

In college, he felt adrift and was soon recruited to the Tarbiyah movement, the student wing of an Indonesian Islamist party modelled on the Muslim Brotherhood. This provided him with a sense of belonging.

He adopted the mannerisms of Salafis, puritanical Muslims who seek to revive the traditions of Quranic times: wearing ankle-length trousers and an untrimmed beard, refusing to shake hands with women, forgoing music and TV. At the time Indonesian Islamists were gripped by the Palestinian intifada and they stayed up late plotting to fight jihad alongside those they considered their Muslim brothers.

I was ready to die, says Saputra. Becoming a jihadist seemed like an easy way to go straight to heaven.

Some of the older boys were later recruited to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Indonesian affiliate of al-Qaida.

But Saputra was becoming tormented by the clash between his fundamentalist peer group and his suppressed homosexuality. No matter how hard I tried to pray the gay away, it didnt happen, he says.

He eventually withdrew for a different reason. His parents were upset by his growing disinterest in school and he realised he had gone too far for even his pious Muslim family. At one point, he says, he had even reprimanded his mother for wearing a hijab that was too short.

He left the group, graduated and headed to Jakarta, where he plunged into the underground gay scene.

There, he spent his nights with lonely strangers and days on a carousel of corporate jobs. And he started calling himself an atheist.

Then in February 2015 a friend gave him a week-long meditation course that changed his life. He studied with Umesh Nandwani, a Singapore-based meditation practitioner and Golden Space founder who, Saputra says, was one of the first people to recognise that he was gay.

I dont know how he knew, but he unlocked something within me, Saputra says.

Within four months of completing the course, he had become a dedicated practitioner himself and had come out to most of the people in his life. Nandwani recruited him to open Golden Space Jakarta in late 2016 and today he oversees 15 trainers.

Meditation is still something new for Indonesians, says Saputra. Some of them think its a religious practice and is part of Hinduism or Buddhism. I have to explain to them that its non-religious and that anyone can benefit from it.

At least one in five Indonesians are now middle class, according to the World Bank, and they are concentrated in Java and particularly in Jakarta. While meditation studios are still scarcer than in the holiday island of Bali, those in the capital are riding the wave of Jakartas burgeoning wellness industry.

Saputra, who met his partner of eight months at a meditation class, says that despite his own positive experiences since coming out, it is still not easy to be gay in Indonesia.

Most of my gay friends here are not open, and with good reason. One of them had to undergo an exorcism when his parents found out, he says. Closeted people often come up to him after speaking engagements, from teenagers to married men, and confess that they are torn about their identity.

I try to lead by example, he says. To plant the seed that there is a possibility of being openly gay in Indonesia and having a good life.

After his flirtation with atheism, Saputra says he is once again a Muslim. I fast during Ramadan, but not out of fear.

His specialty as a counsellor is anger management, because he has a lot of experience wrestling with that feeling. I carried so much anger within me: towards God for making me this way, towards my parents, towards myself, he says.

Meditation has helped me not to suppress this but to process it.

Saputra believes it is anger that motivates religious fundamentalists too. They are angry that the world has nothing to offer them, he says. Its a coping mechanism.

Whenever he sees news of occasional flares of terrorism in Indonesia, such as the Surabaya suicide bombings in 2018, he reflects on how easy it may be for such people to radicalise.

They probably thought it was the easiest path to heaven, he says. I certainly did.

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The ex-closeted gay jihadist' bringing meditation to Jakarta - The Guardian

JAMESTOWN As the new year begins, if you are investigating healthy ways to deal with the stress in your life, Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) has just the class for you.

MMI (McLean Meditation Institute) Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor Loretta Cheney is teaching the Three Pillars of Meditation at ACNC on Thursday, Jan. 23. In the 5 to 6 p.m. class, you can end the day and begin the evening by reducing stress in a natural setting through meditation and mindfulness.

Cheney will introduce the three ways meditation trains your awareness, the three requirements needed to meditate, and the five essentials for a successful experience. Participants are asked to bring a warm blanket if they have one.

The adults-only (16 and older) program is $16, $12 for Nature Center members. Space is limited. Paid reservations are required by Tuesday, January 21, 2020, and can be made by calling (716) 569-2345 during business hours or going to AudubonCNC.org/Programs and clicking on Current Schedule. Walk-ins may be accepted if there is room; call for availability after the deadline. The class will be offered again on the fourth Thursdays in February, March, and April.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren, Pa. To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call 569-2345 during business hours, visit AudubonCNC.org, or find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook.

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Learn the Three Pillars of meditation at the Audubon | News, Sports, Jobs - Evening Observer

There are plenty of apps out there focused on guided meditations and mental wellness. And, not surprisingly, there's a software component to Core as well. But what sets it apart from the Headspaces of the world is there's a physical object for you to hold that also collects data to help track your meditation journey.

The Core meditation trainer itself is a sphere with a slice taken out of it. The bottom is a satisfying piece of rosewood, though the top is a more utilitarian white plastic with an ECG sensor embedded in it. Still the over all aesthetic is appealing. And that's important to the company's philosophy. It doesn't want to nag you with notifications that you've been trained to dismiss (like so many CES PR pitches), instead it wants you to feel comfortable leaving the device out on your nightstand or desk as a regular reminder to take a few minutes for yourself.

Inside the app you'll find a selection of guided meditations, breathing exercises and soundscapes. There's a small collection of them available for free when you purchase the $169 Core, but there's also a subscription service if you want to take venture deeper. The $10 a month price isn't cheap, but you can cut it in half by signing up for a full year.

Once you select and session and rest your thumbs on the ECG sensors the Core will start to gently vibrate in sync with the app. There is a baseline, but as you're instructed to take a deep breath in, or a long exhale the intensity will ramp up. The purpose here is to give you something to focus on. Often in apps like Calm you might be asked to focus on your breath, but for those just getting started, holding a physical object might prove an easier entry point.

At the end of your session the app will display a host of data, taking obvious cues from things like Fitbit. You'll see a general measure of your calm and focus, but also raw data like your heart rate and your heart rate variability which is a decent measure of how much stress your body is under.

Core is part of a growing market looking to capitalize on a renewed interest in meditation and wellness. But it's also a slightly pricey device going up against established players like Headspace, Calm, and Sattva. And unlike those services it requires a pretty significant outlay of cash just to try it out. But if you've been looking to bring Fitbit style quantification to your mindfulness training, there aren't many other options out there.

Core will be available on January 6th for $169, with subscriptions starting at $5 a month.

See more here:

Core brings Fitbit-style tracking to your meditation sessions - Engadget

Hey, I think its time that we have a talk. Please, dont freak out. I need you to breathe. Breathing is everything. You taught me that.

Its crazy that weve been together for so long, but now that our yearly subscription is coming to an end, after a lot of self-reflection, I just dont know if I want to renew. After taking a few moments to really check in with myself, I realized that $98.99 annually is a ton of money for a meditation app. Like, thats a lot of sandwiches.

Dont get me wrong! Weve shared incredible memories, like that time I had a panic attack in the 7-Eleven parking lot after I found out my ex was already in a serious relationship. Or when my mother tried to kick me off the family phone plan. You were there for me every step of the way, and I will never forget that.

But, lately, things have been different between us. You always say its important to find your own space, and, if Im being honest, Ive been feeling suffocated. Every morning, as soon as I wake up, theres another notification waiting for me. Ive given you anywhere from one to thirty-five minutes of somewhat uninterrupted attention per day, but, no matter what, it never seems to be enough.

The thing is, its time for me to sit quietly with myself, by myself. Youre the one always telling me that my inner citadel shouldnt be dependent on anyone else. Thats also when I knew I couldnt be with an app that uses phrases like inner citadel.

I feel like youre not seeing me right now, which is weird since both my camera and microphone are enabled. Wait, are you mad because you wanted us to go on that silent retreat in Bali? Yeah, I could tell when promotions for it started showing up in my targeted ads on Instagram. But Im just not ready for such a big step. Besides, I was kind of hoping to save up to go to Mardi Gras this year. You can drink there. And eat. And...talk.

Dont look at me like that. There isnt someone else. I just think we should try to see other people. I mean, youre already seeing thirty-one million other people right now, anyway. Shouldnt I have the chance to be happy, too?!

I get it. You want to know where this is coming from. Do you remember that one weekend when I didnt have service in Joshua Tree and couldnt access you? Yeah, it was really, really scary. But I realized something. As long as I have the aching quiet of the wilderness, the right combination of hallucinogenic drugs, and my amethyst crystals, Ill be O.K. I sat perfectly still atop some ancient monzonite rock for thirty-six hours, and I didnt need you. Youre the one whos always telling me to follow my blissand I didnt try to post the sunset to my Instagram story once. I think this means Im finally ready to move on.

I cant believe Im about to say this, but I want to unplug. Deleting you is one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do, especially because I could not remember my log-in password for the longest time and the verification PIN kept getting messed up. But know that Ill always think of you whenever Im stressed about getting a really expensive parking ticket, trapped in an overpacked elevator, or about to spend $98.99 on a budgeting app that Ill never use.

Namaste.

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How to Mindfully Break Up with Your Meditation App - The New Yorker