Is meditation good for health?

Updated: 12:33 PM EST Jan 3, 2020

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ADVICE, BUT LOOK GO BACK IN TIME. -- LETS GO BACK IN TIME. IT IS A NEW YEAR, A NEW DECADE. THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER. >> I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS. SHAYNA: RESOLUTIONS MADE WITH HOPE OF A FRESH START, BUT IT IS WINTERTIME. THAT MEANS SNOW. >> THIS TIME OF YEAR YOU ARE GRIEVING AND MORNING OVER THE LOSS OF WHAT NO LONGER IS. AND GRIEVING OVER THE LOSS OF WHAT CURRENTLY ISNT AND FEELING A LITTLE BIT STRESSED WHETHER OR NOT WHAT YOU ARE HOPING WILL BE IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND IT FEELS LIKE IT IS A LONG WAY OFF. SHAYNA: DR. RUSKIN IS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST AND AUTHOR. SHE SEES ANXIETY SPIKE THIS TIME OF YEAR, SEASONAL AFFECTIVE OF -- SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER. >> THE WEATHER AFFECTS THE HUMAN BRAIN. WHEN WE ARE EXPERIENCING REAL LIGHT FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT HELPS US TO FEEL ENERGIZED. WE ARE FEELING EMPOWERED, CREATING SUNLIGHT IN OUR OWN BODY. SHAYNA: EVEN THOUGH THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER, THE FALLOUT FROM FAMILY QUESTION TIME LINGERS. >> WHY HAVENT YOU HAD CHILDREN, WHY ARE YOU HAVING SO MANY CHILDREN, WHY ARE YOUR CHILDREN ACTING THAT WAY, WHY DONT YOU HAVE THAT JOB? HOW COME YOU ARE NOT WORKING ON HAVING THAT WORK ETHIC? DYNAMICS BETWEEN SIBLINGS. MEDICAL, PHYSICAL, WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, CHOICES THAT YOU MAKE, IT IS ALL UP FOR GRABS AND ON THE TABLE WITH FAMILY GATHERINGS. SHAYNA: DR. RUSKIN SAYS RESET. NOW IS THE TIME FOR SELF-CARE. >> ARE YOU TAKING A WALK? ARE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO REALLY AND MENTALLY STIMULATE? ARE YOU INTERACTING AND SOCIALIZING WITH OTHERS IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE CONNECTION? EVERY PERSON IS DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY NEED TO HELP THEMSELVES TO FEEL HEALTHY. THERE ARE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN PEOPLE. THE FACT IS ALL PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FROM MEDITATIVE BREASTS. -- MEDITATIVE BREATH. SHAYNA: HE SIGNED UP FOR THIS CLASS. >> THERE IS LESS WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE, NOT DRAGGING THE TEST AROUND AND I FEEL PRESENT. SHAYNA: DO YOU FEEL BETTER AFTERWARDS? >> I REALLY DO. >> YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE FEELING, WHAT YOU ARE THINKING. IT COMES DOWN TO AWARENESS. MEDITATION IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SIT, CLOSE YOUR EYES, NOTICE WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE. SHAYNA: JENNIFER HARVEY OWNS LAUGHING DOG YOGA STUDIO WHERE THE CLASSES ARE POPULAR. >> PEOPLE SAY I AM STRESSED OUT. I NEED TO DESTRESS. YOGA AND MEDITATION REALLY HELP PEOPLE DO THAT. IT CHANGES YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. SHAYNA: THIS INSTRUCTOR CREDITS THE PRACTICE FOR OVERCOMING A SERIES OF CHALLENGES. >> I WAS 19, 20, GOING THROUGH A FAIRLY NORMAL MID TO LATE COLLEGIATE CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH MY WIFE AND STARTED MEDITATING. LATER ON MY BEST FRIEND DIED, AND MEDITATION KEPT ME HANGING ON. I HAD NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA WHEN I WAS 28. YOGA WAS INTEGRAL FOR HEALING. SHAYNA: HOW HAS THIS HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE? >> THE MEDITATION WHICH CAN CLEAR THE SLEET AND BRING YOU BACK TO CENTER. ZONING IN, YOU ARE BECOMING PRESENT. YOU ARE BECOMING MORE REALISTIC, NOT LEAVING REALITY. SHAYNA: WHY DO PEOPLE MEDITATE? >> THE VARIOUS LOGISTICS AND PARAMETERS COULD FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PULLING YOU APART, MEDITATION MEANS THE THINGS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ARE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING BUT YOUR SENSE OF OK IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE OWNERSHIP FOUR. SHAYNA: MARGUERITE SAYS THE BENEFITS ARE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL. >> STRESS LIVES AND OUR BODIES AND CREATES TENSION AND HEADACHES. MEDITATION FOR ALL OF THOSE BRINGS IT DOWN, BRINGS IT IN. IT ALLOWS YOU CLARITY FOR FINDING WHAT IS IMPORTANT. IT HELPS YOU TO JUST RELAX INTO YOUR DAY. SHAYNA: I NEED A LITTLE OF THAT. >> [LAUGHTER] WE ALL DO. ANTHONY: EVERYONE EXPERIENCES MEDITATION DIFFERENTLY. WHAT WAS YOURS LIKE? SHAYNA: RELAXING BUT NOT LIKE A NAFF. THEY WANT YOU TO NOT THINK ABOUT THE PAST OR PRESENT WHICH WAS HARD. TO GET INTO THAT PLACE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, YOU DONT NEED TO TAKE A CLASS. THERE ARE TONS OF BOOKS AND APPS TO GET IT STARTED. ANTHONY: THINK TWICE FOR SKIPPING THE WORKOUT.

Is meditation good for health?

Updated: 12:33 PM EST Jan 3, 2020

Is your mind drifting to the past? Are you worried about the future? Meditation might be a way to train yourself to be present. https://www.drkarenruskin.com/https://www.ldyoga.com/

Is your mind drifting to the past? Are you worried about the future? Meditation might be a way to train yourself to be present.

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Is meditation good for health? - WCVB Boston

In meditation God will spoon-feed you at your own pace. He will give you no more than you can handle at one time. Then sometime he might knock your lights out with an overwhelming realization.

I was very happy to see your editorial by Erick Erickson in your Saturday Jan. 4 edition about eternity.

But, what is the eternal? I could illustrate by asking you what time it is. You might look at your watch and tell me the time. Then days or months later I might ask you again, what time is it? Again you look at your watch and give me the time.

In term of the material world both answers are correct. In terms of the eternal, both answers are wrong. Because in the eternal the answer is always the same. It is now. It has always been now and always will be now.

RELATED: What is meditation?

When your body dies and falls away from your soul you will be left with nothing but your soul, which is who you really are, the soul, which is a part of God himself and like God your soul is eternal. It had no beginning and it has no end.

You take nothing but your soul with you at death but your soul does have baggage. This baggage is called kharma and dharma. Kharma will weigh you down and is the result of your selfishness in life. Selfishness is the root of all evil. Dharma is the result of all your attempts to seek God. Every time you walk into a church you acquire dharma. The balance of kharma and dharma will influence the conditions of your next rebirth.

You can experience the eternal in your own body through meditation. You want the kind of meditation that will reveal the light of God to you. All that is required is to sit, and be still, and concentrate on the God within you. Remember Exodus when God said to Moses, Be still and know that I am God.

RELATED: Meditation apps might calm you but miss the point of Buddhist mindfulness

In meditation God will spoon-feed you at your own pace. He will give you no more than you can handle at one time. Then sometime he might knock your lights out with an overwhelming realization.

Ive had people who are already in meditation ask me to help them find God. I tell them you have already found God. You found him on your first day of meditation. All that is required now is for you to meditate enough that you finally realize that.

God is right there under your nose but God being the most powerful thing in the universe, he is also the most subtle. You can go a thousand lifetimes and never figure it out for yourself. The mind is of the brain and the brain is of the body, and the body is of the material world. It is totally incapable of discerning the eternal.

RELATED: Thoughts on meditation: Local experts offer suggestions for everyday life

But your conscientiousness can because it is not of the brain or body, it is of the soul which is eternal and can therefore comprehend its own nature through meditation.

Babba Ram Das wrote the book titled Be Here Now. It is highly recommend. I can also recommend the Tao Te Ching bay Lao Tzu.

William Roberts Helms is a resident of Fort Walton Beach.

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GUEST COLUMN: Meditation key to finding Light of God - Tuscaloosa News

Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

Its been about five months since I paid attention to my breathing. For almost half a year, Ive neglected to carefully observe my breath, and yet my breath has still come in and out, and in and out, etc. a fact of which I am only passively aware because I am here, now, alive, typing these words. Not only am I alive, but I feel fine.

I started meditating about four years ago, after a friend of mine suggested it. I meditated almost every day, noticing each in breath and out breath (or at least trying to), noticing my thoughts and letting them go (or at least trying to). Most of those days, it didnt really do anything for me. The alarm on my phone would go off after 10 or 20 minutes, and Id feel pretty much the same as when I started.

But article after article on pop-science websites assured me that meditation would better me in every possible way. I would be less anxious, more focused. I would be kinder, healthier. My skin would be clearer, my stomach flatter. I would feel happy, I convinced myself. I would be a better friend, a better writer. I would be patient. When that girl from college captioned another photo of herself doing Pilates with a quote from Nelson Mandela, I would either ignore it or simply mute her account instead of screenshotting it and texting it to my friends with the message, Shoot me into the sun.

I desperately wanted to be the person I thought meditation would make me, and I feared becoming the person Id be or rather, the person Id remain if I stopped. So I meditated over and over and over again, sometimes sitting up, sometimes lying down, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening, sometimes while squished between masses of arms, stomachs, and backpacks on the rush-hour 2 train.

Occasionally, meditation would help me achieve a sense of calm. Id spend the rest of the day on a high, feeling pleasantly, magnanimously superior to those poor souls around me who probably hadnt yet unlocked the power of mindfulness. Other times, Id finish my meditation feeling worse because Id spent the whole attempt berating myself for not being able to quiet my mind, and then berating myself for berating myself, and then thinking, I dont need to follow this train of thought, and then thinking, Jesus, I sound like an asshole, and then going through my to-do list for the day, getting progressively more stressed. Some days, when I was trying to meditate in the morning, Id just fall asleep again.

I didnt consciously set out to stop meditating. I just had other stuff going on. I quit drinking, I started kickboxing, I went hiking, I took writing classes, I read more. All of these things took me out of my head and made me feel more present than meditation ever did. Occasionally, I feel calm. Sometimes, I feel bad. Some mornings, I fall asleep again. My skin is fine good, not great. Im still impatient. I try to let other people bother me less but I still shit-talk that girl from college. I would like to improve these things about myself, but Im less stressed about it. Ive got other things going on.

None of this is a knock against meditation, which is a helpful tool for a lot of people. I was setting myself up for failure by looking for a panacea in the first place. Im just telling you this now, as we enter into a new year and a new decade, and as we reflect on the habits we want to shed or bring with us, to say that if there is a wellness trend you have been laboriously trying to get into for the past month, or the past four years, something you have been promised will improve your life in every way, even though it hasnt so far, consider just letting it go. Do stuff you actually enjoy instead. Itll be fine.

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I Gave Up on Meditating, and It Feels Great - The Cut

POLAR BEAR SWIM

Sonny Brewsbros races out of the water during the Polar Bear Swim at Simmons Island Beach on Jan. 1, 2020.

Heather Poyner, left, plays the drum during a drum circle at the Southport Beach House on Jan. 1, 2020.

Olivia Derouin, 5, center, celebrates the new year with other children as the ball drops during the "Noon Year's Eve" party at the Southwest Library on Dec. 31, 2019. Attendees made hats and decorations and took part in games, musical activities, a scavenger hunt and a photo booth. At noon they celebrated the new year.

The final full moon of the decade, a Cold Moon, rises over Wolfenbuttel Park on Dec. 11, 2019.

Trempers Brianna Pacetti, center, battles St. Josephs Jayden Hill, bottom, for a rebound Saturday night during the Doctors of Physical Therapy Holiday Classic at Carthages Tarble Arena.

Bradfords DaQuantae Sawyer shoots over Wilmots Mason Cummings, left, and Ryan Stalker, right, during the first night of the Doctors of Physical Therapy Holiday Classic on Thursday at Carthages Tarble Arena. The Red Devils won, 82-78 in double overtime, and Sawyer scored a game-high 26 points.

Ray Santiago, left, gets a roll served up from Lauren Tully, 11, at Christ the King Church on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019.

Jon Olson Jr. makes a Tom and Jerry drink at Swedes on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019.

Ben Mulwana, a local musician, gets help playing Christmas songs on his guitar from Aiden Techert, 6, right, and his brother Dylan, 5, at the Comfort Inn & Suites on Monday, Dec. 23, 2019.

Delaney McCann gives apples to animals at Tiny Hooves Sanctuary in Union Grove.

A goat waits for a treat at Tiny Hooves Sanctuary, a farm animal rescue organization founded in 2015, in Union Grove. Have a photo youd like to share? Send it to newsroom@kenoshanews.com.

The Rev. Grace Cajiuat leads a carol during a multi-congregational holiday service at Wesley United Methodist Church on Sunday. See more photos from the event on page B1.

Tracy Krisor, right, lights candles in memory of three homeless people who died in 2019 during the 13th Annual National Homeless Persons Memorial Day observance at Library Park on Sunday.

Mary Baron, left, keeps the class moving during an early morning weekend start.

"Star Wars" fans Shannon and Amanda Tuckey, with their children Liam, left, Jonas and Ben, right, enter the theater to see the new "Star Wars" movie "The Rise of Skywalker" at Tinseltown on Thursday. Afterward Shannon said, "It was great," Amanda said, "I loved it. ... I cried," and Liam Tuckey added, "The best!"

Monica Cummings teaches breathing techniques to the Women in Recovery group at the Kenosha County Detention Center.

Yexeliz Banuelos, in first grade, center, smiles as she opens her gift from Santa at Frank Elementary on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Banuelos asked for a new school uniform for Christmas, and Santa delivered.

Swaggy T with the Milwaukee Red Bull Rim Rockers performs at Bullen Middle School for the school's winter pep assembly on Wednesday.

Grace Nelson, left, Lori Russ, Ignasio Mercado, Jay Rattle, Reign Trimarc and Alex Metalsky, far right, share a scene in A Christmas Carol.

Amber Young reacts as she opens her gift from the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department deputies and corrections officers at Wilson Elementary School on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019.

Kenosha County corrections officers hold gifts to be passed out at Wilson Elementary School on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019.

Jerome Pearson, 3, picks out toys with volunteer Ann Marie Venn during the Holiday House event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019.

Lily Matsuoka, 11, gets help from Deputy Rolando Ortiz, with shopping for her dad during the Shop with a Deputy event. at Meijer on Sunday.

Ceceilia Hunter, 5, smiles as she pushes her cart with Deputy Ray Rowe during the Shop with a Deputy event at Meijer on Sunday.

Tanya Koscinsky, left, helps Ethan Powers and Chloe Williams, both juniors, with housing options during the Reality Check event at Tremper High School on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

Brooke Clements, a junior, center, discusses the cost of child care during the Reality Check event.

Tim Lewis, a member of the Kenosha firefighters CARE group, right, gets ornaments ready with decorator Eve Mumenthaler for the Christmas tree for the upcoming Goodfellows event at UW-Parkside. The annual Goodfellows fundraising dinner is 5 to 9 p.m. today in the Student Center Ballroom at Parkside. The event, which includes live and silent auctions and raffles, raises funds to help children in need. One of the events for which Goodfellows provides major funding is the Holiday House Christmas Toy and Food Basket distribution, which will be Dec. 16-18. For more information on that event, turn to page A3.

Penny Schaubel, of new Leaf Designs, left, helps Carol Hailey with a hat during the Working Artists Sale at the Union Club on Sunday.

A NEW BEGINNING

Katie Erickson, right, receives flowers from fellow drug court graduate Jamie Rightmire on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. Erickson graduated from the program Dec. 4, and Rightmire graduated this past February. Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to newsroom@kenoshanews.com.

Chef Danielle Weybright instructs kitchen staff at Sazzy B. She appeared on Guys Grocery Games, a Food Network production, earlier this month.

Chris Allen, executive director of the Kenosha History Center, shows a new exhibit featuring designs of concept cars.

Jacob Czaplicki, right, and James Shehada, owner of the restaurant, second from left, take orders from Tiffany Adams, left and Krsytal Smith at Trolley Dogs on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.

From left, Rickhi Edwards, 5, Success Johnson, 10, Samieon Edwards, 7, and Rhanaija Adams, 14, enjoy hot dogs and fries at Trolley Dogs on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.

Allie Preston, 6, studies a table display with her dad, Russell, at the Durkee Mansion on the opening day of the annual Christmas at Kemper. Tours are available Saturday and Sunday at the Kemper Center.

Patrons check out the display Tom Preston made at the Gallery of Trees event at the Kemper Center on Sunday.

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Yoga and meditation enhance recovery processes - Kenosha News

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Muse headbands allow you to track data and set goals in your meditation practice.

Image: muse

TL;DR: The mindful Muse and Muse 2 brain-sensing headbands are on sale, saving you $30.

Tons of people make New Year's resolutions centered around physical health, but as we all know, mental health is just as important. Might we suggest adding "taking time for mindfulness" to your resolution list if it's not already there?

Actually tracking your mindfulness and mental health can be tough, but there are tools to help. For example, the Muse brain-sensing headband provides real-time neuro feedback that takes the guesswork out of meditation. So, what exactly does that mean?

First of all, to use Muse, place it on your head and around your ears, making sure the sensors are touching your forehead. Put in earbuds, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in the sounds provided by the Muse mobile app. As you meditate, Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active. It then translates that into weather sounds so that you're able to recognize what state your mind is in.

After each meditation session you're able to review data and set goals to continuously improve your practice. The Muse headband regularly costs $149.99, but right now it's on sale for $120, saving you $29.99.

If you want to step it up a notch, there is the Muse 2. It does everything the original does, but with some bonus features. This model has heartbeat feedback that gives you awareness to regulate how quickly your heart beats. The Muse 2 also teaches you how to control your breath to find calmness and reduce stress and there are motion sensors that help you discover full-body meditation.

The Muse 2 is a bit pricier with an MSRP of $249.99, but it's also $30 off, dropping the price down to $219.99.

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Muse meditation headbands are on sale for $30 off - Mashable

With anxiety and stress affecting more and more of us, it's no wonder the practice of meditation has also become more common. The idea is to calm your mind, and in doing so, your body. Which sounds pretty simple when you put it like that, but how do you actually know if you're doing meditation right?

"Its a good question," says the founder of meditation app Headspace, Andy Puddicombe, when I put it to him. And then he clears it up for me.

According to Andy, "theres no such thing as good meditation or bad meditation", which is a relief. Because it means, really, there's no such thing as doing it right or wrong.

Instead, the meditation expert explains, "there is only awareness and unawareness, distraction and non-distraction." And like every practice, the more you do it, the more skilled you become.

"To begin with theres a lot of distraction and not a lot of awareness. Over time theres more awareness and less distraction. That is just the process of it." Andy compares it to riding a bike. "At the beginning theres lots of falling over; youre not riding the bike, youre falling off the bike. But you practice and practice, and you start to ride the bike and become more confident at it.

"I think its really important that, as much as possible, we dont judge our meditation because then were doing the opposite of non-judgemental awareness, which is judging ourselves. Also, were just creating more thinking," Andy says, making a very valid point.

"Often people sit there during their meditation, thinking, 'Am I doing this right? Is this going well? Is this going to make any difference?' But thinking that somehow that thinking is bad, and all the other thinking isnt, isn't the case."

You know the score; your mind wanders, wondering what you're going to have for tea tonight, or which Netflix series you should binge next. And then you think, 'Oh, I shouldnt be thinking that. I need to be thinking about meditation'. But, says Andy, "Its all just thinking.

"Any kind of thinking needs to be treated in the same way: you see it, you let it go, and you come back to it again, even if its about the meditation itself. If you can do that then youre meditating right."

So it seems what Andy is really trying to say is that attempting to banish thoughts isn't what meditating is about. It's about allowing the thoughts to come and go - as they will - and being accepting of that.

Referencing an analogy he uses in the Headspace app, which compares thoughts to cars speeding past you on the side of the road, Andy says: "If you are sitting on the side of the road, the cars kind of have nothing to do with you. If you can get that level of distance, theyre just cars passing by."

Just like cars passing by, thoughts are just thoughts passing by. Once you've got the hang of that, you've nailed meditation. Now just wait and see the calmness of mind that it can bring.

You can find out more about the Headspace app for iOS or Android here.

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How to meditate and make sure you're doing it right - cosmopolitan.com

CONWAY Chris Nourse will join Ellen Schwindt to play Beethovens sonata for Violin and Piano Opus 30 No. 1 on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway as part of the Music as Meditation series.

Schwindt says that the interplay between instruments in this piece, mirrors the balance needed in life.

Practicing Beethovens music requires a receptivity to patterns large and small and to their variations, Schwindt said. An understanding of this masters patterns makes his notes easier to learn; all the same, it isnt until Ive learned many, many notes that larger patterns in the music emerge.

Music as Meditation is a monthly gathering of listeners and artists interested in the spiritualthough not necessarily religioussource of art and music.

Music as Meditation in February takes the form of an organ recital by Christ Churchs own Nancy Farris. Upcoming events include visual art combined with classical and folk music offerings.

The gatherings take place on the first Sunday of each month at 5 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway. Admission is free.

Donations toward the upkeep of the Steinway piano are gratefully accepted.

For more information, email Schwindt at ellen.m.schwindt@gmail.com or call (603) 447-2898.

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Beethoven-themed Music as Meditation on Jan. 5 | Outdoor Concerts - Conway Daily Sun

What do you usually do when waiting for a film to start in the cinema?

At one screening of Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (One Day We'll Talk About Today), moviegoers were encouraged to meditate while waiting.

Held on Jan. 2 at CGV Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta, the event titled "Mindful Screening Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (NKCTHI) X Riliv" was said to be the first in Indonesia to combine meditation and film watching. It was the result of collaboration between online meditation and counseling app Rilivand the film.

Prior to the screening, an audio cue signaled the start of the meditation session with information explaining the process. The lightsinside the movie theater were slowly dimmed until the room was completely dark.

Sitting on their seats, the audience was asked to relax, close their eyes and focus on their breathing rhythm.

If its still hard for your mind to focus [on the breathing rhythm], dont worry. Its normal, said the voice on the audio playback. Slowly get your focus back to the rhythm.

A few seconds later, the audience was asked to count their breathing and enjoy each physical movement upon inhaling and exhaling. They werealso encouraged to imagine themselves standing on a green hill with a fresh breeze, which was expected to bring a sense of tranquility, while still focusing on the tempo of their breathing.

The theaters quiet ambience helped immensely for the audience to concentrate on their meditation, which took around 8 minutes.

Additionally, the meditation session invited the audience to acknowledge their problems and slowly brought them back into their breathing rhythm.

Daffa Widaad Effendi from Jakarta said she felt calm after the session. I was encouraged to focus and to loosen up, Daffa said.

Read also: 5 apps for better mental health

[Riliv X NKCTHI] Feel The New Experience! Film NKCTHI akan rilis sebentar lagi nih! Eits, selain bisa mengambil banyak pelajaran dari filmnya, Riliv mau mengajak kalian semua untuk merasakan pengalaman baru nonton film dengan melakukan Mindful Movie Screening bareng @auroramanda95 & @ardhitopramono , nih - Apa sih Mindful Movie Screening? Jadi, Riliv mengajak kalian semua nonton bareng film NKCTHI dan bermeditasi bersama-sama pada : : 2 Januari 2020 : 19.00 WIB : CGV Grand Indonesia Jakarta HTM : Rp. 50,000 Untuk pemesanan dapat menghubungi, Aima (088235832600) - Nah, dengan Mindful Movie Screening kalian nggak hanya akan menikmati filmnya tapi juga bisa lebih mendalami makna dari pesan-pesan yang disampaikan dalam film NKCTHI. Menarik, kan? - Jangan sampai kehabisan ya, karena kuotanya terbatas first pay first get ya, Dear!

A post shared by Riliv-Meditasi & Curhat Online (@riliv) on Dec 30, 2019 at 5:35am PST

The meditation practiced at the event was the first session of Rilivs Meditasi Dasar 1 (Basic Meditation 1) series for beginners. Available on the app, the session can also be done at home.

Fandi Andrian of Riliv, told The Jakarta Post that people often forget that one of the most important things in meditation is being conscious of their breathing.

He added that meditating before watching a movie helps the mind to stay focused. People [usually] watch movies after work and they may still be thinking about various problems on their mind either about work, relationships or family. We wouldlike to calm them down by preparing their mind before watching a movie, so they can be more focused to receive the movies message," Fandi said, adding that similar events may be held in the future.

For those who are interested, Fandi suggested practicingmeditation at least once a day in their spare time, such as before watching a film or before going to sleep.

Launched in 2015, Riliv aims to spread the benefits of meditation in maintaining mental health and to tackle the stigma that meditation can only be done in certain religions.

The app, which has around 150,000 active users, offers two services named Hening (tranquil) for meditation and Lelap (sound asleep) to help its users sleep using soundscapes and story-telling the latter is dubbed Cerita Lelap (bedtime stories).

Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini is based on a book by Marchella FP.

Directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko, the film narrates the story of relationships between siblings Angkasa (Rio Dewanto), Aurora (Sheila Dara) and Awan (Rachel Amanda) with their parents. Premiered on Jan. 2, the film also features Oka Antara, Donny Damara, Susan Bachtiar, Niken Anjani and Ardhito Pramono.

Riliv has also launched a special edition ofCerita Lelap narrated by actors from the film, namely Sheila Dara, Ardhito Pramono and Rachel Amanda. (wng)

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'Mindful Screening': When meditation meets the movies - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

STARTING AGAIN A Meditation on Calendars, New Years Resolutions, and Possibility

Delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim

5 January 2020

James Ishmael Ford

The year turns. 2019, of lamentable memory, is gone. And, now, 2020 has its turn around the fiery globe. You may have noticed things are not beginning all that well. Who knows whats going on with Iran? Or, for that matter throughout the Middle East. Or in North Korea. Well, with much of the world.

Disasters associated with climate change are popping up here and there across the planet. And of course. Of course. The rich continue getting richer. And the poor, well, to hell with them appears to be the order of the day.

It sure feels like lots of chickens will be coming home to roost. In the givens of that proverbial curse, we certainly live in interesting times.

And. But. Also. That great fact that we need not continue on the way things have been going. That amazing truth: we can change.

With that I find two things rising in my mind. And, I believe theyre connected. One is just the fact we have calendars. And, that they all have beginnings. If you think about it, what a strange and interesting thing that is.

A bit of digging around the web reveals the earliest recorded celebration of a new year took place in Mesopotamia somewhere in the neighborhood of two millennia before our common era. So, about four thousand years ago. They picked the vernal equinox, or, at least close to it. And, of course thats the earliest evidence, not at all likely the earliest time. I understand most inhabitants of the ancient Near East, foremost among them the Egyptians, started their new years on the autumnal equinox. While the Greeks preferred the winter solstice.

Chinese culture and much of the far East observe lunar calendars, and so, the New Year floats. India never seems to have established a common counter for the sub-continent. Although dates associated with the spring seem most popular. Africa has a similar lack of a continent-wide date, although in North America and elsewhere within the African diaspora the Yorba Odunde festival, which takes on the 2nd of June is increasingly popular. Similarly, the indigenous peoples of the Americas have no commonly accepted date, although spring is perhaps the most popular option. One exception to that general rule is the Pueblo peoples, who mark the 22nd of December, which is close to the winter solstice.

As to January 1st, there is some speculation that this follows a tradition that goes to 153 before the common era when the Romans started dating years from the inauguration of the term of the two consuls who ruled for a year beginning on that date. It was also the festival of Janus, the two-faced god of doors and beginnings. Whatever, the 1st of January was then enshrined in Julius Caesars reformed calendar, which would eventually become normative throughout the empire, and therefore much of Europe and the Near East.

Although as a bit of an aside March happening somewhere in the neighborhood of the equinox gave January 1st a bit of a run for its money for quite a while. That said, January 1st was finally established for Europe and anywhere Europe exercised its muscle in 1582 with the Gregorian reform of the Julian calendar. And from then it has never lost its place as the great marker of the new year for Western civilizations.

It appears for a number of reasons, not least the near world dominance of European colonialism up until relatively recently has made the Gregorian calendar the calendar and January 1st the beginning for the world, writ large.

With the notable tweak internationally of dropping the term AD, Anon Domino, in the Year of our Lord, and with it, BC meaning Before Christ in favor of the more neutral Before the Common Era, and After the Common Era. This has been helped along by the fact the dating going back to Jesus birth is generally considered to be off by somewhere between four and six years and never had anything to do with the first of January.

Still, for some this common dating is a bitter pill. It is hard to miss the colonialist implications of continuing the Gregorian calendar. The always practical Chinese probably show how it is going to play out. Theyve incorporated the Gregorian calendar into their governmental and business usage, while reserving their traditional calendar for calculating most holidays. And that might in fact be a pointer to our future as a global people, some overarching lingua franca in various areas, for example here with the continuing of a slightly tweaked Gregorian calendar, but with lots and lots of local enrichment

Could work. And, me, I like cultural mashups.

So, with all that, history and flexibility. For me, this little meditation becomes a looking two ways, like for Janus. That look back at calendars shows a couple of things. One, even the past isnt exactly fixed. But, more so, within the spiral of existence, we also have the possibility of change in our hands.

Not claiming adjusting our lives is ever easy. The tides around us ae always strong. Look at how hard it is to keep New Years resolutions. But, we can change.

Martin Luther King Jr, one of my deepest heroes, had a couple of tropes he revisited constantly in his sermons and speeches. One was that compelling line We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Here is the primary intuition, I believe, of our deepest interconnectedness, of the secret heart of what is. And he constantly returned to the ills of our lives and invited a need to feel maladjusted to those ills. This is critical.

There is a unity of experience; each moment is the way things are. And, within it, there is some dynamic, some possibility. We are not condemned to endlessly be who we are. Change is also part of the deal. Another of my heroes, Shunryu Suzuki phrased the situation a bit differently, but to the same point. Each of you is perfect just as you are, he taught. And you can use a little improvement. Here, with the way both the minister and the Zen master joined mutuality and a sense we do need some changes, and, a belief we can change.

Part of the difficulty is who we are is never a completely private thing. We are, as Dr King reminded us, wrapped up together in that garment of destiny. We are bound together, we are all in this mess together. And while perfect in some ways, it is also a perfection that includes hurt, for many considerable hurt. And looking at the world in this dawning decade, I personally feel some urgency.

John Tarrant, a very important spiritual director for me, had something to say about all this I think relevant to this point, of our deeper interconnectedness. It includes the fact that brokenness comes with the wholeness. And that we, each of us have a place within that fractured whole.

This is what I want to draw your attention to as we begin this new year. I want to draw your attention to the moment. Right here. Right now. And how we can become agents of transformation. And here we come to New Years resolutions.

It appears in Mesopotamia, that some four thousand years ago, when they thought up the idea of a New Year, at the very same time they cooked up New Years resolutions.

And, I suspect theyve always been as hard to keep as they are today. So, becoming the Buddha of this moment that is waking up to our connections, the perfections, and the hurt as a New Years resolution is not likely to be easy.

If youve ever tried a practice of presence, you know, perhaps painfully so, we are actually rarely consciously here in this moment. We tend to live in the future, planning and scheming. Or, we live in the past, regretting or wishing. And when we do consider the moment, it is usually more like the scholar Mark Unno, another wise teacher, observed. Where we live for the moment rather than in the moment. For, as in its time to scrub out the grime behind the refrigerator. But today may be the last warm day of the year and Im going to the beach. As opposed to in moment, which is rolling up our sleeves and pulling the fridge out, and scrubbing.

Mark Unno once described the moment I mean, the one that opens us to the possibility of change. He told about taking a walk with his elderly father. It was a lovely walk in the Pacific Northwest woods, misty and beautiful, filled with smells and birds and small animals.

In that moment being with his Dad, he also recalled somewhere in his body how much this man had given him, and how much he meant to Mark being the man he had become. And also, somewhere in Marks body knowing just as deeply, how frail his father had become and how soon, so very soon he would die.

This is the moment full. In this moment everything is there, including the fact that as soon as it births into the world, whatever it is, you, me, everyone one, everything, it is dying. Everything births and lives and is dust and memory and even completely forgotten, right here, right now. All here: beautiful, tragic. And, this is critical, full of potentiality.

Each moment births a new situation. So, theres also hope. We are the stuff the cosmos and what we do determines not only you and me; but the fate of nations, and beyond that, the fate of the world itself. So, heres my thought. How should this realization we are what we do manifest in our interactions with each other? How could this inform how you and I meet in our next encounter? In this next year? What would be our new rules of engagement if we thought this all might really be true?

Perhaps a New Years resolution?

How about if we try hard to meet each other as relatives, as stuff of the same stuff? How about we see each other as family? It has the advantage of being true, so why not? How hard would that be? And what would it look like? Would we cut each other a little more slack? Would we care a little more deeply? Would we take a little more time for each person if we thought that person really was a relative?

This is my practice.

I fail at it, at least as much as I succeed with it. But its continuing, its trying over and over. For me the commitment is to hold on just a breath or two longer than is necessary. To listen just a tiny bit more closely than I have to. To be just a hairs breadth kinder than the situation calls for. And to hold in the back of my head, in the back of my heart with whomever Im meeting, the belief this person is some kind of relative. Some, maybe closer, another perhaps a bit more distant: but all relatives.

This knowing opens us to the world. In the ancient scriptures of the West blood dripping from his hands, Cain asks, Am I my brothers keeper? Well, you know the answer. I know the answer. The answer is yes. We are our brothers keeper. We are our sisters keeper. Thats the deal. Do we live up to it or not? Here is the whisper of maladjustment; here is the possibility of change.

And, a New Years resolution?

So, what specifically is the project? To what do we give our attention? Another of my heroes is the late Ken Jones. He outlines the project perfectly, I feel, when he tells us there are three great moral imperatives of our time to heal the violated planet, and to enable both the underclass at home and the wretched of the earth to win dignity and freedom. Thats all. Nothing more. And, of course, nothing less. Help the homeless and outcast, the immigrant and prisoner here at home. Help to make our country a little better place, particularly for those dealt a bad hand. And, not to stop there. But to help those of other countries across the globe. And, not to stop there. But to help tend to this planet, our sacred mother.

A New Years resolution.

We remember we are all related, and we find ourselves creating a new world. Well, except when we forget. But, thats why its called spiritual practice. Emphasis on practice. Trying. And trying again. And what might happen out of such a perspective? Well, perhaps hell becomes heaven. And the many beings are saved. And the garden and the wild become one, and the earth is healed. This I believe, from the bottom of my heart, is the life and work to which we were all called from before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Nothing less.

And with that. Welcome to another chance. Welcome to a New Year.

Welcome.

The rest is here:

STARTING AGAIN A Meditation on Calendars, New Year's Resolutions, and Possibility - Patheos

HomeOpinionOp-EdTaking care of our mental health

There appears to be a fact which applies equally to everyone on the globe, near and far: the success and happiness we find in our lives is tied closely to the state of our minds. This would seem to be such an obvious truth that it is one of the most easily missed, like water to a fish.

But it does seem to be a truth with significant ramifications on all our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Evidence and testimonials appear in texts both ancient and modern, sacred and secular, from mental health professionals to congresspeople to Jesus Christ.

In his unique 2012 book A Mindful Nation, Ohio congressman Tim Ryan explores the links between the mind and personal well-being, and shares his experiences in the growing field of mindfulness meditation. The themes in his book are relevant to us all, whether we identify as liberal or conservative. And to add an ancient perspective to the conversation, let us not forget the words of a certain Nazarene prophet who is recorded as having said who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

Long-term research at major institutions, such as Duke, suggest more and more that meditative and contemplative practices can serve as a key to open greater pockets of happiness and peace in our lives. It is common to hear objections to meditative practices based on their perceived association with the New Age, and with Eastern religious traditions.

I assure you based on my own experiences, however, that work on the mind is distinct from religion, and need not interfere with religious life; as a matter of fact, meditation can serve to unlock a spiritual and religious life of greater personal depth, peace and love. At its most fundamental, meditation is simply the art of quieting the mind.

As an individual with past experience of depression and anxiety, and one whom has found a light at the end of the tunnel, I heartily recommend for us all to take the simple action of becoming more aware of our mental lives, for personal awareness is the most fundamental step toward dealing with whatever unconscious issues we may be living with.

The stigma around mental health is obsolete and should be treated as such. To be human is by necessity to deal with mental and spiritual challenges. Our greatest freedom is in realizing that we are not bound to our hardships, nor defined by them.

Although it is not always easy to afford in this age of outlandish healthcare costs, I take it upon myself to make visits to a mental health professional just the same as I take my car for oil changes and go to the dentist for cavities. It adds a depth to my mental life that is worth noting; it helps me to be more productive, energetic, and able to accomplish my goals. In a word, it makes me more able to appreciate life without as much interference from negative thinking.

Taking it upon ourselves to seek professional help, therefore, is not an admission of weakness, but an act of love and faith in the goodness of life.

Happy 2020!

Garrett Whipkey is a Sampson County native with a BA in music from Western Carolina University. He can be reached at [emailprotected]

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Taking care of our mental health - Sampson Independent