This meditation encourages a calm awareness of the breath, and also a gentle detachment from the habits of rumination (ie. over-thinking). This session is useful for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, OCD, and depression.

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Welcome to this guided meditation which is designed to train your mind for calm detachment from any unwanted patterns of over-thinking.

By practicing these mindful techniques of conscious observation and self acceptance, you will find you are more able to quieten and relax an overly active mind -- and also naturally increase your body's healthy energy, to become a more self assured person in the present moment.

This meditation experience may be repeated as often as you choose to reinforce your positive intentions.

By your own inner direction may you continue to find your greatest waking potential.

This session is suitable and recommended for repeated listening, and regular listening will help compound positive suggestions and / or your own positive results.

The end of this session will provide options for either drifting into a sound night's sleep, or for returning to your fully conscious, awake and alert, positive mind state.

Do not listen to this recording whilst driving or operating machinery.

This recording is in no way a replacement for any prescribed medication; nor is it intended to contraindicate or supersede any medically diagnosed conditions. Please always consult your health care professional for your best advice in all medical issues.

All hypnosis is self hypnosis. The power for positive change resides within your own mind. If you choose to accept the suggestions presented in this session, you can rest comfortably knowing that you are the one safely in control of your own positive experience.

This channel uses positive voice suggestions, often accompanied with calm images, background sounds and meditation music, to allow you your very best state of relaxation, inner change, to remove negative blocks, and to create self guided healing therapy; with techniques from the fields of hypnotherapy, modern psychotherapy, trance work, guided relaxation, NLP, cognitive behavioural psychology, mindfulness meditation, and ASMR.

Peace & Enjoy

P.S. Please LINK & SHARE this video with those who you think might benefit from positive hypnosis and guided meditation. Thank you.

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Guided Meditation for Detachment From Over-Thinking (Anxiety / OCD / Depression)

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. Alan Lakein

Standing at the top of Mariners Ridge, I looked out at the sun setting across the ocean with a feeling of complete success and satisfaction.

Why you may ask? Because after spinning my wheels and wasting my time for years, I had finally cracked how to get my life together once and for alland success in my career, building my health and body, and even deepening relationships with friends and family finally was no longer just something I desiredbut were goals I had accomplished step-by-step.

It was there, feeling like I was standing on top of the world that I realized a few of the great lessons in my life.

First, that my life and time was precious, and I had to make the most out of every moment.

Second, that the solution to making the most of my life was having a clear plan and direction, so you make the most of every moment.

My heart filled with gratitude, as I realized how fortunate I was that a mentor had shared the secret of creating a personal development plan with me, and that I had been able to use this powerful tool and template to completely shape every aspect of my life.

If you want to follow along, download this (PDF)

If you dont know where you want to get to, it doesnt matter which way you go.

When you learn how to write your personal development plan, youll learn how to structure your thoughts as well.

When that happens, you will be amazed at the way your brain will subconsciously focus on what you want.

Because, frankly, it works. When you write down your plan youll get:

Lets break it down into exactly what goes into it

The personal development plan answers 3 questionsand has the exact structure that I learned from mentors and tweaked

Thats it.

Ok, we discussed the sections that go into a planwouldnt it be nice to see what it actually looks like?

Your Life Purpose, Your Dreams and Your Beliefs and Values those all go on blank pages, one page at a time. I like to write them our bullet style

For the goal sheet though, I like to have a matrix to help me see exactly where Im headed.

I like to go ten years out, but three or gives years is great too.

A typicaldownload this (PDF)for goals lookslike this:

For each box, answer these questions:

Grab your copy of this printable (PDF)for goalsand get started

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Indigo represents intuition, perception, integrity, vision and service to humanity. It is the colour of wisdom, inner awareness, symbolic of the higher mind.It is representative of all that happens within and around us.

Indigo Views core focus centres on the development, education and enlightenment of people, without whom no change is possible. Human beings, their complexity and their development are at the core of everything that we do. Where there are people, there are skills to be taught, personal transformation to be experienced and an audience to be captivated!

The world and its people are evolving, changing and growing into new directions previously unimagined. How we live, do business, engage with others (personally and professionally) as well as the relationship we have with ourselves has taken centre stage.The world is changing faster than we realise!

Whatever our clients require, they are sure to get itand then some!Have a look at our website.Youre bound to find something that speaks to you and we will be very happy to address whatever needs you might have.

Steven has directed, coached, mentored and guided literally hundreds of students and professionals in the Performing Arts over the last fifteen years. He has also worked with corporate clients looking to develop in areas of self-improvement, awareness and personal growth. Wanting to expand these skills, he became a qualified Evolved NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Life Coach, Time Paradigm Techniques Practitioner, Evolved Coach, Stress Biofeedback Practitioner, Evolved NLP Practitioner and Evolved NLP Coach and Evolved Hypnotherapist.

Indigo View is the bringing together of two worlds, both of which are key forces in Stevens passion: the creative world of performance as well as the developmental and philanthropic effects of business and personal coaching. No two people are the same and we all need to be with, work with, and have our paths understood by someone who understands that, says Feinstein. I feel that there is no separation between the creative or artistic benefits of the world of acting and the skills development or communications training of individuals and groups within the business sectors. Both worlds involve people and both worlds are, if aimed in the right direction, interested in bringing about change.

Acting and Vocal CoachCorporate Communications Facilitator and TrainerProducer, Theatre Director and Events ManagerNLP Life Coach

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What Is Personal Development?

Personal development is the process of assessing your skills and qualities, considering personal aims, and setting goals to lead a fulfilling life. This is a lifelong process, and there are many books, programs, and plans to guide someone who wants to improve the quality of his or her life through positive action.

What Are Some Practical Steps for Personal Development?

Personal development is about self-actualization, identifying life goals, and then becoming everything you are capable of becoming. Something as simple as organizing time more effectively is a big help, as it makes it possible to pursue other activities that are enjoyable and fulfilling, such as spending time with family or devoting more time to education. Managing time involves delegating workloads and making lists of things to do. Learning new skills also aids in development as a person.

How Does Learning a Skill Aid Personal Development?

Learning a new skill opens up new opportunities, such as the chance to apply for a better or more fulfilling job. Additionally, a wider knowledge base improves self-confidence, keeps the mind agile and alert, and stifles boredom. There are many reasons why someone may choose not to learn new skills, so part of the self-development process is seeking ways to overcome such obstacles. For example, many people may feel they do not have the economic freedom to pursue a new skill, but there are many ways to learn inexpensively, including purchasing used books and DVD learning aids from online sellers at low prices, and offering to do voluntary work in exchange for the chance to learn and develop required skills. One of the biggest barriers, particularly for adults with children, is finding time to learn something new. This is why time management is an essential part of any personal development strategy.

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A prolific orator, writer and philosopher, Alan Watts was one of the first contemporary figures in the early 20th century to bring Eastern Zen philosophy and thought to a large Western audience. He was an instrumental figure in the 1960s counterculture revolution and continued to write and philosophize until his passing in 1973. His lectures and writings today seem to be seeing a resurgence in popularity.

With countless hours of his lectures sprawled online, sampled into dreamy chillwave music and the likeness of his voice even featured as an advanced A.I. in the movie Her, it seems Alan Watts still has a whole lot to tell us.

In our current age of industrialized mass anxiety, students and educators alike are working more grueling and unproductive hours, while at the same time they're still underperforming when compared to more relaxed and productive educational systems, like those in Scandinavia.

Here is an Alan Watts pronouncement that sums up a large part of his philosophical outlook.

"If happiness always depends on something expected in the future, we are chasing a will-o'-the-wisp that ever eludes our grasp, until the future, and ourselves vanish into the abyss of death."

Taking into account some of Watts' philosophy, we can shift our views on the subject of life, learning and education through a more inspired and whimsical viewpoint.

Photo: Frederick Florin/Getty

For the great majority of us, our early lives were defined by the ever-increasing grade scales we progressed through, from elementary school into middle school and so on. These were our internal ranking and status symbols as we barreled through our early life's big biological and mental changes, shifting from one well-placed rung to the next and following our teacher's orders if we wanted to keep up with the already-laid path for becoming a successful member of society.

Alan Watts found this idea a strange and unnatural progression of our early lives, and something that was indicative of a much deeper-seated issue in how we view the nature of change and reality. Watts says:

"Let's take education. What a hoax. You get a little child, you see, and you suck it into a trap and you send it to nursery school. And in nursery school you tell the child 'You are getting ready to go on to kindergarten. And then wow-wee, first grade is coming up, and second grade, and third grade.' You are gradually climbing the ladder towards, towards, going on towards progress. And then when it gets to end of grade school, you say 'high school, now you're really getting going.' Wrong."

Whether we consciously recognize it or not, this expectant progressive nature of reality we foster during our school years is something that becomes an undeniable fabric of the way we live and think. It sticks with us our whole lives.

We're constantly moving forward to some goal that's just out of reachnever within the now, always later or after this or that accomplishment has been reached.

Watts believed that this same logic applies to us once we leave the tiered school system. He goes on to say:

"But on towards business, you are going out into the world and you got your briefcase and your diploma. And then you go to your first sales meeting, and they say 'Now get out there and sell this stuff,' because then you are going on up the ladder in business, and maybe you will get to a good position. And you sell it and then they up your quota.

"And then finally about the year 45 you wake up one morning as vice president of the firm, and you say to yourself looking in the mirror: 'I've arrived. But I feel slightly cheated because I feel just the same as I always felt'"

Jacques Hoist via Flickr

Here Alan Watts touches on a classical bit of Buddhist philosophythe idea that there really isn't in fact anything to strive forward to and desire. Watts ties this aspect into the desire of one-upmanship in the educational system bleeding into our professional lives. This is an example of the unending ennui of materialistic pursuit in some form or the other.

Alan Watts goes on to say:

"Something is missing. I have no longer a future.' 'Uh uh' says the insurance salesman, 'I have a future for you. This policy will enable you to retire in comfort at 65, and you will be able to look forward to that.' And you are delighted. And you buy the policy and at 65 you retire thinking that this is the attainment of the goal of life, except that you have prostate trouble, false teeth and wrinkled skin.

"And you are a materialist. You are a phantom, you are an abstractionist, you are just nowhere, because you never were told, and never realized that eternity is now."

Now rather than falling into a passive nihilism (which is where Buddhist thought can lead) Alan Watts instead argues for being within the here and now. Learn for learning's sake! Eternity is now that is to become fully part of the processwhatever it may beand do not focus on an ever elusive end goal.

Not tying ourselves to the end result is something most people will never understand because it's counter intuitive. This ideal was a central focus of Alan Watts' philosophy.

In the opening chapter of his book The Wisdom of Insecurity, he coined the term "backwards law," of which he says:

"When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink; but when you try to sink you float."

This koan of his illustrates that when we put too much pressure on ourselves to meet some ideal or goal in the spectral future, we detract from the working process at hand. It will never be reached because what needs to be done isn't our central focus.

Conversely, by being completely involved in the present, those elusive goals in the future could one day come to fruition. This is where the concept gets muddled for some.

But it can be simply summed up as follows: not looking towards the future will prepare you for it.

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Alan Watts likened compulsory education to the penal system.

Alan Watts felt the educational system failed us by the very way it prepared us to look forward to the rest of our lives. An idealized version he cooked up in his head of what a great educational upbringing would look like can be gleaned from this passage:

"When we bring children into the world, we play awful games with them. Instead of saying, 'How do you do? Welcome to the human race. Now my dear, we are playing some very complicated games, and these are the rules of the game we are playing. I want you to understand them, and when you learn them when you get a little bit older you might be able to think up some better rules, but for now I want you to play by our rules.'

"Instead of being quite direct with our children, we say, 'You are here on probation, and you must understand that. Maybe when you grow up a bit you will be acceptable, but until then you should be seen and not heard. You are a mess, and you have to be educated and schooled until you are human.'"

He even likened the compulsory educational system as having heavy religious undertones.

"'Look you are here on sufferance. You are on probation. You are not a human being yet.' So people feel this right on into old age and figure that the universe is presided by this kind of awful God-the-Father parent."

Much of this still resonates with us today. Alan Watts' sage advice on education just might be the thing we need to revisit if we're to escape the monotonous reality of modern education.

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Alan Watts: Why education (as we know it) is a hoax

How to Use These Meditation for Anxiety Tips

There is no right or wrong way to practice anxiety meditation. To get the most from these meditation-for-anxiety tips, first select one of your favorite meditation techniques. Then, read through the list of tips. Note which tips speak to you-the ones that seem to connect with the anxiety and stress you are feeling.

Next, choose one tip to focus on. Read the quote, summary and meditation advice. Take a few moments to internalize the information, then follow the advice as you begin your session. You will feel immediate relief from anxiety, even if you simply feel better because you are taking action.

Finally, follow the same process for each tip that connects with your anxiety and stress. If you like, research online to find a specific guided meditation for anxiety relief, and focus on the same topics.

You will no doubt have further work to do to achieve full anxiety relief, but meditation for anxiety can provide a great beginning!

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Sri Aurobindo has been variously described as the greatest philosopher of modern times, a towering spiritual personality, an outstanding leader of Indias freedom movement, an inspired poet, an astute political thinker and strategist, and a selfless humanist. For the purposes of this site, he can most appropriately be thought of as an Integral Scientist. His entire thought, work and life were an endeavour to integrate all aspects of human existence based on integral truths of existence. The idea of establishing the Human Science wiki is inspired by Sri Aurobindos integral conception of individuality, society, life and spiritual reality.

Born in Bengal in 1872, raised and educated in the perspectives of European civilization, rather than traditional Indian wisdom, Sri Aurobindo was sent to England at the age of seven to live and study with a clergyman. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he excelled academically, but acquired a deep aspiration for Indias independence from colonial rule. Returning to India in 1893, he became a college lecturer, then secretary to the Maharaja of Baroda, before assuming a leading role in Indias nascent freedom movement. As editor of several journals calling for the end of colonial rule and a renaissance of Indian culture, he was the first Indian leader to call for complete and total independence from British rule. He argued so persuasively about the injustice and unacceptability of the British Raj that he came to be regarded by the British government as the most dangerous revolutionary in India.

Having been denied exposure to his own cultural heritage during childhood, Sri Aurobindo plunged into a deep investigation of ancient and modern Indian spiritual knowledge and experience. From 1905 he experimented with a variety of yogic methods and began to have profound spiritual experiences. In 1908, he was falsely accused of master-minding a bomb blast, placed in solitary confinement for one year, and then acquitted by an English judge and released after a long and widely publicized trial. When he received word the British again planned to arrest him, he traveled to Pondicherry, a small the French enclave on the Bay of Bengal in South India, and remained there from 1910 until his passing in 1950.

During this later period Sri Aurobindo dedicated his entire life and energy to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and spiritual power to transform life on earth. In 1914, Mira Alfassa, who subsequently became known as The Mother, and her husband, a French diplomat, visited him in Pondicherry and at their urging helped found a monthly journal, Arya. From 1914 to 1920, Sri Aurobindo simultaneously authored all but one of his most important works and published them chapter-wise as monthly installments in Arya. The Mother left Pondicherry at the outbreak of World War I and then returned in 1920 and remained there to work with Sri Aurobindo and head the spiritual community which she founded in his name.

Sri Aurobindos collected written works consist of 30 full volumes on philosophy, yoga, politics, international affairs, social evolution, Indian culture, art, literature and life, including a volume of poems and two volumes of plays, in addition to voluminous records of his spiritual practices and experiences which were published posthumously. His major works include:

Even a minimal summary of his thought is too daunting a task for this brief biographical sketch. That thought is the source of inspiration and insight for all the thus far presented and discussed on this site. A few concepts of most direct relevance to human science are listed below and discussed in detail in other articles.

See also

External Links

You are invited to create new articles, add new sections to this article, raise questions or comments on the discussion page or project/portal Forum page, or send feedback by email to humansciencewiki@gmail.com

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Transhumanity

A transhuman is a life form with an intelligence comparable or superior to that of humans.

It thus has the following characteristics:

A posthuman or post-human is a hypothetical future being whose capabilities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer human by current standards. A posthuman can also be described as the creature that results from radical human enhancement. In these ways, the difference between the posthuman and other hypothetical sophisticated non-humans is that a posthuman was once a human, either in its life time or in the life times of some or all of its direct ancestors. As such, a prerequisite for a posthuman is a transhuman, the point at which the human being begins surpassing his own limitations, but is still recognisable as a human person.

Posthumans could be a symbiosis of human and artificial intelligence, or uploaded consciousnesses, or the result of making many smaller but cumulatively profound technological augmentations to a biological human, i.e. a cyborg. Some examples of the latter are redesigning the human organism using advanced nanotechnology or radical enhancement using some combination of technologies such as genetic engineering, psychopharmacology, life extension therapies, neural interfaces, advanced information management tools, memory enhancing drugs, wearable or implanted computers, and cognitive techniques.

The term can also refer to the possibility of a technological singularity or that humanity or a segment of humanity will create or evolve into a "posthuman God".

Homo excelsior (Latin for "higher man") is an alternate term used in the literature of transhumanism for the posthuman.[citation needed] The use of the Latin binomial implies the transhumanist idea of participant evolution as a hypothetical human progression through an intermediary form of the transhuman to a new species distinct from Homo sapiens.

As used here, "posthuman" does not refer to a conjectured future where humans are extinct or otherwise absent from the Earth. As with other species who diverge from one another, both humans and posthumans could continue to exist.

"Posthuman" should not be confused with "posthumanism," which is a European philosophical extension of humanism.

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December 3, 2015

Here is an overview of the biggest benefits of meditation, based on latest scientific research: From health benefits to improved cognition and intelligence, from success at work to more harmonious relationships.

Increased intelligence Scientific studies shown that meditating improves the practitioners cognitive and intellectual abilities. This effect of becoming smarter has been demonstrated by different types of intelligence tests.

Benefits for students Regular meditation raises school performance (higher academic achievement, less absenteeism, better graduation rates), and that goes for all school levels from kindergarten to college.

Work efficiency Research has shown reduction in the stress levels and better decision making. This, in turn, leads to higher efficiency at work place in both small and big organizations.

Creativity & problem-solving Meditating leads to higher brain integration, which in turn sets the basis for mental alertness, original thought and creative problem-solving skills.

Access to higher levels of consciousness Whereas ordinary human experience is limited to three states of consciousness (wake, asleep, in deep sleep), one of the benefits of regular meditation practice is access to four more refined levels of being.

Transcendental experiences Study on meditative experiences which were characterized by the practitioners partial or complete absence of time, space, and body sense.

Positive emotions and well-being Research shows that meditation practitioners have 5 times greater clarified gamma output (positive feelings like love, happiness; well-being).

Business leadership and management skills Is meditating good for business? Evidence from Ray Dalio to Silicon Valley, from Fortune 100 lists to Harvard Business School.

Personal relationships Three months of Transcendental Meditation practice brings significant improvement in professional and personal relationships, based on increased happiness and reduced stress.

Marital relations Study measuring long-term marital happiness with Lockes Adjustment Inventory. Subjects in the TM group showed significantly greater marital satisfaction.

Life expectancy Mortality rates from various fatal heart conditions were cut by 48% with regular practice of meditation found a key study with patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Pregnancy Interaction of hormones and surrounding physical environment: What are the benefits of meditation practice during pregnancy, both for mothers and newborns?

Brain coherence Meditating leads to increased frontal coherence that is, more harmonious and efficient brain activity as measured during various computer tasks and eyes-closed rest.

Good sleep Lower levels of stress mean better sleep, dont they? Taking up meditation regularly, at least twice a day, is a natural home remedy against chronic insomnia (sleeplessness).

Multiple sclerosis Meditating reduces attacks of multiple sclerosis and relieves related symptoms (weakness, tingling, numbness, and blurred vision) by boosting energy levels.

Distress & coping Lower blood pressure, decreased psychological distress, increased coping in people at risk for hypertension, a study with meditating college students found.

Glowing skin Keeping the hormonal levels well balanced and cutting radically down on daily stress leads, among other good things, to beautiful skin and radiantly beautiful looks!

Stress and anxiety relief Arguably the single biggest benefit of meditation is a more balanced nervous system and hormonal levels which eliminate any excessive flight-or-fight responses by our body. In other words, meditation has been shown to naturally lead to a calmer life.

Heart diseases and ailments Improved functional capacity for patients with various heart conditions / heart failure. Risk of heart disease cut by 30%; mortality from stroke decreases 48%.

Normalized blood pressure Another crucial benefit of meditation is that it reduces blood pressure on average by 7 mm/Hg. It also thus reduces such conditions as heart attack, aneurysm, artery damage, kidney failure etc.

Immune system Regular Transcendental Meditation practice strengthens the bodys ability to resist disease by boosting immune cells fighting against viruses, bacteria and toxins.

Slower ageing Telomeres, the all-important chromosome endings which keep your cells fresh and healthy, have recently been shown to get a boost from regular meditation practice. This results in longer life and lower risk of falling pray to various ailments.

Cancer patients care Transcendnetal Meditation and yoga practice are considered the most helpful of all available non-invasive therapies for supportive care of cancer patients.

Autism spectrum disorders Learning to let the mind calm down in a natural, easy-to-do way helps in growing from frequent temper tantrums into a happy, well-adjusted personality.

Alcohol, nicotine and drug addiction Meditation significantly reduces addiction to and use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. With regular practice, the abstinence strengthens naturally.

Depression & burnout An interesting study with teachers confirmed that meditation significantly decreases work-related stress, burnout states, and various depressive symptoms.

Eating disorders Research shows that benefits of meditation include more effective recovery from food addiction, due to lower stress levels. Binge eating, as any other kind of addiction, is largely triggered by stress.

Smoking Academic studies demonstrate that meditation has 50% of smokers quitting in two years after starting to meditate (i.e., three times more effective quit smoking rate than with therapy).

Alcoholism abuse A comparative study demonstrated that the effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on reducing alcohol consumption was 1,5 to 8 times that of other programs.

Trait anxiety According to the meta-analysis, anxiety disorders (panic attacks, anger, tenseness) are rapidly and substantially reduced in the first few weeks of meditation practice.

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) After just 10-days of TM practice, PTSD symptoms (depression, insomnia, fear etc) dropped almost 30 points compared to the base level.

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) Meditation practice relieves at least five different hyperactivity symptoms (including lack of focus, sleeping problems, depression).

40 latest scientific articles Abstracts, graphs, diagrams and full PDF texts (if not available, then a link to the original academic publication where the texts can be purchased).

10 biggest benefits An easy-to-read compilation of, arguably, the 10 greatest benefits of regular practice of meditation. From health gains to most important psychological benefits.

Different meditations, different effects There are several different kinds of meditation techniques. Are the effects of practice also different? Modern brain research answers in the affirmative.

Quotes on health benefits Compilation of illuminating quotes from people who have first-hand experience of meditation benefits. Wise and inspirational one-liners to take into your day!

Harvard health letter recommends meditation Harvard Medical School Newsletter gives its thumbs-up for meditation practice, and explains why the benefits reaped from meditating could be the best health insurance around.

American Heart Association meta-analysis Report by the national medical organization recommending Transcendental Meditation for prevention and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure).

Infographic on health benefits Easy to grasp overview of the main health benefits of the TM technique as certified by scientific research. A picture is worth more than a thousand words, so take a look!

Transcendental Meditation practice is arguably the most researched meditation technique. Its effects and benefits have been subjected to rigorous study for over 40 years now. This body of scientific research has been conducted by over 200 academic institutions (universities, institutes, academic associations etc) in 35 countries. It has resulted in more than 300 peer-reviewed, independently verified articles published in topmost academic journals like American Journal of Physiology, Scientific American, Lancet, Journal of Counseling Psychology, International Journal of Neuroscience, British Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Conflict Resolution, etc.

Watch a video: World renowned psychiatrist Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal describes the quantity and quality of scientific research done in the area of Transcendental Meditation. Credit: uk.tm.org

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40 benefits of meditation: Some stunning scientific proof

Thousands of people have begun the journey of personal health. To achieve the maximum level of health one must eat well, exercise regularly, and improve their mental well-being.

People struggle most often to improve their mental well-being because it is the most ambiguous and hardest to see tangible results. Meditation is the best way to mentally reduce stress and develop an air of peace and tranquility.

Maharishi, an advocate of Transcendental Meditation defines the purpose, The goal of Transcendental Meditation is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy. In this Hindu tradition you sit in Lotus, internally chant a mantra, and focus on rising above the negativity.

However, to effectively learn how to practice this form of meditation, expert guidance is recommended. There is internet resources, classes, or even meditation retreats to better learn this form of meditation.

Heart rhythm meditation is downward meditation, because it focuses energy on developing the application of consciousness.This form of meditation concentrates primarily on the heart, with an emphasis on breathing, and the purpose is to experience the mystics mantra, I am a part of all things and all things are a part of me.

HRM is a triple threat form of meditation because individuals experience physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. It helps the individual better handle stress and develop an appreciative and joyous spirit.

Unlike HRM, Kundalini is a form of upward mediation, which focuses on the rising stream of energy. This form of meditation has roots in both Buddhist and Hindu teachings, and in Sanskrit translates to coiled. Many believe this to be a metaphoric form of meditation, however those who are able to access the dormant energy can attest to its healing benefits. To access this energy the individual must concentrate on their breathing as it flows through the energy centers in the body. Once that energy is felt, the individual can experience an altered state of consciousness.

Guided visualization is a newer technique that can be used for spiritual healing, stress relief, or personal development. The inspiration comes from Buddha, The mind is everything. What you think you become. Among other factors that set this form of meditation apart, the emphasis on one specific goal is defining.

By imagining relaxing and positive experiences, the body will respond by releasing chemicals that generate feelings of positivity. This method can be done casually by imagining a certain situation in the brain. However, to achieve a more powerful experience, a guided visualization experience is key.

This is a meditation favorite because this method improves posture, respiration, and the ability to relax with greater ease. Qi Gong is one of the oldest forms of meditation and derives from ancient Chinese society. This art form of health and wellness uses breath to circulate energy through the body and energy centers. The focused combination on breathing techniques, movement, and meditation helps the individual to control their reactions to stress.

Zazen is the heart of Zen Buddhist practice and literally translates to seated meditation. This method is initially the easiest to engage in because it relies on self-guidance, however, the lack of guidance can make it difficult to progress in the future. Regardless, the mental benefits of Zazen are vast because you aim to forget all judgmental thoughts, ideas, and images.

After sitting in a comfortable position ensure that the back is completely straight and you are centered. Breathing is an essential element of Zazen and this position will allow the breath to deepen and enhance the experience.

The final favorite method of meditation is mindfulness, which also comes from the Buddhist tradition. The Buddhist term sati translates to mindfulness and breathes life into the practice. Conjuring mindfulness is essential in overcoming suffering and understanding natural wisdom. It is all about acknowledging reality by letting the mind wander, accepting any thoughts that come up, and understanding the present.

The practice is done by sitting with eyes close, crossed legs, the back straight, and attention placed on breathing in and out. For the period of meditation the individual focuses on his or her breathing, and when wandering thoughts emerge, one returns to focusing on the object of meditation, breathing. Research has found that a regimen of mindfulness can reduce anxiety, depression, and perceived distress.

Not every meditation method will be your favorite. Try these seven out and see which one helps you achieve that level of inner peace you are looking for. Once you have found your go to method, incorporate that into your daily schedule to best combat the enormous levels of stress synonymous with life.

This post was originally appeared at lifeadvancer.com and republished here with permission.

About the Author

Meghan Greene is a vital part of the SEO and Content Development team at Samahita Retreat. Meghan attends Elon University, double majoring in Marketing and International Business.

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