Sleep and our sleeping related habits are once again being subjected to great scrutiny in the media, with many statistics being presented highlighting how important quality sleep is, and how few of us seem to be getting it. We've been told that 90% adults say they don't get enough sleep, 25% struggle with Sunday night insomnia and that sleep-related issues cost UK businesses 40 billion pounds each year, the equivalent of 200,000 lost work days, due to absenteeism, accidents and poor performance.

With this in mind we need to focus on ensuring that we support our own great bedtime routine. Here are some tips;

- Consistency is often an important contributor to a good sleep routine, where you have a designated time to switch off from work, eat healthily and aim to go to bed and get up at the same time. Training your mind and body as when to wind down is the key to supporting an effective sleep pattern.

- Be proactive in dealing with each day's stresses. Ask yourself if you've done all you reasonably can to address a particular area of concern, then aim to let it go until further input from you is required. Being disciplined is important in order to calm your 'fight or flight' approach to stress. Commit to good daytime habits and take regular breaks throughout the day, stopping for lunch and aiming to get some fresh air and exercise; all ways to support a positive approach to work/life balance and good sleep.

- Spend quality time with family and friends as well as scheduling some 'me time' for the things that are important to you. This may require you becoming more assertive and saying 'no' to some of the demands made upon you, but taking good care of yourself means being clear about how much of your time you're prepared to compromise.

- Many people need to maximise their use of space, especially when they work from home. If you've set up an office in your bedroom be sure to screen it off at the end of each working day. Ensure that your bedroom is a calm haven, the place where you close the door at bedtime and relax. Try to keep it free from clutter and an excess of technology, as its presence can be a distraction.

- Be firm about technology. Aim to turn off your phone and gadgets two hours before you go to bed, so avoiding the temptation to check in 'just one more time'. Have set times for checking emails and social media so that you become more focused and time efficient. Then allow yourself time before bed to calm and still your mind. Keep your phone away from the bed as its blue light has been found to affect sleep quality.

- Also, if you work from home or spend a lot of your time there have a cut off time when you turn everything off and introduce a routine that signifies the end of the busy part of your day. Turn your phone to answerphone, close your office door, go for a walk and change out of your daytime clothes - all ways to draw a line under your working day.

- Save any meaningful/important/stressful conversations for a more appropriate time. Last thing at night or when one person is busy, distracted or over-tired will serve neither of you well and can play on your mind when you should be preparing to sleep. Both agree when to have the discussion and ensure that it then happens. That way you can confidently 'park up' your issues, safe in the knowledge that you won't forget to raise the matter at a better time.

- Do you come home after work feeling mentally tired and jaded but physically under-exerted? Many people have work that requires either mental or physical effort, so that they end up tired in one area but not the other. Try to find some balance by exercising mentally, with quizzes and crosswords, or by walking, swimming and physical activity, so that you're better able to fall asleep. Otherwise you may be restless and unable to relax.

- Prepare for the day ahead so that there's no need to clutter your mind with concerns or worries about the coming day. Put your clothes out the night before or adopt a uniform outfit or colour. Use lists to avoid the stress or fear of forgetting something. Being organised can help you feel more in control and better able to sleep.

- A relaxing bath or shower pre-bed is a good way to symbolically wash away the days stresses and strains and prepare for bed. Some people like to read, enjoy a hot, milky drink, meditate, listen to relaxing music or practice some yoga.

Being committed to a positive bedtime routine can be a great investment and an important way to support a good night's sleep.

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Get Yourself A Great Bedtime Routine | The Huffington Post - HuffPost UK

Thalia Heffernan has opened up on how shedeals with anxiety.

The model revealed that she used to suffer badly in the past, but she has managed to overcome it in some ways.

When asked whether anxiety was an issue, she said, "Yeah, heavily in the past. But I've kind of gotten much better recently.

"I think it's just age for me. I've grown up, and I've started to learn how to process and deal with it."

The gorgeous Dubliner continued, "When I was younger and I first started working full time, I was a ball of anxiety. So stressed all the time.

"Winding down is really important as well. Making sure you give yourself time in the evenings, or even in the middle of the day - just turn your phone off."

She also touched on the subject of social media and the social pressures that come along with it on Breakfast Republic on 2FM.

"I think I feel pressure because it does help with my work, and it gets me jobs and it helps my career. But then I do have to realise that my job is only my job and it's not my life."

The Dancing With The Stars celeb strongly believes that the public need to realise how false social media really is.

"The world has evolved to be this social media multi-million dollar industry, that is so false and so intangible. People don't realise just how false it really is.

"Detox is really important, and just being really aware. Looking at these pictures of these beautiful people, and these lavish lifestyles and you just have to realise that it isn't - like they took about 55 photos to get that."

She also revealed that she uses guided meditation to get to sleep every night, which is usually relaxing music paired with a person's voice guiding you through it.

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Thalia Heffernan opens up on dealing with anxiety - Goss.ie

Only 15 minutes from Morgantown, Marvins Mountaintop and the Cheat River Canyon will serve as a backdrop for the Deep Roots Mountain Revival festival.

The second annual Deep Roots Mountain Revival festival will take place July 20-22 at Marvins Mountaintop in Masontown, W. Va.

The family-friendly music festival involves outdoor activities for children as well as three days of camping, dancing and relaxing with friends. Patrons can expect music within Americana, Bluegrass, Rock and Jam genres with regional visual artists and craft vendors.

Headliners for this year include Brandi Carlile, Dr. Dog, Lettuce, JJ Grey & Mofro, Moon Taxi, Sam Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Motet and more.

Deep Roots Mountain Revival is something that every student, or resident, of Morgantown and the surrounding area can enjoy, said Claude Ryan, the festivals founder. We have a little bit of something for everyone. We are an extremely family-friendly event with a weekend calendar full of kids activities, adult activities, incredible live music and awesome food and beverage options.

In 2011, festival founder Claude Ryan joined with Clayton Koontz, the founder of Active Air Productions. Together, they shared a similar dream of creating their own music festival, which was brought to life in 2016 due to their separate ties with Marvins Mountaintop.

The biggest changes for 2017 would probably be a change in the stage layout, more kids activities, an updated walking path through the woods to the Roots Stage, an Artist Village, updates to the Family & ADA Camping Area, better site transportation and RV Electrical Hookups in GA Parking, Ryan said. Every year that we survive, we want to make minor changes to the event to enhance the experience for the attendees that support us.

According to Ryan, there were approximately 1,400 attendees at last years event. The goal is to increase that number by a minimum of 3,500 for this year. Ticket sales will be capped at 12,000.

We want to the event to remain relatively small so we can keep the experience more personal for those that attend, added Ryan, a lifelong West Virginia resident.

For more information, visit http://www.deeprootsmountainrevival.com. Locally discounted tickets are still available and can be purchased at Terra Caf or Big Times, both located in Morgantown.

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Annual festival returns to Marvin's Mountaintop - Daily Athenaeum

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Cashier Arnoldo Crispin bags some items for Amanda Cavanaugh at the new Natural Grocers store at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

Cashier Arnoldo Crispin bags some items for Amanda Cavanaugh at the new Natural Grocers store at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

Kelly Ranson heads home with purchases at the new Natural Grocers store at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

Kelly Ranson heads home with purchases at the new Natural Grocers store at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

Jeannine Wild (left) and Josie Amodeo shop in the produce section at the new Natural Grocers store in Alamo Heights.

Jeannine Wild (left) and Josie Amodeo shop in the produce section at the new Natural Grocers store in Alamo Heights.

The new Natural Grocers store the companys second in San Antonio at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

The new Natural Grocers store the companys second in San Antonio at 6514 N. New Braunfels Ave.

Grocery manager Julian Coronado talks with Jo Dornak and Daniel McFall at the new Natural Grocers store.

Grocery manager Julian Coronado talks with Jo Dornak and Daniel McFall at the new Natural Grocers store.

Michelle McClinton shops the fully stocked shelves.

Michelle McClinton shops the fully stocked shelves.

Leslie Palmer turns cruises by the refrigerated items.

Leslie Palmer turns cruises by the refrigerated items.

As organics become more mainstream, offerings in S.A. keep blooming

Mother and daughter Gina Hall and Ali Huser were scoping out the newly opened Natural Grocers store on North New Braunfels Avenue recently, checking out the organic produce, the humanely raised meats and the vitamins and supplements.

Hall joked that the selection reminded her of my hippie days, while Huser explained she was there because shed been born almost a vegetarian.

Both said they were happy to have the store in the Alamo Heights neighborhood the stores second location here and agreed theyd be back.

That these two women of different generations agreed that the store offered the kind of clean and green foods they are trying to eat more of says a lot about how the San Antonio grocery scene continues to evolve and how organic food has moved into the mainstream. As people become more watchful about what they put in their bodies and how diet affects health, more supermarkets are expanding their healthy offerings.

The situation in San Antonio reflects the rest of the country where sales of organic foods exceeded $35 billion in 2014 5 percent of total U.S. food sales according to the Organic Trade Association. And 51 percent of Americans reported buying more organics in 2015 than in 2014.

No surprise, then, that most of the nations largest retailers have publicly committed to offering more of these products to their customers.

In 2013, Target launched a line of organic, GMO-Free food called Simply Balanced. The next year, Walmart introduced its Wild Oats label.

Then last year Costco became the countrys top organic-food retailer with $4 billion in annual sales, compared to $3.6 billion for Austin-based Whole Foods Market, according to TheStreet.com. Costco highlights its organic offerings with green signage and often displays organics right next to conventionally raised produce for easy comparison.

As organics become ever more mainstream and these large chains duke it out for market share, prices continue to go down and consumers are paying ever less for organics.

Three pounds of organic bananas at the Schertz Costco store recently cost $1.99, versus $1.39 for the nonorganic. Two pounds of green beans were priced at $5.99 and $4.99, respectively. And 5.5 pounds of Gala apples went for $9.99 and $6.99.

San Antonio chef Elizabeth Johnson said she often finds organics cost less at her local Costco than from her traditional food purveyors.

With things like organic quinoa, basmati rice, dates, cashew pieces, youd be hard-pressed to find better prices than at Costco, said Johnson, owner of Pharm Table, which specializes in organic, plant-based cuisine.

A Costco representative declined to comment for this article.

The competition is good for consumers because supermarkets are no longer able to charge such a large premium on foods perceived as being clean, green and natural, said Rupesh D. Parikh, a senior analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. Overall, the market should continue to grow robustly, but well see see that growth spread out more widely among a larger number of players.

While a 2015 Consumer Reports survey found that organic foods were an average of 47 percent more expensive than their conventional counterparts, the difference shrank 8 percent between 2011 and 2015, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Walmart took one of the first shots across the organics bow when it introduced its Wild Oats brand in 2014, with prices that were, on average, 25 percent cheaper than national organics brands.

Even Whole Foods, which charges a premium for its healthy offerings earning it the derisive nickname Whole Paycheck is having to change its approach as customers migrate to lower-priced competitors.

Whole Foods previously announced it would be closing nine stores during the first quarter of this year. More recently it was rumored to be a takeover target of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, which once had 20 local stores, but left the San Antonio market in 2002.

In an effort to attract more price-sensitive consumers, particularly millennials, Whole Foods is launching an offshoot brand called 365 by Whole Foods Market that will feature a modern, streamlined design, innovative technology and a curated selection, said co-CEO of the company Walter Robb in an interview on NPRs Morning Edition. Prices there tend to be 15 percent to 20 percent lower than in the parent stores, according to Supermarket News.

There are now four 365 by Whole Foods stores open and a dozen more on the way, but the company currently has no plans to open any in the San Antonio area, said spokeswoman Rachel Malish.

The demand for organic foods is so great that at times it has strained supplies. To help guarantee theyll have enough produce, for example, retailers such as Costco and Whole Foods have reportedly offered loans directly to growers to help make the three-year transition from traditional to organic farming easier.

While San Antonio may have been slow to latch onto the trend, were catching up fast, according to observers.

H-E-B, the citys dominant grocery player, has been in the natural food space since the 1990s.

Weve always provided our customers with fresh, healthy food, H-E-B spokeswoman Julie Bedingfield said. But now were calling it out more, being more aggressive in telling our story.

In addition to selling its own private-label organics, the company last year rolled out Select Ingredients, a line of almost 400 products made without synthetic ingredients, including Red 40 and Yellow 5 artificial colors, bleached flour, partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives such as BHT, BHA and EDTA. More recently, it began pilot testing Wellness Centers in H-E-B Plus! stores where customers can watch healthy cooking demonstrations breakfast migas recently get copies of the recipes and buy the ingredients all in one centralized location.

There are currently Wellness Centers in H-E-B Plus! stores at Interstate 35 and FM 3009 and at Bandera Road and Loop 1604.

As one of the largest retail distributors of health and wellness products, we see this almost as the right thing to do, said Bedingfield. We saw this (move to health and wellness) coming two decades ago and we dont see it going away.

But San Antonio has had organic stores for almost 40 years.

Bexar County judge Nelson Wolff opened Sun Harvest, generally considered the citys first health food supermarket, in 1979.

Nobody came into the San Antonio market for years after we opened, he said of the chain he sold in 1999. Then folks like Whole Foods and Trader Joes showed that people were willing to pay more for food thats good for them.

The influx of new organic/natural stores to the area could be a sign of the citys rising income, but chef Johnson says it also reflects new people moving here.

Im seeing more San Antonians who are educated and have traveled and people whove moved here from elsewhere who are more interested in eating better, said Johnson of Pharm Table, Thats made it easier for these chains to justify coming here.

Whole Foods Market, the first grocer to be certified by the federal National Organic Program, entered the San Antonio market in 1993 near Wurzbach Road and Interstate 10 before moving to the Alamo Quarry Market in 1997. The second store, in the Vineyard Shopping Center on Blanco Road and Loop 1604, opened in 2012.

The chain sees San Antonio as a market for healthy food thats equal to any other in Texas.

Youve got amazing farmers markets and a very impressive, expanding restaurant scene, said Kelly Landrieu, a local forager for Whole Foods Markets Southwest Region. (Her title means shes responsible for finding new, locally made products for the store to carry.)

The citys growing food culture is one reason Natural Grocers opened its first store here on NW Military Highway in 2016, according to Clinthorne.

You folks have an undeserved reputation for not wanting to eat anything but chicken fried steak. And thats simply not true, he said.

In addition to selling only organic produce, Natural Grocers recently enhanced its vendor standards. Egg-laying hens, for example, must have access to shaded, outdoor yards where they can take socialize, perch and take dust baths to keep themselves clean and parasite-free. Dairy farms are required require to graze milk cows on managed pastures for a minimum of 120 days.

We gave our vendors plenty of time to adapt to these new requirements, Clinthorne said. But even so we had to drop a number of them because they couldnt or wouldnt meet the deadline.

As demand for this kind of food continues to grow, these vendors may be forced to reconsider their reluctance.

rmarini@express-news.net

Twitter: @RichardMarini

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As organics become more mainstream, offerings in SA keep - mySanAntonio.com

iStock/georgeclerk

The National Organic Standards Boardvoted last Friday to recommend the immediate enactment ofhigher animal welfare standards for organic meat and poultry. This enactment is projected totake effecton May 19.

The NOSB, which provides recommendations to the USDA for the organic label, voted unanimously in favor of the new regulations.

The standards, called the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices,were developed and finalized in January. Their implementation has already been delayed once, following the change of presidential administration; the regulationswere first intended to be enacted in March.

The rules require that animals be able to exhibit natural behaviors including sitting, walking, and stretching. The regulations also includeprovisions for livestock handling and transport for slaughter, and they clarify the definition of outdoor access for livestock, specifically egg-laying hens.

The increased amount of land required for egg producers to comply with the outdoor access rule specifically led the USDA to build in a five-year timeline for producers to meet this standard; other standards must be met within one year of the publication of the final rule to maintain organic certification.

While most organic egg producers and brands already meet these requirements, and nearly three-quarters of brands surveyed by the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfarehave a formal animal welfare policy in place, the National Pork Producers Council has communicated its intentions to repeal the regulations, and nearly 66 percent of companies havenot implemented a strong system for monitoring animal welfare.

A small handful of faux-ganic producers raise animals under the USDA Organic label in factory-farm-like conditions, explains the ASPCA, noting that it strongly applauds this vote, calling it a huge step for the NOSB.

Eighty-six percent of people who buy organic food support these improved welfare standards, according to a new Consumer Reports survey.

NOSB proposals for these standards date back to 1994, and a unanimous recommendation from the NOSB in 2011 led to the USDA proposing the changes in April of last year.

Related on Organic AuthorityLouisiana Gets an F in Humane Slaughter by Animal Welfare Institute Animal Welfare Now a Top Priority for Global Food Brands, Report Finds Animal Welfare Victory in Massachusetts Just Changed U.S. Livestock Production

Emily Monaco is an American food and culture writer based in Paris. She loves uncovering the stories behind ingredients and exposing the face of our food system, so that consumers can make educated choices. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vice Munchies, and Serious Eats.

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NOSB Recommends Higher Animal Welfare Standards for Organic Label - Organic Authority

Businessman sitting in lotus positionNeil Webb/Getty Images/Ikon Images

The Leadership Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Todays answer to the question, What's your morning routine before going to work? is written by Doug Randall, CEO of Protagonist .

My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. every morning. Needless to say, some days it is more welcome than others. Running a business (and a family, along with my wife) usually means that as soon as Im conscious, theres something on my mind.

Ive spent the past 15 years instilling a meditation and yoga practice, and its played a major role in helping me stay grounded as my company continues to grow. Every morning, I go to my rooftop or garden to meditate for about 25 minutes. I dont use a guided meditation, but rather try to reach complete stillness.

Meditation isnt an uncommon pastime amongst modern businesspeople, but I think many miss the purpose. When I meditate, Im not trying to force myself to be peaceful if I dont feel like Im at peace. Im quieting my mind so that I have room to understand more about whats going on beneath the surface. I think many executives make the mistake of envisioning an outcome and then trying to force it into reality at all costs. But successful leadership in todays world is more about listening and moving with the flow. I make an active effort to break out of that cycle, by breathing and bringing my focus outside myself.

There are some days when I dont feel that I can meditate successfullyI might be too angry, anxious, or upset. On those days, I lean into the emotion. If a feeling is pervasive enough to keep me from my meditation, then I want to understand it. That means that if Im not meditating, maybe Im boxing with a punching bag. Its not quite as zen as engaging in my practice, but its a lot more honest. Ive found the best way to get past anger, stress, or any of those other negative emotions is to feel them completely.

I bring a pragmatic approach to my meditation and yoga practice, and I truly believe that they make me a more consistent and reliable leader. Starting off my day by really checking in with myself gives me a foundation for confident decision-making moving forward. I identify the lens through which Im making business decisions, and can take that into account as new situations arise. The same framework helps me empathize with my employees and customers choices.

By the time I finish my meditation (or, occasionally, my boxing), I feel centered and ready for the day. This is the time for me to shower, check email, and temporarily tap back into the reality of the hours ahead.

By about 7 a.m., Im wrapping up my morning routine at home by having breakfast with my familyone last bit of calm before I head into the office. I take time to connect with my kids over breakfast every morning, which is extremely important to me. Its easy to push quality time with loved ones to the side, especially if Im entering into an especially hectic day, but Ive found that work that needs to be done at 7:30 a.m. can generally still get done at 8 a.m. Being fully present with my kids grounds me in a different way; it keeps me connected to values like generosity and joy that I try to bring to work every day.

A persons morning routine sets the tone for the rest of their day. I put such a heavy emphasis on mine because I want to be a consistently thoughtful, decisive, reliable, and happy leader.

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Why Most Executives Miss the Point of Meditation - Fortune

Molly Rockey, Special to the Star Published 11:38 p.m. PT April 27, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago

Meditation can take many forms, but is generally seen as beneficial. Wochit

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You're not alone if you have a hard time finding a moment to meditate. But all hope is not lost. Wochit

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The Dalai Lama shares how he manages to keep up his meditation habit after all these years. Wochit

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Here are some tips on how to maintain the meditation habit. Wochit

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Video: What are the benefits of meditation?

Video: How to maintain the meditation habit

Video: Dalai Lama's meditation tips

Video: How to carve out time for meditation

Contributed photo/Forrest Frields Photography Molly Rockey of Newbury Park, the spiritual leader of Unity of the Oaks Church in Thousand Oaks.

Its 5:30 in the morning, and Im sitting at a window facing east.

The sky is brightening. The birds are beginning to stir.

I see the sky burst red, pink and orange. I sit and breathe and watch.

I put on a meditation from an app on my smartphone called Insight Timer.

The soothing voice of spiritual teacher Michael Stone begins a meditation by guiding me into a relaxed, comfortable sitting position and conscious awareness of the flow of my breath, in and out, in and out.

For 30 minutes, the sky displays its magnificence, and I gently move into stillness, peace and the day ahead.

Meditation is practiced around the world by a global community of people who meditate for a thousand different reasons.

Some are working to heal heart and blood pressure conditions, while others are seeking release of anxiety and stress.

Others love making a connection to a sense of transcendental interconnectedness.

Many people simply wish to deepen their inner peace and express gratitude for their blessings in a profoundly relaxed experience.

In Hinduism, Vedic teachings state that the universal divine self resides within your heart, and the way to recognize divinity is to focus your attention inwardly in a process of contemplative meditation.

In the Jewish tradition, students of the Kabbalah meditate in order to transform their basic inner nature with the fundamental external nature by internalizing symbols and gradually absorbing their characteristics.

In the Christian scriptures, we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to focus our attention on whatever is true, right, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy.

Within Islam, a goal of meditation in Sufi practice is to prevent the mind from wandering, as the heart focuses on God. Spoken words in prayers, chants and singing actively entreat God through repetition of the holy names.

There are many forms and traditions of meditation, but the essence of meditative practice often includes five main things:

Sitting: Find a quiet placewithout interruptions. Sit in a comfortable but supportive chair. Make it a practice to sit in the same place at the about the same time each day for about 20 minutes.

Music or object: Relaxing music or a flower or scented candle to focus on can assist.

Breathe and relax: Take several deep, slow breaths. Relax your neck and shoulders, back and hips, legs and feet.

Image: Visualize a calming scene. Many people see aspects of nature, such as the surf rolling in and out at a peaceful beach or sense a stream in a beautiful forest.

Specific religious aspects: There are so many possibilities. The meditator could emphasize gratitude to God, affirmations to the divine source of all good or prayers for blessings sought for the meditator or for others.

Whatever your reason for meditating or style of meditation, make the goal to open your heart, clear your mind and rest your body.

Let this be a time to be intimate and gentle with yourself.

Know that it matters to the world that we are learning to calm and make peace within ourselves.

The Dalai Lama said, If every 8-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.

Let peace begin with me.

The Rev. Molly Rockey is the spiritual leader of Unity of the Oaks in Thousand Oaks. To find out more, you can visit http://www.unityoftheoaks.org or call 496-6901. Rockey is a member ofthe Conejo Valley Interfaith Association, which meets monthly and welcomes clergy and representatives of all faiths.

Read or Share this story: http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2017/04/28/interfaith-meditation-practiced-around-world/101004184/

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Interfaith: Meditation practiced around the world - Ventura County Star

Do you know the basics of meditation? How do you know if you are on the right track with your practice? Jane Fox, LCSWand more at a free spiritual workshop at Medford Leas on May 10 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Among the topics Fox will cover are the essential factors for meditation, keeping beginners mind long after the beginning, helpful ethical practices, and growing patience and self-kindness when meditating. Fox said that the session is appropriate for both beginners and those familiar with meditation and will include at least two guided meditations.

Fox has been meditating for about 35 years and teaching meditation for more than 20 years.

While there is no fee for this lecture, registration is required by May 5. For a full listing of lectures and programs, or to register for a program, go to medfordleas.org or call 609-654-3588. E-mail registrations or questions to pathways@medfordleas.net

Fox is a psychotherapist at the Temenos Center for Psychotherapy and Personal Growth in Moorestown.

Medford Leas is a nationally accredited not-for-profit community, guided by Quaker principals, for those who are 55 and older, with two campuses. The Medford Campus is at 1 Medford Leas Way and the Lumberton Campus is at 180 Woodside Drive.

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Learn to practice happiness through meditation - Burlington County Times

On Wednesday, April 21, Professor of Psychology Rick Braaten discussed the relationship between meditation and wellness. Braaten first began by discussing the evolution of the mind. He explained that humans have had to adapt in the way they think about the past and present, language and symbols and their thoughts in relation to others. However, he also noted that humans have a wandering mind, which facilitates many negative thoughts, such as avarice, fear, pain and selfishness.

After discussing the human mind, Braaten shifted the focus of his talk to meditation. He explained that meditation has three main components: posture, breath and mind. Braaten described ones posture as relaxed and straight and ones mind as solely focused on his attention to breathing.

If something comes into the mind, you must go back to the attention to breath, Braaten said.

Because of the intense attention to breath, Braaten described the close relationship between mindfulness and meditation, as one must stay focused and becomes aware of the minds activities.

Braaten prefaced his discussion with the statement meditation can cure all of our problems. He elaborated more on this in his empirical explanation between mediation and wellness. He explained alterations that have taken place and immune systems of those who meditate. Additionally, some studies have shown that meditation activates parts of the brain that create feelings of contentment among certain individuals.

Braaten concluded his talk by giving the reasons mediation works for conditioning, exposure, insight and nonattachment. While exposure exposes one to unpleasant states that often reduces their effects after a period of time, insight gives individuals an understanding of their feelings. Braaten also explained that nonattachment provides the opportunity for bare attachment and the ability to set aside any preferences or discriminations. Braatens final word of advice was that one must practice to learn meditation. He emphasized that one must experience it rather than just learn about it.

Sophomore Belle Banta attended the lecture to learn more about meditation and its effects.

I was very intrigued by the relationship between meditation and contentment, Banta said. While I have only meditated a couple times, I am definitely going to do so more often after hearing its effects on wellness.

Excerpt from:

Braaten Discusses the Benefits of Mindful Meditation - The Colgate Maroon-News

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to transfer money directly into the bank accounts of students studying in ashram schools for purchasing the items of their daily needs.

The move is aimed at checking corruption in the contracts awarded to provide stationery and other daily use items to the tribal students of the residential ashram schools.

Representational image. Reuters

The students can use the money to buy items of day-to-day use on their own instead of the government allotting contracts to private firms to provide these things, an official from the tribal development department said.

A pilot project in this regard will be started from the upcoming academic year in 133 government-run ashram schools, he said.

There are over 500 government-run ashram schools in the state where nearly 2.4 lakh students are enrolled.

The government provides items of daily use to the students by allotting contracts worth around Rs 700 crore per year.

The government makes available stationery items like text books, note books, school uniforms, pen-pencils, slate and also things like bathing soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, raincoats, blankets, coconut oil, etc.

"However, the government has now decided to pay the students by directly transferring money into their bank accounts so that they can buy their own stuff," the official said.

The tribal development department officials have worked out an average yearly expenditure for the students of classes I to XII.

The students studying in classes I to IV will be given Rs 7,500 each annually.

The students from classes V to IX will be given an annual amount of Rs 8,500 each, the official said.

Those studying in classes X to XII will be eligible to get Rs 9,500 each annually, he added.

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Maharashtra govt to directly pay ashram school students for their daily expenses - Firstpost