Dwight James III, Contributing Writer 4:54 p.m. ET April 13, 2017

Dwayne "Danglin" Anglin of The Wailers performs live for fans at the 2016 Byron Bay Bluesfest on March 27, 2016 in Byron Bay, Australia.(Photo: Mark Metcalfe, Getty Images)

Bob Marley has inspired many musicians with his relaxing music style promoting ideals such as love and piece. One of these bands is the Wailers. On Wednesday, April 5, the Wailers brought their fun and unique sound to Tallahassees own Side Bar Theater. Along with their fantastic music, the band brought to mind three main ways to keep Reggae alive.

1. Inspire others to play

Walking into the venue, I was rather confused at the band on the stage. Imagine a band with young musicians jamming out on stage with Rasta colored L.E.D. lights and flag behind them. The lead singers dance with one another with colorful dresses wrapped around their hips and harmonize to the instrumentals of their band mates. The crowd was rather seasoned, I could tell that this was a laid-back night.

Under the neon lights, the band churned out an electric wave across the room. I could feel hints of Marley, Beenie Man and even Vybz Kartel in their set. Couples pranced around until the track Up and Down played, putting everyone in a synchronized head bop. This is usually where the crowd puts on a contemplative look and slows down with the music.

In a weird way, everyone made their own pace and still followed the song. It reminded me of a group of friends at a marathon-- everyone knew theyd make it to the finish line but got there on their own time. During and even after the rain, we all waited till the Wailers came out to bless with their historical and gripping sound that hasnt changed with time. It was a bit difficult to breathe with smoke looming the room but it was worth the wait.

2. Play the same old songs differently-- every single time

Have you ever felt like you were watching a movie but in reverse and modified? Thats how it felt watching the Wailers for the first time. It was exciting, thrilling even, but there was a void I felt while witnessing the Wailers in action. I could tell that the chemistry amongst the bandmates had been built overtime and adjusted. However, I imagined the spirit of Bob Marley filling the room. Getting a bit lost in the music and in limbo between the past and now, I could see Bob Marley singing Shot the Sheriff with the band.

What keeps a man alive? His music, fans or band? Im slowly starting to think that its a combination of all three. That may be why I became so hooked on Marley and the Wailers in the past few weeks. The positivity they emitted is contagious-- that may also be why Reggae continues to survive in todays time. With all of the negativity occurring, there must be a genre that pulls its inspiration from positive vibrations and with the hope that everything will truly be alright.

3. Keep on jammin-- for those naive and accustomed to Reggae

Sometimes, it takes one push to keep a movement going. Familyman promised himself that he would maintain the band for Marley and that he did. His commitment has not only revitalized the genre but motivated bands all over the country to make Reggae in their own way. All while maintaining the original flare that Marley and the Wailers gave it. From Trenchtown to the World, the positive vibrations continue till this day as we keep on jammin.

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The Wailers and three ways to keep Reggae alive - Florida Flambeau

Being calm isnt always easy, let alone when chaos erupts around you. You have to cultivate a practice of being calm and that practice must be consistent. Consistency is the key here. More important than the length of time your practice is, do it consistently, every day. Three minutes every day will bring you the results you want quicker than one hour of your practice once a week. Here are eight tips to help you on your way:

1. Make a decision to create calm in your life even when life gets chaotic. This decision is powerful in helping you maintain your daily practice. Know that this is possible to achieve, even if it seems impossible when you start. Keep going and the results will come. Dont give up. If you forget one day, start again the next day. 2. Breathe consciously as often as you remember. Take three deep breaths when you get up, in the shower, waiting for your coffee, driving in traffic, sitting at your deskwhenever you remember throughout your day. Three deep breaths. Ignore negative thoughts from the mind trying to undermine your practice. Breathing is the cornerstone of remaining calm, relaxed and at ease. Your body is anyway breathing. The key is to sync up your mind to your body, so they are working together, rather than at odds with each other. When the body and mind are disconnected, stress is created. Breathing is the simplest, easiest way, to reconnect your body/mind. An added bonus - breathing is free! 3. Take time for yourself every day. To stay sane, you must take at least a few minutes, 15 - 30 minutes or more is better, to be with yourself. Go outside, take a walk, look at the sky, the trees, the flowers, listen to the birds. Allow the stress of the day to slip off your shoulders and savor some moments of joy.

4. Process your emotions. If you are upset about something, or with someone, give yourself time to recognize the emotions and allow them. Its important not to stuff emotions, and also not to start yelling at someone who has hurt you either. Rather, waitand then, when you feel more calm, express how you are feeling to a friend, family member, or, if possible, to the person who upset you.

5. Listen to relaxing music. Whatever music you enjoy, listen to it at least 5 minutes every day. Music has a powerful ability to relax the body, mind, heart, and soul.and bring joy. You can have it on in the background whilst doing other things, or you can dance, sing, with the music. It doesnt matter what the music is, just that it is music that you enjoy and that relaxes and uplifts you.

6. Practice gratitude. When life feels like a struggle, its easy to get caught up in looking at everything that is wrong. Practice gratitude. I promise you, there is always something to be grateful for. Write down 5 things every day you are grateful for simple things like breathing, walking down the street, enjoying the fresh morning air, your morning coffee.

7. Savor moments of joy. As you practice gratitude, you become more aware of the moments of joy sprinkled throughout your day. Laughing with a work colleague, taking your dog for a walk, sharing a look of love with your beloved, watching your kids play. As you nurture these moments of joy, they will grow, until feeling joy becomes your new normal.

8. Listen to your body. If your body is thirsty, drink; if hungry, eat; if tired, sleep/take a nap; if restless, go outside and breathe the fresh air, jog, walk, run. A relaxed body helps the mind and emotions calm down.

These 8 tips give you a framework for each day, so that when chaos hits, (which it will!) you have your framework already in place to help you remain calm, and relaxed. Youll find creative solutions to your challenges arise, easily and naturally. Youll be aware you are resting in Divine Order, knowing that all is well, and all will be well. You are safe, blessed, and loved.

Your essential nature is peace, love and abundance. You have received a wrong conditioning telling you life is difficult, hard, and chaotic. As you cultivate your practice of calm joy, and gratitude, your true nature begins to become more obvious to you, and that which is false in you dissolves. To help give you greater confidence in your ability to stay calm, no matter what, join us for my Practitioner Certification Meditation Training.

And for the latest information on events join my Laughing Buddhas Network newsletter (Its FREE)

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How To Remain Calm (Even In The Midst Of Chaos) | The Huffington ... - Huffington Post

Each season brings its own unique beauty.

Personally, I love rainy weather. I love a good thunderstorm. I think rainy days allow us to let our hair down just a bit and relax. I find them to be soothing.

When the clouds begin to roll and the sky starts to pour, what a great opportunity to stay inside and catch up with whatever part of our lives we need to catch up on.

Here are a few of my rainy day favorites.

If its warm enough, I love to open my windows, turn off the TV, and just listen. What a great way to enjoy the falling rain; and it smells so fresh and clean. I find this to be very relaxing.

Sometimes life has a way of getting a little too fast-paced for me. I find rainy weather and good sleep get along great at my house.

Rainy days are a great time to enjoy my hobbies of scrapbooking, reading, writing and crocheting.

I love rainy days on my front porch with a good cup of coffee. What a great way to unwind or get lost in a daydream.

A soft, steady rain outside, a warm blanket and candle inside, create the perfect atmosphere for me to curl up with a good book or movie. I love it!

Here are some great rainy day activities others have shared with me.

Its a great time to work out. Put in an exercise video and rediscover those weights. Be it yoga, Pilates, Zumba or an old-fashioned cardio work-out, let the renewed energy begin.

Enjoy your favorite music and relax with a good glass of wine.

Rearrange the furniture, clean out those kitchen cabinets, or even deep-clean the house. Rainy days can be a great way to build up that donation pile.

Pamper yourself by giving yourself a manicure and pedicure, a face mask, or a new hair color. All are nice ways to appreciate you.

Try out a new recipe or bake cookies; either will fill your home with a warm and hospitable aroma.

If theres no lightning or strong wind, take a walk. What a great way to wash your troubles away just dont forget the umbrella.

Indiana spring is notoriously filled with gray, rumbling, and overcast skies. Why not make the best of them by grabbing your favorite drink, propping up your feet, forgetting all about work and that list of things to do, and just relax. At least its not snowing!

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Enjoy spring in Indiana - Journal Review

Patch.com

Yoga Strategies Bringing Calm To Stillwater Area Classrooms Patch.com Dimming the lights, playing relaxing music, and providing just two or three minutes for quiet reflection time can also have a profound impact on reducing distractions and helping kids focus on the learning the comes next. Yoga Calm teaches educators ...

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Yoga Strategies Bringing Calm To Stillwater Area Classrooms - Patch.com

John Yanda has been a church organist/choir director for 59 years, and even though the 81-year-old has no immediate plans to retire, he has produced his final CD.

Last Sunday, he hand-delivered that CD to several members of First United Methodist Church in Canonsburg, but not before his wife one of the inspirations behind his music received the first copy.

Two other copies were given to the widows of the men Chuck Kolsosky and Tom Samuels for whom the CD was dedicated, as well as members of the Canonsburg congregation and family members in Kansas and Florida.

Yanda paid a recording company, Blacksmith Recording Studio of Belmont, Ohio, to visit the church recently to create the pipe-organ recordings just so he could bring joy to others.

Church music has been a wonderful blessing, Yanda said.

Eight of the 12 tracks are directly related to the Christian faith. Music includes Star Spangled Banner, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Onward Christian Soldiers, Over the Sunset Mountains, Elevation, In the Cross of Christ I Glory, I Am Thine, O Lord, Footsteps of Jesus, Be Still, My Soul, Bridal Chorus, Wedding March and his own Paganini Variations.

Yanda, who took piano lessons for 25 years, beginning at age 7, and pipe-organ lessons for four years, has found a lot of comfort in his lifelong love of music, and is no stranger to using it to bring similar comfort to others.

In April 2014, he performed a concert in his wifes honor at the church just because it seemed like the right thing to do, he told the Observer-Reporter in July 2014. No particular reason. Just because I continue to love her.

His wife, Carol, began living in a specialty-care home six years ago following back surgery. One year later, she was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.

Yanda now gets teary-eyed when he recalls his frequent visits with his wife. She always tells him she loves him, he said, but he doesnt know if she recognizes him anymore.

Last year, Yanda compiled a CD, A Believer in Jesus, in honor of his wife that the Womens Business Network, McMurray Chapter, sold to benefit its team in the Washington County Walk to End Alzheimers.

Pat Tonsetic, the churchs outreach leader and a member of WBN, McMurray Chapter, said the music on that CD is very relaxing. It includes Wonderful Words of Life, Warsaw Concerto, Variation 18 Rachmaninoff, Dedication, and Prelude in G Minor Rachmaninoff. Yandas two original pieces are Johns Invention and the Bonus Track.

Yanda has been the organist at Canonsburg United Methodist since 2014. He previously served as organist at Jefferson Avenue United Methodist, Washington, for seven years; Waynesburg United Methodist for nine years; Third United Presbyterian, Washington, for 20 years; Sheraden United Methodist for five years; and Millvale Methodist for 14 years.

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Beloved organist records final CD for family, friends - Observer-Reporter

Now with even better better ingredients. Photo: Paul Rivera/CC/flickr

The better ingredients used to make Papa Johns better pizza will finally include a couple of organic ones for people in Lexington, Kentuckys delivery range, at least. Thats where the chain says its launched a pilot program intended to build upon its commitment to BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. So what does this exciting new menu initiative mean for customers in that area? Organic versions of four popular Papa Johns toppings Roma tomatoes, green peppers, yellow onions, and mushrooms.

To make this switch, Papa Johns says its partnered with Green Bean Delivery, a service that delivers all-natural groceries, to source produce from organic farms around the country. The dough, sauce, cheese, and any meat so, 98 percent of the pizza will continue to contain conventional ingredients for the time being. Chief ingredient officer Sean Muldoon tells Max Goldberg, of the organic-food blog Living Maxwell, that creating an entirely organic pizza would take some time, but, hey, never say never!

In a separate statement about the rollout, Muldoon says that testing organic produce is a natural progression as Papa Johns takes pride in our position of having the cleanest label in the pizza industry, which one cant help but ascribe to the fact that customers keep telling Muldoon, and everybody else at the company, that they want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. Papa Johns hasnt always been super helpful in this regard it made life pretty difficult for a journalist back in 2013, when she tried to see if Papa Johns ingredients were objectively better than the competitions. Also, Pizza Hut released a pizza with some organic toppings in 2008, but theres no reason Papa Johns cant still consider this a good baby step.

The latest fight has students demanding a ban, and Donald Trump Jr. mocking triggers.

Probably not what new members had in mind when they ponied up the $200,000 in initiation fees.

It lasted mere hours before the tech giant shut things down.

Pt is plentiful, and you can hardly find a restaurant that doesnt make its own sausage. These are the places that do it best.

The bars owner is trying to buy the building from the rest of the family.

Roast lamb for everyone.

Another nail in the coffin for hydrogenated oils.

Let this Maryland county Peeps competition fill the hole left by the Washington Posts canceled contest.

A sale to Kroger is a big boon for the owners of Murrays Cheese but what does it mean for New Yorks cheese lovers?

They tipped her $400 on a $200 tab, then came back and gave her $10,000.

Where to go when you want to take it to the next level.

Supermacs contends that soon any McGrath, McCarthy, or McDermott with a business idea could get a cease-and-desist.

It triggered the states Pollution Emergency Alert System.

John Mulaney, Jillian Bell, and Sam Richardson get real inside a Chipotle burrito.

Including Nespresso, cappuccino, ristretto, and pro-grade versions.

Massimo Bottura talks about his plan to open beautiful soup kitchens to help feed the worlds hungriest diners.

Light and refreshing and good enough to make you forget all about the carbonated white-wine nightmares of the 80s.

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Papa John's New 'Organic' Ingredients Are at Least Morally Superior - Grub Street

Editors Note: This article was first published in the April 24, 1987, issue of National Review, featured in Mr. Manos The Gimlet Eye column. Despite the title, it makes for appropriate reading before Easter.

And he said unto them,Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.

And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

Luke 22: 1012

There is a strange agency at work here. The Scripture might be haunted. That pitcher-bearer. This goodman. They spook me. Who are they, what special order of grace do they belong to? And, elsewhere, those men who surrender the colt whereon yet never man sat. Nameless, equivocal shapes. Hey, they shout, why loose ye the colt? The Lord has need of it,His disciples explain. Oh, well. In that case. Why didnt you say so? Take our expensive animal. And has their free will been taken also? It is as if a casual, weird cast of accomplices inhabited Jerusalem. Men or suchlike who know, often better than fumbling Peter or over-literal Thomas, just how to ornament the Passion.

Were they perhaps made of some angelic stuff? I dont think so: it is the Lords habit, thank God, to enlist men wherever convenient. He has an economical disposition. And Man was, after all, what this grand enterprise had been about from the first. But how then did Jesus, so to speak, make His room reservation in advance? Were these men sensitized by dreams? Did the Holy Spirit, foraging like a quartermaster sergeant, requisition their possessions through sign and vision? It is possible. The Lord had been known to trouble sleep. And being warned of God in a dream... Was there fitfulness before the Passover?

Again, I think not. God prefers, when He can, to conserve terrestrial order. He has a dramatic instinct. And His own peculiar unities. The Passion is as naturalistic as frail wrist tissue shredded by a spike. Jesus could ferment water. He could infinitely divide the loaf and the fish. But here He had need of a furnished apartment. His colt might have come about providentially, as Abrahams ram came about, caught in some thicket. But God wanted a known colt: one that had memorable references in Jerusalem. It was His purpose to leave a clear and historical track behind evidence that might stand up in court. The presence of transcendent power among modest instruments is more persuasive than any bullying miracle could be.

I suppose it this way, then. That these pitcher-bearer and goodman and colt-owner, these first acolytes of the Eucharist were men given sudden and heightened perception. An abrupt seeing Into. Spirit came upon them as Jesus came upon Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom: Follow me. And he arose, and followed Him. Simply that. Next Window Please. We are so habituated to reason and a precious carefulness that Christs people seem, well, irresponsible. But grace is first the law-breaker. It can be brutal: Let the dead bury their dead. Brutal and rash and unfair. Because there is no ground whatever for believing that these were righteous men. They didnt earn their cameo roles in the Passion through good work. I suspect they were chosen rather for an openness to potential. They were, above all, ready men.

Simon of Cyrene, recruited by grace and some Roman to lug Jesus cross, is my paradigm in this. He had, it would seem, no previous experience for the work. No moral credentials that we hear about. Just a man who passed by, coming out of the country. To trade, to sightsee, to window-shop: another tourist in the Big Fig. And, all at once, he is absorbed by that rubbernecking mob. Elbow to the front what have we here? And its you, yes you. Bozo, pack that wood. We know nothing about Simon, except that his children, Rufus and Alexander, became Christians. On Good Friday, Simon was what we all are, a passerby. And shanghaied by the Holy Spirit. I take comfort in this thought, whose life otherwise does not much recommend itself to God. That I may be granted, through His fierce randomness and my mere availability, a walk-on moment of redemption.

Return to the Passion now. Imagine, say, a man in his workshop room alone. For best effect, Id fancy him preoccupied: revising some device of his craft, in thought, whatever. Suppose it hot and ordinary out. Then, all of one rush, as weather can change, there should be an importance in the air. Let that cheap pitcher interpose itself across his attention here. For this instant it should have more pitcherness. The way common objects astound and please when we are full of joy. This is, you know, not his regular time to fetch water in. But the thought of pitcher, the very surprising idea that it can hold water, contains aptness and fascination for him. It has been infused by grace. And he rises at a call not from God as such, nor from any impending event but to honor the perfect nature of one created thing. There is elevation all around.

Returning from the wellhe happens upon two men. After that, unaware, they will become a procession of three.

It is not through war and celebrity that God has most advanced His will. It Is through the commonplace: room, colt, manger, fisherman thunderous Easter, atrocity and miracle, are prepared for in them. Open a window. Pick up anything. Inhale. These are moments and incidents without moral import except for this: that reverence and special shining can inhere. We are admonished to be alert. And certainly we have lost just that measure of openness and heightening and expectation. This is, I suspect, what those shadowy men are about. If they didnt know, they felt, felt at some proper instant, that even in the filling of a pitcher one might lead great strangers to magnificence.

D. Keith Mano was a TV screenwriter and author of ten books, including Take Five, the recipient of the 1987 Literary Lion award, and a columnist at National Review magazine for 17 years.

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A Meditation after Easter - National Review

I think that one of the hardest and most beautiful parts of being human is saying goodbye. All of us, it doesnt matter who you are, say goodbye to dreams and expectations weve held for our livesgoodbye to places that hold meaning and ground usand, goodbye to people we love. When we say goodbye, whatever the circumstances of that parting, there is this unique moment of opportunity to look back on all the joy and pain of that human relationship and say some final, important things. These goodbyes are magnified moments of human living, where we feel again our failure, our joy, and the wonder of loving and being loved, and we say thank you: for the ways in which your life has helped me live my life.

As they gathered around the table that night for their last meal together, Jesus broke the bread and poured the wine and looked at each of his disciples. Imagine what his goodbyes must have sounded like: James and Johnsometimes both of you are way too intense; youre always fighting over who is the teachers pet. But I admire your deep devotion, and I long for your tenacity and commitment. In the tough days ahead, hang onto that. Peter? Peter. I love you brother. I mean: youre crazy and impetuous, always getting us in trouble in well-intentioned ways, but I do love you. Dont forget it. Judas, Im praying that I can remember you carry so much pain that you cant let yourself recognize love, cant even let yourself be part of this ragtag community that wants to embrace you. I want you to remember that God will never leave you, no matter what.

Tonight its you and me around this table. Were remembering that meal, as Jesus told us to do. And perhaps we may consider what Jesus might say were he looking across the table, straight into my eyes or yours. Dont let your fear direct your lifeit will only lead you bad places. Stop trying so hard to get the world to love you. I wish for you that you would let go of the anger. Your heart will not feel like its breaking into a million pieces forever; I promise, it will get better. And, most of all: I love you. I will always be with you. Please dont forget.

As a matter of fact, we are invited to experience around this table a magnified moment of human living, where we feel again our failure, our joy, and the wonder of loving and being loved, and we remember: theres a place for everyone at the table tonight. Everyoneas we come to say our goodbyes to a Savior who showed us what love means, and as we look toward him and say perhaps something like: Thank you. Thank youfor the ways in which your life has helped me live mine.

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Goodbyes: A Meditation for Maundy Thursday - Patheos (blog)

Guided meditations, fitness and meditation on the go, and a way to find the perfect workout buddy. Heres are ways to take it to the next level:

Monday was the kickoff for Hope in Uncertain Times, a 21-day digital audio meditation series offered by Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra. Participants get access to a daily 20-minute meditation voiced by Chopra that segues from learning to identify false hope in the first week, to how to use hope to inspire others in the third. Each recording includes a mantra and questions designed to encourage reflective thinking. There is also an interactive journal that encourages participants to note their progress.

Info: Free on iTunes or Google Play. Oprah.com/meditation

::

FabFitFun known for its quarterly subscription boxes stuffed with beauty and wellness products (Summer and Rose Yoga Towels, grip socks by Toesox) is now in the business of streaming fitness videos.

Launched in March, FabFitFun TV is "a return to our roots," said the company's co-founder and editor in chief, Katie Ann Rosen Kitchens. "Health and fitness have been part of our DNA from the beginning."

The approximately 50 videos covering yoga, toning, boot camp and cardio represent the best content from in-demand trainers such as Simone De La Rue and Christine Bullock, said Rosen Kitchens. "We choose them in the same way we curate our boxes," she said.

Info: $180 annual subscription to FabFitFun TV includes four seasonal boxes of products. FabFitFun.com

::

Type in fitness videos on YouTube and 11.6 million options pop up. The confusion inherent in that led entrepreneur Jitesh Chhabria to come up with the Koach TV app. Through three questions (covering goals, preferred workout length and what part of the body the workout is for), the app offers up specific YouTube fitness content. Users can schedule their workouts, track their results and easily scroll through parts of the video. (A 13-minute abs and arms regimen is segmented into punches, standing inner-biceps curls and dumbbell uppercuts.)

"YouTube has all this great content but there is no tracking for goals, planning for commitments or community to motivate you," Chhabria said.

There are 120 workouts on the site, with more to be added. A Web-friendly and Android version is to be up in a few months.

Info: Free on iTunes. App.Koach.TV

::

Looking for someone to go hiking with in Big Bear or to share in tossing around a Frisbee on Venice Beach? The 5F app, launched last August, might be able to help. Described as "a dating app for fitness" by its developer, Urs Camenisch, it pairs people of similar interests whether that's Crossfit, dance or unconventional sports such as base jumping.

"Sometimes it's hard to find people to work out with who are at the same level and like the same sports," said Camenisch, a former ambulance pilot in Canada. Over 100 activities are represented on the app, which Camenisch said could also be useful among people traveling to other countries and hoping to train like a local (such as playing bandy, similar to ice hockey, in Scandinavia.)

"It's a good way to connect with others, instead of just working out in the hotel gym," he said.

Info: Free on iTunes. app5f.com

rene.lynch@latimes.com

Twitter: @renelynch

Health@latimes.com

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Oprah and Deepak want to teach you to meditate - LA Times - Los Angeles Times

For many adults and children with ADHD, two persistent daily challenges are paying attention and maintaining self-regulation. So it stands to reason that some kind of attention training that also hones self-control would be invaluable and incredibly powerful.

Well, it turns out one such treatment strategy has been around for thousands of years, and its a hot research topic at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC). ADDitudes Carl Sherman, Ph.D., spoke with psychiatrist Lidia Zylowska, M.D., who heads the centers ADHD program.

Mindful awareness, or mindfulness, is part of many religious traditions. For example, Buddhism features a form of mindfulness meditation known as vipassana.

But mindfulness is not necessarily religious or spiritual. It involves paying close attention to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations; in other words, developing a greater awareness of whats going on with you from moment to moment. Mindfulness is a mental

It can be used as a tool to foster wellness, especially psychological well-being. Similar techniques have been used to lower blood pressure and to manage chronic pain, anxiety, and depression.

Unlike many tools for ADHD, mindfulness develops the individuals inner skills. It improves your ability to control your attention by helping to strengthen your ability to self-observe, to train attention, and to develop different relationships to experiences that are stressful. In other words, it teaches you to pay attention to paying attention, and can also make people more aware of their emotional state, so they wont react impulsively. Thats often a real problem for people with ADHD.

Researchers have talked about using mindfulness for ADHD for some time, but the question was always whether people with ADHD could really do it, especially if theyre hyperactive. The versatility and flexibility of mindfulness allows individuality in the approach, to make it work for you.

Weve tried to make the technique user-friendly. Our eight-week program consists of weekly two-and-a-half-hour training sessions, plus at-home practice. We start with five-minute, seated meditations at home each day, and gradually work up to 15 or 20 minutes. We also give the option to practice longer or to substitute mindful walking for the seated meditation.

We use visual aids, like a picture of a cloudy sky, to explain the basic concepts, because people with ADHD tend to be visual learners. The blue sky represents the space of awareness, and the clouds represent all the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that pass by.

Not quite. The meditation sessions are important practice, but the key is to use mindfulness throughout your daily life, always being aware of where your attention is focused while you are engaged in routine activities. For example, you might notice while you drive that your attention wanders to an errand you must run later that day. Lots of people practice mindfulness while eating. Once you get used to checking in with yourself and your body, you can apply the technique anytime you start to feel overwhelmed.

Yes, the basic practice is very simple. Just sit down in a comfortable place where you wont be disturbed and spend five minutes focusing on the sensation of breathing in and breathing out pay attention to how it feels when your stomach rises and falls. Soon, you may notice that youre thinking of something else your job or some noise you just heard or your plans for later in the day. Label these thoughts as thinking, and refocus your attention on your breath.

Do this mental training daily. Every couple of weeks, increase the length of time you spend on the exercise 10 minutes, 15, up to 20 or more if you feel you can. Try the same thing throughout each day, focusing on your breath for a few minutes as you walk from place to place, or when youre stopped at a red light or sitting at the computer.

You can actually practice mindfulness at any time, even during conversation with others. Turning on the mind-awareness state at any time during your day, even if only for a few minutes, is great training. Its essentially letting go of the busy-ness of your thinking, and bringing your attention to whats happening in the present moment in everyday life.

Its the nature of the mind to be distracted. Mindful awareness isnt about staying with the breath, but about returning to the breath. Thats what enhances your ability to focus.

And this emphasis on re-shifting your attention, of outwitting the minds natural tendency to wander, is what makes this technique especially helpful to someone who has ADHD.

In 2008, we completed a study involving 25 adults and 8 adolescents, half of whom had the combined [both inattentive and hyperactive] form of ADHD, and the results were very promising. We observed significant improvements in both inattention and hyperactivity.

In cognitive tests, the participants got better at staying focused, even when different things were competing for their attention. Many of them also felt less anxious and depressed by the end of study.

In 2012, the study titled The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents was published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies. This research trial evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness training for children aged 812 with ADHD and parallel mindful parenting training for their parents. They found a significant reduction in parent-reported ADHD symptoms after the 8-week training, as well as a reduction in parental stress and over-reactivity. However, the study found no improvement in ADHD symptoms after the mindfulness program on teacher-completed rating scales.

More research is still needed on the efficacy of mindfulness on ADHD symptoms, but the research is promising so far.

There seems to be a growing consensus that children can successfully practice mindfulness, although the program would have to be modified for young children. In fact, there is one mindfulness program thats designed just for preschool and elementary school children [InnerKids.org], and it has been quite successful. The program has yet to be used specifically for children who have ADHD, but we plan to do future studies with them, and with ADHD adolescents and adults.

Most stuck with the program, and, when asked to rate their overall satisfaction with it, they rated it an average of 9 out of 10. And the participants comments were mostly positive. Adults said things like, I feel that I better understand what goes on in my head, and Im less critical of myself, less reactive, and more forgiving of myself.

One teenager said, Now, whenever I feel my mind wandering, Im able to realize that its wandering. I can let go of the feeling and stop giving in to distractions.

Researchers have shown that, compared with people who dont meditate, long-time meditators have different EEG and MRI patterns, particularly in the brains frontal region the region that is involved with ADHD. Another study found a rise in the level of dopamine, the very neurotransmitter in short supply in ADHD brains, during meditative states.

We didnt specifically measure this effect in our study because we did not manage our participants medications. Only about half of our participants were taking stimulant medication, and the benefits they reported were similar to those reported by participants who were not taking stimulants. We hope that, by practicing mindfulness, one can learn to better self-regulate and, over time, lower the need for medication. But we need to study this question further.

A group of researchers began a study in conjunction with the National Institute of Health in 2016 to study mindfulness training versus stimulant medication in the treatment of childhood ADHD. The study is now ongoing, so these insights will be available in the near future.

If youd like an expert to guide you through the process, visit the Mindful Meditations page at UCLA.edu. There, you can download several guided meditations. In each, youll be lead through a mindful awareness exercise.

There are also several good books on mindfulness meditation. I recommend:

The Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts has been offering mindfulness-based stress reduction classes for more than two decades. You can find a directory of trainers on its Web site. The UMass program is designed for stress-related conditions and is not adapted to ADHD, but it has a similar eight-week structure and is a good way to learn the technique.

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Mindful Awareness: How to Combat ADHD Symptoms with Meditation - ADDitude