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       #Post#: 20713--------------------------------------------------
       More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest25 Date: June 16, 2018, 7:01 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Inner Peace
       Meditation may help alleviate pain, fatigue, and depression, and
       slow cognitive decline. We take a look at the evidence.
       Gwenn Herman experienced chronic pain for years after being
       involved in a car accident in 1996. “I developed a protruding
       disc in my neck that caused excruciating pain,” the 64-year-old
       resident of Tucson, AZ, recalls. “I tried
       everything—medications, injections, even surgery.” Eventually,
       Herman found relief through a mix of prescription pain relievers
       such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture, and
       meditation. “The latter truly saved me,” she says.
       About 8 percent of all American adults have tried meditation,
       which teaches people to be mindful of thoughts, feelings, and
       sensations in a nonjudgmental way, according to the National
       Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a division of
       the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The practice involves
       focusing on your breath or a word or phrase known as a mantra.
       When thoughts or feelings arise, you acknowledge them without
       judgment or reaction and return your attention to your original
       focus. Meditation can be done walking, sitting, or lying down.
       For years, reports of meditation's health benefits were
       anecdotal, but over the past three to five years solid research
       has emerged to support its proponents' claims.  “We now have
       sound evidence that meditating for as little as 20 to 30 minutes
       a day can alter the brain's function and structure in a positive
       way, decreasing pain, improving focus and memory, improving
       mood, and even influencing the effects of aging on the brain,”
       says Nicolas Cherbuin, PhD, director of the neuroimaging and
       brain lab at the Australian National University in Canberra. “We
       have MRI scans that show anatomic brain changes in people who
       meditate regularly—for example, increased gray matter and
       increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus, both of which
       improve memory and cognition.”
       Here, we identify six areas where meditation may help, either on
       its own or as an adjunct to other therapies.
       Curb Chronic Pain
       Research suggests that for managing chronic pain, mindfulness
       meditation may offer an alternative to potentially addictive
       medications such as opioids, or allow patients to lower the
       doses of these types of medication.  In a 2016 double-blind,
       randomized study published in the Journal of Neuroscience,
       meditation reduced feelings of pain by as much as 21 percent.
       Researchers divided 78 healthy volunteers into four groups: One
       group meditated for 20 minutes a day while taking naloxone, a
       drug that blocks opioid receptors; a second group meditated for
       20 minutes and was administered a saline placebo. Two more
       groups served as controls: One was administered naloxone alone;
       the other took just the saline placebo. Researchers then applied
       extreme heat (alternating between 95 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit)
       to participants' legs to simulate pain and asked them to rate
       the amount of pain they experienced. After four days, the first
       group's pain ratings decreased by 24 percent, while the second
       group's discomfort decreased by 21 percent. The other two
       groups, by comparison, reported an increase in pain.
       “We think meditation activates the prefrontal cortex, which in
       turn deactivates the thalamus, the part of the brain that acts
       as a gateway to pain,” says study author Fadel Zeidan, PhD,
       assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest
       School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. “Once the gateway is
       closed, pain decreases. Meditation also appears to use different
       brain pathways than opioids to block pain. This is significant
       for those who may have a tolerance to opiate-based drugs and are
       looking for a non-addictive way to relieve pain.”
       Results like this suggest that meditation may be a good first
       therapy for treating chronic pain, says Dr. Zeidan, especially
       since revised guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control
       and Prevention recommend that doctors treat chronic pain
       initially without drugs or with non-opioid pain relievers such
       as ibuprofen. “Meditation is also an excellent supplement in
       situations where opioids need to be prescribed,” says Dr.
       Zeidan. “The hope is that patients who also meditate won't have
       to increase the dosage as their bodies get used to these
       medications.”
       Boost Memory And Cognition
       People with neurologic conditions such as Parkinson's or
       Alzheimer's disease experience depression, memory loss, and
       cognitive problems. But meditation may help mitigate some of
       those effects, according to a small 2016 study published in the
       Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. When adults with mild cognitive
       impairment (MCI)—a precursor to dementia—practiced either Kirtan
       Kriya, a type of yoga meditation, for 12 minutes at home each
       day and attended a one-hour weekly Kundalini yoga class or did
       memory enhancement exercises, those who practiced meditation and
       yoga reported statistically significant lower rates of
       depression after 12 weeks than those who did memory enhancement
       exercises. Furthermore, yoga and meditation were as effective as
       memory enhancement training in improving visuospatial memory
       among older adults.
       Part of the effect may be due to the fact that people who
       meditate regularly have more gray matter in their brains as they
       age, says Dr. Cherbuin. “Gray matter is the part of the brain
       where neurons are located and where thinking occurs,” he says.
       In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in
       2015, Dr. Cherbuin examined the MRI brain scans of 100 people
       between the ages of 24 and 77, half of whom regularly practiced
       meditation (most days of the week for about 20 years, on
       average), and half of whom did not. He found that while both
       meditators and non-meditators showed age-related decline in
       brain matter, meditators showed a slightly lower rate of
       decline—a possible “brain protective” effect Dr. Cherbuin and
       his team refer to in the study.
       In another study published in Human Brain Mapping in 2013,
       researchers at UCLA compared 30 healthy meditators (people who
       had meditated for an average of 20 years) to 30 healthy
       non-meditators. They found that the meditation group had bigger
       hippocampi than the control group. “The hippocampus controls
       memory and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease, so it makes
       sense that meditation would improve memory and theoretically
       reduce the risk of dementia,” says Dr. Cherbuin. However, more
       research is necessary to determine whether meditation can
       prevent or delay dementia. “We still do not have any clear
       interventions to prevent Alzheimer's disease,” says Jennifer
       Rose Molano, MD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at the
       University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Ohio.
       Improve Sleep
       Sleep is imperative for good brain health. Research shows that
       people who sleep less than the recommended seven to eight hours
       each night have more trouble learning and more cognitive
       problems, according to the National Sleep Foundation. They also
       may be at greater risk for neurologic diseases such as stroke,
       Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. In addition, certain
       neurologic conditions such as Parkinson's disease and multiple
       sclerosis (MS) increase the risk of disruptive sleep.
       Again, mindfulness meditation may help. In a University of
       Southern California study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in
       2015, meditation improved sleep problems such as insomnia in
       adults over the age of 55.
       After just six weeks, people who practiced mindfulness
       meditation improved their sleep: Their scores on a sleep scale
       improved by 2.8 points, almost twice as much as a group that
       attended a six-week course on sleep hygiene during which they
       were encouraged to practice good sleep habits such as not
       napping during the day and establishing a relaxing regular
       bedtime routine. The meditators also reported less fatigue and
       depression. “So much of insomnia is tied to stress: People can't
       fall asleep because their minds are racing,” says Alexander
       Mauskop, MD, FAAN, director of the New York Headache Center.
       “But by focusing on your breathing and ignoring all other
       thoughts, you're creating an atmosphere where you can relax and
       fall asleep.” Practicing good sleep habits is still important
       for getting a good night's sleep, says Dr. Molano, who adds that
       meditation may help those who experience insomnia.
       Ease Migraine
       Evidence suggests that meditation may help mitigate migraine.
       In a 2014 pilot study published in the journal Headache, adults
       with migraine who followed an eight-week mindfulness-based
       stress reduction program that combined meditation and yoga for
       two hours a week plus one six-hour retreat experienced less
       overall disability and shorter migraines than those who didn't
       do the intervention.
       “Meditation stops the brain from being overactive, which may in
       turn slow down the pain messages bombarding brain cells,” says
       Dr. Mauskop. “The brain also seems to change its structure with
       meditation: Some research shows an increased thickness in the
       temporal lobe, the part of the brain that processes pain. As a
       result, you may be able to improve your tolerance of migraine
       attacks.”
       Fight Depression
       Depression and neurologic disease often go hand in hand: 50
       percent of people with Parkinson's disease, for example,
       experience some form of depression during their illness,
       according to the Parkinson's Foundation. But new research
       suggests that meditation may help ease depression. A study
       published in 2016 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that
       people who followed a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which
       trains the brain to deal with negative emotions using meditation
       techniques, were 31 percent less likely to experience a
       depression relapse over 60 weeks than people who did not
       practice the therapy. A 2014 review of 47 studies published in
       JAMA Internal Medicine found that daily meditation modestly
       improves symptoms of anxiety and depression.
       Add exercise to the mix and meditation's effect is even greater.
       A 2016 Rutgers University study published in the journal
       Translational Psychiatry found that people who participated in a
       program combining meditation and aerobic exercise —in which they
       practiced seated meditation for 20 minutes, followed by 10
       minutes of meditation while walking slowly, followed by a
       30-minute cardiovascular workout—reduced symptoms of depression
       by nearly 40 percent.
       Start Now
       The positive effects of meditation on the brain appear to occur
       fairly quickly. When people meditated every day for eight weeks,
       they showed changes in parts of their brain such as the
       hippocampus, the cortex, and the amygdala (the center of
       emotional behaviors in the brain), similar to people who had
       been meditating for years, according to a 2016 study published
       in the journal Brain & Cognition.“People have this idea that you
       have to practice for hours and do it for years, but the reality
       is it's never too late to start,” says Dr. Cherbuin.
       Gwenn Herman agrees. “I didn't realize that if I did it for only
       five or 10 minutes I would see benefits. I have become so good
       at it now that I can do it without even realizing it. As soon as
       my pain gets to a certain level, I start to breathe deeply,
       close my eyes, and automatically go into a meditative state,”
       she says. Herman says she visualizes stretching her neck or
       imagines a soothing ice pack placed on the area to melt pain
       away. “Within minutes, my agony disappears.”
       Meditation: How To Get Started
       Meditation is accessible to anyone, even people with neurologic
       diseases or who are recovering from a stroke. “You can do it in
       a wheelchair, you can do it in a hospital bed—you can do it
       anywhere,” says Alexander Mauskop, MD, FAAN, director of the New
       York Headache Center.
       “You want to focus on one thing, whether it's a soft sound, your
       breathing, or a mantra you repeat over and over, for as long as
       possible, whether it's five or 50 minutes,” he explains. “As
       long as you ignore everything else, you'll calm your brain and
       experience benefits.”
       Here are three tips to get you started:
       PICK YOUR PLACE. You can sit comfortably in a chair or on a
       pillow and quietly chant “om” or stare at a candle. Or
       incorporate meditation into a walk by silently repeating a word
       such as “peace” with every step, says Amit Sood, MD, professor
       of medicine at Mayo Clinic and author of The Mayo Clinic Guide
       to Stress-Free Living (Da Capo Books, 2013). If you're in a
       hospital room, you could silently send each person who walks by
       a wish for his or her happiness and general well-being. This
       also calms the mind and replaces any negative feelings with
       positivity, which is healing. “After a few minutes, you'll start
       doing this automatically, and you'll find you've naturally
       entered a contemplative state,” says Dr. Sood.
       START SMALL. Most people meditate for three to five minutes when
       they first start, says Dr. Sood. You can try this simple
       exercise: Sit quietly, and as you breathe in, imagine your brain
       filling with light. Exhale. Breathe in again, imagining your
       heart filling with light, then exhale. Repeat, alternating
       between brain and heart for two to three minutes. Begin with
       five-minute sessions, and as you become more experienced and
       comfortable, gradually work your way up to 10, then 15, then 20
       minutes.
       FIND AN APP FOR GUIDANCE. Plenty of apps are available to keep
       you meditating and in the moment. And they can be useful for
       helping you get started and guiding you through your first
       meditation. They can also help you stick with it, says Dr.
       Mauskop. Many of these apps also allow you to set reminders on
       your phone to meditate at different points during the day, and
       some even text you daily doses of inspiration. (Just remember to
       turn your phone off once you start meditating, since you don't
       want to be distracted by pings.)
       Meditation Apps
       Calm (
  HTML http://calm.com
       )
       Headspace (
  HTML http://headspace.com
       )
       Mental Workout (
  HTML http://mentalworkout.com
       )
       Simple Habit Meditation (
  HTML http://bit.ly/SimpleHabit-Meditation
       )
       Smiling Mind App (
  HTML http://bit.ly/smiling-mind-app
       )
       Stop, Breathe & Think (
  HTML http://stopbreathethink.org
       ).
       #Post#: 20748--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: Hugss Date: June 16, 2018, 7:51 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       thanks for sharing
       [quote author=Pattya925 link=topic=887.msg20713#msg20713
       date=1529150464]Inner Peace
       Meditation may help alleviate pain, fatigue, and depression, and
       slow cognitive decline. We take a look at the evidence.
       [/quote]
       #Post#: 20792--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: KikaFleur Date: June 16, 2018, 8:42 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I use guided imagery which is a guided meditation. It helps a
       lot.
       #Post#: 20826--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest25 Date: June 16, 2018, 9:45 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [quote author=KikaFleur link=topic=887.msg20792#msg20792
       date=1529156557]
       I use guided imagery which is a guided meditation. It helps a
       lot.
       [/quote]
       I do too! There’s one I do at bedtime often.
       Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
       #Post#: 20827--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest25 Date: June 16, 2018, 9:45 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [quote author=Hugss link=topic=887.msg20748#msg20748
       date=1529153484]
       thanks for sharing
       [/quote]
       You’re welcome!
       Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
       #Post#: 20843--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest9 Date: June 16, 2018, 10:04 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [quote author=Pattya925 link=topic=887.msg20713#msg20713
       date=1529150464]
       Inner Peace
       Meditation may help alleviate pain, fatigue, and depression, and
       slow cognitive decline. We take a look at the evidence.
       Gwenn Herman experienced chronic pain for years after being
       involved in a car accident in 1996. “I developed a protruding
       disc in my neck that caused excruciating pain,” the 64-year-old
       resident of Tucson, AZ, recalls. “I tried
       everything—medications, injections, even surgery.” Eventually,
       Herman found relief through a mix of prescription pain relievers
       such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture, and
       meditation. “The latter truly saved me,” she says.
       About 8 percent of all American adults have tried meditation,
       which teaches people to be mindful of thoughts, feelings, and
       sensations in a nonjudgmental way, according to the National
       Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a division of
       the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The practice involves
       focusing on your breath or a word or phrase known as a mantra.
       When thoughts or feelings arise, you acknowledge them without
       judgment or reaction and return your attention to your original
       focus. Meditation can be done walking, sitting, or lying down.
       For years, reports of meditation's health benefits were
       anecdotal, but over the past three to five years solid research
       has emerged to support its proponents' claims.  “We now have
       sound evidence that meditating for as little as 20 to 30 minutes
       a day can alter the brain's function and structure in a positive
       way, decreasing pain, improving focus and memory, improving
       mood, and even influencing the effects of aging on the brain,”
       says Nicolas Cherbuin, PhD, director of the neuroimaging and
       brain lab at the Australian National University in Canberra. “We
       have MRI scans that show anatomic brain changes in people who
       meditate regularly—for example, increased gray matter and
       increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus, both of which
       improve memory and cognition.”
       Here, we identify six areas where meditation may help, either on
       its own or as an adjunct to other therapies.
       Curb Chronic Pain
       Research suggests that for managing chronic pain, mindfulness
       meditation may offer an alternative to potentially addictive
       medications such as opioids, or allow patients to lower the
       doses of these types of medication.  In a 2016 double-blind,
       randomized study published in the Journal of Neuroscience,
       meditation reduced feelings of pain by as much as 21 percent.
       Researchers divided 78 healthy volunteers into four groups: One
       group meditated for 20 minutes a day while taking naloxone, a
       drug that blocks opioid receptors; a second group meditated for
       20 minutes and was administered a saline placebo. Two more
       groups served as controls: One was administered naloxone alone;
       the other took just the saline placebo. Researchers then applied
       extreme heat (alternating between 95 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit)
       to participants' legs to simulate pain and asked them to rate
       the amount of pain they experienced. After four days, the first
       group's pain ratings decreased by 24 percent, while the second
       group's discomfort decreased by 21 percent. The other two
       groups, by comparison, reported an increase in pain.
       “We think meditation activates the prefrontal cortex, which in
       turn deactivates the thalamus, the part of the brain that acts
       as a gateway to pain,” says study author Fadel Zeidan, PhD,
       assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest
       School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. “Once the gateway is
       closed, pain decreases. Meditation also appears to use different
       brain pathways than opioids to block pain. This is significant
       for those who may have a tolerance to opiate-based drugs and are
       looking for a non-addictive way to relieve pain.”
       Results like this suggest that meditation may be a good first
       therapy for treating chronic pain, says Dr. Zeidan, especially
       since revised guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control
       and Prevention recommend that doctors treat chronic pain
       initially without drugs or with non-opioid pain relievers such
       as ibuprofen. “Meditation is also an excellent supplement in
       situations where opioids need to be prescribed,” says Dr.
       Zeidan. “The hope is that patients who also meditate won't have
       to increase the dosage as their bodies get used to these
       medications.”
       Boost Memory And Cognition
       People with neurologic conditions such as Parkinson's or
       Alzheimer's disease experience depression, memory loss, and
       cognitive problems. But meditation may help mitigate some of
       those effects, according to a small 2016 study published in the
       Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. When adults with mild cognitive
       impairment (MCI)—a precursor to dementia—practiced either Kirtan
       Kriya, a type of yoga meditation, for 12 minutes at home each
       day and attended a one-hour weekly Kundalini yoga class or did
       memory enhancement exercises, those who practiced meditation and
       yoga reported statistically significant lower rates of
       depression after 12 weeks than those who did memory enhancement
       exercises. Furthermore, yoga and meditation were as effective as
       memory enhancement training in improving visuospatial memory
       among older adults.
       Part of the effect may be due to the fact that people who
       meditate regularly have more gray matter in their brains as they
       age, says Dr. Cherbuin. “Gray matter is the part of the brain
       where neurons are located and where thinking occurs,” he says.
       In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in
       2015, Dr. Cherbuin examined the MRI brain scans of 100 people
       between the ages of 24 and 77, half of whom regularly practiced
       meditation (most days of the week for about 20 years, on
       average), and half of whom did not. He found that while both
       meditators and non-meditators showed age-related decline in
       brain matter, meditators showed a slightly lower rate of
       decline—a possible “brain protective” effect Dr. Cherbuin and
       his team refer to in the study.
       In another study published in Human Brain Mapping in 2013,
       researchers at UCLA compared 30 healthy meditators (people who
       had meditated for an average of 20 years) to 30 healthy
       non-meditators. They found that the meditation group had bigger
       hippocampi than the control group. “The hippocampus controls
       memory and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease, so it makes
       sense that meditation would improve memory and theoretically
       reduce the risk of dementia,” says Dr. Cherbuin. However, more
       research is necessary to determine whether meditation can
       prevent or delay dementia. “We still do not have any clear
       interventions to prevent Alzheimer's disease,” says Jennifer
       Rose Molano, MD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at the
       University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Ohio.
       Improve Sleep
       Sleep is imperative for good brain health. Research shows that
       people who sleep less than the recommended seven to eight hours
       each night have more trouble learning and more cognitive
       problems, according to the National Sleep Foundation. They also
       may be at greater risk for neurologic diseases such as stroke,
       Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. In addition, certain
       neurologic conditions such as Parkinson's disease and multiple
       sclerosis (MS) increase the risk of disruptive sleep.
       Again, mindfulness meditation may help. In a University of
       Southern California study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in
       2015, meditation improved sleep problems such as insomnia in
       adults over the age of 55.
       After just six weeks, people who practiced mindfulness
       meditation improved their sleep: Their scores on a sleep scale
       improved by 2.8 points, almost twice as much as a group that
       attended a six-week course on sleep hygiene during which they
       were encouraged to practice good sleep habits such as not
       napping during the day and establishing a relaxing regular
       bedtime routine. The meditators also reported less fatigue and
       depression. “So much of insomnia is tied to stress: People can't
       fall asleep because their minds are racing,” says Alexander
       Mauskop, MD, FAAN, director of the New York Headache Center.
       “But by focusing on your breathing and ignoring all other
       thoughts, you're creating an atmosphere where you can relax and
       fall asleep.” Practicing good sleep habits is still important
       for getting a good night's sleep, says Dr. Molano, who adds that
       meditation may help those who experience insomnia.
       Ease Migraine
       Evidence suggests that meditation may help mitigate migraine.
       In a 2014 pilot study published in the journal Headache, adults
       with migraine who followed an eight-week mindfulness-based
       stress reduction program that combined meditation and yoga for
       two hours a week plus one six-hour retreat experienced less
       overall disability and shorter migraines than those who didn't
       do the intervention.
       “Meditation stops the brain from being overactive, which may in
       turn slow down the pain messages bombarding brain cells,” says
       Dr. Mauskop. “The brain also seems to change its structure with
       meditation: Some research shows an increased thickness in the
       temporal lobe, the part of the brain that processes pain. As a
       result, you may be able to improve your tolerance of migraine
       attacks.”
       Fight Depression
       Depression and neurologic disease often go hand in hand: 50
       percent of people with Parkinson's disease, for example,
       experience some form of depression during their illness,
       according to the Parkinson's Foundation. But new research
       suggests that meditation may help ease depression. A study
       published in 2016 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that
       people who followed a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which
       trains the brain to deal with negative emotions using meditation
       techniques, were 31 percent less likely to experience a
       depression relapse over 60 weeks than people who did not
       practice the therapy. A 2014 review of 47 studies published in
       JAMA Internal Medicine found that daily meditation modestly
       improves symptoms of anxiety and depression.
       Add exercise to the mix and meditation's effect is even greater.
       A 2016 Rutgers University study published in the journal
       Translational Psychiatry found that people who participated in a
       program combining meditation and aerobic exercise —in which they
       practiced seated meditation for 20 minutes, followed by 10
       minutes of meditation while walking slowly, followed by a
       30-minute cardiovascular workout—reduced symptoms of depression
       by nearly 40 percent.
       Start Now
       The positive effects of meditation on the brain appear to occur
       fairly quickly. When people meditated every day for eight weeks,
       they showed changes in parts of their brain such as the
       hippocampus, the cortex, and the amygdala (the center of
       emotional behaviors in the brain), similar to people who had
       been meditating for years, according to a 2016 study published
       in the journal Brain & Cognition.“People have this idea that you
       have to practice for hours and do it for years, but the reality
       is it's never too late to start,” says Dr. Cherbuin.
       Gwenn Herman agrees. “I didn't realize that if I did it for only
       five or 10 minutes I would see benefits. I have become so good
       at it now that I can do it without even realizing it. As soon as
       my pain gets to a certain level, I start to breathe deeply,
       close my eyes, and automatically go into a meditative state,”
       she says. Herman says she visualizes stretching her neck or
       imagines a soothing ice pack placed on the area to melt pain
       away. “Within minutes, my agony disappears.”
       Meditation: How To Get Started
       Meditation is accessible to anyone, even people with neurologic
       diseases or who are recovering from a stroke. “You can do it in
       a wheelchair, you can do it in a hospital bed—you can do it
       anywhere,” says Alexander Mauskop, MD, FAAN, director of the New
       York Headache Center.
       “You want to focus on one thing, whether it's a soft sound, your
       breathing, or a mantra you repeat over and over, for as long as
       possible, whether it's five or 50 minutes,” he explains. “As
       long as you ignore everything else, you'll calm your brain and
       experience benefits.”
       Here are three tips to get you started:
       PICK YOUR PLACE. You can sit comfortably in a chair or on a
       pillow and quietly chant “om” or stare at a candle. Or
       incorporate meditation into a walk by silently repeating a word
       such as “peace” with every step, says Amit Sood, MD, professor
       of medicine at Mayo Clinic and author of The Mayo Clinic Guide
       to Stress-Free Living (Da Capo Books, 2013). If you're in a
       hospital room, you could silently send each person who walks by
       a wish for his or her happiness and general well-being. This
       also calms the mind and replaces any negative feelings with
       positivity, which is healing. “After a few minutes, you'll start
       doing this automatically, and you'll find you've naturally
       entered a contemplative state,” says Dr. Sood.
       START SMALL. Most people meditate for three to five minutes when
       they first start, says Dr. Sood. You can try this simple
       exercise: Sit quietly, and as you breathe in, imagine your brain
       filling with light. Exhale. Breathe in again, imagining your
       heart filling with light, then exhale. Repeat, alternating
       between brain and heart for two to three minutes. Begin with
       five-minute sessions, and as you become more experienced and
       comfortable, gradually work your way up to 10, then 15, then 20
       minutes.
       FIND AN APP FOR GUIDANCE. Plenty of apps are available to keep
       you meditating and in the moment. And they can be useful for
       helping you get started and guiding you through your first
       meditation. They can also help you stick with it, says Dr.
       Mauskop. Many of these apps also allow you to set reminders on
       your phone to meditate at different points during the day, and
       some even text you daily doses of inspiration. (Just remember to
       turn your phone off once you start meditating, since you don't
       want to be distracted by pings.)
       Meditation Apps
       Calm (
  HTML http://calm.com
       )
       Headspace (
  HTML http://headspace.com
       )
       Mental Workout (
  HTML http://mentalworkout.com
       )
       Simple Habit Meditation (
  HTML http://bit.ly/SimpleHabit-Meditation
       )
       Smiling Mind App (
  HTML http://bit.ly/smiling-mind-app
       )
       Stop, Breathe & Think (
  HTML http://stopbreathethink.org
       ).
       [/quote]
       Thanks for sharing! I live meditating and also yoga!
       #Post#: 25149--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest15 Date: June 24, 2018, 1:31 am
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       Awesome post thanks for sharing.
       #Post#: 25179--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest25 Date: June 24, 2018, 5:29 am
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       [quote author=Powermomof2 link=topic=887.msg20843#msg20843
       date=1529161489]
       Thanks for sharing! I live meditating and also yoga!
       [/quote]
       You’re welcome!
       Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
       #Post#: 25180--------------------------------------------------
       Re: More reasons to Meditate - Check out the links!
       By: guest25 Date: June 24, 2018, 5:30 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [quote author=deltathree link=topic=887.msg25149#msg25149
       date=1529821894]
       Awesome post thanks for sharing.
       [/quote]
       You’re welcome!
       Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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