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How do we cultivate a thriving human? Is is happiness? Material or Spiritual gain? Health? Can we all thrive as humans while death and disease remain throughout the world?
As researchers, we know that the brain can be trained to dwell in a constructive range: contentment instead of craving, calm rather than agitation, compassion in place of hatred. Medicines are the leading modality in the West for addressing disturbing emotions, and for better or for worse, there is no doubt that mood-altering pills have brought solace to millions. But one compelling question the research [with meditators] raises is whether a person, through his or her own efforts, can bring about lasting positive changes in brain function that are even more far-reaching than medication in their impact on emotions. – Dan Goleman
Unlike depression, which often sends us into a tailspin, positive emotions create an upward spiral “by building resilience and influencing the ways people cope with adversity” – Matthieu Ricard
The NY Times just published a story concerning the urging of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to involve Tibetan monks with Western Science. In a time where “mindfulness” is trendy everywhere, it is important to study the rigors of Buddhist science/epistomology of the mind and the benefits of long-term contemplative practitioners
check it out HERE
I don’t know how many details I will be writing about, but I thought I could set the stage as I scramble this evening to make the “to-do lists” that I haven’t already, finish some loose ends on an NIH challenge grant, check the weather in Dharamsala, Delhi, and the phase of moon.
Well here it is:
The moon first:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Today |
4 / 2
First Quarter
|
4 / 9
Full
|
4 / 17
Last Quarter
|
4 / 25
New
|
The full moon at the end of the meeting. Seems appropriate.
There surely is a stark contrast between the two cities in terms of weather:
Dharamsala’s 5-day forecast:
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
 66° F | 48° F
|
68° F | 51° F
|
 68° F | 53° F
|
71° F | 50° F
|
69° F | 50° F
|
| Chance of Rain
20% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of Rain
30% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of T-storms
40% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of Rain
20% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of Rain
20% chance of precipitation
|
Delhi’s 5-day forecast:
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
 91° F | 73° F
|
 93° F | 75° F
|
96° F | 69° F
|
 95° F | 73° F
|
96° F | 71° F
|
| Scattered Clouds | Partly Cloudy | Partly Cloudy | Clear | Partly Cloudy |
Project Welcome Home Troops provides training in trauma-relief practices to veterans and their families. Sponsored by the International Association for Human Values, (IAHV), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, humanitarian organization. IAHV has created and delivered service programs to millions of people from all walks of life, benefiting a wide range of social, economic and educational needs. Providing trauma relief has been a cornerstone of IAHV’s work including training thousands of individuals with PTSD in unique and highly effective stress-reduction programs.
The workshop teaches participants to perform a specialized set of breathing practices. They provide the greatest benefit when practiced regularly as a daily routine. They can also be used anytime to reduce anxiety, depression or emotional upset. Over time, regular practice promotes an accelerated calming response whenever the breath-work is initiated.
The workshop typically consists of 6 classes meeting 2½ -3 hours per day. After the workshop, participants are provided weekly group sessions which brings added benefit and supports their individual practice. Group sessions also allow participants to share their experiences with each another.
Check out the website HERE.
Emma Seppala a PhD candidate at the Stanford Psychophysiology Lab (PI: James Gross) states, “In sum, the studies mentioned provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of SKY practice on psycho-physiological indicators of stress and well-being. Although most of the studies conducted on SKY to date are pilot studies and therefore relatively small, effect sizes have been large and have reached statistical significance.”
If you are interested in the practice of Warrior Breath and how to incorporate it into your life or your studies, contact Emma at the Gross Lab HERE
The workshop was reported on in the article in the Stanford Daily May 17, 2007 HERE and a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry HERE.
Februrary, 2004 – Monterrey, CA – Matthieu talks about habits of Happiness
more about " Matthieu Ricard: Habits of happiness…", posted with vodpod
JKZ speaks to Google audience on MBSR and its benefits to society – March 8, 2007
more about "John Kabat-Zinn: Mindfulness Stress R…", posted with vodpod
There has been a lot of research now supporting the role of meditation in Cognitive processes like Attention, Working memory, and Affect or Emotion Regulation.
1. Here is the link for a report from the NCAAM website reporting on the Attentional Blink phenonmenon and how it may be affected by long-term meditation practice. A 2008 PLoS Biology article from the Davidson lab, by Heleen Slagter can be found HERE.
2. Another article, “Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation”, by the Davidson lab that made the cover of TICS (Trends in Cognitive Science) is a 2008 TICS paper by Antoine Lutz. You can find it HERE.
April 2008 cover of Trends in Cognitive Science
The NIH has been putting together resources for research scientists who are interested in studying the effects of meditation. Click HERE for the link or just go to: http://obssr.od.nih.gov/Content/BSSRCC/Meetings/Minutes/NIH_Contacts.htm
It is part of the office of behavioral science research
Check out this article by NIH NCCAM about meditation. Click Here.
NCCAM thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of this publication: Michael Baime, M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Richard Davidson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Robert Schneider, M.D., Maharishi University of Management; and Catherine Stoney, Ph.D., Margaret Chesney, Ph.D., and Jack Killen, M.D., of NCCAM
This Blog will serve to provide a cyber space for news dedicated to contempaltive research in the cognitive neurosciences, clinical sciences, developmental and social and health psychology, and education. Please contact me at dvago@mindandlife.org if you have news that is relevant to the study of mind in life.
You can also see what types of contemplative science research is being supported by the Mind and Life Institute at: mindandlife.org and investigatingthemind.org
http://mindandlife.org
Namaste,
Dave Vago
