An interesting study crossed my path this week: from a team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Read study release. The Max Planck Society, which supports the Max Planck Institute (in all there are 84 such institutes), supports research in science and technology, with 33 Nobel Prizes awarded to their scientist, and widely […]
Australian Meditation Conference
This coming weekend .. I will be filling my cup with meditation! I am attending the weekend-long Australian Meditation Conference being held in Melbourne with the theme Meditation and Society. Presented by the Meditation Association of Australia the conference: “provides a platform for collaborative dialogue between a wide range of speakers interested in the philosophies and applications of […]
Smiling Reduces Stress
A recent study found that the old adage ‘grin and bear it’ has some merit .. suggesting that smiling is not just an important nonverbal indicator of happiness, but also that a wishful promotion of smiling can be a tonic for life’s stressful events. A research study conducted by Tara Kraft from the University of […]
Mindfulness At The Front-Line
I recently answered a call for meditation instruction for a very specific group .. emergency service workers, first-responders, those at the front line! This group was described as “hardened grizzled coppers?” As the mother of a soon-to-be paramedic .. I have a very personal interest in doing what I can to support the emotional and mental […]
Metta (Loving Kindness) Meditation
An excellent article today from The Greater Good Science Centre which is based at the University of California, Berkeley. The centre sponsors scientific research into social and emotional well-being and earlier this year I enjoyed some excellent online studies with their Positive Psychology school. Todays article introduced some recent research on how self-compassion practices can […]
Meditation Research Update
Brain changes that link mindfulness meditation with health-related benefits New research from Carnegie Mellon University provides a window into the brain changes that link mindfulness meditation training with health in stressed adults. Published in Biological Psychiatry, the study shows that mindfulness meditation training, compared to relaxation training, reduces Interleukin-6, an inflammatory health biomarker, in high-stress, […]
Meditation to Ease Stress
An excellent TEDEd video crossed my path this morning .. with a very clear and insightful understanding of Stress and showing how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes. Just before Christmas, an article in The Financial Review espoused the benefits of […]
12 Minute Daily Meditation For Improved ...
As part of my studies for the McLean Meditation Teacher Certificate Program I have been voraciously reading and mentally digesting some truly amazing books. One book that I am sure I would never have found (or thought I would enjoy so much), is How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D. Mind-blowing (yes, funny […]