Meditation News and Research

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The term meditation refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention. Most of them are rooted in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years.

Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings as a form of mind-body medicine. Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.

MWellA online community promotes awareness on mental disorders

Mental health is a hot button issue in today's society. People worry about the safety, cost, and multiple side-effects of anti-depressants and other psychoactive medications. Everyone wants to find peace of mind, contentment and happiness, but for many this struggle can prove overwhelming. Author and world organic food movement pioneer Paul Huljich addresses this issue in a Ning community he created for his organization MWellA (Mind Wellness Awareness)

24 Aug 2010

University of Pennsylvania announces recipients of 2010 Templeton Positive Neuroscience Awards

The Positive Psychology Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the John Templeton Foundation have announced the recipients of the 2010 Templeton Positive Neuroscience Awards, $2.9 million given to 15 new research projects at the intersection of neuroscience and positive psychology.

5 Aug 2010

Life Time Fitness plans to open LifePower Yoga studio in Minnesota

Life Time Fitness, Inc. today announced plans to open its first LifePower Yoga studio in Minnesota. With a planned August 2010 opening, the new location will mark Life Time's 25th center in Minnesota, and its first dedicated solely to yoga and pilates. The company already operates two LifePower studios: LifePower at Pima Crossing, in Scottsdale, Arizona, and LifePower Phoenix.

30 Jul 2010

Explicit differences exist between meditation techniques

As doctors increasingly prescribe meditation to patients for stress-related disorders, scientists are gaining a better understanding of how different techniques from Buddhist, Chinese, and Vedic traditions produce different results.

21 Jul 2010

CME announces conference on mind-body connection in psychiatric disorders

CME LLC announces Treating the Whole Patient: The Mind-Body Connection in Psychiatric Disorders, a one-day educational conference for professionals to be held on August 14, 2010, at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California. Leading mental health experts Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, Jon W. Draud, MD, MS, Vladimir Maletic, MD, and Charles Raison, MD will review the most recent developments concerning the relationship between mental and physical health conditions and explore the concept of Wellness.

7 Jul 2010

Yoga and meditation in Western medicine

Meditation and deep breathing techniques, as a form of relaxation, have been in use for thousands of years. However, in the unique new book Pranayama (published by AuthorHouse), author Dr. Ravinder Jerath presents explanations and illustrations to more easily and succinctly explain exactly how meditation and deep breathing techniques beneficially affect the human body.

18 Jun 2010

Meditation-based therapies benefit patients with chronic pain

People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found.

2 Jun 2010

Maternal stretching and meditation keep expecting mothers healthy during pregnancy: AAOS

Perfect for mind and body rejuvenation, yoga uses meditation and aligning movements to encourage fitness and relaxation. This low-impact fitness alternative allows pregnant women to continue an exercise regimen without putting strain on their heart or harming the baby.

18 May 2010

Pain rehabilitation programs can help patients break the cycle of worsening pain: Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Chronic pain -- whether from headaches, back pain or conditions such as fibromyalgia -- can interfere with work, day-to-day activities and relationships. All too often, pain relief treatments are ineffective and can lead to a downward spiral of frustration, decreased functioning, stress, isolation -- and worsening pain.

13 May 2010

New film on depression, drugs and alternative paths to better mental health

A new film on depression, drugs and alternative paths to better mental health will premiere Wednesday, May 12th at UltraStar Cinemas in Del Mar, CA. An answer to the pharmaceutical industry's media blitz, Living Life Films' "Changing Our Minds" questions society's values while revealing interesting and disturbing truths about psychiatry and the drug industry.

6 May 2010

Difference between grief and depression

"A son is a son till he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all her life," goes the old Irish saying. Though there is an extraordinary bond between every mother and child there is something unique about the relationship between a mother and daughter

4 May 2010

New additions to NewReality's extensive library of personal improvement

NewReality, the world's leading weight loss supplier of NXT™ format technology for recorded audio material, announced today the newest additions to its extensive library of personal improvement and advanced learning topics. The new programs include: stress reduction; weight loss; smoking cessation; and golf improvement.

13 Apr 2010

Transcendental Meditation may reduce symptoms of depression

The Transcendental Meditation- technique may be an effective approach to reduce symptoms of depression, according to two new studies to be presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle, Washington April 9th, 2010.

8 Apr 2010

Meditation to replace traumatic court visits for abuse kids

The Australian Government is discussing the introduction of meditation as a means to reduce psychological trauma to children who are abused or have to sit through court sessions. The trauma that a child at risk of abuse or other legal conflicts undergoes has been long debated and often accepted as a bitter truth.

1 Apr 2010

Rebooting and reprogramming the brain

Does the brain you were born with have to be the brain you end up with? If you can improve the function of every major organ in the body, why can't you upgrade the function of your brain? Those fundamental questions were the motivation that led Kelly Howell to create Brain Sync.

31 Mar 2010

IDT: Military application of Transcendental Meditation for preventing war and terrorism

A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science, recently published a paper titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising-Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation technique has merit. The paper discusses how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation- and TM-Sidhi- program, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as a non-religious and scientifically verified way to prevent war and terrorism. When used in a military context, these meditation practices are known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).

23 Mar 2010

Treatment options available for GAD

A little worry is normal, but people who constantly worry about daily concerns, even when times are good, may have generalized anxiety disorder.

22 Mar 2010

Mental activity during meditation is wakeful and relaxed, says study

Forget about crystals, candles, Eastern philosophy, and about sitting and breathing in awkward ways. Meditation research explores how the brain works when we refrain from concentration, rumination and intentional thinking.

20 Mar 2010

Meditation and walking can help lower BP and heart rate

Simple, low-cost measures such as wearing a pedometer to inspire walking and spending a few minutes a day meditating can put adolescents on the track toward better health, researchers report.

16 Mar 2010

Meditation reduces anxiety, promotes pain relief

Meditation has analgesic benefits associated with creating a relaxed state of mind and enhancing the ability to moderate reactions to pain, according to new research published in The Journal of Pain, the peer review publication of the American Pain Society.

16 Mar 2010