Meditation - Even a Little Helps - Ukiyoe - Genji Monogatari Musee Saint Remi

You don’t have to be a monk.

Scientific literature is brimming with research showing that transcendental meditation literally changes the structure of the human brain, at least among persons who practice “mindfulness,” as it is sometimes called, for many years.

But new research shows that even 20 minutes a day, four days a week, can produce an impressive increase in critical cognitive skills.

“Simply stated, the profound improvements that we found after just four days of meditation training are really surprising,” psychologist Fadel Zeidan said in releasing the study. “It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation.”

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Zeiden led the study while finishing his doctoral studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is now a researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Benefits Unlikely to Last Long Unless You Keep at It

If other scientists replicate his work, it means it may not be necessary to lock yourself in a closet for hours at a time to benefit from this Far Eastern therapy.

That said, however, this research does not suggest that more would not be better, and Zeidan cautioned that while a modest effort can produce big results, they are not likely to last long unless you keep it up over an extensive period of time. Like years.

And while there are many books out there explaining “do-it-yourself” techniques, the participants in the North Carolina study were trained professionally, although for a total of only 80 minutes. Those who received the training were as much as 10 times better in their ability to remain focused on a subject while retaining other information.

All 63 participants were students, and only 49 completed the experiment, suggesting this may not be as easy as it sounds. The students were divided into two groups, and all were subjected to a broad range of behavioral tests on mood, memory, visual attention, and vigilance. Then one group listened to a reading of J.R.R. Tolkein’s “The Hobbit.”

Meditation Training Was Basic Buddhist Meditation

The other group received the meditation training for an equivalent period of time.

The two groups were equal on the behavioral tests at the beginning of the experiment. Both scored about the same on mood testing in the second phase, but the students who received the meditation training scored significantly higher on cognitive tests.

In one test, students were shown an image, called a stimulus, on a computer monitor and told to identify it every time the stimulus appeared. If they got it right, the images would speed up, making it more difficult.

The students who received the meditation training averaged about 10 consecutive correct answers while the group that listened to the reading averaged only about one.

The training itself was pretty basic Buddhist meditation. Participants were told to relax, keep their eyes closed, and focus on the flow of their breath at the tip of their nose. If their thoughts strayed, they were instructed to note the thoughts, and resume concentrating on their breath.

Sounds preposterous, right? Why would something that simple change the brain?

Meditation Changes Structure of the Brain, Research Shows

Meditation - Use a Gong Meditation Timer for Your Practice

Numerous studies by very serious scientists show at least partly why it works, at least over the long haul.

— Buddhist Insight meditation, practiced 40 minutes a day, literally changed the structure of the brain, according to a study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That 2005 study was based on functional magnetic resonance imaging that showed an increase in thickness of regions of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing. The changes are expected to be “long lasting,” the researchers said.

— Brain imaging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008 showed that brain circuits used to detect emotions and feelings were “dramatically changed” in subjects who had extensive experience practicing compassion meditation. That suggests we can train ourselves to be compassionate, much like we train to play a musical instrument. The participants in this study, by the way, were Tibetan monks with at least 10,000 hours of meditation.

— Can it reduce pain? Yes, according to research in London involving 12 monks with 30 years experience. Brain scans showed the monks had a 40 to 50 percent lower brain response to pain than 12 persons who had no training in transcendental meditation. But here’s the surprising finding. When the 12 untrained persons were trained for five months, they also lowered their pain response by a comparable 40-50 percent.

Continued Practice Needed for Long-Term Stable Changes

Numerous other studies have shown real physical changes ranging from enhanced immunity to a slowing of the aging-related atrophy of some areas of the brain.

So this is big stuff, but in a telephone interview Zeidan offered a few words of caution.

“By no means will four days of practice be it. This just suggests that the effect of meditation can be directly perceived and there are some short term benefits,” he said.

“We were really surprised with the findings. There are some dramatic differences in cognition, but it’s kind of like going to the gym and working on a bicep. You go to the gym four days and you might be sore, there might be some muscle strength increase, but that’s it. If you stop, your muscle is going to go back.

“So you have to continue to practice to experience more long term stable changes,” he added. But you don’t have to become a monk.

adapted from worldnewsreport.com by Lee Dye

As beautiful to see as it is to hear, the Zen Timepiece is also a decorative accessory that adds elegance to any room. Its wood platform (available in cherry or maple) is designed to be positioned either with the clock’s digital display to the front, or turned around, with the bowl-gong in the front. Although the clock looks good both ways, when the digital display is turned to the back it accentuates the clock’s natural theme and helps reduce the visual clutter of electronic modernity in one’s interior environment.

Gong Meditation Timer for Your Stillness Practice

At a suggested retail price of $199.95, it may be the world’s most expensive alarm clock, but according to Steve McIntosh, it’s definitely worth it: “Waking up in the morning is a metaphor for life, and anything that adds grace and beauty to this daily process is a good investment. When you use the Zen Timepiece it’s like waking up in a Zen temple.”

Visit our Gong Meditation Store - Boulder, CO

Now & Zen – The Gong Meditation Store

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Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock - Elegant Women. Courtesy of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum

Ask yourself: What health-related effects of stress have you already noticed in your life?

If you haven’t considered (or you’ve chosen to ignore) the harmful effects that stress can have on your mind and body, you’re overlooking a major threat to your well-being.

Taking a long, hard look at the potential consequences of unrelenting, unaddressed anxiety can help us realize that we need to make a change, before it’s too late.

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clocks and Timers with Acoustic Chimes

Start a Meditation Practice:

Although meditation can be done in almost any context, practitioners usually employ a quiet, tranquil space, a meditation cushion or bench, and some kind of timing device to time the meditation session.  Ideally, the more these accoutrements can be integrated the better.  Thus, it is conducive to a satisfying meditation practice to have a timer or clock that is tranquil and beautiful.

Using a kitchen timer or beeper watch is less than ideal.  And it was with these considerations in mind that we designed our digital Zen Alarm Clock and practice timer.  This unique “Zen Clock” features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings the meditation session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal.

Soothing Sounds Timers and Alarm Clocks with Chime

Now & Zen – The Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

The Zen Timepiece can serve as a mindfulness bell

Little by little, meditation is shedding its image as a strange spiritual discipline practiced by monks and ascetics in Asia. Gwyneth Paltrow meditates. Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of the rock band Weezer, meditates. David Lynch — his movies are strange, but he is strangely normal — meditates. Meditation has helped recent military veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Beyond celebrities and the military, there’s science. A growing body of research shows that meditation has a discernible effect on the brain that promotes various types of health and well-being.

Anyone interested may need to surmount the final hurdle: the assumption that meditation is hard, time-consuming, painful or complicated. Or religious. While there are lots of different kinds of meditation — from transcendental meditation to Zen — experts and health organizations such as the National Institutes of Health agree a beginner need not bother grappling with them. Meditation is simple and easy, and everyone can do it and benefit from it. Here are some tips:

Find some free time — at least 20 minutes — and as calm and quiet a place as you can. Meditating with interruptions from your BlackBerry or your computer doesn’t really work.

Buddha

Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Some traditions use physical positions — mudras, in Sanskrit — in meditation. The most famous is sitting on the ground in the lotus position, i.e., Indian style. If you are comfortable sitting this way for longer than a few minutes, fine. If not, sit in a chair.

Don’t just do something, sit there — to quote the title of a well-known book on meditation by Sylvia Boorstein. Don’t launch immediately into what you think meditation is. Let your mind and body settle for a minute or so. Life is stressful enough; don’t make meditation stressful and rushed.

Pick something and gently center your attention on it. It can be your breathing, which works well because of its easy, natural rhythm. It can be an image, mental or physical — one can meditate with eyes open or closed, whichever works. It can be a mantra, a sound or word that you repeat in your mind or with your voice. “Om” — with most of your time resting on that nice m sound — is the most famous.

When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the thing you picked.

When your mind wanders again, gently bring it back to the thing you picked. The mind is a wandering machine. Meditation is not having an empty mind; it’s gently quieting your mind using the technique of concentrating on one thing. Over the time you sit, you will likely notice your mind getting a bit quieter.

When your mind wanders again, gently bring it back to the thing you picked. The key word is gently. Meditation is a simple technique, but it’s also an approach, a way of being. People, especially Americans, tend to worry about doing it right. Worrying about doing it right is the one wrong way to meditate. Don’t be angry or frustrated with your mind or yourself.

Gently close your meditation when you wish or need to. The idea is relaxation and reducing stress, remember? Make it smooth, not jarring. Let the relaxation you cultivated breathe a bit before going on to the next thing in your day.

Repeat as needed. Meditation works best when it’s done regularly and over a long period. That doesn’t have to mean for hours every day. It can be once every other day for 20 minutes. Many meditaters refer to their “practice.” Its benefits happen, and happen more deeply, when it’s something you do regularly for some time.

The Zen Timepiece - a Singing Bowl Meditation Timer and Clock

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation Timer.  It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.

adapted from worldnews.com by Edward Lovett

Singing Bowl Meditation Timer called The Zen Timepiece

Now & Zen – The Singing Bowl Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Soothing Sound Timer and Alarm Clock - Harunobu Suzuki, Beauty at the Veranda

In the yogic tradition, breath is the foundation of all life, the sustaining connection between body and spirit. A telling indicator of health and mood, breath puts us in closer touch with ourselves on every level. Through pranayama, or breath control, we can manage our emotions, gain clarity — and take greater control of our lives. “The way you breathe is a metaphor for the way you live your life,” says Amy Weintraub, Kripalu yoga-teacher mentor and author of Yoga for Depression. “Are you taking little sips of breath as though you don’t deserve to take up space on the planet, or are you breathing full and standing tall?” Try this pranayama exercise once a day or whenever you need to.

Ocean-Sounding Victory Breath
This calming breath, also known as ujjayi breath, has a settling effect on the central nervous system while increasing mental alertness and clarity — making it very effective for those suffering from anxiety and depression, says Weintraub. “Even three ujjayi breaths can cause a complete paradigm shift in your mood. This is a great exercise to do before meditation or anytime to help reduce stress.”

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1. Inhale through your nostrils with a slight constriction at the back of your throat so the breath travels over the glottis, making a soft but audible sound. Think ocean waves rolling over pebbles. Imagine that you are actually breathing from the back of your throat.

2. Exhale through your nostrils, pulling the belly toward your spine. Empty your lungs completely. Begin again, slowly.

3. Continue to breathe deeply and audibly on the inhalation and exhalation. Allow the belly, the rib cage, and the upper chest to expand with each inhalation. Let the breath be like a lullaby to yourself.

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation Timer.  It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal.

Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.

adapted from body + soul, April/May 2005 Terri Trespicio

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock and Meditation Timer from Now & Zen, Inc.

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock & Timer Store

Now & Zen, Inc.

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Soothing Sounds Timer and Alarm Clock with Gentle Acoustic Chime

Breathing Exercise to Calm Down:

Of course, breathwork alone won’t magically resolve your issues. But it can bring you into greater awareness of your emotions before they sabotage your mood or behavior. And that alone may be worth it.

Calm Down: Slow Breath (three minutes)

What You’ll Need
A Zen Chime Timer; a folded blanket or firm cushion.

What It Does
This practice calms the mind and the central nervous system, helping put the brakes on a frenzied pace. “When you slow your breathing down, you slow your life down,” says Strom. Plus, it can spark your creativity. “I’ve had students stop in the middle of class and grab a pen. When the mind chatter stops, the ideas fly in.”

How To Do It
Set your Zen Timer & Clock for three minutes so you don’t have to keep track. Be sure to keep your spine erect. (Slouching can inhibit deep breathing.)

-Begin to lengthen the inhalation and exhalation (breathing slowly through your nose). First try inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of four, then lengthen (aim for a count of seven on the in breath and seven on the out breath).
-Be careful not to hold your breath. You want to slow it down, not stop it.
-When the timer goes off, return to a normal breathing pace.

Soothing Sounds Time with Gentle Chime

Soothing Sounds Timer & Alarm Clock by Now & Zen

Now & Zen – The Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Kiyonaga Torii, Bonsai Vendor - Soothing Sound Alarm Clock & Timer from Now & Zen, Inc.

With your heart open and your breath flowing, make a choice to fully regain your sense of well-being and empowerment. Expand your attention to include full-body awareness by saying to yourself: “I’m aware of my whole body at once, here in this present moment.”

On any given day, you likely feel spontaneous moments of peace that arise when you’re watching children play, for instance, or exercising or witnessing a beautiful sunset. This step of the sequence helps you consciously initiate this relaxing feeling so you feel whole and in the moment by choice rather than by chance. After all, the things you focus on help create your mood — and what you focus on is up to you. By waking up to the present moment, you regain your sense of well-being and control. As Selby explains, “You can shift from being the victim of your mood swings to being the victor.”

Meditation for an Uplifted Mood

Meditation 101:

adapted from Body + Soul, Jan/Feb 2007 by Terri Trespicio

Soothing Sound Alarm Clock & Timers by Now & Zen, Inc.

Now & Zen

The Soothing Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Eisen Keisai, Woman Getting out of a Mosquito Net - Soothing Sounds Alarm Clocks by Now & Zen

Power Hara Breathing Exercise:

The yogis understood the connection between breath and power. This energizing breath combines a spinal twist and vocal sounds to release tension and build energy. For an even more invigorating experience, try this breathing exercise outside first thing in the morning.

1. Bring your hands to your shoulders with your elbows pointed out. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width.

2. Twist to the left as you inhale, filling your lungs halfway, and then twist to the right as you complete the inhalation.

3. Twist left as you exhale, making a powerful “ha” sound as you extend your right arm forcefully to the left, like a punch.

4. Twist right to finish exhaling, again with a “ha,” punching your left arm out to the right. Make the vocal sound from deep in your gut, not just from your throat.

5. Practice 10 full rounds, then relax, arms by your sides. Close your eyes; feel your awakened energy. Breathe normally.

Body and soul in balance - Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock by Now & Zen

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation Timer.  It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock with Chime

Now & Zen’s Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Mediative Snorkeling

I am, for lack of a better term, a meditation dropout. Oh, I’ve tried it all: the standard legs-crossed, deep-breathing variety (which made me stir-crazy after a few endless minutes); Pilates classes (where I managed to pull a muscle just learning to breathe properly); and t’ai chi instruction (which ended with gentle reprimands by my instructor that walking meditation was not a form of aerobic exercise). They all left me anxious and restless. I couldn’t let go and simply be present in the moment—a hallmark of my type-A personality. That all changed on a Caribbean vacation. There, I inadvertently learned even action-obsessed people like me can achieve satori.

Now, you may think that just being on a serene beach relaxing should help instill a meditative state. Not so for someone who every day had proudly recited the mantra “Go, go, go, faster, faster, faster.” But the morning I donned a snorkeling mask and submerged into the quiet, mystical world beneath the sea, my life began to change. I can still feel the magic of that first glimpse: a bright red starfish, a giant spotted ray gliding by like a bird in flight, and hundreds of silversides swimming in synchronized motion. It transported me to another realm.

Immersed in beauty, color, and silence, I was forced not to move too much or too suddenly, or the creatures around me would scatter. For the first time ever, I could be still. Minutes slipped away unnoticed, as the simple cadence of breathing in and breathing out became stronger and stronger. Lost in a dreamy world where parrot fish, barracuda, and even sea turtles swam by me as if I were invisible, I learned that submitting completely to silence brings an exhilarating, nerve-tingling rush.

Now, back in Pennsylvania, whenever I feel stressed, I lie down, set my Meditative Chime Timer by Now & Zen,  and visualize that moment when I place my face in the water and hear only the gentle waves breaking on the shore as I breathe deeply and glide ever so smoothly through warm, clear water filled with beauty. Breathing in and breathing out, I float and meditate while angelfish lead the way.

adapted from Natural Solutions, March 2007 by Vickit McIntyre

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Now & Zen’s Chime Timer Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

mind-body therapies help your heart

Research shows that the stress-inflammation cycle is as detrimental to your heart as a plate full of the cheesiest fettuccine Alfredo. “Stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, cause the arteries to constrict, which results in a rise in blood pressure and decrease in blood flow,” Moyad explains. Less blood flow means less oxygen circulating through the body to combat free radicals—unstable cells that can damage healthy tissues. “We know now that bad LDL cholesterol only becomes threatening when levels get so high that it binds with free radicals,” Moyad says. When this happens, LDL changes structure and gets absorbed by the arterial walls’ lining, resulting in plaque buildup, or atherosclerosis. Such tissue damage causes the immune system to go into overdrive, triggering inflammation. Reduce your risk with effective mind-body therapies like meditation, yoga, exercise or massage.

The Digital Zen Clock & Meditation Timer serves as a countdown and interval timer for yoga, meditation, bodywork, etc.; and it can also be set to chime on the hour as a tool for “mindfulness.”

adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine, January 2010 by Kate Hanley

bamboo meditation timer and natural alarm clock with gentle chime

Now & Zen’s Clock and Meditation Timer Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383