It was so cute! I watched a little, three-year-old girl, in swimsuit and towel, toddling down the path toward the beach. With her first glance at the sun gleaming across the Great Lake, she exclaimed with a dramatic, full-body gasp, “It’s sooo beautiful!”
I do the same thing, though less exuberant and much less cute.
I do the same thing, though less exuberant and much less cute.
Sun and water attract us, in part, because they are vital to our survival. They’re necessary. They’re beautiful. We know we need them, so we attend to them at the deepest level.
A recent article looks at research into how different forms of meditation improve different ways we exercise deep attention. Each meditative form addresses its own cognitive mechanisms and targets different networks in the brain. Not surprisingly, researchers found that many of these forms of meditation exist in traditional practices across the globe.
While the science is new, the practice is not. For generation upon generation across the globe, spiritual practices have included various forms of meditation – quieting, clearing, and opening our minds. Those who engage these practices experience focus, clarity, calm, and emotional stability.
I’m grateful that science is helping to bring this into mainstream understanding. In fact, it’s difficult to find a current business journal that doesn’t proclaim the benefits of mindfulness or meditative practices, and many corporations encourage these practices (they improve productivity!).
Yet, with all its mind-blowing wonderment, science does not need to prove the benefits of intentional quiet, of meditation, or of contemplation. We already know that.
It’s why we gather at the beach for a sunset, stare at cloud formations, gaze at the landscape, as well as consider, puzzle, mull, muse, ruminate, reflect, dwell, and absorb.
We do this because, deep down, we know what we need.
Quote
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao-Tzu
Web
Here’s the article on how different forms of meditation may improve well-being (read now)
A recent article looks at research into how different forms of meditation improve different ways we exercise deep attention. Each meditative form addresses its own cognitive mechanisms and targets different networks in the brain. Not surprisingly, researchers found that many of these forms of meditation exist in traditional practices across the globe.
While the science is new, the practice is not. For generation upon generation across the globe, spiritual practices have included various forms of meditation – quieting, clearing, and opening our minds. Those who engage these practices experience focus, clarity, calm, and emotional stability.
I’m grateful that science is helping to bring this into mainstream understanding. In fact, it’s difficult to find a current business journal that doesn’t proclaim the benefits of mindfulness or meditative practices, and many corporations encourage these practices (they improve productivity!).
Yet, with all its mind-blowing wonderment, science does not need to prove the benefits of intentional quiet, of meditation, or of contemplation. We already know that.
It’s why we gather at the beach for a sunset, stare at cloud formations, gaze at the landscape, as well as consider, puzzle, mull, muse, ruminate, reflect, dwell, and absorb.
We do this because, deep down, we know what we need.
Quote
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao-Tzu
Web
Here’s the article on how different forms of meditation may improve well-being (read now)