Intro to Evening Meditation Who Am I – Diana, 200RYT, certified to teach children, triathlete, mom of three, works at PHI, currently working towards my EE (in my spare time, haha). I use Meditation to stay focused, get clarity in difficult situations, and to help accomplish goals. I really want to understand the science behind the mind and body connection The Evening Meditation Mission – Provide tools and basic fundamentals of meditation for everyday life, for Individuals and families. Share the knowledge that the real results of meditation are not what you experience here; it is how you respond to life out there, with calm and hopefully compassion. FAQ’s What it is – Meditation is a practice of nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings, and state of mind, complete surrender to just let you be/breathe. Who can do it – Anyone, there are no limitations, and you don’t need a doctor’s note. Benefits – Proven through research to increase the capabilities of your brain to process memory, make decisions and process emotional reactions. Reminders – Yawn if you need to get a deeper breath. Place your hand on the floor to steady yourself if you feel butterflies in your belly. Open your eyes to remind yourself that you are here, in a safe place. How to do it – Deep breaths, counting seconds as you inhale and start over as you exhale. Eventually your inhales and exhales will get longer and longer. Swipe away thoughts like you do on your tablet or phone to a blank space, or colorful space. Participating in an eight-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress. In a study that appears in the Jan. 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reported the results of their study, the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain’s gray matter. Amishi Jha, a University of Miami neuroscientist who investigates mindfulness-training’s effects on individuals in high-stress situations, says, “ …first-person experience of stress can not only be reduced with an eight-week mindfulness training program but that this experiential change corresponds with structural changes in the amygdala…” (performs a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions). <http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927(10)00288-X/fulltext> The other day, driving on a major Interstate highway, my little sister watched the different Bluetooth signals show up on her iPad as we drove past the different cars. She played a game with the iPad to see if she could connect with someone’s Bluetooth and play music in their car. Your body kind of works the same way. You have measurable electrical magnetic impulses of varying strengths that come from your body. Your body is one big antennae, constantly sending and The impulses from your heart are the strongest and can be measured up to a few feet away. Over 60% of the heart is actually made up of neurons. Neurocardiologists are doing research to determine if emotional intelligence really does live in the heart Next time you are sitting next to someone in public, try to pay attention to how your mood changes. Or Maybe you’re the one that is affecting them and you don’t even realize it.
