News Bites : Meditation

There is so much stuff 'out there' about meditation .. over the last few years the volume of data and articles that hit the standard news feeds has been amazing. I thought it would be interesting to note some of the more interesting bits here, every couple of weeks:

Fastcompany Magazine : Over 30 years ago the Walt Disney Co. called in a meditation teacher to assist the creative design and development team access new creative directions – the results was Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong developments and 3-D virtual reality displays and animatronics. Today, Ron Alexander helps creative workers – Hollywood producers, rock musicians, screenwriters – enhance their creativity suggesting that at least 12 minutes of meditation every day builds 'mind strength'. "Your awareness and consciousness become really toned. This is an excellent strategy for becoming successful in your profession, as well as the bigger game of transforming yourself and the people who work with and for you."

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From one of my new favourite daily e-newsletters : The Well Daily: Introduced to the Interdependence Project the Interdependence Project (IDP), where meditation is taught as useful mental training, grounded in both science and ancient lineage. The IDP’s approach to mindfulness is secular, straightforward and wonderfully accessible. IDP founder Ethan Nichtern explains the principle behind the project: "If you want to change the world, you have to know, and I mean really know, how your own mind works." Listen to the free podcasts of lectures and interviews each week, they also provide Study at Home courses on meditation.

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Brain Research Bulletin, April 2011: Meditation helps brain block out distractions

Meditation can help relieve pain and improve memory by regulating a brain wave known as the alpha rhythm, which 'turns down the volume' on distractions The alpha rhythm plays a role in the cells that process senses like touch, sight and sound in the brain .. it helps the brain ignore distractions, helping a person to focus while many things are going on. In view of that we know about how alpha waves arising from electrical currents in brain cells, the findings suggest that mindfulness meditation practitioners can use the mind to enhance regulation of currents in targeted brain cells. The implications may help patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and other conditions.