I Joined a Meditation Studio and It Changed My Brain

My mind was a mess – full of intrusive thoughts. I was either worried about the future or beating myself up about the past. Rarely was I in the elusive mindful state of the blissful present moment. I fell for almost every trigger life threw at me. 

I was fed up and knew it was time for a change.

Enter Unplug, the world's first drop-in, secular meditation studio. It offers totally do-able mediation in fifty and thirty-minute classes designed for members to ‘drop in’ and zen out. Forget two-hour sits - that was beyond my meditation capabilities. Unplug gave me what I needed most - a quick dose of mindfulness in the midst of hectic city life.

Unplug meditation teacher Amy Budden harnesses the power of heart coherence to cultivate an elevated emotion such as love or joy, associate that elevated feeling with a thought, and then “broadcast” it out into the world. The culminated effect of an elevated thought for a sustained about of time quickly changed my “state of being” from tense and stressful to feeling like a floaty bliss ball. The health benefits of achieving heart coherence are far-reaching - including clear thinking and a healthier body.

Breathwork is a very active meditation that uses a simple but powerful pattern of two inhales and one exhale – all through the mouth – to recalibrate our nervous system and free up stuck energy – aka past trauma. There’s a saying that "our issues are in our tissues". Breathwork frees the body from stuck energy. In this profound energy shift, I felt hot or cold and light to intense energy throughout vibrating throughout my body. 

Read the full article here: https://www.organicauthority.com/health/i-joined-meditation-studio-changed-brain

How Breathing Calms Your Brain, And Other Science-Based Benefits Of Controlled Breathing

The science of breathing stands on quite ancient foundations. Centuries of wisdom instructs us to pay closer attention to our breathing, the most basic of things we do each day. And yet, maybe because breathing is so basic, it’s also easy to ignore. A brief review of the latest science on breathing and the brain, and overall health, serves as a reminder that breathing deserves much closer attention – there’s more going on with each breath than we realize.

Read full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/11/29/how-breathing-calms-your-brain-and-other-science-based-benefits-of-controlled-breathing/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie%2F&fbclid=IwAR2pJiRi2PMhW91FCsk61y3sJB6lIyXdyloCv_WckUs5VywFeXGJ2zi-hys#37849b012221

Becoming a Healthier You: How Seniors and Caregivers Can Begin Yoga

Yoga addresses many of the physical and psychological health issues that affect older adults and their caregivers. It improves flexibility, balance, mobility and muscle strength and is prized for its ability to enhance feelings of well-being. It can even promote a better connection between mental and dental health, both of which have been shown to affect one another. If, for example, depression occurs, so can gum disease, tooth decay, pain, and jaw tension.

While yoga is an ideal form of exercise for seniors and caregivers to do together, it’s important to know how to begin and to stay within your physical capabilities, especially if you’re a beginner.

Finding an Instructor

There are different levels of yoga intensity, ranging from “gentle” to “hot,” and you need to find a class with a low level of intensity that will help you ease slowly into the discipline. It’s also important to find an instructor who has experience working with seniors and can adapt the yoga routines they teach to the needs of older students. This can take some time and research because many yoga teachers aren’t trained to work with older adults. A teacher should be attentive during class and pay attention to their students on an individual basis. Keep in mind that the cost of yoga classes can vary greatly; while some instructors charge between $12 and $16 per class, those prices can quickly jump to between $90 and $130 for package deals. For seniors who have enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, your policy may cover the cost of your session; check out online resources to see if your coverage qualifies.

Before you begin, talk to instructors about their approach and to get an idea of how comfortable they are working with senior students. It’s essential that your instructor thoroughly understands any special physical restrictions you’re under so you get the most out of the experience and, of course, avoid discomfort (yoga should never hurt) or injury.

Space to Practice

Yoga is a relaxing, healing mental/physical discipline, but like anything else, it requires practice and time to learn the poses. Set aside some space at home so you can stretch out and practice in comfort. Having your own space increases the likelihood that you’ll stick with the program and derive the many benefits yoga has to offer. Depending on your living space, it may be necessary to create space by relocating large items such as furniture and large boxes to a storage space. Not only will it open space for you to devote to yoga, but it’ll also help declutter your home.

The Right Start

There’s very little to be gained from joining a class that’s too advanced or too strenuous for a beginner. You may feel that you’re able to skip ahead and get a good head start, but remember that yoga is a deliberate, gradual discipline that’s about patience, not competition. Do yourself a favor and start out with a beginner’s class alongside students, preferably of your own age group, with whom you can learn and progress at the same speed.

Older adults, especially those who lack flexibility and have been inactive for a long time, should seek out a gentle yoga class, or perhaps a chair yoga class, which allows you to remain seated while learning the positions that will gradually improve your flexibility and muscle strength. There’s also great value in seniors and their caregivers learning together at the same pace for mutual support and encouragement.

A Workout and More

Anyone who’s ever witnessed someone executing an advanced yoga posture knows that there is a very physical aspect to this holistic system. This is why it’s important to talk to a doctor who’s familiar with your health history and current condition. Trying to perform certain movements can cause injury — especially in the beginning — before you’ve built the muscle strength that will support your bones and joints. Talk to your doctor about starting yoga and what you hope to get out of it. She’ll be able to provide insights and advice that can help get you off to a good start.

With patience and optimism, you and your caregiver can attain more robust physical health and achieve the state of relaxation that rewards yoga students. Caregivers will benefit from less stress and may find that the benefits of yoga make caring for their loved one easier and more fulfilling.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Meditation For Glowing Skin! Don't Mind If I Do!

Basically, this dermatologist suggests that meditation creates a glow because of its anti-aging boosting properties.

http://www.dermstore.com/blog/meditation-for-antiaging/

Numerous studies on meditation and meditation-like practices (yoga, self-hypnosis, systematic stylized forms of relaxation, etc.) have also showed anti-inflammatory effects and dampening of inflammation-like immune processes.

Waking Up!

This is a great talk that confirms that what we think can profoundly influence our lives and the lives of others:

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. In these talks, Harris discussed a range of experiences that have traditionally been considered “spiritual”—in particular the phenomenon of self-transcendence. Although such experiences tell us nothing about the origins of the cosmos, they confirm some well-established truths about the human mind: Our conventional sense of self is an illusion; positive emotions, such as compassion and serenity, are teachable skills; and the way we think can profoundly influence our lives and the lives of others.

This video consists of a one-hour lecture and an hour of Q&A.

https://www.samharris.org

Happiness Is A Choice

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/scientific-proof-that-you_n_4384433.html

One theory in psychology research suggests that we all have a happiness “set-point” that largely determines our overall well-being. We oscillate around this set point, becoming happier when something positive happens or the opposite, afterwards returning to equilibrium.

But this set-point, to a certain extent, can be reset. Although our general mood levels and well-being are partially determined by factors like genetics and upbringing, roughly 40 percent of our happiness is within our control, according to some experts, and a large body of research in the field of positive psychology has shown that happiness is a choice that anyone can make. As psychologist William James put it, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.”

Mindfulness Training Optimizes Brain Connectivity

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201604/mindfulness-training-optimizes-brain-connectivity

A new study has pinpointed how mindfulness training triggers changes in neural networks. These changes in brain connectivity allowed veterans who were “stuck” in a psychological rut of repetitive loop-like thinking and rumination learn how-to "turn off" their negative thoughts.

Your Heart Is Smart! How Your Heart Functions As A Second Brain.

http://consciouslifenews.com/how-the-human-heart-functions-as-a-second-brain/11113343/

Did you know that the human heart is the organ that generates the strongest electromagnetic field of any organ of the human body? In fact, the electromagnetic field of your heart can be measured up to a few feet away from your body. Furthermore, this energy field changes in relation to your emotions. One thing you should know about electromagnetic field is that every organ and cell in your body generate an energy field.

Because the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field, the information stored in its electromagnetic field affects every organ and cell in your body. Could this be why the heart is the first organ to function in a fetus? Besides generating the strongest electromagnetic field, the heart has an intelligence of its own, which is why certain neurocardiologists refer to it as the heart-brain or the fifth brain.

Your Brain Can Be Trained To Self Regulate Negative Thinking

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201601/your-brain-can-be-trained-self-regulate-negative-thinking

Neuroplasticity guarantees that the architecture of your mind—and the functional connectivity of your brain—is never set in stone. Hopefully, these science-based findings will inspire you to be proactive about using mindfulness to consciously guide your thoughts away from hatred, negative emotions, and cynicism.

Emotional Intelligence

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is generally said to include 3 skills:

1. Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;

2. The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problems solving;

3. The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.

One meditative technique is to identify the emotion. Label it. Notice it and feel it without judgement. Then visualize and imagine a moment of gratitude or list what you are grateful for in your life.

One powerful effect of gratitude is that it can boost serotonin. Trying to think of things you are grateful for forces you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This simple act increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex.

Psychology today

The Evidence That Meditation Can Activate Self-Healing *Image From Yumi Sakagawa

We all know that regular, moderate exercise is good for us. But imagine what it would be like if all you did was exercise: if you ran, walked, jumped, or lifted 24 hours a day. After only a very short while, exercise actually wouldn't be that good for you because without rest and self-healing, exercise becomes counterproductive and even risky…and so it is with your mind. We spend all day (and sometimes all night, too!) in a whirlwind of thought. When there isn't something particular to think about (what to eat for breakfast, the tasks of the day, or what you're going to say in an upcoming meeting), we search restlessly for something to fill the gap-worries, hopes, television, and so on. We never allow our minds to rest. And without this precious self-healing time, our minds become exhausted and thoughts less trustworthy. Just as we need to stop moving our bodies every once in a while, we also need to stop moving our minds. But how? The idea can actually seem terrifying, not to mention impossible.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02791/self-healing-meditation.html

Neurogenesis: You Can Grow More Brain Cells.

In this Ted Talk, Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says we can, and offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis to improve mood, increase memory formation and prevent the decline associated with aging as well.

1. Rest/Relaxation/ Sleep/ Meditation

2. Sex

3. Diet

4. Exercise

All activate neurogenesis to improve mood and memory.

There is evidence that  meditation  shrinks neurons on the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning capacity, memory, and positive mood. The self-healing hippocampus has the ability to regenerate, if stress is discontinued. And healing meditation reduces stress, as shown in Dr. Davidson's research.

A Neuroscience Researcher Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happier

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-neuroscience-researcher-reveals-4-rituals-that-will-make-you-a-happier-person-2015-9

UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb has some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life.

Here's what you and I can learn from the people who really have answers:

1. The most important question to ask when you feel down

Sometimes it doesn't feel like your brain wants you to be happy. You may feel guilty or shameful. Why?

Believe it or not, guilt and shame activate the brain's reward center.

Via The Upward Spiral:

Despite their differences, pride, shame, and guilt all activate similar neural circuits, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, insula, and the nucleus accumbens. Interestingly, pride is the most powerful of these emotions at triggering activity in these regions — except in the nucleus accumbens, where guilt and shame win out. This explains why it can be so appealing to heap guilt and shame on ourselves — they're activating the brain's reward center.

And you worry a lot, too. Why? In the short term, worrying makes your brain feel a little better — at least you're doing something about your problems.

Via The Upward Spiral:

In fact, worrying can help calm the limbic system by increasing activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and decreasing activity in the amygdala. That might seem counterintuitive, but it just goes to show that if you're feeling anxiety, doing something about it — even worrying — is better than doing nothing.

But guilt, shame, and worry are horrible, long-term solutions. So what do neuroscientists say you should do? Ask yourself this question:

What am I grateful for?

Yeah, gratitude is awesome … but does it really affect your brain at the biological level? Yup.

You know what the antidepressant Wellbutrin does? Boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine. So does gratitude.

Via The Upward Spiral:

The benefits of gratitude start with the dopamine system, because feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine. Additionally, gratitude toward others increases activity in social dopamine circuits, which makes social interactions more enjoyable …

Know what Prozac does? Boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin. So does gratitude.

Via The Upward Spiral:

One powerful effect of gratitude is that it can boost serotonin. Trying to think of things you are grateful for forces you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This simple act increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex.

I know, sometimes life lands a really mean punch in the gut and it feels like there's nothing to be grateful for. Guess what?

Doesn't matter. You don't have to find anything. It's the searching that counts.

Via The Upward Spiral:

It's not finding gratitude that matters most; it's remembering to look in the first place. Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. One study found that it actually affected neuron density in both the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex. These density changes suggest that as emotional intelligence increases, the neurons in these areas become more efficient. With higher emotional intelligence, it simply takes less effort to be grateful.

And gratitude doesn't just make your brain happy — it can also create a positive feedback loop in your relationships. So express that gratitude to the people you care about.

For more on how gratitude can make you happier and more successful, click here.

But what happens when bad feelings completely overtake you? When you're really in the dumps and don't even know how to deal with it? There's an easy answer …

ibm4381/FlickrPoint out the things that upset you.

2. Label negative feelings

You feel awful. OK, give that awfulness a name. Sad? Anxious? Angry?

Boom. It's that simple. Sound stupid? Your noggin disagrees.

Via The Upward Spiral:

[I]n one fMRI study, appropriately titled "Putting Feelings into Words" participants viewed pictures of people with emotional facial expressions. Predictably, each participant's amygdala activated to the emotions in the picture. But when they were asked to name the emotion, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activated and reduced the emotional amygdala reactivity. In other words, consciously recognizing the emotions reduced their impact.

Suppressing emotions doesn't work and can backfire on you.

Via Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long:

Gross found that people who tried to suppress a negative emotional experience failed to do so. While they thought they looked fine outwardly, inwardly their limbic system was just as aroused as without suppression, and in some cases, even more aroused. Kevin Ochsner, at Columbia, repeated these findings using an fMRI. Trying not to feel something doesn't work, and in some cases even backfires.

But labeling, on the other hand, makes a big difference.

Via Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long:

To reduce arousal, you need to use just a few words to describe an emotion, and ideally use symbolic language, which means using indirect metaphors, metrics, and simplifications of your experience. This requires you to activate your prefrontal cortex, which reduces the arousal in the limbic system. Here's the bottom line: describe an emotion in just a word or two, and it helps reduce the emotion.

Ancient methods were way ahead of us on this one. Meditation has employed this for centuries. Labeling is a fundamental tool of mindfulness.

In fact, labeling affects the brain so powerfully it works with other people, too. Labeling emotions is one of the primary tools used by FBI hostage negotiators.

To learn more of the secrets of FBI hostage negotiators, click here.

Okay, hopefully you're not reading this and labeling your current emotional state as bored. Maybe you're not feeling awful but you probably have things going on in your life that are causing you some stress. Here's a simple way to beat them.

Francisco Osorio/FlickrMake decisions to do things you enjoy.

3. Make that decision

Ever make a decision and then your brain finally feels at rest? That's no random occurrence.

Brain science shows that making decisions reduces worry and anxiety — as well as helping you solve problems.

Via The Upward Spiral:

Making decisions includes creating intentions and setting goals — all three are part of the same neural circuitry and engage the prefrontal cortex in a positive way, reducing worry and anxiety. Making decisions also helps overcome striatum activity, which usually pulls you toward negative impulses and routines. Finally, making decisions changes your perception of the world — finding solutions to your problems and calming the limbic system.

But deciding can be hard. I agree. So what kind of decisions should you make? Neuroscience has an answer.

Make a "good enough" decision. Don't sweat making the absolute 100% best decision. We all know being a perfectionist can be stressful. And brain studies back this up.

Trying to be perfect overwhelms your brain with emotions and makes you feel out of control.

Via The Upward Spiral:

Trying for the best, instead of good enough, brings too much emotional ventromedial prefrontal activity into the decision-making process. In contrast, recognizing that good enough is good enough activates more dorsolateral prefrontal areas, which helps you feel more in control …

As Swarthmore professor Barry Schwartz said in my interview with him: “Good enough is almost always good enough.”

So when you make a decision, your brain feels you have control. And, as I’ve talked about before, a feeling of control reduces stress. But here’s what’s really fascinating: Deciding also boosts pleasure.

Via The Upward Spiral:

Actively choosing caused changes in attention circuits and in how the participants felt about the action, and it increased rewarding dopamine activity.

Want proof? No problem. Let's talk about cocaine.

You give two rats injections of cocaine. Rat A had to pull a lever first. Rat B didn't have to do anything. Any difference? Yup: Rat A gets a bigger boost of dopamine.

Via The Upward Spiral:

So they both got the same injections of cocaine at the same time, but rat A had to actively press the lever, and rat B didn’t have to do anything. And you guessed it — rat A released more dopamine in its nucleus accumbens.

So what's the lesson here? Next time you buy cocaine … whoops, wrong lesson. Point is, when you make a decision on a goal and then achieve it, you feel better than when good stuff just happens by chance.

And this answers the eternal mystery of why dragging your butt to the gym can be so hard.

If you go because you feel you have to or you should, well, it's not really a voluntary decision. Your brain doesn't get the pleasure boost. It just feels stress. And that's no way to build a good exercise habit.

Via The Upward Spiral:

Interestingly, if they are forced to exercise, they don't get the same benefits, because without choice, the exercise itself is a source of stress.

So make more decisions. Neuroscience researcher Alex Korb sums it up nicely:

We don't just choose the things we like; we also like the things we choose.

To learn what neuroscientists say is the best way to use caffeine, click here.

OK, you're being grateful, labeling negative emotions and making more decisions. Great, but this is feeling kinda lonely for a happiness prescription. Let's get some other people in here.

What's something you can do with others that neuroscience says is a path to mucho happiness? And something that's stupidly simple so you don't get lazy and skip it? Brain docs have an answer for you.

Business InsiderHave fun with friends.

4. Touch people

No, not indiscriminately; that can get you in a lot of trouble.

But we need to feel love and acceptance from others. When we don't it's painful. And I don't mean "awkward" or "disappointing." I mean actually painful.

Neuroscientists did a study where people played a ball-tossing video game. The other players tossed the ball to you and you tossed it back to them. Actually, there were no other players; that was all done by the computer program.

But the subjects were told the characters were controlled by real people. So what happened when the "other players" stopped playing nice and didn't share the ball?

Subjects' brains responded the same way as if they experienced physical pain. Rejection doesn't just hurt like a broken heart; your brain feels it like a broken leg.

Via The Upward Spiral:

In fact, as demonstrated in an fMRI experiment, social exclusion activates the same circuitry as physical pain … at one point they stopped sharing, only throwing back and forth to each other, ignoring the participant. This small change was enough to elicit feelings of social exclusion, and it activated the anterior cingulate and insula, just like physical pain would.

Relationships are important to your brain's feeling of happiness. Want to take that to the next level? Touch people.

Via The Upward Spiral:

One of the primary ways to release oxytocin is through touching. Obviously, it's not always appropriate to touch most people, but small touches like handshakes and pats on the back are usually okay. For people you're close with, make more of an effort to touch more often.

Touching is incredibly powerful. We just don't give it enough credit. It makes you more persuasive, increases team performance, improves your flirting … heck, it even boosts math skills.

Touching someone you love actually reduces pain. In fact, when studies were done on married couples, the stronger the marriage, the more powerful the effect.

Via The Upward Spiral:

In addition, holding hands with someone can help comfort you and your brain through painful situations. One fMRI study scanned married women as they were warned that they were about to get a small electric shock. While anticipating the painful shocks, the brain showed a predictable pattern of response in pain and worrying circuits, with activation in the insula, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During a separate scan, the women either held their husbands' hands or the hand of the experimenter. When a subject held her husband's hand, the threat of shock had a smaller effect. The brain showed reduced activation in both the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — that is, less activity in the pain and worrying circuits. In addition, the stronger the marriage, the lower the discomfort-related insula activity.

So hug someone today. And do not accept little, quick hugs. No, no, no. Tell them your neuroscientist recommended long hugs.

Via The Upward Spiral:

A hug, especially a long one, releases a neurotransmitter and hormone oxytocin, which reduces the reactivity of the amygdala.

Research shows getting five hugs a day for four weeks increases happiness big time.

Don't have anyone to hug right now? No? (I'm sorry to hear that. I would give you a hug right now if I could.) But there's an answer: Neuroscience says you should go get a massage.

Via The Upward Spiral:

The results are fairly clear that massage boosts your serotonin by as much as 30 percent. Massage also decreases stress hormones and raises dopamine levels, which helps you create new good habits … Massage reduces pain because the oxytocin system activates painkilling endorphins. Massage also improves sleep and reduces fatigue by increasing serotonin and dopamine and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol.

So spend time with other people and give some hugs. Sorry, texting is not enough.

When you put people in a stressful situation and then let them visit loved ones or talk to them on the phone, they felt better. What about when they just texted? Their bodies responded the same as if they had no support at all.

Via The Upward Spiral:

[T]he text-message group had cortisol and oxytocin levels similar to the no-contact group.

Author's note: I totally approve of texting if you make a hug appointment.

To learn what neuroscience says is the best way to get smarter and happier, click here.

OK, I don't want to strain your brain with too much info. Let's round it up and learn the quickest and easiest way to start that upward spiral of neuroscience-inspired happiness.

Sum up

Here's what brain research says will make you happy:

• Ask "What am I grateful for?" No answers? Doesn't matter. Just searching helps.

• Label those negative emotions. Give it a name and your brain isn't so bothered by it.

• Decide. Go for "good enough" instead of 'best decision ever made on Earth."

• Hugs, hugs, hugs. Don't text — touch.

So what's the simple way to start that upward spiral of happiness?

Just send someone a thank-you email. If you feel awkward about it, you can send them this post to tell them why.

This really can start an upward spiral of happiness in your life. UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb explains:

Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reduced pain improves your mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment. Enjoyment gives you more to be grateful for, which keeps that loop of the upward spiral going. Enjoyment also makes it more likely you'll exercise and be social, which, in turn, will make you happier.

So thank you for reading this.

And send that thank-you email now to make you and someone you care about happy.

8 Life-Changing Lessons On How To Be Happy

Matthieu Ricard featured in TIME's "How to Be Happy"

"The way to do this is by meditating on compassion, says Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard. It takes time, he says, but it’s worth doing."

Start by Smiling:) :) :)

http://time.com/3845762/lessons-be-happy/

How To Optimize Your Life In Just 4 Weeks!

Growth often comes from the strangest places!

http://www.vice.com/read/how-to-optimize-your-life-in-just-four-weeks-311

Resources To Expand Your Practice

Hello Meditators,

Here are some resources for you to take with you to expand your practice and give you more tools to change your state and be happier more of the time:

A smile is good medicine:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile

Meditation is as good as anti-depressants for battling depression:

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com//health/meditation-as-good-as-drugs-for-depression-says-oxford-study

Apps: http://www.happify.com . Sign up for their mailing list.   Meditations, tools and techniques that are scientifically proven to hardwire happiness (Founded by Sean Achor)

Ted Talk: Sean Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work.

http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en

Books: http://www.amazon.com/Before-Happiness-Achieving-Spreading-Sustaining/dp/0770436730

Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change

http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Project-Morning-Aristotle-Generally/dp/006158326X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430087112&sr=1-1&keywords=the+happiness+project

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

 

Change your state by changing your mind:

http://thechalkboardmag.com/5-daily-affirmations-change-thoughts-change-life

Your body follows your mind's direction. Be mindful of your thoughts:

https://www.pinterest.com/Glutenfreebyamy/affirmations/

More science here:

https://www.pinterest.com/Glutenfreebyamy/heart-math/

https://www.pinterest.com/Glutenfreebyamy/resources-mindbody/

http://www.connectthemind.com/news/

Until next time.

Happy Trails,

Amy Budden

Certified. Ht.

P:(424)645-7882

Connectthemind@gmail.com |http://www.Connectthemind.com

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: An Interview With Jon Kabat-Zinn

Great interview with the Godfather of MBSR.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suza-scalora/mindfulnessbased-stress-r_b_6909426.html

Ten Life Changing Facts About Happiness

http://gailbrenner.com/2011/11/10-life-changing-facts-about-happiness/

Why Going Through A Life Crisis Is A Good Thing

Yup. It is uncomfortable as hell but yields the good stuff.

http://thespiritscience.net/2015/04/03/why-going-through-a-life-crisis-is-a-positive-thing/

How Controlling Your Breathing Can Help You Beat Stress And Find Happiness

 

Changing how we breathe can directly impact our state of mind, explains Dr. Emma Seppala.