Author and meditation teacher Daniel Ingram speaks with host Michael W. Taft about how the Fire Kasina practice can be used as an insight practice. Subjects include: the background of kasina practice in the Thervada… Read More »The Liberating Practice of the Fire Kasina – with Daniel Ingram
Concentration master Leigh Brasington talks with Michael W. Taft about the jhanas, a Buddhist system of eight altered states of consciousness that arise in states of high concentration. The conversation dives deep into practicing each… Read More »Diving Deep into the Jhanas, with guest Leigh Brasington
For many of us, the Internet represents the pinnacle of distraction. But it we don’t have to encounter it that way. This article from The Atlantic talks about simple ways to build effective mindfulness practice… Read More »How to Be Mindful While Surfing the Net
by Jessica Graham There are certain defining moments throughout spiritual development. When you first recognize that you are not your thoughts. When you experience physical or emotional pain break up into flowing sensations that are… Read More »Mindful Awakening: The Cost Is Just Everything
by Jessica Graham (Watch this video for a very truncated version of the practice described here. And then come back and read the article.) I love popcorn. I have a special pot I use to… Read More »Overcoming Cravings With Mindfulness
by Michael W. Taft Mindfulness is awesome because it features a few simple rules that can be recombined to create thousands of different meditation techniques. You could practice a different meditation every day for the… Read More »The Meditation Induction — How to Meditate Deeply
by Michael W. Taft Life often asks us to wait, and a lot of this waiting can feel crushingly pointless. We cool our heels in lines at the supermarket, the bank, or at a restaurant.… Read More »Never Waste Time Again
From Medical Xpress Few situations present as much distraction and time pressure as the college experience. In this environment, attention can be elusive and difficult to sustain even when it is attained. This lack of… Read More »Mindfulness Helps Undergraduates Stay on Track, Study Shows
By Dr Tamara Russell for CNN When making a big decision, how aware are you of the underlying brain processes informing your choices? When you go with your gut instinct, are you aware of the… Read More »Can you train your brain to make better decisions?
by Emma M. Seppala, Ph.D for Psychology Today I started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time. I realized I had no control over… Read More »20 Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating Today
By Jan Hoffman for The New York Times Mindfulness meditation, the ancient and flourishing practice that increases awareness of random thoughts and redirects attention to the present moment, has been used to manage stress, depression and even… Read More »How Meditation Might Boost Your Test Scores
by Claudine Ryan for ABC Health and Wellbeing Feeling less stressed, having better concentration and a greater resilience to life’s challenges are some of the commonly-cited reasons for trying meditation. But this quest for inner… Read More »Mindfulness meditation: boosting young people’s brain power?
From Science Codex Focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggests new research from the Shamatha Project at the University of California,… Read More »Mindfulness from Meditation Associated with Lower Stress Hormone