Based on a variety of studies in recent decades on both IQ and EQ, it looks likely that meditation has the capacity to increase both your intelligence and emotional intelligence. Not only that—meditation can increase the physical size of your brain and help it work better. Let’s review what the scientific research says on meditation…
How can mindfulness and language learning go hand in hand? Many of the obstacles to language learning are self-imposed: self-doubt, self-judgment, ego. Mindfulness practices like self-compassion, gratitude, and nonjudgment can help you overcome these obstacles and make quicker progress towards learning. If you’ve hit a wall when learning a new language, there may be a…
Meditation has been growing in popularity around the world for decades now. And of course, meditation has historical roots in countries like India, China, Korea and Japan. But where is meditation most popular today? While no reliable global surveys have been done on the popularity of meditation across the world, we can understand its relative…
The most popular place for meditation in the world is Melbourne, Australia. Other cities where meditation is popular include Dublin, Ireland; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Mumbai, India. This article is based on Google Trends search data and is driven by relative popularity, taking overall population into account. You can see our methodology below….
Sleep and meditation are different processes, and are not interchangeable. However, studies have shown that experienced meditators do tend to sleep less, and also that meditation can help reduce exhaustion and daytime drowsiness. When it comes to meditation and sleep, there’s much more anecdotal experience than there is scientific evidence. Some meditators report needing less…
What’s the main difference between yoga vs meditation? Yoga is a holistic practice intended to unify the body and mind. Meditation falls under the umbrella of yoga activities, as a practice specifically focused on the mind. When you’re lying at the end of a yoga session in Savasana—the resting pose at the end of many…
The best thing to do after meditation is to continue to sit for a bit longer, processing your experience and maintaining a state of calm. If you have time, move on to an activity that supports your mindfulness, like journaling to consolidate the progress you have just made, or walking meditation. You might be wondering…
The 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness is a concept from meditation teacher and writer Jon Kabat-Zinn. Because mindfulness can feel like a massive topic, choosing a single mindfulness “subtopic” to focus on from among the 9 Attitudes can be an effective way to grow your practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the most influential voices in…
According to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” Kierkegaard, along with other philosophers like Alan Watts and Rainer Maria Rilke, have argued that when you seek the answers to life, you’re asking the wrong question. Life is something to be experienced, not something…
The best meditation subscription boxes include the Chakra Box, TheraBox, and Mindful Souls. Each monthly box includes meditation products to assist your journey. Read on for a comparison of each so you can choose the perfect box for you. If you’re anything like me, meditation can be a difficult practice to sustain. Reminders to practice…
This is a slightly different kind of Best Mindfulness Books list: I’ve included books from mindfulness experts, but also experts from other wellness fields. My goal with this list of top mindfulness books is to meet you where you are on your mindfulness journey. It’s got essential books from mindfulness experts like Jon Kabat-Zinn and…
Can you meditate with eyes open? Some meditation traditions default to recommending eyes closed during meditation, but others recommend meditation with eyes open. In this article, I’ll explain how to meditate with your eyes open, and why you might want to. Most of us default to closing our eyes when we meditate. But we don’t…
Mindfulness with music is the art of applying present-moment awareness to music. Learn what mindful music listening is, what types of music can be used, and how to listen to music mindfully in 7 steps. Ever listen to a song and feel like you were getting completely absorbed in the music? Noticing the different layers…
Virtual meetings can be chaotic. Whether you’re trying to manage a virtual classroom full of students, running a business meeting, or conducting a remote seminar, mindfulness can help. Try including mindfulness exercises to start a meeting, or to reset a meeting’s energy in the middle of long sessions. Right now, at this very minute, thousands…
Mindlessness isn’t the same as thoughtlessness. Instead, it’s a state of autopilot in which your thoughts have drifted elsewhere—for example, avoiding uncomfortable emotions by watching TV. Mindlessness. We’ve all been there. For me, it strikes most often when I’m at my least rested, or perhaps already experiencing a low mood. My mind struggles even more…
A one minute mindfulness exercise is anything you can do in 60 seconds or less to center yourself, ground yourself, and pull yourself into present awareness. These short mindfulness exercises help you incorporate the principles of mindfulness into your life — especially when you’re short on time. In an ideal world, every day we would…
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method to analyze troubling situations in your life, notice which of the beliefs that you hold are negative or inaccurate, and replace the negative beliefs with positive beliefs. A method called Mindfulness Based CBT (MBCT) combines CBT with Mindfulness. If you’re practicing mindfulness, you might notice some similarities when…
The main difference between Zen meditation and mindfulness is that while both cultivate awareness, Zen meditation techniques are firmly rooted in Buddhism, while the modern mindfulness movement is secular. The goal of Zen meditation is to achieve a state of pure awareness and enlightenment. Mindfulness is a secular awareness practice and isn’t connected to a…
Mindfulness is associated with an extensive list of benefits and studies. But which benefits are backed by research–and which aren’t? The below list of facts about mindfulness links out to recent studies on each topic. If your mindfulness practice has stagnated, this impressive list of benefits and statistics about mindfulness will get you moving again!…
Wondering how to stop overthinking at night? First, get the basics of your sleep hygiene right. Second, tackle overthinking directly by addressing your anxiety and worry about the past and the future. Ever say to yourself: “I want to sleep but my brain won’t stop talking to itself“? It’s a common problem. 70% of US…
