April 21, 2015—The annual TED conference invites some of the world’s most accomplished and eclectic thinkers to share their findings and visions with the world. This year’s lineup in Vancouver, Canada totaled 58 speakers and included one of San Francisco’s own — BJ Miller, the executive director of the Zen Hospice Project. Responding to San Francisco’s HIV epidemic, the Zen Hospice Project got its start back in the late 1980s. Medicine often focuses on bringing patients back to health, but that’s not always helpful if a patient is near the end. Caregivers with… [Read More…]
A meditator on meditating
April 6, 2015—I meditate. Nearly every day since 2008, I’ve pulled out a blue meditation cushion given to me by a friend, crossed my legs and closed my eyes to focus on my breath. My practice started in 2008 when I attended my first two meditation retreats. The second one was a 10-day retreat in Occidental. The recorded voice of S.N. Goenka taught us how to pay attention to our breath as it came and went through our nostrils. At the end of the retreat, which involved sitting for at least 11 hours… [Read More…]
Mindfulness continued: Stress
April 4, 2015—The evidence is piling up. In study after study, researchers are finding that mindfulness meditation not only promotes overall well being, but can actually improve outcomes for people suffering from certain conditions such as depression or HIV infection. The studies out of Carnegie Mellon University are another remarkable testament to how body and mind are directly related. The question in the case of disease is how meditation works to achieve this. The Carnegie Mellon researchers believe it may have to do with stress levels. In a 2014 paper published in Current… [Read More…]
TSE news roundup for 4.01.15
April 1, 2015—Creating new religions is something of a tradition in the United States. The most famous examples are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Church of Scientology. Then there’s the guy on the streets of Berkeley I met a few years ago who told me about a system of “alpha-numerics,” where zip codes and addresses take on divine meaning. Now The Washington Post reports there’s a new religion on the scene in Indiana. The First Church of Cannabis filed paperwork in response to Gov. Mike Pence signing… [Read More…]
Mindfulness is everywhere, Part III: Sleep
March 12, 2015—This week, we’re focusing on meditation and recent studies that suggest it may be good for your health in all sorts of ways. _____________________________ Waking up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning and unable to get back to sleep, is one of life’s more frustrating experiences. Insomniacs know the drill. You lay there, tired, and stressed, sometimes for hours, knowing that you’re doomed for exhaustion and crankiness the next day. It’s especially common among older adults. Sleep hygiene classes offer tips for the weary on how to promote… [Read More…]
