Articles
Books
Transformation & Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness
Videos
Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent
Safwat Saleem
Artist Safwat Saleem grew up with a stutter - but as an independent animator, he decided to do his own voiceovers to give life to his characters. When YouTube commenters started mocking his Pakistani accent, it crushed him, and his voice began to leave his work.
Quotes
Being told not to worry about worrying is a hell loop, worse the Crazy Frog on repeat in a submarine.
We don’t have to go anywhere to obtain the truth. We only need to be still and things will reveal themselves in the clear water of our heart.
Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself, don’t lose your sense of perspective.
If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life is the moment we are living now.
Go gently. There is only one you in this whole infinity of time and space. You deserve to honour your body, mind and soul as you would a piece of fine art… with respect, wonder and great care.
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.
Being told not to worry about worrying is a hell loop, worse the Crazy Frog on repeat in a submarine.
We don’t have to go anywhere to obtain the truth. We only need to be still and things will reveal themselves in the clear water of our heart.
Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself, don’t lose your sense of perspective.
If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life is the moment we are living now.
Go gently. There is only one you in this whole infinity of time and space. You deserve to honour your body, mind and soul as you would a piece of fine art… with respect, wonder and great care.
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.
Research
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity
Contemplative practices, such as meditation and yoga, are increasingly popular among the general public and as topics of research. Beneficial effects associated with these practices have been found on physical health, mental health and cognitive performance. This theoretical review aims to show that various contemplative activities have in common that breathing is regulated or attentively guided. This respiratory discipline in turn may explain the physical and mental benefits of these practises through changes in autonomic balance. This review proposes a neurophysiological model that explains how these specific respiration styles could operate, by tonically stimulating the vagal nerve (respiratory vagal nerve stimulation rVNS).
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): recent advances and future directions
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is emerging as a potent intervention, particularly within neurology and psychiatry. The clinical value of VNS continues to grow, while the development of noninvasive options promises to change a landscape that is already quickly evolving. This review explores recent progress of VNS and helpful insights into the future application of this modality.
Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity.
This meta-analysis sought to expand upon neurobiological models of mindfulness through investigation of inherent brain network connectivity outcomes, indexed via resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of rsFC as an outcome of mindfulness training (MT) relative to control. They hypothesized that MT would increase cross-network connectivity between nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SN), and Frontoparietal Control Network (FPCN) as a mechanism of internally-oriented attentional control.
Mindfulness meditation increases default mode, salience, and central executive network connectivity
This study found increased Functional Connectivity (FC) between nodes of the default mode network (DMN) and nodes of the salience network (SN) in participants of the Mindfulness Meditation Training. Seed-based correlation analyses revealed further connectivity increases between the SN and key regions of the central executive network (CEN). These results indicate, that, among multiple Large Scale Networks, one month of mindfulness meditation effectively increases interconnectivity between networks of the triple network model (DMN, SN, CEN).