Meditation & mindfulness

• Defuse stress and experience greater calm

• Explore the mind-body relationship

• Connect to our feelings

• Expand our sense of who we are, beyond our fears and self-judgment

• Find genuine happiness

• Discover inner resources that can change our everyday lives

• Awaken our capacity for insight and wisdom

• Transform our worldview from one of isolation and confusion to one of connection, clarity, and compassion

• Broaden our perspective and deepen our courage, based on seeing things just as they are

From the Insight Meditation Society (www.dharma.org).

Also to promote:

Self-awareness through thoughts, emotions, motivations, self-compassion, self-acceptance.

Mindfulness living in the present moment, observe your experiences without judgement, promote equanimity (mental calmness).

Accept impermanence and the natural flow of life and that change can lead to sense of peace and understanding. 

Apps (available from the app store)

• Happier

• Waking Up

YouTube Channels

• Be Here Now Network

• Insight Meditation Center 

• Spirit Rock Meditation Center

• Non Clinging Awareness 

• Sharon Salzberg Guided Meditation

Websites:

• www.dharma.org (Insight Meditation Society)

  www.spiritrock.org (Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Books:

• The Path of Insight Meditation(Kornfeld and Goldstein)

• Meditation for Beginners (Kornfeld)

• The Experience of Insight(Goldstein)

• Mindfulness (Goldstein)

• Real Happiness (Salzberg)

These teachers have YouTube videos as well as books and audio books.

• Manual for the Awakening Warrior: The Special Forces Secret Mind-Body-Spirit Training Program Joel and Michelle Levey (Sacred Planet)

• Samaneri Jayasara, Buddhist Nun in New Zealand. The Simplest Meditation is a nice start and she has more.

• The Essential Pema a free downloadable pdf  with excerpts from Pema Chodron’s many books/retreats. Her books and audio retreats are available at the library and YouTube. She is an American Buddhist Nun and very relatable.

• Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn creater of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at U of Mass and author of Full Catastrophe Living. He is considered by some to the the father of American mindfulness.

• Neuroscience research (some related to Buddhism) at the Center for Healthy Minds, U of Wisconsin, Dr. Richard Davidson.

• Joel & Michelle Levey, Founders of WisdomAtWork.com

• Video How Breathing Hacks the Vagus Nerve to Lower Blood Pressure & Inflammation (Dr. Pradip Jamnadas MD)

• Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023 (Natl Inst of Health)

• Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety (Natl Ctr for Complimentary and Integrative Health)

• Mindfulness Meditation (American Psychological Association)

• Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress (Mayo Clinic - includes a broad definition of meditation)

Awakening Consciousness by Craig Padilla

Golden Dragonrider (Alchemy of Mystic Songs and Lullabies for Awakening) Kailash Kokopelli

Rest in Natural Great Peace a poem by Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
(Also Rest in Great Natural Peace by Olli on Apple Music)

OM Zone by Steve Halpern 432 Hz (There are 13 parts on YouTube. All OM Zones are an album on Apple Music. We used this for restorative yoga.)

Floating (Sound Bath) by Waiting for Nova on Apple Music. Also on Spotify. Put it on replay and bliss out.

Kirtan Kriya (short version)
The mantra "Sa Ta Na Ma" in Kundalini Yoga signifies the cycle of life. Sa represents infinity, Ta represents life, Na represents death, and Ma represents rebirth.

Long Time Sun by Snatam Kaur

Spectrum Suite by Steven Halpern 1975 (Cited as the start of “New Age” music.)

Deva Premal & Miten on YouTube. Many meditations and lovely music. You can subscribe to their channel.

Mountain Meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, who founded Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Loving Kindness (Meta) Meditation with Sharon Salzburg, co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society

Strengthing Gratitude with Oren Jay Sofer, member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council

Self-compassion by Great Meditation on YouTube

From Jeffery Allen’s Duality course on MindValley (summarized).

Five steps for healing a growth moment or period
(when you are grumpy or blameful)

Use the following five steps to heal yourself and shift back into positive energy.

1. Stop analyzing or blaming.
   Put your negative energy in check.

2. Stop talking about what you THINK the problem is.
   Stop spreading your pain and confusion. Avoid wreaking havoc in your life.

3. Admit you're going through a growth period.
   This creates neutral ground. You can say to yourself and others something like: "I'm having a bad day. Don't take me too seriously."

4. Breathe, relax, and run your energy.
   Focus on healing yourself until you feel relief, you're no longer grumpy, and you have a deeper understanding.

5. Practice gratitude and amusement.
   Apologize if needed. Feed the positive energy loop with others you encounter.

Learn more about Jeffery Allen on his YouTube channel.

We’re in a really interesting moment where meditation is shifting from something purely “internal” to something you can actually measure, train, and optimize.

• They use neurofeedback to monitor brain activity and guide you during meditation, helping you recognize and return to a calm, focused state.

• Many combine metrics like brainwaves, heart rate, breathing, and sleep to support overall mental fitness and stress resilience.

• Popular options include Muse S Athena, Muse 2, Emotiv EPOC X, and Flowtime headbands. (Kate is using Muse S Athena. No experience with the others. None are recommended per se. Content is informational only.)

• These tools provide feedback and progress tracking—but still rely on consistent practice to deliver meaningful results.

How to Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology–Jay Vidyarthi on Digital Wellness #184

• What is the need? Boredom, social connection, etc.

• Terms like “friend” are intentionally used as manipulations.

• Capturing and sustaining attention is used to monetize the platform.

A Guided Mediation for Digital Wellness: How to Use Your Phone Mindfully—Jay Vidyarthi #185

How To Overcome Technology Addiction and Reclaim Your Mind - Jay Vidyarthi

The Chinese Farmer