Finding peace of mind on holiday (The Korea Herald)
While most tourists taking their holidays in Thailand are drawn to the vibrant entertainment offerings in Bangkok, shopping or nightlife, others are here seeking something more elusive: inner peace. Situated in bustling Bangkok, the Buddhist meditation center at Wat Mahadhatu attracts as many as 600-700 tourists for retreats each year.

Making a game out of finding inner peace (Buddhist News Network)
In an age when most publicity for video games is reserved for the violent (Grand Theft Auto) and the ultraviolent (Manhunt), two Colorado entrepreneurs just want everybody to take some deep breaths and grab some inner peace. In The Journey to Wild Divine, Kurt Smith and Corwin Bell have designed a computer game that teaches players to use biofeedback sensors worn on three fingers to help them control various events. Yes, in this game, the joystick is your body.

The Larkhall attic Margaret turned into a Buddhist shrine (Evening Times, Glasgow, Scotland)
Margaret Fergusson's quiet Larkhall bungalow would be like any other in her street. . . if it wasn't for the huge Buddha that sits outside her home. Inside, her loft has been converted into a makeshift shrine, which Margaret affectionately calls her rabbit hutch. The reason for the outsize Buddha and the indoor shrine is that Margaret is a Buddhist - a religion she took up 10 years ago to cope with the daily stresses of her job as a chemist in the Blood transfusion Service.

Metta in Motion (Yoga Journal)
Learn how to infuse your hatha yoga practice with the meditative quality of metta, or "lovingkindness."

A meditation on lessons of life (Movie Review) (Arizona Republic)
Spring Summer Fall Winter . . . and Spring may be the antidote to Mel Gibson. It is one long, intensely beautiful Buddhist meditation on the passage of life and time, the acceptance of responsibility and the release of desire. It is as quiet as The Passion of the Christ is violent.

CDC: Alternative medicine gains popularity (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Alternative medicine - including yoga, meditation, herbs and the Atkins diet - appears to be growing in popularity in the United States, perhaps because of dissatisfaction with conventional care, the government said Thursday. More than a third of American adults used such practices in 2002, according to the government survey of 31,000 people, the largest study on non-conventional medical approaches in the United States.

A religion for everyone? (The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland)
The robes are mustard and plum. The glasses are thick as jam-jar bottoms. The head is shaven to a dark, prickly fuzz. The smile can only be described as beatific. When the Dalai Lama steps out on to the stage of the SECC in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, the applause generated from 10,000 admirers will match that for U2, Britney Spears or any other previous occupant of the concert hall.

Education Ministry denies plan for TM in schools (Newsday trinidad, trinidad and Tobago)
The Education Ministry yesterday denied any plan to introduce transcendental Meditation (TM) into schools, as was being reported in some media claiming TM would soon be introduced into the school's curriculum. Responding to queries by various persons, the Ministry yesterday issued a release advising of its policy when introducing new elements into the school curriculum. "The process is one of consultation, research and investigation. No one and no organization has approached the Ministry of Education with respect to the introduction of transcendental Meditation techniques in schools," the release stated.

Monks create sand mandala in meditation room (Brattleboro Reformer, Vermont)
A group of around 25 Putney School students and staff members sat on the floor of the Currier room in the school's new art center one day last week. Before them, two Buddhist monks sat on pillows chanting a prayer. Their low, guttural voices weaved in and out of unison. Incense burned on a table. When the praying ceased, one of the monks launched into a teaching, what has become known on campus as the "dharma discourse."

Meditation earns high marks (Yoga Journal)
Preteens who learn to quiet their minds enjoy greater self-esteem, a recent study has found."It gives you a boost in the morning," says eighth grader Kenia Bradley about the meditation practice she has learned at school. "When you don't meditate, you get tired during your classes."

Monks on the wing and a prayer for big match (Evening Times, Glasgow, Scotland)
A team of Buddhist monks swapped their sandals for football boots to take part in the most predictable game of the season. Six Tibetan monks, who had never played football before, took on a host of former Old Firm stars in a charity tournament this weekend. But there was no point betting on a winner because both teams played for a draw.

Pulse: Health briefs (LA Daily News)
I barely have time to exercise. How can I add meditation to my daily routine?

On a mission (The Observer, UK)
As the exiled leader of Tibet flies into Britain, supporters detect a fresh urgency in his pleas for an end to Chinese oppression. At 68, the Buddhist monk knows his people's hopes live or die with him.

Prayer for a solution (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Hawaii)
A Honolulu church believes it's found the perfect site for a meditation center, a wooded mountaintop retreat with an ocean view. But there's no peace and quiet to be found in the reception from the neighbors.

Heavenly Mountain's developer cuts ties with group (Winston-Salem Journal, North Carolina)
A developer of the more than 7,000 acre Heavenly Mountain resort in southeastern Watauga County says he is severing ties with the transcendental Meditation movement and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Meditation: A timeless tool for a changing world (Lompoc Record, California)
With wars, terrorism, and the sluggish economy constantly in the news, people seem to be feeling less certain about the future, and more certain about the need to find a greater sense of well-being in their lives. Accordingly, there has been a renewed interest in meditation all across this country, and many studies have shown that there certainly are physical and mental benefits of meditation in reducing stress and stress related illnesses.

Future of Heavenly Mountain disputed (Watauga Democrat, North Carolina)
The man who, along with his twin brother, owns most of the land at Heavenly Mountain Resort, has disavowed the spiritual movement that helped establish the retreat. David Kaplan, who owns the largest privately-owned land tract in Watauga County, publicly repudiated the transcendental Meditation (TM) movement and its founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in a letter released Tuesday to Heavenly Mountain residents and the public.

A little meditation can be good for the health (Financial Times, London)
It initially sounded one of the most incongruous questions to be put to a company chairman at this year's annual meetings season, or indeed any year's: "What," a shareholder asked Sir Christopher Hogg of GlaxoSmithKline at yesterday's AGM, "do you think of meditation . . . ?"

Meditation controversy (The Journal News, New York)
It seems harmless enough: With eyes closed, you sit upright in a quiet room and mentally repeat a word for 10 to 20 minutes -- a technique known as transcendental Meditation. When young children practice it twice a day, according to research provided by the national Committee for Stress-Free Schools, it decreases their blood pressure, improves their grades and lowers their stress levels.

Brain under strain (trinidad and Tobago Express)
What if the key to putting an end to murder, rape, alcohol and drug abuse, youth deviance, teenage pregnancy and many other problems that plague society could be found in an organ of the body that weighs only about three pounds?

Marianjoy practicing what Weil preaches (Daily Herald, Chicago)
Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton is an example of the symbiotic nature of traditional and alternative medicine in the suburbs. The hospital has been on the leading edge of integrative medicine for a decade, combining massage, meditation and acupuncture with physical rehabilitation to speed up recovery.

Ministry considers 'TM' in schools (trinidad and Tobago Express)
The use of transcendental meditation in schools is being considered by the Ministry of Education as a tool to deal with the problem of troubled and under-performing students.

Yoga, more popular than ever, flexes body and mind (Good Housekeeping)
Ever since Oprah featured a segment on yoga and Madonna beat back her nasty side with namastes, Americans can't get enough of the ancient Indian practice. Though 5,000 years old, yoga has boomed in recent years, with private instructors, gyms, community centers, even churches offering classes to help people wind down, focus, get limber and stay fit.

State OKs changes to Cabarrus charter school (Charlotte Observer, NC)
Curriculum viewed as religious removed.

Teacher travels far to present new path (Express-Times, Pennsylvania)
Venerable Luangpor Thong Abhakaro traveled from Thailand to spread the word about a particular practice of meditation he claims can end suffering, if practiced correctly, in three years or less. Mahasati meditation, based on moving with awareness rather than sitting still with the eyes closed, was invented by Abhakaro's mentor, Luangpor Teean Jittasubho, in 1957.

Sole to soul (Indianapolis Star)
...Joslin maintains that through chants, visualization and attention to the most obvious aspects of the present moment -- the weather, pain or breathing -- the simple run can become the basis for a profound spiritual practice.

Cancer as a 'reversible disease' (Globe and Mail, Canada)
Doctors at a center in B.C. are involving cancer patients with their own healing in a holistic approach, with surprising results.

'Mindful meditation' -- it's not just a nap Regularly tuning out 'mental chatter' can have long-term benefits, researchers say (Kalamazoo Gazette, Michigan)
Meditation -- a quiet, peaceful place where you gently brush aside the incessant mental chatter -- is more than a restful state. It may also be a place for insights, a place that may help you "see what you are really all about," says Patricia Frawley, a psychotherapist at Mid-America Psychological Services in Portage.

Meditation: Growing popularity for stress relief, spirituality (Jakarta Post, Indonesia)
In the last month, no less than three major spiritual leaders -- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Amma and Dadi Janki -- have visited Jakarta and Singapore as part of their world tours. Known around the world for their powerful messages of peace and love, they attract hoards of followers and encourage hundreds to take up meditation and prayer regardless of religion.