Noah Shachtman, Wired: Chade-Meng Tan is perched on a chair, his lanky body folded into a half-lotus position. “Close your eyes,” he says. His voice is a hypnotic baritone, slow and rhythmic, seductive and gentle. “Allow your attention to rest on your breath: The in-breath, the out-breath, and the spaces in between.” We feel our lungs fill and release. As we focus on the smallest details of our respiration, other thoughts—of work, of family, of money—begin to recede, leaving us alone with the rise and fall of our chests. For thousands of years, these techniques have helped put practitioners into meditative states…

Read the original article »

Steven Impey, Gloucestershire Echo: Having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis for more than three decades, Steve Brisk has learned to appreciate the subtleties in life.

He was 29 at the time – the average age for adults who suffer from the condition.

Now the 61-year-old, from Woodmancote, is continuing his work to help others suffering from the same symptoms he did.

In the last 30 years, he has raised more than £250,000 for charities connected to the illness.

His therapy is driven through meditation, which allows sufferers to gain a foothold in their hectic lives which can lead to MS via stress or restless nights…

Read the original article »

Tim Barlass,The Syndney Morning Herald: Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder can be treated with transcendental meditation, says a leading US expert on the practice.

Fred Travis of the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa has won a $2.4 million grant from the US Department of Defence for research on the use of meditation to help veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts cope with stress.

Dr Travis, who is speaking in Sydney this week, believes its application with Australian Defence Force staff should also be investigated.

Three US studies have shown that transcendental meditation can have remarkable results…

Read the original article »