1) How to Build Habits • Inspiration

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1) How to build habits

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Inspiration:

What motivates you to do this change? What inspires you to change or build a new habit? Think about how your life could be if you make this change.

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Intention:

Set some clear intentions: you need a plan. This is a critical link between inspiration and action. When do you plan to do what?

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Action

Experience

Shift things to action – just start it! Repeat the process until it is experienced, and becomes a new habit. Research says that you need 20 repetitions to start building a new habit… so 5 minutes each morning for three weeks could do the trick to kick this off!

2) Meditation Apps

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Headspace (www.headspace.com)

Calm (www.calm.com)

And many more are out there … and they are a great start to build a habit!

3) My recommended reads

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General reads:

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Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan 10% Happier by Dan Harris Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg

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Mindfulness/Meditation

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Happiness by Matthieu Ricard (probably THE book that changed my life…)

Why Meditate by Matthieu Ricard Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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Compassion

A Fearless Heart by Thupten Jinpa

Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff

Research/Mindfulness today

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The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard Davidson

Altered Traits by Richard Davidson and Daniel Goleman

Your Brain At Work by David Rock

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Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: And Why it Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goleman

Spiritual (but practical)

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World by Daniel Goleman

Recommended publications

CHEP 2018 Proceedings Final.Pdf

2018 CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION PEDAGOGY PROCEEDINGS H o s t e d by t h e C e n t e r f o r E x c e l l e n c e i n Te a c h i n g a n d L e a r n i n g ( f o r m e rl y C I D E R ) 10th Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy February 14-16, 2018 The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Corporate Sponsors The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning thanks all of the sponsors for their value of and commitment to higher education pedagogy. Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy 2018 ii Table of Contents Conversation Sessions ................................................................................................................. 1 Practice Sessions....................................................................................................................... 77 Research Sessions ................................................................................................................... 197 Poster Sessions........................................................................................................................ 253 CONVERSATION SESSIONS A CONVERSATION ON EXAMINING HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES LIKE REACTING TO THE PAST .................................. 2 AND ITS IMPACTS ON STUDENTS AND FACULTY THOMAS CHASE HAGOOD, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA; C. EDWARD WATSON, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES; NAOMI J. NORMAN, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA; DAWN MCCORMACK A CONVERSATION: FROM BRICK AND MORTAR TO CYBER SPACE: ADDRESSING FEARS AND RESISTANCE
The Pennsylvania State University the Graduate School MOTIVATING

The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School MOTIVATING ENGAGEMENT WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES THROUGH COMPASSION TRAINING: A MULTI-METHOD RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL A Dissertation in Psychology by Sinhae Cho © 2020 Sinhae Cho Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2020 ii The dissertation of Sinhae Cho was reviewed and approved by the following: José A. Soto Associate Professor of Psychology Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute Dissertation Advisor Co-Chair of Committee Robert W. Roeser Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion Co-Chair of Committee C. Daryl Cameron Assistant Professor of Psychology Research Associate in Rock Ethics Institute Michael N. Hallquist Assistant Professor of Psychology Assistant Professor of Institute for Computational and Data Sciences Kristin A. Buss Professor of Psychology Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Head of the Department of Psychology iii ABSTRACT To address issues of racial disparities in the US and effect lasting social changes, it is essential for members of privileged groups to learn about the experiences of marginalized individuals and groups. However, this kind of empathic engagement around social justice issues is often avoided by privileged group members due to the potentially high emotional costs associated with engaging with these issues. This multi-method, randomized controlled trial examined a two-week, online-based, self-administered
Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal Vol. 3, No. 2, November 2018, 88-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.22316/poc/03.2.07 Book Review Goleman, D., & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Altered traits: Science reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain, and body. New York, NY: Avery. Krish Iyer Singapore It’s been two years since I embarked on making meditation a daily routine, and over the last two years my practice has grown from a thought- jangling, mind-wandering, “Is it time yet?” 5-minute sitting to a steady, breath- aware and attention-centered sitting of anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. It’s now something I so thoroughly enjoy that it’s with a deep sense of relaxed regret that I experience my programmed digital Dengze gong sounding the end of the sitting. What has caused this change? Could I dismissively ascribe it to “habit”? Or were there deeper mechanisms at work here? Why have I stopped reacting to impatient car honks that sometimes greet my slow acceleration at traffic lights, for instance? And what other changes have I undergone that I’m not even aware of? There is a saying: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. That’s exactly how I felt when I chanced upon Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson’s latest work Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes your Mind, Brain and Body at my local library. Containing a wealth of wisdom explaining why and how meditation works, all validated with scientific references and elaborations of the key concepts and effects of meditation, Altered Traits provides a logical and rational explanation for what has historically been understood as a strictly spiritual endeavor.
Altering Traits Through Mindfulness: the Short and the Long of It

Words About Wellness Altering Traits through Mindfulness: The Short and the Long of It By: Susan Gaylord, PhD Associate Professor Director, Program on Integrative Medicine Many of us are now familiar with the claims, substantiated by a growing body of research, that mindfulness-based practices are effective in lowering stress, improving pain management skills, and increasing wellbeing, but questions remain about how long (and how many hours of practice) it takes to achieve such benefits, and whether these benefits remain over time. A new book entitled Altering Traits, by Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson (2017), both long-time mindfulness researchers, delves into these questions, and provides some interesting answers. While somewhat of a retrospective account of the authors’ and other colleagues’ decades-long journeys through mindfulness research, the book provides a wealth of informational nuggets to inspire our own possible journeys towards transforming ourselves via the practice of mindfulness. The authors divide practitioners of mindfulness into categories of beginning meditators, long-term meditators (with 1000 plus hours of practice experience), and yogis – advanced adepts with often 10,000 or more hours of meditation, including multiple lengthy retreats. Some benefits appear early on: for example, the brains of beginning meditators show less amygdala reactivity to stress, and as well as improvements in attention, mind-wandering, and working memory, often within just two weeks of practice. Mindful compassion meditation also leads to early benefits, including enhanced empathy. Inflammation is ameliorated within 30 hours of practice. Importantly, sustaining these benefits requires continued daily practice over time. Continued on next page… Words About Wellness (Continued) … continued from previous page More experienced, longer-term meditators show even greater benefits – not only further decreases in reactivity to stressful experiences, but a strengthening of the prefrontal circuitry of the brain involved in managing stress.
Towards Better Science and Modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science?

Towards better science and modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science? Citation for published version (APA): Smolka, M. (2019). Towards better science and modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science? Verkündigung und Forschung, 64(2), 142-150. https://doi.org/10.14315/vf-2019- 640208 Document status and date: Published: 01/09/2019 DOI: 10.14315/vf-2019-640208 Document Version: Accepted author manuscript (Peer reviewed / editorial board version) Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.
Personal Reflections on Meditation

Personal Reflections on Meditation AGU Ocean Sciences Workshop 19 Feb 2020 Stephen Griffies NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Princeton University Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program Why meditation is in my life ❖ Daily morning practice exercises/stretches my mind by stilling the mind fluctuations. ❖ It broadens perspectives to experientially appreciate that mind & awareness are more than thoughts. ❖ Meditation complements thinking by nurturing space and insight. ❖ It fosters an awareness of the way things are rather than how we think they are (great skill for scientists!) ❖ Meditation is a systematic method to investigate subjective experiences: e.g., “Who am I ?” ❖ Stress = viscosity * strain. Meditation helps to reduce “viscosity” so that life strains are less easily converted to stress. Some meditation methods/styles ❖ Vipassana & Mindfulness (awareness) ❖ Contemplative (koan, non-rational conceptual) ❖ Movement (yoga, walking, whirling, swimming, surfing) ❖ Breath/Mantra/Chant/Kirtan (concentration, devotion) ❖ Metta/Loving-Kindness (compassion, empathy) Meditation practice: what has worked for me ❖ Daily practice: mind & body need training to open up to stillness. It gets more natural with practice (just like science). ❖ Early morning before the mind is overly engaged in activities. ❖ Modest start (e.g., 10 min) built up to 60-90 min after year(s). ❖ Seated posture (bum higher than knees) w/ crossed legs to keep body balanced & aligned. ❖ Meditation time is balanced with family time. ❖ Judgements can arise (“I’m no good at this!”). Yet patience & persistence payoff. It is called meditation practice after all! ❖ Group meditation & teachers can be very useful. ❖ Anytime is a good time to develop a meditation practice. Selection of books ❖ Posture of Meditation: practical details for the mechanics of sitting in meditation.
Phuket's Rst Purpose-Built School Mindfulness Centre Opens at UWC

27/08/2018 Phuket’s first purpose-built school mindfulness centre opens at UWC Thailand | The Thaiger NEWS THAI LIFE VIDEO/PODCASTS PROPERTY ADS JOBS FOOD EVENTS MORE PHUKET Phuket’s rst purpose-built school mindfulness centre opens at UWC Thailand Published 2 weeks ago on August 27, 2018 By The Thaiger THE T Keep up news. Su The latest ne Thailand. First Name * Email Address https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/phukets-first-purpose-built-school-mindfulness-centre-opens-at-uwc-thailand 1/4 27/08/2018 Phuket’s first purpose-built school mindfulness centre opens at UWC Thailand | The Thaiger SUBSCRIB POPULA UWC Thailand (UWCT) welcomed its community back last week with a brand-new addition to its campus: a purpose-built, student-centric Mindfulness Centre. As the island’s leader in mindfulness-based education, the addition – intentionally situated at the school’s main entrance – has been well-received by students, sta and parents alike. “Mindfulness is integral to a UWCT education, and has been an ongoing focus since the school was founded in 2008. When deciding where to locate the new centre, we chose the entrance of the school so that it would be the rst thing guests at UWCT encountered and enquired about,” explained Jason McBride, UWCT’s Head of School. “It highlights our commitment to integrating mindfulness into campus life with a dedicated space for practicing.” The centre is used each day for secular mindfulness practice by classes ranging from Nursery to Grade 12, where students explore how to ‘pay attention to the present moment, on purpose, with kindness and curiosity,’ with the school’s Mindfulness Mentor Kru Lucy Keller.
Conversation with Daniel Goleman About the Relationship Between the Person Viewing Art and the Art Itself

Conversation with Daniel Goleman about the relationship between the person viewing art and the art itself PERLA GIANNI FALVO, Art Perception International, Italy GIOVANNI VALERI MANERA, Art Perception International, Italy JOEL ZOSS, Catalan Publishing, USA Daniel Goleman, best known for his worldwide bestseller “Emotional Intelligence,” is most recently co-author of “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body.” A meditator since his college days, Goleman has spent two years in India, first as a Harvard Predoctoral Traveling Fellow and then again on a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Dr. Goleman’s first book, “The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience,” is written on the basis of that research, offering an overview of various meditation paths. Goleman has moderated several Mind and Life dialogues between the Dalai Lama and scientists, ranging from topics such as “Emotions and Health” to “Environment, Ethics and Interdependence.” Goleman’s 2014 book, “A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World,” combines the Dalai Lama’s key teachings, empirical evidence, and true accounts of people putting his lessons into practice, offering readers guidance for making the world a better place. Having worked with leaders, teachers, and groups around the globe, Daniel Goleman has transformed the way the world educates children, relates to family and friends, and conducts business. Key words: Art perception, Emotional Intelligence, Neurosciences, Meditation, Receptive Mindset. SDH Reference: Perla Gianni Falvo et al. 2018. Conversation with Daniel Goleman about the relationship between the person viewing art and the art itself. SDH, 2, 1, VI-XI. DOI: 10.14434/sdh.v2i1.26872 Perla Gianni Falvo: Buongiorno! Daniel Goleman: Buongiorno! Can I just start reflecting on the subject? Telling you my thoughts? First of all, it makes more sense for me to frame this relationship between the person viewing art and the art itself in terms of mindfulness and brain function rather than emotional intelligence per se.
The Inner Life of an Experienced Meditator: from Shopping Lists to Awakening

SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING spiritualpc.net / 2021 Volume: 6 Number: 1 Research Article The Inner Life of An Experienced Meditator: From Shopping Lists to Awakening Peter M. Forster1 University of Worcester 1 University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This article addresses the little-studied area of the subjective experience of meditation Corresponding author: through the analysis of the daily meditation diary of an experienced meditator over 2 Peter Forster, Ph.D. months during the covid-19 lockdown in England in early 2020. The participant, who (Cantab) began meditating over 40 years ago, practised an open monitoring style of meditation E-mail: for 90 minutes every day followed by 30-minutes of reflecting and writing notes on the [email protected] experience. The meditation time included 60 minutes of ambient sounds and 30 minutes of binaural audio. The main and overarching themes in these diaries were identified by eISSN: 2458-9675 thematic analysis. Overarching themes were ‘What is meditation’ and ‘Something feels different! Changes in sensations or feelings while meditating’. One stand-alone theme Received: 27.11.2020 was identified, ‘Unusual or altered states of consciousness’. The Buddhist concept of Revision: 01.02.2021 jhanas may provide a framework for understanding such experiences. These themes Accepted: 09.02.2021 were discussed for the insights they provide into the meditation process. Keywords: ©Copyright 2021 Meditation, Meditation diary, Subjective experience, Phenomenology, Unusual or altered by Author(s) states of consciousness, Ethnography Citation: Forster, P. M. (2021). The inner life of an experienced meditator: From shopping lists to awakening.
Towards Better Science and Modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science?

Towards better science and modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science? Citation for published version (APA): Smolka, M. (2019). Towards better science and modesty in the Cognitive Science of Religion and Contemplative Science? Verkündigung und Forschung, 64(2), 142-150. https://doi.org/10.14315/vf-2019- 640208 Document status and date: Published: 01/09/2019 DOI: 10.14315/vf-2019-640208 Document Version: Accepted author manuscript (Peer reviewed / editorial board version) Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.
Meditation.Pdf

MEDITATION WHAT IS IT? Throughout human history, different forms of meditation have been developed in many cultures worldwide, often in association with religious traditions. Meditation’s broad scope makes defining and studying it challenging, because there are so many different types, with different styles, techniques, and goals. Some forms of meditation focus on mindful awareness. Others focus in different directions. The word meditation derives from the Latin word “meditari” which means to engage in contemplation or reflection; the term is closely related to the word “measure,” as in doing things according to proper measure. In modern health care, it typically refers to a practice in which the mind is trained to maintain focused attention for various reasons, including to cultivate positive states of mind or to increase concentration and focus. As one description put it, “through the active and intentional shaping of our brains (neuroplasticity), we can shape well-being.” [1] There are meditations to foster awareness, and there are also meditations to enhance compassion and loving-kindness. From the perspective of many contemplative traditions, meditation may be defined as spiritual practices intended to bring about enlightenment, self-actualization, or transcendence.[1] From the perspective of neuroscience, meditation is frequently defined by researchers as one or more techniques for training attention, concentration, and/or awareness of how one’s own mind works, with the intent of enhancing self-regulation in some way.[2] Depending on their scientific background, spiritual or religious perspectives, and personal experience, people will resonate with different definitions, and it is important for meditation instructors (and clinical team members who discuss meditation with others) to be respectful of this.
Article with TTU Libraries Cover Page

SOURCES TO PONDER: DEVELOPING A MEDITATION COLLECTION The Texas Tech community has made this publication openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters to us. Citation Quinn, B. (2018). Sources to Ponder: Developing a Meditation Collection. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 58(2), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.2.6926 Citable Link https://hdl.handle.net/2346/85721 Terms of Use CC-BY 4.0 Title page template design credit to Harvard DASH. Sources to Ponder: A Research Guide to Meditation Meditation practices can be traced back thousands of years to the forest-dwelling rishis of Asia who viewed it as a way to achieve spiritual growth leading to enlightenment. Fast-forward a couple of millennia and meditation has today become an increasingly popular practice in mainstream western culture. News media continually churn out stories about the latest scientific results showing the physical, mental and social benefits of meditating. Celebrities and athletes from the Beatles to David Lynch to LeBron James talk about how meditation has influenced their life and work. Meditation is practiced in corporations and boardrooms, and is used in military training programs. Meditation has become commodified and commercialized, with meditation studios springing up in major cities, books about meditation hitting the bestseller list, and Silicon Valley engineers producing meditation apps by the dozens. With all the attention being paid to meditation, library users will want to know more about what meditation is, the different kinds of practices it entails, and how it can benefit them. There are various traditions and schools of meditation that emphasize concentration, while others emphasize a more open approach know as choice-less awareness.