A study conducted by a Harvard affiliated team out of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) came across surprising conclusions regarding the tangible effects of meditation on human brain structure. An 8 week program of mindfulness meditation produced MRI scans for the first time showing clear evidence that meditation produces “massive changes” in brain gray matter.

Study senior author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program (as well as a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology) stated that meditation practitioners aren’t just feeling better. They are literally undergoing changes in brain structure that create the associated sustained boosts in positive and relaxed feelings.

Fellow MGH researcher Sue McGreevey notes that previous studies by Lazar’s group found structural differences in the brains of meditation practitioners compared to those with no prior experience most notably in the thickening of the cerebral cortex; the area responsible for attention and emotional integration. These prior studies, however could not narrow down the structural differences to meditation specifically until now.

Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting is not an extreme or dangerous form of “dieting.” It’s actually  a very healthy practice that’s loaded with a number health benefits. What kind of health benefits? Everything from reducing risks that are associated with obesity, reversing diabetes, to possibly assisting in killing cancer and more.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is about timing your meals to allow for regular periods of fasting. Recommendations for allocating time throughout your day to go without food range from approximately 12 to 16 hours. This would mean, for example, only eating between the hours of 11 am and 7 pm, and doing so everyday. There are other ways to do it and we will get to that later in the article.

Let your soul take the time to wonder deeply about being human. You are a conscious lifeform, moving your own set of molecules and your own array of energies within a vast space we call the cosmos. Like all things in this wondrous universe, your soul exists in harmony with nature – a balance between light and dark, between movement and mass, between life and dream. You are a seed of self; an immortal child blossomed by the tree of life.

Some people in some places on Earth will tell you that your soul is a commodity. You are just a human form born to be a tireless peg in the machine of economic progress. They will convince you that your purpose here is limited to the currency exchange supporting the oligarchy at large. Buy this thing, do this thing, say this thing, and eat this stuff. This system has risen to become the most magnificent and devastating scam of our lifetime. So, how do we take back our lives? How do we save the rainforests and oceans suffering from our ignorance? How do we salvage the lost connection to our inner dreams? Humanity is created from the stuff of the stars. All you have to do is allow the glory of consciousness to open like a flower in the garden of divine free will.

If you can say, “I am in love with myself” then you are ready to say, “I am in love you” to others without conditions, reservations, limits or boundaries. However, you must first be willing to give this gift to yourself. ~ Creator

https://thecreatorwritings.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/in-love-2/

By Gavin Whyte
Guest Writer for Wake Up World

Okay, I know the title is a little odd but hear me out, because what I have to say about dying only makes living all the more incredible.

We have been conditioned not to think about death and dying. If we do think about it and voice our thoughts then people, our family and close friends especially, might get a little worried, fearing for our mental health.

But what if — and this is where we make the grim reaper look like prince charming — what if by understanding death and how it’s connected to life, we learn how to live in peace, joy, wonder and love? Have you ever wondered whether all those things we’re seeking might be hiding in the very place we fear the most?