Comments on: Can Mindfulness Meditation Make You Smarter?

By: Aporia Politico: Can meditation help the stupidity of politics? For my coke, I sure hope so! | Anguished Repose

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:02:17 +0000

[...] [via Discover Magazine] Can you consciously increase your [...]

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:54:11 +0000

@John, wonderfully said!

By: John

John — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:04:51 +0000

There have been over 500 studies on the effect of Transcendental Meditation on everything from brain chemistry to influencing social surroundings. We are at the point in history where science is bearing the fruits of practices that have long been deemed esoteric or mystical. As the consciousness of the world continues to increase, more people will turn toward meditation as a means of self-improvement and the by-product will be a better world!

By: Surly

Surly — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:45:09 +0000

@Sunny: Uh, no. The subjects certainly didn’t change the world around them with their thoughts. The way they used their brains changed their brains. Are you amazed that exercise changes your muscles?

By: Lorean Hover

Lorean Hover — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:09:27 +0000

Hey Dan, I really liked the part when you discussed how people trained their working memory with specially designed games, and especially the part about how participants had to keep track of spoken words or locations on a grid as they continuously pile up.

Do you think you could make a post about meditation for health? I would have loved that.

By: Sunny D

Sunny D — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:09:26 +0000

Does anyone else find it amazing that activities such as meditation can can cause physical changes in the brain? I think this really falls into the idea that we “create our own reality” and that our thoughts can actually change the world around us. The idea that conventional science can explain this is wrong.

By: floodmouse

floodmouse — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:16:24 +0000

” . . . a type of meditation called integrative body-mind training (IBMT), adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s. Under instruction by a coach who provides instruction on breathing, posture and mental imagery, IBMT encourages trainees to avoid controlling their thoughts, encouraging them instead to maintain a state of restful alertness while calming music plays in the background.”

This is actually a pretty good description of yoga, except yoga is associated more with India than China. It is also a pretty good description of chi gong, which is a moving meditation technique from China. I suppose the acronym (IBMT) will appeal to people who like their ideas shiny and new . . .