Rating: ⁷⁄₁₀ Read: 2015.12.17

Michael Taft explains the benefits of mindfulness and meditation based on more science than religion.

• Weekly 5 times 10-30 minutes meditation has its effect in very short time (weeks)
• If you feel stressed
  • Straight spines
  • (almost) straight chin
  • Flex then release the tension in the muscles, focus on limped parts
• Write down why do you meditate, weekly and monthly
• Meditation means focusing on feelings, not exact physical bodyparts
• During waiting times, try to focus on one thing
• Always accept the momentary sensory feelings, do not fight against it
  • If you accept it, in the long term the hurt will be less <-> relax the painful areas
• After enough training, the feelings of your sensations are so much deeper, that you can eliminate a lot of habitual, subconscious action
• The more you feel your own sensations, the better you can handle social situations, through experiencing the feelings of others
• Meditation improves focus and thus the chance of flow
• * Mind wandering increasing the effects of depression
• Focus always on the positive feelings, let go, but do not sweep out negatives
  • Longer lifespan
  • Better stress management
  • Better social life

2 practice from the book:

1. Thinks someone you love
2. Think about he/she is being happy
3. Wish his/her nice things, imagine it
4. Focus on your own good feelings

5. Repeat

6. Notice focus object

7. Label focus object

8. Allow awareness to deeply contact the focus object

9. Feel acceptance toward whatever you find there

10. Continue focusing contracting, accepting for 5 seconds

11. Repeat