Collaborative-Scholarship Across the Disciplines: Health, Healing and Spirituality
On April 2, 2013, the Collaborative for Excellence in Learning and Teaching along with the Scholarship Across the Disciplines committee, hosted the presentat...
By: QuinnipiacUniversity
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Collaborative-Scholarship Across the Disciplines: Health, Healing and Spirituality - Video
Mr. Roy Bohrer attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Long Center for Performing Arts, in Austin, on April 11. He said Shen Yun "Presented a rich history."(Lily Setoh/The Epoch Times)
AUSTIN, TexasIt was reality mixed with spirituality and fantasy to some extent. All of that mixed together, said Mr. Roy Bohrer after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Long Center for Performing Arts in Austin Thursday night.
Before retiring, Mr. Bohrer served as the executive director of several professional non-profit associations in Austin, from sectors ranging from roofing contractors to speech pathologists to criminal justice.
Mr. Bohrer said watching New York-based Shen Yuns performance gave him a better understanding of traditional Chinese culture. He was touched by the spirituality of the culture that came through the performances and found it meaningful.
I have not seen a performance like this. I have not seen this before nor anything like it, Mr. Bohrer said.
Classical Chinese dance and ethnic and folk dances bring the audience from region to region of China, showing many of the 55 ethnicities throughout the country. In addition, stories are depicted through dance from every time period.
Through music and dance, Shen Yun seeks to revive the Chinese peoples belief in virtue and faith in the divine, which is the heart and soul of the culture, according to its website.
I thought it was really nice, really really nice. It was beautiful, it was inspiring, meaningful, all of those things, Mr. Bohrer said.
Another audience member touched by the revival of the divinely inspired culture was Ms. Anita Dodio, a senior software manager in Austin.
I think its something thats unique, Ms. Dodio said. It is something you feel, at heart. Its not simple entertainment.
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Minister Jeanette Stokes discusses how she helps women nourish their spirituality
While growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jeanette Stokes never imagined she would become a minister. After all, as a young girl, she had never even seen a woman lead a congregation. But she eventually followed her faith, fulfilled her ambition, and helped other women to better nurture their own spirituality.
One thing that was constant throughout Stokes' life was her interest and devotion to women in her community. After traveling to Durham, North Carolina, Stokes stumbled upon the burgeoning Women's Liberation Movement at the bottom of the YWCA where she was working.
"There would be posters around about women's groups and speakers, and women's dances in the basement," Stokes told Host Frank Stasio on The State of Things. "So The Y became a sort of hub for women's and feminist culture and organizing."
From her job at the YWCA, Jeanette stumbled into Duke Divinity School, not with the intent of becoming a priest, but to have conversations about the divine. She ended up becoming the director of the Women's Center at Duke Divinity School, and it became Stokes' job to visit women working in churches around North Carolina. During her visits she realized that many of the women in these rural churches weren't happy and weren't getting the respect they deserved.
"They would get inappropriate sexual comments. They would be asked to work only with the children or young people..." Stokes said. "They would be patted or the head and other things that demean professional women."
Conversations with women in the church inspired Stokes to found the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South out of her small house in Greensboro. The Center has since moved to Durham and exists as a space where women can explore their spirituality through community arts. The Center does not distinguish between denomination.
"Everything we do everyday is in fact sacred," Stokes said. "And what gets in the way of being a faithful religious person or a conscious spiritual person is forgetting that."
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Minister Helps Women Nourish Their Spirituality In And Out Of The Church | WUNC
American Spirituality
A religion based on emotion ends in the fires of Hell. New Zealand Talk Info -- http://ow.ly/jL7RM Australia Talk Info -- http://ow.ly/jL7WX.
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MANCHESTER - Pastoral Counseling Services of Manchester announces the 4th annual Conference on Spirituality and Psychotherapy on Friday, May 17.
This year's topic is "The Fragile Pact: Couples in Treatment," and will feature two half-day sessions developed for two main audiences, psychotherapists and religious professionals.
Dr. Doug Stephens, a psychotherapist, will facilitate both sessions. Stephens serves as the training coordinator at Pastoral Counseling Services, Inc. and is executive director at the Adirondack Samaritan Counseling Center in Hudson Falls, N.Y.
From 8:45 a.m. to noon, psychotherapists can explore clinical models for couples in treatment and enhance their abilities to engage couples in conflict, including creating and sustaining interactional change.
Registration fees for the morning session are $65 and this course has a pending application for 3 Category I Continuing Education Units. A student rate is also available for $45.
From 1 to 4 p.m., religious professionals will focus on a pastoral model to engage couples and assess for referral. Objectives include differentiating between chronic issues and situation or short-term issues, conflict resolution skills, and developing strategies to express serious concerns while maintaining the pastoral connection.
Registration fees for the afternoon session are $35
Conference reservations can be made by completing registration form available on our website at http://www.pcs-nh.org or by contacting Lindsay Goff at lgoff@pcs-nh.org or 627-2702, ext. 110.
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Professor Emerita Mary Jo Weaver of Indiana University offered an in depth account of Catholic spirituality throughout the ages on Tuesday.
Members of the Saint Marys community gathered in Stapleton Lounge for her lecture on the Evolutionary Adventure of Catholic Spirituality, the last in a series of the 2013 Endowed Spring Lectures sponsored by the colleges Center for Spirituality.
The former professor and daughter of a Saint Marys alumna of 1937 received her doctorate degree in theology in 1973 from Notre Dame. Since then, she has written several pieces on the politics of Christianity and womens roles in the Catholic Church.
Sixty years ago I would have never been invited to give a talk like this, Weaver said.
There was a time when Catholicism confined humans spiritual freedom to heaven and hell, she said.
You had to choose between the transitory, earthly pleasures and the immortality offered in the afterlife, Weaver said. Spiritual life was fearful and cautious.
This sort of ethos is known as trial spirituality, she said. Catholic clergy members took vows meant to withdraw them from everyday life. Weaver said she believes the vocations the Church offered were meant to attract a few brave souls.
The excessive time spent in solitude was an attempt to achieve perfection and embody Jesus to the greatest extent possible, she said. The second Vatican Council adjusted the religions attitude in 1964.
It opened up new possibilities to the dogmatic constitution of the Church and held a universal call to holiness, Weaver said.
Along with initiating interreligious dialogue and mandating liturgical change, she said it defined revelation as dynamic, alive and personal.
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Yourwellness Magazine was granted exclusive access to Gill Potter, and her new book Sacred Paths Entwined, to find out how developing spirituality can improve overall health and wellbeing.
London, UK (PRWEB UK) 31 March 2013
For Gill, who works with clients worldwide using astrology and archetypes to know more about their life path and purpose, Many people would love to feel healthy and enjoy greater levels of wellbeing. Clients often tell me their life isnt moving in the desired direction and they are searching for new answers. It was something I wrestled with, too, for many years so I know the cost of poor health! Gill explained to Yourwellness Magazine that certain internal mental and emotional processes block people from better health and sense of purpose.
Gill also outlined the six main essential keys for getting spirituality on the right track:
1.Control of thoughts. A person who learns about their thought patterns can get to the point where they can control them, and stay on one thought without others interrupting.
2.Control of actions. Resolving to do something from ones own initiative can help a person achieve a higher life.
3.Equanimity. Become steadfast and even-tempered rather than rocking back and forth over several emotions.
4.Understand every being. Look for beauty and wonder in everything, because it can be found.
5.Complete openness. Dont judge things by previous knowledge but develop the ability to listen to something new.
6.Inner harmony. With the other five keys, inner harmony will be the result.
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Leonard Cohens first-ever New Orleans concert Thursday night was, I think most would agree, transcendent; over the course of nearly three hours and a satisfying number of familiar songs, he and his band hit the mark of reverence, humor, ribaldry and general intimacy with the nearly sold-out theater even while battling a well-publicized group flu.
Did it add extra impact that the show took place between Passover and Easter weekend? Yes, probably; the content of the show resonated with a passionate crowd already well versed in the intense spirituality of Mr. Cohens work.
Those with more out-and-about time in them joined singer Emily Roberston after the fact for a tribute concert at the Saturn Bar that included local underground singer-songwriters Jayson Knox, Micah McKee and others that honored Cohen well into the first hours of Friday morning.
Did you attend the show at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, the tribute show at Saturn Bar, or like me, both? Please share your thoughts while I collect my own for a longer commentary.
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Spirituality , sex, wit and a staggering legacy: Leonard Cohen at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
Editors Note
This is the latest entry in Catchafire's Generosity Series, a multi-month celebration and investigation of bold generosity with the goal of understanding its causes, its benefits, and how to inspire more giving. Well be interviewing a long list of impressive change makers who have demonstrated their generosity through acts of service, rather than exclusively through deep-pocketed philanthropy.
This month, were honoring some of the most generous on Wall Street. Weve already looked at Social Media Mavens and designers. The series will run through the winter with more profiles of generous Tech Founders, Marketing Gurus, and Filmmakers.
How does ones spirituality influence their generosity? For Brent Kessel, the CEO and co-founder of Abacus Wealth Partners, 20 years of yoga and meditation practice has affected everything from the firms investment philosophy to its culture. His ability to bridge the worlds of finance and spirituality has helped him build one of the countrys most interesting wealth-management firms, which is part of why weve selected him as one of our Most Generous on Wall Street.
Born and raised in Apartheid-era South Africa, Kessel witnessed blatant racial and economic inequalities that still resonate and fuel his empathy today. An active Acumen Fund Partner, he recently traveled to East Africa to meet with several of the social enterprises in which they invest. On his January 2013 trip, he visited one company that is enabling micro-entrepreneurs in Nairobis slums to buy franchised toilets. By keeping it clean, they earn money to pay off the toilet, and at the same time help reduce the spread of disease. To earn additional revenue that helps keep the cost of the toilets low, the company composts the waste, transforming it into fertilizer using a new technology created in conjunction with the Gates Foundation. In addition to his work with Acumen, Kessel is an avid charity: water supporter, has sponsored two Cambodian children for many years, and has helped raise over $600,000 to help find a cure to Type 1 Diabetes, the disease one of his sons was diagnosed with in 2003.
The biggest thing Ive learned is that I need to be face-to-face with the suffering my philanthropy is attempting to alleviate, he says. When Im removed from it, just writing a check or entering a credit card number on a website, I get a momentary good feeling. But when Im meeting people face to face, I get to experience our sameness, and the random nature of the fact that my situation is so much more comfortable and safe than theirs. This usually creates a more lasting effect on my generosity.
An advanced yogi and long-time practitioner of meditation, Kessel has sought to bring philanthropy and social impact into his work and investment activities. He embraces the new model of integrating service with ones professional life, as opposed to the traditional model of keeping these two spheres separate.
His company, Abacus, is a certified B Corporation that manages socially responsible and sustainable investment portfolios for individuals and families nationwide. The social enterprises invested in by Abacus have provided microfinance loans to over 11 million borrowers as well as funded clean technology and renewable energy projects aiming to slow down climate change, among many other social impacts. Along with guiding what Abacus clients invest in, his philosophy extends to the firms income statement: Abacus donates at least 5% of profits each year to charity. Each employee receives a portion of the pool to donate to their favorite causes, and the amount is doubled if they volunteer time as well. Kessels longest tenured assistant even flew to Cambodia to visit a charity for children she supports in Phnom Penh. Generosity is clearly a core value at Abacus.
In addition to his personal and professional philanthropy, Kessel has also been increasingly giving with his time. Writing checks feels like it depletes your gas tank, when youre giving your life energy it fills up the tank. Theres something to this idea of face-to-face giving, an experiential generosity that paying a sum cannot connect you to.
Despite a relationship to generosity that is evident and consistent throughout his personal and professional life, Kessel is very modest about his giving--a common thread among all of our Wall Street honorees. I dont actually feel my life is dedicated to giving back, he says. Some might say Im quite selfish given some of the things I spend money on for personal enjoyment.
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What Happens When You Mix Spirituality And Finance? More Giving
With more and more people turning to modern spirituality, Yourwellness Magazine was granted access to expert Deborah Sless, author of new book Beyond Our Illusions: The key to using Universal Laws to transform your life, who shared her beliefs in Universal Laws, and asking the universe to provide.
London, UK (PRWEB UK) 27 March 2013
According to Deborah, The Law of Cause and Effect and its sub-laws (belief, choice, attraction, opposites, increase, creation, chance and intent) inform us about the different ways in which we create the life we have the people, events, situations and objects that form our experienceeverything we think affects everyone and everything.
Deborah gave Yourwellness Magazine five simple ways of becoming more aware of negative thought patterns, and confirming the existence of Universal Laws through the Laws of Cause and Effect.
1.Ask the universe for a parking space. Deborah asserted that if one whole-heartedly believes that the universe will provide, then it will.
2.Request something that has no emotional attachment. This is one step on from the parking space, and will be provided if asked for with trust and conviction.
3.Doubt doubts. Doubt creates contradictory thoughts which, if stronger than the belief, will win out and manifest instead.
4.Look back at old requests that were answered in an unexpected way. If things didnt turn out exactly as planned, there may have been a different belief at the start that overpowered the original request.
5.Remember that everyone who asks receives. Before the universe can give a person what they want, they first have to believe they are worthy of it.
Beyond Our Illusions: The key to using Universal Laws to transform your life (Live it Publishing, 2012) is available from major retailers.
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Yourwellness Magazine Explores New Trend in Modern Spirituality
John W. Morgan, Quinnipiac University Hamden
7:10 p.m. EDT, March 22, 2013
The three presenters are: Cynthia Barrere, a professor in the School of Nursing, who will discuss "Spirituality & Meditative Interventions to Promote Health & Healing;" Anna-leila Williams, assistant professor of medical sciences in the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, who will talk about "Barriers to Meditation," and Tami Reilly, associate director of fitness and wellness, who will discuss "Meditation and the Quinnipiac Student."
Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,200 full-time undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges issue. The 2013 issue of U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges named Quinnipiac as the top up-and-coming school with master's programs in the Northern Region. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton Review's "The Best 377 Colleges." For more information, please visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quinnipiacuniversity and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.
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Five Questions for Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Expert Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD
Reporters/editors/producers note: The following feature was produced by the American Psychological Association. You may reprint it in its entirety or in part. We only request that you credit APA as the source.
Introduction: Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they practice some type of religion, while approximately 20 percent, mostly younger people, say they do not, according to a 2012 Pew Research Center study. Whether a person is religious, spiritual or neither, the major influence religion has on American culture will be emphasized over the coming days with religious observances of Passover and Easter.
Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, is a leading expert in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Known for his scholarly work and his scientific analyses of religions role in mental health, he served as editor-in-chief of the APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion and Spirituality published in January 2013. He has written two books: The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice (1997) and Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: Understanding and Addressing the Sacred (2007). He is a clinical psychologist and Kea professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University and distinguished scholar at the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center.
APA recently asked Dr. Pargament the following questions about the psychology of religion and spirituality.
________________________________________ APA: You are known for research about the links between religion and coping. What are you discovering in your studies of the relationship between religion and psychological well-being and stress? What is the difference between positive and negative religious coping and its potential outcomes for patients?
Dr. Pargament: The old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes is not really true. Before, during and after combat, we can find atheists who consistently hold to their orientation. It is true, though, that people often do turn to their faith as a source of solace and support in their most stressful moments. In fact, some groups such as the elderly and minority groups may be more likely to look to their faith for help than to family, friends and the health care system.
Empirical studies of many groups dealing with major life stressors such as natural disaster, illness, loss of loved ones, divorce and serious mental illness show that religion and spirituality are generally helpful to people in coping, especially people with the fewest resources facing the most uncontrollable of problems. However, there are many forms of religious coping, and some are more helpful than others. People can draw on many religious and spiritual resources that have been tied to better adjustment in times of crisis. These positive religious coping methods include spiritual support from God or a higher power, rituals to facilitate life transitions, spiritual forgiveness, support from a religious institution or clergy and reframing a stressful situation into a larger, more benevolent system of meaning.
On the other hand, some forms of religious and spiritual coping can be more problematic. Life events can shake and shatter people spiritually as well as psychologically, socially and physically. People may struggle spiritually with their understanding of God, with inner conflicts or with other people. A growing body of research has linked these spiritual struggles to higher levels of psychological distress, declines in physical health and even greater risk of mortality. Thus, it is important for psychologists and other health care providers to be aware of the dual nature of religion and spirituality; they can be vital resources for health and well-being, but they can also be sources of distress.
APA: How do psychologists use religion and spirituality in clinical practice today? Among the various approaches, which do you feel are most effective and why?
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What Role Do Religion and Spirituality Play in Mental Health?
Smudging, sweat lodges, drum songs. If you were to ask most Canadians what comprises indigenous spirituality in this country, those are the images that would likely come to mind.
These are common practices, integral elements of many indigenous cultures that can transcend language and local affiliations.
What's more, they are the ones often relayed to non-native Canadians through mainstream media, largely because they are often the only regular ceremonies that media and spectators in general are allowed to take pictures of though only with an elder's blessing.
Not surprisingly, then, that this is what most people think of when they contemplate "native spirituality."
But that is a much too general term to describe the very different and vibrant beliefs and ceremonies that span this great landscape, and which are now starting to surface again, spurred on by a young, more assertive generation and the investigative tools of social media.
It's common now to see Facebook groups dedicated to the organization of the once-banned sun dances in Western Canada, and even traditional seasonal Anishinaabe ceremonies in the east.
In fact, you might say there is even a sort of spiritual resurgence online, with young indigenous people no longer ashamed of their past, and using social media both to plan ceremonies and events, and mine internet resources to breathe new life into the old ways.
Most Canadians likely aren't aware of many of these older ceremonies, and even indigenous people themselves don't practice them with much continuity or prevalence.
That's because for a long time in Canada, it was forbidden to do so.
In 1876, the federal government passed the Indian Act to give itself exclusive authority over Indians and their lands.
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Facebook sweat lodge, the online resurgence of native spirituality
"'No Religion' Is World's 3rd Largest Religion After Christianity and Muslims According to Pew Study" was the headline.
The story covered the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life report on the size and distribution of the world's religious groups as of 2010.
Although the December story on "The Global Religious Landscape" stated that worldwide more than eight in 10 people (84 percent) identify with a religious group, it indicated roughly one in six people (1.1 billion, or 16 percent) have no religious affiliation.
This makes the unaffiliated the third largest "religious group," behind Christians (2.2 billion, or 32 percent) and Muslims (1.6 billion, or 23 percent). The report noted many of the unaffiliated hold some religious or spiritual beliefs, such as belief in God or a universal spirit, even though they do not identify with a particular faith community.
This followed a Pew report earlier in 2012 that documented a trend among U.S. adults not to identify with any religion. Taking advantage of a pun about Catholic women in religious orders asserting themselves during the election year ("Nuns on the Bus"), many headlines simply picked up on the Pew's own title for its report, "'Nones' on the Rise."
That report said one-fifth of adults in the U.S. and one-third of adults under 30 have no religious affiliation. From 2007 to 2012 the percentage of American adults who have no religious affiliation increased from just over 15 percent to 20 percent. Of the religiously unaffiliated, 12 percent said they were atheists and 17 percent agnostic.
The U.S.-based report analyzed questions about shifting understandings of religion and spirituality and the relationships between them. Respondents were asked if they considered themselves to be "a religious person" and, in a separate question, if they considered themselves to be "a spiritual person." The report analyzed the extent to which people who identified as "religious" and those who identified themselves as "spiritual" were separate or overlapping groups.
Although for many, spirituality continues to be closely linked with religion, a growing number of individuals identify their spirituality as either loosely, or not at all, associated with an established religious tradition. This distinction is often enhanced by the college experience, as is documented in "Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students' Inner Lives," a seven-year project conducted by researchers at UCLA.
One student cited in a study I recently completed with two colleagues, "Forging the Male Spirit: The Spiritual Lives of American College Men," commented: "Spirituality is one's set of beliefs and actions and how those line up with religion, or not, and a relationship with God or whatever is out there. My own spirituality includes some questions about whether God is real or not." Other students were similarly eager to distance themselves from organized religion. As one said, "Spirituality gives you more creative ability than does religion. I would never call myself religious."
In our research, we found that traditional college-age men value their spirituality deeply but many had little use for organized religion.
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Mandy Patinkin talks spirituality in Studio Q
http://www.cbc.ca/Q Tony and Emmy award-winning actor, Mandy Patinkin, opens up about his spiritual side in this clip from his feature interview in Studio Q.
By: Qtv
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HEALTH IS WEALTH The Impact of Spirituality In Our Lives by: DR. ANGEL V. SOMERA What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses the fate of his own soul. Biblical Passage
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lenten Season when Catholics receive ash that is marked crossed on our forehead symbolizing a meaningful sign that we are dust and to dust we shall return.
As real Christians, we shall give a great significance to this sacred ritual because one day most certainly we will give up our own host or die. Knowing this inevitable reality in our life and fully aware of two spiritual destinations of where our immortal souls will go; either Heaven or Hell, Heaven if we faithfully obey Gods Commandments and have lived righteously, but to the Lake of Fire (Hell) when we seriously transgressed the Laws of God in our lives.
Today, in this new millennium there are still people who are searching for new meaning in this modern world that frequently seems meaningless. An American psychologist, Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul (Harper, 1992) claimed that when the soul is neglected people suffer from both physical illnesses and stress-related illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, AIDS, Diabetes, etc. but worse are the mental disorders such as severe anxiety, depression, anger, violence, frustrations, suicide, etc.
Lent reminds us of the story of Jonah who was sent by God to warn the people of Nineveh to change their evil ways. Otherwise, if people will continue to transgress God, they will suffer a very severe punishment. But people sincerely repented by wearing sackcloth and ashes and changed their sinful ways. Thus, God spared them from his wrath.
It is high time to return to the righteous ways and to live a holy life of incessant prayers, unwavering faith and avoidance of sin at all cost. St. Augustines prayers: We are restless Lord, until we rest in thee.
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What can technology learn from spirituality? For most Wired readers, the default answer is probably "nothing". But a conference called Wisdom 2.0 -- attended by Ford CEO Bill Ford and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams -- is trying to change that.
Wisdom 2.0 has grown very fast in only four years. From its first panel discussion in May 2010, between Google VP Bradley Horowitz and zen teacher Joan Halifax, the conference has stayed focused on its signature blend of technology and spirituality. In February 2013 Wisdom 2.0 filled the Concourse Exhibition Centre in San Francisco with some 1500 attendees, attracted by speakers including Ford CEO Bill Ford, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington and members of US congress Tulsi Gabbard and Tim Ryan. A remarkable cross section of technology, business and politics for a conference that whose main focus is on the work of spiritual teachers like Jack Kornfield and Eckhart Tolle.
For many people the question, "what can technology learn from spirituality?" will meet with the flat out answer, "nothing". Our secular society has learned to question spiritual teaching with the same skepticism we might bring to discussions of the supernatural and mysticism. But the success of Wisdom 2.0 suggests that its mission -- to explore how we live with greater presence, meaning, and mindfulness in the technology age -- is relevant to a growing audience. Technology confronts all of us with many challenges to our well being, from dealing with the "always on" work patterns facilitated by mobile technology, to managing the fragmented global communities of social media. As Wisdom 2.0 conference organiser Soren Gordhammer wrote in his 2009 book of the same title; technology is not the answer, but neither is it the problem. What matters instead is awareness, engagement and wisdom.
For spiritual teachings to become relevant to our modern lives, we first have to separate them from the supernatural and mystical baggage that makes them difficult for us to accept. In his 2007 talk at Google, Wisdom 2.0 speaker Jon Kabat-Zinn outlines the technique of mindfulness and its value in modern life. As Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts he talks from a wealth of experience. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment". Mindfulness training helps patients connect directly to their present, and in turn reduces stress and suffering caused by dysfunctional thought processes. In the schema of mindfulness, pain is not the problem, but our response to pain is.
The medical benefits of mindfulness training are now widely acknowledged. Kabat-Zinn's early work on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme helped patients suffering from severe and enduring pain and even terminal illness. The programme also forms the basis of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, a leading treatment for anxiety disorders and depression. Mindfulness training is now widely employed in education, as a technique for calming and improving the concentration of students. Perhaps more surprisingly mindfulness training is also being actively employed in business to improve productivity, in sports to improve performance, and even in the military with both frontline and recovering combatants.
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how to eliminate kharma, release dissolve karma ties, karmic symptoms, spirituality, love
my own experience and symptoms during elimination of karma
By: Mimi Lu
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how to eliminate kharma, release dissolve karma ties, karmic symptoms, spirituality, love - Video
Over coming addiction through spirituality-preview
A preview of BrianMahoney #39;s book. video edited by Anthony C. Nucci
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By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) More than one thousand men attended a Catholic spirituality conference at a Northeast Philadelphia High School Saturday. The event wrapped up with a mass celebrated by Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput.
Man Up Philly organized the 5th Annual Mens Spirituality Conference
Lets face it, we are living in tough economic times, we all had despair. We all had adversity and this enables men to get together for the camaraderie and hear inspirational speakers and then we hope that they leave here to get together in smaller groups once a week, said Eustace Mita, chairman of the group.
John Walker of Vermont and his 15-year-old son Matthew were in the audience.
I want to make sure his foundation in the faith is strong so he can handle what comes at him. It will bounce off him. And as for me, its a recharge.
Among the speakers were former Philadelphia Flyer Don Saleski and Jim Towey, the President of Ave Maria University and former personal attorney for Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
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Catholic Men From Around The Country Attend Spirituality Event In Northeast Philadelphia