Love makes us warm all over, and now scientists are creating body maps to prove it. A team of scientists in Finland has used a topographical self-reported method to reveal the effects that different emotional states have on bodily sensations. After five experiments and over 700 participants from Finland, Sweden and Taiwan, who reported where on their bodies they felt different emotions , the scientists discovered surprising consistencies. Their research findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…

Seventeen years ago, Dr. Stuart Eisendrath piloted research into the therapeutic effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on people experiencing clinical depression. Ever since, he has been helping those who struggle with depression dramatically improve their symptoms and quality of life by changing how they relate to their thoughts and feelings. In When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression Dr. Eisendrath outlines an easy-to-implement MBCT program that has been scientifically proven in a National Institute of Health study to bring relief to chronic sufferers of depression

The last several days of winter have seemed particularly snowy, dark, and icy. It’s been a struggle for many, with virulent viruses abounding, exacerbated by the bitterly cold weather. What has kept me going is the discipline of my daily routines: Qi Gong , meditation and exercise. My spirits are always lifted and I realize anew how rewarding is the ability to control one’s mind and body. Most recently, I have thought of the Buddhist monks who practice tummo , the art of controlling one’s body temperature through meditation

Spiritual awareness is really about integrating the two duality forces which exist in many forms and on various levels: the Yin & Yang, the passive &active, the essence & form, spirit & matter – more to the point, body & soul. Once you are aware of the inherent polarity you can begin to understand that as we develop one aspect, spiritual awareness (the soul) or the mind, we must also develop the other complimentary force, the body in order to maintain harmony and balance in our lives; and to strengthen the connection between body and soul.