The Meditation Blog

This is a short account of my realisation of how my working with Acem, my meditation practice and my journies on London’s shortest tube line, the Waterloo and City, are amazingly important things in my life. Continue reading | 1 Comment

Acem Meditation reduces stress and increases nerve activity associated with rest and relaxation. This has a positive effect on heart-rate variability and may reduce the risk of heart problems, according to a recent study by Dr. Anders Nesvold. Continue reading | 4 Comments

Tags: heart attacks, heart rate, heart rate variability

“When only thoughts pass through my mind, or the meditation sound goes on autopilot, is this what you call laxness?” asks a meditator. “Could be,” answer Maria and Dag. “But it could just as well be a sign that you are meditating properly.” What distinguishes a free mental attitude from being overly passive? Continue reading | 2 Comments

Tags: attitude, laxness, thoughts

Acem’s intensive activities in Spain are possible thanks to considerable local efforts, including a number of moderators who help take care of those who have already learned Acem Meditation. Margaret Garcia-Moraga Koch in Alicante is one of them. Continue reading

Tags: moderator, Spain, training

This year’s international summer retreats help you recharge your batteries, and make subtle changes in the direction of your life. You save €100 by registering and paying before 1 June. Continue reading

Tags: international, retreats

It is uncomfortable to hear the Norwegian mass murderer currently standing trial in Oslo refer to meditation as a way to get rid of fear, empathy and feelings that might otherwise have prevented him from killing 77 mostly young people last July. Both the person himself and the form of meditation he ascribes to are truly bizarre. But some meditative traditions have propagated ideas that may easily link meditation to cruelty. Continue reading | 2 Comments

Tags: cruelty, evil, murder

“Unlimited inner growth.” “Mind expansion and relaxation.” “Speed learning.” There are few limits to what meditation machines are said to do for you. Just “pop on the cyber glasses and the retro headphones and close your eyes” – and the machine will take care of everything. What are the basic attitudes towards meditation that are reflected in this phenomenon? Continue reading | 4 Comments

Tags: experience, machine, state

According to a recent issue of ”Stern” (the German journal), we all have a source of inner strength from childhood on. But when we are adult, the access may become closed and we lose contact with our inner needs and feelings. While the focus of attention for animals often is on their strength; in human beings, in contrast, the focus often seems to be on the weaknesses – the lack… Continue reading | 3 Comments

Tags: free mental attitude, Inner strength, meditation

How many of us are happy – or claim to be happy? The counterintuitive conclusion of a poll of 19000 adults in 24 countries, recently reported in the Economist, reveals that some 77 % residents report that they are happy, up 3 points on 2007, the last year before the crisis. Despite global economic gloom, the world is a happier place to be: 22 % describe themselves as very happy… Continue reading | 5 Comments

Tags: happiness, meditation, society, well-being

What you eat influences your mind, and, some people think, your meditation. According to a recent pilot study, your diet also influences your mood. Two weeks on a lacto-vegetarian diet made participants in the study happier. Those who continued to eat meat and those who avoided meat but ate fish did not experience this change of mood. Continue reading | 6 Comments

Tags: happiness, mood, vegetarianism