Science Finally Proves Meridians Exist

By Azriel ReShel on Wednesday April 20th, 2016

What the Merging of Spirituality and Science means for you.
“In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Biochemist and Nobel Prize Winner.
For centuries the ancient wisdom keepers and healers in several traditions had a keen understanding of the energetic body. The healing traditions from China, India, Japan and Tibet, as well as other countries all spoke of energy channels, meridians or nadis along which the vital energy flowed.

Life was considered to be a bio-electrical and vibrational energy phenomenon and so health revolved around balancing energy through various means. Life existed because of life force and energy running through and animating the body, ensuring we can move, breathe, digest food, think and even feel.

Healing traditions all spoke of energy channels, sen, meridians or nadis.

This vital life force or chi, is composed of two kinds of forces, yin and yang, and flows along a sophisticated network of energy pathways, or highways, circuiting the body. Over 2000 years ago ancient cultures knew of the existence of these energy channels. They were called ‘sen’ in Thailand, ‘nadis’ in India, ‘meridians’, ‘channels’ or ‘vessels’ in China and Japan, and ‘channels’ in Tibet. In India, where many eastern healing arts developed, there were said to be 72 000 nadis or energy pathways. Disease is believed to be a blockage in the energy flow of these channels. A range of healing traditions, including acupuncture, acupressure, massage and yoga, are founded on the principle of the existence of energy channels or pathways, known as meridians, or nadis, running around the body in an expansive network.
While it may seem a little airy fairy to some to consider the energy body while we have flesh and bone, at source we are an energy field, embedded into another energy field. Our bodies are electromagnetic in nature and science has measured these frequencies with advanced machines, like EKG’s and MRI scanning, for many years. Numerous studies demonstrate these energy pathways and points conduct electricity even when needles aren’t used. And the massage technique of Shiatsu have been found to stimulate the same energetic effects. Similarly, Qigong,Tai Chi and the postures of yoga, have been found to increase electrical conductance at acupoints, yet science never believed in the existence of meridians until now.

A range of healing traditions are founded on the principle of the meridians.

Recently scientists at Seoul National University confirmed the existence of meridians, which they refer to as the “primo-vascular system.” They say that this system is a crucial part of the cardiovascular system.

Previously, North Korean scientist Kim Bong-Han proposed that he had found meridians in the early 1960’s. Dr Kim Bong-Han showed over 50 years ago that new tubular structures exist inside and outside of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, as well as on the surface of internal organs and under the dermis. He believed they were the traditional meridian lines. The meridians were called Bonghan ducts or channels, after his research, but now the existence of this system in various organs has been corroborated by further research.

The current Korean researchers now believe the primo-vascular system is in fact the physical component of the Acupuncture Meridian System. And it has also been suggested that this system is involved in channelling the flow of energy and information relayed by biophotons (electromagnetic waves of light) and DNA.

There may be a link between the meridians and energy and information relayed by DNA.
The Korean scientists studying oriental medicine with biophysical methods injected a special staining dye which coloured the meridians. By injecting the dye onto acupuncture points, they were able to see thin lines. These did not show up at non-acupuncture point sites where there are no meridians. The researchers discovered that the meridian lines are not confined to the skin, but are in fact a concrete duct system through which liquid flows, and that this liquid aggregates to form stem cells.

Previously, scientists used a combination of imaging techniques and CT scans to observe concentrated points of microvascular structures that clearly correspond to the map of acupuncture points created by Chinese energy practitioners in ancient times. In a study published in the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, researchers used contrast CT imaging with radiation on both non-acupuncture points and acupuncture points. The CT scans revealed clear distinctions between the non-acupuncture point and acupuncture point anatomical structures.

Scientists injected a special staining dye which coloured the meridians.

There are 12 primary paired meridians and two single mid meridians, six yang and six yin. The yang meridians run down the body and the yin meridians flow up the body. Each meridian is also related to an element. Each meridian is most active at a certain time of the day or night and each meridian is influenced by an element or season.

The nature of meridians, in their elemental structure, and as vessels for the life force, show the intricacy and profound connection of our body at a cellular level, to the universe. We are intimately connected by the elements, energetic structure and flow of energy, to all life, at a cellular, physical level. Our earth is also said to have energetic pathways or ley lines, akin to meridians.

The map was created by Chinese healing practitioners nearly 2000 years ago.
How are meridians related to health?

A balanced flow or energy, not too much or too little, is conducive to good health. This is the same in the way we live our lives. Balance is paramount. Just enough food, water and a healthy balanced lifestyle. As the Buddha said: “middle way” or moderation in all things.

We can see this harmony and balance in life, as the balance between the energies of yin and yang – or more simplistically, masculine and feminine – the two opposing and catalyzing energies of the universe.

In our bodies we need balance, not too much or too little.
Our health is vibrant if there is harmony and balance between these two forces in the body. If the balance is disturbed, and the flow of one of these forces becomes greater than the other then illness arises. These forces or energies flow through very definite channels in the body, or meridians, and these are the body’s healing energy pathways.

In traditional Indian medicine, the meridians are expanded upon.There are nadis found within the physical body and these nadis make up the nervous system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the lymphatic systems, etc. Any blockages in these nadis can result in physical health conditions. Nadis can also be found in the subtle body where they carry thoughts, feelings, and nerve impulses. When these nadis are blocked, we lose our ability to feel, and connect deeply with others, the environment and ourselves. In the same way that veins and arteries are important for the body to function, nadis weave through our physical nerves and the matrix of consciousness that circuits the mind and self, supporting our physical expression from the otherworldly dimensions of existence.

YinYangChi is made up of two kinds of forces, yin and yang.
When the flow of energy is blocked, it causes low energy and illness. Practices like yoga and meditation work on these subtle energy channels, supporting the flow of energy through the body. According to some ancient indian texts there are 350 000 nadis or energy pathways in the body. In traditional Indian medicine and spiritual science, the energies of the physical body, the subtle body and the causal body are said to flow through the nadis. Within this framework, the nadis are said to connect at special points of intensity called nadichakras.

The three most important nadis are those running along the spine: ida, pingala and sushumna. The Sushumna is the central channel of energy in the human body and it runs from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and carries kundalini energy, which is the primal evolutionary force. Kundalini is awakened through yoga and meditation and is said to lie dormant at the base of the spine. Activation of the kundalini leads to higher consciousness states. The aim of yoga is to broaden the sushumna and to unite the pathways. Purifying all three nadis leads to overall health, and wellness of body and mind, as well as spiritual growth. Various Pranayama techniques aid in helping to keep these nadi channels open.
If you are sensitive to energy and have had energy treatments, such as acupuncture, you may have felt streams of energy or a flow of cold or heat, for example, up the legs or arms. This is a freeing up of energy in the meridians and the flow of energy that is released when a blockage is removed.

There are many wonderful healing modalities based on the meridian system that support radiant health. By enhancing the flow of energy through the body, balance and health is achieved and we come in touch with our true selves. Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality used in China as early as the late stone age. It was used to treat all ailments affecting people. Acupuncture did not enter modern Western consciousness until the 1970’s when China ended a period of isolation and resumed foreign political and cultural contacts.

The range of applications for acupuncture has grown slowly in the West, possibly because of the belief that it has no scientific basis. Perhaps now with the scientific proof of meridians, acupuncture will become more widespread for all ailments, along with other great healing modalities based on the energetics of the body, supporting more people to have vibrant health and wellbeing.
Azriel ReShel
Journalist, Writer, & Yoga Teacher

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Let love, success & your highest calling flow through you.

by Dr Marina Dabcevic

31 August 2016
Even if you've never heard the term "text neck" before, you're likely experiencing it. The term came about because people were getting neck pain—as well as actually causing damage to their cervical spine, supporting ligaments, tendons, and muscles—from looking down at their cellphones, tablets, or other wireless devices too often and for way too long.

Welcome to the 21st century, where technology has possibly become more important than our health. Today when you people-watch, all you'll notice is that everyone's heads are buried in their mobile devices. Kids at schools are being taught on iPads, 9-year-olds have smartphones, and even toddlers are given tablets at dinnertime to keep them quiet. Technology is the new pacifier.

The future is here, and the sooner kids start learning about technology the better off they will be once they get into the workplace. But what's going to happen to our health? Not only have our attention spans come down to three-minute blocks, but we are also literally changing the physical structure of our bodies.
How text neck affects your well-being:

A head typically weighs 10 to 12 pounds, and some say that for every inch your head moves forward, backward, or side-to-side, it gains an extra 10 pounds. So imagine you move your head 4 inches down to look at you smartphone, your spine now has to hold an extra 40 pounds up on top of the 10 to 12 pounds that your head already weighs.

Can you imagine what that will do to the bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves over time? At this point, you may start to form some bone spurs because that will help create more stability in the spine. Ligaments and muscles are constantly being stretched, which means that they are under constant pressure to hold the head up (and remember the head is heavier and heavier now), so the ligaments become thicker and the muscles become tighter. Voilà … now you have neck pain, and you may start to see more headaches, possibly some TMJ tension, and even lower-back problems.

If text neck is left untreated, chronic issues could start to develop such as spinal degeneration, arthritis, disc herniation/compression, nerve damage, and more.

A natural technique to heal:

Acupuncture can decrease the inflammation in the neck muscles and ligaments. This will take some of the stress off and allow everything to start healing. Because acupuncture increases circulation, it will also increase the rate of healing to any acute or chronic damage created over time from the repetitive motion of holding one's head up.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we talk a lot about treating the root or the branch or both at the same time if needed. The root is the origin of the problem, and the branches are the manifestation of that problem. Since text neck can cause more than just neck pain, we will consider all symptoms the patient presents and decide then what is most important to treat. In this case we will always treat the neck (the root) because unless that becomes healthy again, none of the other symptoms will disappear. But let's say that a patient is suffering from a lot of headaches and the headache pain is more severe than the neck pain; we may for the first few sessions focus on the headache and treat the neck as a secondary issue.

How to avoid text neck in the future:

Acupuncture is very effective at treating the symptoms of text neck and can rid the body of most of the pain and discomfort you feel from it. But what are you supposed to do about technology? How do we fix the causes of text neck? It does not seem to be going away anytime soon, so we need to learn to coexist in a way that is not harmful to our bodies.

The best way to reduce the risk or occurrence of text neck is to restore proper function and posture to the head, neck, and body. Some easy ideas are simply altering your daily routine, such as setting a timer and getting up every hour to stretch the neck, walk around, get a drink of water, or wearing a posture-support shirt or posture reminder to minimize the slouching and forward shift of your head.

Other ideas such as using a standing workstation, elevating your computer screen to eye level (or getting an external keyboard and elevating your laptop to eye level), and turning up the brightness of your monitor can help to keep you from leaning in, thus minimizing the stress on your head and neck.

Technology is changing the world almost daily—we just have to make sure we are helping our bodies and routines to change as well.

Ben Warren from BePure is presenting

Your Gut, Where Health Starts SEMINAR

Thursday 25th August, 7-9.30pm, Tauranga Boys College, Tauranga.
Post from BePure website:

Gut Health and Immunity
May 17, 2016

We often think of being sick as the result of running noses, nasty coughs or sore chests. But what if these were just symptoms of a depressed immune system. What if the reason we get sick - especially in the colder months - is actually because of gut health?

If we eat foods and nutrients that support our gut health, would we be less susceptible to illness this winter?

Yes. Absolutely. The notion that gut health is connected to our total health - including immunity - dates back as far as ancient Greece. Hippocrates once said “All disease begins in the gut.” He was a clever man!

In this week’s blog I’m going to explain what leaky gut is and its link to immunity. I will also give you some pointers for improving your gut health in the lead up to winter.

What is leaky gut?

Leaky gut is when half digested food particles can pass through the intestinal lumen into the bloodstream, resulting in an immune response.

80 percent of the humeral immune system is located in our guts. What this means is the single biggest demand on our immune system isn’t from environmental factors like germs or bugs. It’s actually from our food.

If we are eating a food we are intolerant to - or simply eating certain foods, particularly proteins, too much - our body tags that protein as an invader and alerts our immune system which issues a response.

This immune response in the intestinal system has a lot of collateral damage. The biggest problem is that it loosens the junctures in our gut and the villi in our small intestine. This allows the proteins to get directly into your bloodstream and you get another immune response.

 
What are some common indicators of leaky gut?

It’s important to note that these symptoms are not exclusive to leaky gut. Having one or more of them doesn’t necessarily mean you have leaky gut. It’s always a good idea to discuss your health concerns with a trained practitioner. Nevertheless, these symptoms are common in people with leaky gut.

You have elevated immune issues such as an autoimmune condition, asthma, hayfever or eczema. I have never seen a client with a thyroid disorder at the BePure clinic who hasn’t had an issue with the proteins in gluten.
Gut dysbiosis or irritable bowel symptoms including bloating, constipation or diarrhoea, gas and discomfort.
Food intolerances or sensitivities. This is usually a symptom and a cause of leaky gut. Sometimes we become sensitive to a food if we are eating a lot of it and our systems need a break.
Testing for leaky gut.

The best test for leaky gut is an IGG or IGA test. This is a blood prick test which tests your bodies immune response to 90 foods. If you’re coming up with a lot of immune reactions, you likely have leaky gut. We offer these tests through our clinic for a cost. Email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more.

 
Gut health and immunity.

Poor gut health means your immune system is overactive and it becomes weakened. This is problematic in the lead up to winter as there are simply a greater number of colds and flu we are exposed to. We are just much more susceptible to catching these bugs if our gut health is compromised.

 
What can we do?

Eat a diet rich in probiotic foods including sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, kimchi and fermented vegetables
Drink bone broth. The gelatine in bone broth helps to line the gut to repair the damage caused by leaky gut. I am posting an extensive look into the benefits of bone broth later this week
Take a probiotic supplement. I recommend the bio-kult range as it is a multistrain probiotic
Eat a nutrient dense diet that is right for your genetics which ensures you feel full for the longest period of time. Eating in a way that promotes blood sugar balance will help relieve some of the stress your body is under, meaning it is better able to fight colds.
Sleep. Adequate rest helps our body restore itself.

 
Antibiotics and gut health

Antibiotics are undoubtedly necessary in some circumstances. I don’t have an issue with them when used correctly. They do however have huge implications on gut health. Doctor Natasha Campbell-McBride is a gut health specialist and founder/author of the GAPS diet. She says it can take up to four years to restore and rebuild the gut biome following a course of antibiotics.

If you do require antibiotics ensure you drink bone broth to seal your gut lining and consume a diet rich in probiotic foods including kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut.

 
Traditional approaches to gut health in winter.

I’ve spent a long time researching ancestral societies. Interestingly in winter months traditional communities increased their intake of probiotic rich foods such as sauerkraut and fermented vegetables significantly. My research shows that traditional communities consumed 12 serves of probiotic foods per day.

The reason for this is a lack of refrigeration and modern agriculture. In winter, less vegetables were available and they couldn’t keep autumn produce in a fridge so they preserved their summer and autumn crops with fermentation methods.

I find this so interesting. Because of following nature’s seasonal patterns, they automatically followed their own need for immunity-building tools to keep them healthy throughout winter.

If you found this information useful and would like to learn more, be sure to join me at my new event - Your Gut, Where Health Starts. 

7 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Adrenal Fatigue
by Dr Terry Wahls

21 July  2016

Photo: Pinterest
Terry Wahls, M.D., is a functional medicine doctor, clinical professor, and a survivor of progressive multiple sclerosis who used her own protocol to heal. This week, we're sharing her expertise in a new series on adrenal fatigue and natural techniques to restore energy. To learn more, check out her new mindbodygreen class, How to Heal Adrenal Fatigue: The Food & Habits You Need for Optimal Health & Energy.

You make an appointment with your primary care doctor because you're concerned about your fatigue and wonder if it may be related to your adrenals. There, you receive some basic lab tests to check on your cortisol levels but no clear answer. And you learn little about how your adrenals are connected to your energy levels or how your diet and lifestyle choices affect how the adrenals function.

Unfortunately, this experience is all too common. Most primary care health practitioners receive very little training on the diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors that contribute to the health of our adrenal glands and the balance of our stress hormones.
Here are a few key concepts about the health of your adrenals that your doctor probably hasn't told you:

1. Caffeine slows down the processing of the hormones secreted by our adrenal glands.

If you need caffeine to get through your days, it's an indication that your adrenals are getting less effective at managing your adrenal stress hormones.

2. Chronic stress levels lead to a depletion of magnesium.

Since a majority of Americans eat a diet that does not meet the recommended daily allowance for magnesium, the loss of magnesium due to chronic stress is a big problem. Lower magnesium levels increase the risk of insomnia and poor sleep quality, which in turn raises stress levels. This leads to further loss of magnesium and poorer sleep and higher stress levels.

3. The adrenal hormones are made from cholesterol.

The push to drive cholesterol levels lower and lower can lead to cholesterol levels so low that the adrenal glands can't make sufficient adrenal hormones. Because the adrenal hormones help manage the mineral levels, inadequate adrenal hormones can lead to increased loss of minerals.

4. We need an abundant supply of B vitamins, cholesterol, and minerals to make the adrenal hormones.

Many Americans eat fewer than one and a half servings of vegetables a day, instead they are consuming 4 to 10 servings of sugar- and white-flour-based products. This poor diet increases the strain on the adrenals and makes it difficult to produce all of our hormones, including the adrenal hormones.

5. Lack of sleep increases the production of adrenal stress hormones.

Americans are now sleeping one and a half fewer hours each night than they did 50 years ago. The result is higher levels of stress hormones, which in turn is associated with higher rates of obesity and mental health problems.

6. Diets high in sugar lead to increased production of the adrenal stress hormones.

Eating a diet high in sugar and white flour leads to more insulin, a drop in blood sugar, and a spike in adrenal stress hormones. Keep a stable blood sugar level by avoiding sugar- and flour-based products to reduce the strain on your adrenals.

7. Adding a stress-reducing practice can lessen the strain on your adrenals.

This could be a daily meditative practice, exercise, mindfulness, or some other stress-reduction technique that fits into your life.

His preparation

This man knows how to breath ... & when not to breath, breaking his own world record today, New Zealander William Trubridge.

Yoga, breath work & meditation are all part of his preparation in pushing all his own boundaries for success.  We congratulate you!

His mantra - All is Now

His passion

Thanks to Pinterest for the photos

How Ayurveda Turned Me Into A Total Morning Person (When Nothing Else Could)
by Shivaji Sharma July 5 2016

Photo: Pinterest
I've always been a night owl and craved the alone time it gave me. All through my 20s, I followed the cycle of begrudgingly waking up early for work on weekdays and then sleeping in until noon on weekends.

But upon discovering Ayurveda, I began tinkering with a lot of its teachings. I was especially intrigued by its concept of Dinacharya, or a suggested routine of morning and nighttime practices, which includes waking up early. Really early.

Last year, I finally mustered the courage to admit to myself that I wanted to do this. It took months and months of trying different things, and my determination to wake up early would often fall by the wayside by the fourth day. But I also began to notice that sleeping in was not doing me any favors; it was the reason I felt sluggish and heavy all day despite sleeping eight hours.

After a lot of trial and error, I finally developed a sweet repertoire of activities that help me wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day. Today is the 60th day of my journey. Here are a few tips that helped me along the way:

1. Wake up before 6 a.m. to feel energised.

Ayurveda is all about timing. It is not about whether you're clocking eight hours of sleep per night—but rather what time you're going to sleep and waking up.

The last phase of our 24-hour body clock is from 2 to 6 a.m. This is the period of Vata, or movement. If you're asleep, it’s during this period that you tend to dream a lot. To stay in sync with nature, Ayurveda recommends that it's best to wake up before sunrise, when there is natural movement in the atmosphere. To give you a surfing analogy, waking up before sunrise is like catching a wave. That wave will ensure that you ride through rest of the day effortlessly.

In comparison, the period between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. is Kapha time. Kapha energy is heavy, slow, and steady. By getting up before this Kapha period, you'll avoid that feeling of heaviness you can get even after a good night's sleep.

2. Finish dinner early.

I always thought that by eating at 8 p.m. and sleeping at 11 p.m., I was turning in early, because in the modern context, this is what we have come to define as early right? Turns out, in Ayurveda, early is a lot earlier.

I now have my dinner by 6:30 p.m. or before sunset and am in bed by 9:30 p.m. with the lights out by 10 p.m. To make this happen, I had to move a few things around and resist the temptation of Netflix. However, this has been the single biggest enabler for Project Wake-Up Early.

3. Create a wind-down routine.

Unlike my husband, who can go to sleep immediately, I need at least an hour to myself just to wind down. This really helps me fall asleep once my head hits the pillow.

I'd highly recommend incorporating a few rituals of your own that you find relaxing. A simple one is to massage your feet before sleeping. According to Ayurvedic physician Dr. Vasant Lad, ayurvedic foot massage can be traced back 5,000 years and offers myriad benefits: It nourishes the skin, helps reduce fungal and bacterial infections, and soothes an agitated mind. "The doors to the body's inner pharmacy are under the bottoms of your feet," he says.

You can also try having Golden Milk before you fall asleep. Milk contains the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, and having warm milk at bedtime is a good way to help lull your body into sleeping.

4. Set an intention rather than an alarm.

I hate alarms. And I'm quite sure you do too. No matter how sweet sounding your alarm might be, it's a rude and unnatural way of waking up your body. Our ancestors woke naturally and gently before or with the rising of the sun.

What I do now is I set an intention to wake up early each day and then go to sleep before 10 p.m. When I do this, along with eating and sleeping on time, the natural energy in the universe always wakes me up between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. I kid you not!

5. Wake up the Ayurvedic way.

According to ancient Indian wisdom, before you get up in the morning, you must rub your hands together and place your palms upon your eyes. That's because there's a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands. So when you rub your palms together, these nerve endings get activated and the system awakens right away.

Once you get out of bed, immediately make yourself comfortable. If it’s winter, I keep myself as warm as possible with a sweater, socks, and sometimes even a hat so that the bed doesn't look as tempting anymore. In the summer, I take a quick shower to completely jilt any remnants of drowsiness. Splashing your face with water works well too.

6. Find your reason for waking up early.

One frequently mentioned benefit of waking up early is increased productivity. But I could never connect with this reason. Instead, what I love about waking up early are the spiritual and health benefits. Early rising for me is a spiritual journey that also happens to make me more productive—not the other way round.

For instance, one of my long-term personal goals has been to wake up early and carry out my Buddhist practice of mantra chanting to my heart’s content before I begin my day. Waking up early helped me achieve this. I could roll with the punches for the rest of the day knowing that I had done my most important task for the day first thing in the morning. (Note that I say important, not urgent. There is a difference.)

So, find your own reason. Schedule your favorite things for the morning. This could be going for a jog, journaling, practicing yoga, or simply sitting in silence. You will feel like a million bucks.

I know this is easier said than done. But I can confidently say that developing this one keystone habit will lead to many other positive changes in your life. Start by trying this for 21 days—and you'll never want to go back to hurrying your way out the door again.

by Suzanne Heyn 4 July 2016
When I first started meditating and noticing the contents of my mind, I almost went crazy. Literally.

I knew the practice was healing me from the inside out, and I trusted all the stories of changed lives I’d heard. But even my husband asked a very emotionally volatile me if trying this esoteric practice was a good idea.

Thank goodness I kept it up. A few years later, meditation has become the single most influential spiritual practice in my life. It's helped me heal a lifetime of repressed emotions, tune in to my heart, and finally find peace.

Here's what I wish I'd realized from the beginning, though: You don't need to stop thinking in order to meditate.

The truth is, meditation isn't about stopping your thoughts. It's about becoming aware of your thoughts. Trying to squash your thoughts is resistance, and resistance causes suffering, not healing. Resistance makes you fear yourself and emphasizes that dreadful feeling that you're flawed and doing something wrong.

You're not meditating wrong. You just haven't sat for long enough. It's my mission to help you learn how to accept every part of yourself, even the thoughts you'd rather not think. Here are some lessons I've learned along the way:

1. Becoming aware of your thoughts is progress.

Consider this: All day long, you're thinking—but you're not really acknowledging your thoughts. When you sit down to meditate, however, the frenzy of this nonstop chatter finally annoys you.

That's actually progress. Because before, you weren't aware enough of this chatter to feel annoyed by it. This awareness is the thing you're cultivating just by showing up every day to practice.

2. Meditation practice doesn't require thoughtlessness.

Technically, meditation is a boundary-less state of being in which your body, mind, and heart merge with the present moment. Everything else—focusing on the breath or chanting mantras, for instance—is a tool to glide you into that state of being. Using the tools is the practice.

Focusing on your breath helps peel your attention away from your thoughts. Your thoughts will continue to attract your attention; that's where you've been focusing your entire life. Your thoughts and attention are stuck together like one of those annoying pieces of protective plastic, but keep showing up and you'll weaken this attachment.

While seated, you will repeatedly notice that your attention has wandered back to your thoughts. Simply return your awareness to your chosen point of focus. Back and forth, back and forth—that's meditation practice.

Not glamorous, and it feels like nothing is happening. Summon a little blind faith and keep showing up. Your whole life will change.

3. Allow your thoughts to flow freely.

At the beginning of your meditation journey, it's easy to cling to thoughts and feelings. Your attention will focus on one or the other. Focus is constriction, and the idea of meditation is to create expansion.

During practice, experiment with expanding your awareness to include not only your thoughts and feelings but also your breath or heart center. As you expand your awareness to include everything, you'll release your grip on any one thing and begin to relax into the stillness.

As you relax, suddenly, you feel peace.