early morning meditation
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Oprah Winfrey meditates. Katy Perry and LeBron James meditate. Jon Krop meditates. (OK, that last one is me, but still.) Trendy meditation studios are opening in major US cities, and meditation apps like Headspace have racked up millions of downloads.

Still, every time I read that meditation is “the hot new thing,” I have to laugh. It’s over 2,500 years old! Meditation—and a related concept called mindfulness—is gaining popularity today for the same reason it was popular in ancient India: It’s really good for you. As a growing body of scientific evidence confirms, practicing meditation and mindfulness can reduce stress, pain, anxiety, and depression; improve focus; and make us happier, healthier, and even more creative.

Best of all, meditation is a simple practice that anyone can do.


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Have you seen at least one thing on that you will apply to everyday life?
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Article sources

Addley, E. (2015, May 29). Planet’s happiest human—and his app. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/29/planets-happiest-human-and-his-app

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Chen, K. W., Berger, C. C., Manheimer, E., Forde, D., et al. (2012). Meditative therapies for reducing anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Depression and Anxiety, 29(7), 545–562.

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Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368.

Greenberg, J., Reiner, K., & Meiran, N. (2012). “Mind the trap”: Mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity. PLoS ONE, 7(5), e36206. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036206

Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 169–183.

Hughes, J. W., Fresco, D. M., Myerscough, R., van Dulmen, M. H., et al. (2013). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for prehypertension. Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(8), 721–728. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182a3e4e5

Klimecki, O. M., Leiberg, S., Lamm, C., & Singer, T. (2012). Functional neural plasticity and associated changes in positive affect after compassion training. Cerebral Cortex, 23(7), 1552–1561.

Stahl, J. E., Dossett, M. L., LaJoie, A. S., Denninger, J. W., et al. (2015). Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization. PLoS ONE, 10(10), e0140212. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140212

Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., et al. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19(2), 597–605.

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