President Trump's antipathy for the news media was on full display at his 75-minute solo press conference on Thursday, and as he usually does, Trump singled out one news organization for special abuse: CNN. But Trump is doing more than throwing the phrase "fake news" at the network that pays Jeffrey Lord to defend him on the air; he has also sent his son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner to complain to executives at CNN and its parent company, Time Warner, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night, citing "a White House official and other people familiar with the matter."

In a recent White House meeting with Time Warner executive vice president Gary Ginsberg, for example, Kushner reportedly argued that CNN was unfairly critical of Trump. Kushner "has taken issue with specific CNN contributors including Van Jones, a Democrat who served in the Obama administration, and Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist, who have each criticized Mr. Trump in harsh terms," The Wall Street Journal reports. Navarro did not seem particularly concerned:

As it turns out, Time Warner is awaiting federal approval for an $85.4 billion sale to AT&T though "people familiar with the matter" told WSJ that Kushner and Ginsberg, longtime friends, did not discuss the merger in the White House meeting. Trump opposed the merger in the final weeks of the presidential campaign, specifically citing CNN, which isn't normal, according to University of Maryland journalism historian Mark Feldstein. "Lord knows that every president has been angered by their news coverage, going back to George Washington," he said. "But to engage in that kind of bare-knuckled tactics is extraordinary."

The unidentified White House official suggested that CNN be more like Fox News, saying "it's obvious" that CNN's "ratings have suffered as a result" of it's "dishonest coverage of the president," while Fox News' "ratings have never been better," thanks to their "mostly fair" Trump coverage. According to Nielsen, CNN's daytime ratings are up 51 percent this year in the key 25-to-54 demographic, while Fox News' ratings are up 55 percent among the same groups. You can read more at The Wall Street Journal. Peter Weber

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There are more than 1300 apps dedicated to mindfulness and meditation - The Week Magazine

Its hard explaining the appeal of animals to people who dont like animals. Its like trying to explain color to a blind person theres really no way to convey just how deepthe love one can have for a pet, or for animals in general, can be. Objectively, the whole idea of keeping animals as companions seems strange: they cant talk; your communication with them is limited to commands and observations that yes, you are indeed a good dog; and they have no more understanding of how you see the world than you do of how they perceive it.

And yet, as anyone who does love animals will know, theres perhaps nothing more purely joyous than the company of a cat, or a dog, or any other creature that happens to come across you in its daily routine and stops to hang out for a while. Its a joy thats captured marvelously well by Kedi, which is director Ceyda Toruns paeanto the cats of Istanbul. If youve ever visited the city, youll know that there are many, many cats there it is, after all, the city that gave us this fellow. Kedi provides awonderful portrait of thelives of seven such cats, of the people who love them, and of the city itself.

Plenty of observers have noted that the film is as much about the last two of those subjects as it is about the first, which is true, but its important not to sell the former short; while the film certainly provides plenty of fascinating insights into the life of the city, its first and foremost about the cats themselves. Torun must have shot oodles of film (or, yknow, filled up a ton of flash cards), because her camera captures every aspect of the animals lives: their daily patrols around their appointed territory, thefierce love and care they give to their young, their long hours sleeping and/or derping happily in the sun, the clever ways in which they feed themselves (which doesnt always just involve either getting fed by people or stealing peoples food when theyre not looking), and their social interactions.

All of this is rendered in some of the most beautiful cinematography youll see anywhere Toruns camera follows the cats at street level, making it feel like youre right there with them as they forage and wander, and then pulls back for picture postcard shots of Istanbul (which is, of course, one of the worlds prettiest cities.) Her letter to the audience, which accompanied the films release, relates her own affection for these most fascinating of creatures: I grew up in Istanbul and I believe my childhood was infinitely less lonesome than it would have been if it werent for cats and I wouldnt be the person I am today. It shows.

Her letter also notes that she missed their presence in all the other cities [she] ever lived in. This is an interesting point. Theres a tendency in countries where animals arent allowed to roam the streets of cities willy-nilly countries like America, for instance to assume that street cats/dogs/etc are strays and that they live lives of misery. This isnt true at all these were, after all, originally wild animals, and while a cat that has lived all its life in an apartment and then gets lost will struggle to survive on the street, animals born into this life cope with it perfectly well. Ive lived in cities where there were plenty of local cats and dogs just hanging out on any and every street, and Ive been surprised at how much Ive missed them since. Animals, as I noted above, enrich our lives in unpredictable ways.

This is certainly true for the humans of Kedi. Perhaps the films most memorable non-feline character is the gentleman who appears to spend pretty much his entire life caring for street cats.We follow him as he visits a colony based in a field, and hes familiar enough with the cats that he notices immediately that one is missing no mean feat considering that there are perhaps 30 or 40 cats surrounding him, all rubbing up against his legs and headbutting him affectionately as they wait for him to dole out their treats. The missing cat, it turns out, has just given birth, and we follow the man as he visits her and her kittens, explaining as he goes that he has suffered from crippling depression for years, and that if it wasnt for his cat friends, he probably wouldnt be alive. The tenderness with which he treats the new mother will bring a tear or two to many eyes, and rightly so.

Theres a similar devotion shown by many of the films other characters the boatman who we find feeding several tiny kittens from a bottle, nursing them to health after their mother has disappeared; the baker who explains that he and his colleagues all have running tabs with the local vet, tabs that the vet in question is never overly strict in collecting on; the gruff iron worker who starts by telling us that the cats are only here because hes tried to shoo them away but theyve refused to leave, and a minute later is telling us earnestly how much he loves them. The animals ability to elicit kindness and tenderness from people is as great a gift as the simple and profound peace you feel with a cat asleep on your lap.

The film ends on a pensive note, with a visit to a market in the citys outskirts, which is currently home to a large colony of cats, but which will soon be demolished to make way for a high-rise apartment complex. Several of the people that Torun speaks to express concern for their animal friends: where will they go? What will they do when theres no more food to be had from the market? The answer, in this case, is probably that theyll do just fine cats are survivors, after all. But the situation speaks to a wider point about urbanization and destruction of habitats, and also about the apparent desire on the part of Istanbuls administrators to rid the citys streets of stray animals. We can only hope that this doesnt happen; it would be a cruel and unnecessary extermination of creatures who have lived there for many generations, and it would rob the city and its citizens of one of the things that makes it special.

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Turkish Cat Documentary 'Kedi' is a Beautiful, Profound Meditation ... - Flavorwire

When most people think of visiting a museum, it might conjure images of looking at dinosaur bones, paintings by famous artists and Egyptian sarcophagi.

The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh is trying encourage people to broaden their interpretation of the museum with their winter wellness events held throughout the season.

The February event, Meditation and Movement at the Museum, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

We really want people to come into the space and think about the museum in a different way, as a place of self care and a place you can go to refresh, said Laura Zorch McDermit, manager of social and entrepreneurial experiences at CMOA. With this programing they experience the space that way and it carries on in daily life as well.

Last year was the first time these classes were offered and according to Zorch McDermit they have been very popular, including last months event.

We did a yoga series in our Hall of Sculpture and paired it up with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and they had musicians accompany the yoga practice, she said. People like doing yoga at the museum. People come to the museum to reflect so it seemed like a pretty good match.

After experiencing last years success, Zorch McDermit said the museum decided to expand their offerings this year.

Our first Winter Wellness event was in January. That included yoga, a ballet barre fitness class with the Pittsburgh Ballet School and an African drum and dance class. People got to play the drums and dance, she said.

The schedule of events is 9 a.m. yoga, 10:15 a.m. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Barre Fitness & Core Conditioning Class with Kristy Boyle and 11:30 a.m. African drum dance with Yamoussa Camara.

For those who prefer to relax more than move, there is another track that will appeal to them.

There is also a simultaneous track that is the meditative opportunities, said Zorch McDermit. We have our docents that are interested in mediation, and they practice on their own, and they will take people through the tours.

The schedule for the relaxation track is 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. gallery tours with meditative stops; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 15-minute chair massages by Pittsburgh Massageworks; and 10 a.m. healing sound bath with Brooke Smokelin.

The sound bath, which will be held in the Hall of Architecture, comprises of Smokelin using special types of bowls to make sound waves that wash over the participates creating a relaxing feeling.

Our spaces are so enormous and so grand. Brooke, who leads the sound bath experience, she was overwhelmed at how great it (the sound bath) was in that space, said Zorch McDermit. It kept reverberating off these architectural casts and making this (acoustic) landscaping. It was really cool.

While health and wellness is important all year round, Zorch McDermit feels that the museum provides people with a wonderful opportunity especially catered to the winter months.

When it is dark out and gloomy, we have this incredible space, and the atmosphere here is never gloomy and it is lovely. You can take a moment to be in front of Monets Walter Lilies and you can throw some color into your life, she said. In the summer there are so many other opportunities to get outside. There are always these unique fitness experiences where you can do yoga on Mount Washington or Point State Park. In the winter it provides the opportunity to be in a space like ours.

Tickets for Meditation and Movement at the Museum are $30 for non-museum members, $25 for members and $20 for students.

Tickets can be purchased online at cmoa.org.

After a day of moving and relaxing, Zorch McDermit hopes that people will see the museum in a different light.

What we have seen through these events is there are a lot of new first time visitors and a lot of our members are coming as well. We want everyone to have a new, fresh experience, like Oh my God, I cant believe I can do this in the museum! she said. I want people to understand that the museum is for them at all times. We are constantly changing. These are all different kinds of events that you can experience that interpret our collection in all different ways. Whether it is in quiet moments like Winter Wellness or a high energy event. There are different ways you can come and be a part of the museums.

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'Meditation and Movement at the Museum:' CMOA to host a winter wellness event - Uniontown Herald Standard

In the past, my family and friends would've typically described me as pleasant but hurried. My baseline restlessness and edginess, however, have now nearly vanished.

Without difficulty, I have sustained attention when my young children spend time with me. Instead of constant surveillance of my phone, there is an ability to quickly hyper-focus on the task is at hand and a corresponding joy of living in a distraction-less world.

This change seems to have started the end of last year, after I spent a morning meditating with the Dalai Lama.

First off: Yes, I do feel a little ridiculous writing a line like that, and I didn't feel worthy of his invitation at the time. Even though I meditate, I've never been sure whether I was using proper technique or whether there was an acceptable way to meditate in the presence of His Holiness.

If he was looking forward to a good meditation partner, I worried he was unlikely to find it in me. Even my posture is terrible when sitting cross-legged on the floor. My back starts to hurt, followed by my knees. Thus, my breathing, which is supposed to drive my focus, sounds raspy and uneven. All this makes my mind race instead of slowing down and calming.

Just thinking about meditating with His Holiness was making me anxious.

Nevertheless, who says "no" to a chance to meditate with the Dalai Lama? I agreed to join him early the next morning at his private residence.

At 81 years, old, the Dalai Lama keeps a very active schedule. I met him in Mundgod, India, at the Drepung Monastery, where he was overseeing a symposium bridging Buddhism and science.

The monastery itself is a dazzling bejeweled structure built 600 years ago. Inside, there are enormous golden Buddhas standing next to ornate walls. The discussion hall itself is grand but warm, with doors and windows open to the hot South Indian sun.

For three days, his Holiness moderated sessions on weighty metaphysical topics such as the criteria for valid reasoning, the fundamental constituents of the universe, origins of life and the subjective experience of the mind.

It was fascinating and mind-bending -- but also mentally exhausting. It was difficult to stay awake, let alone keep up with the rapid-fire debate between the Buddhists and the scientists. Yet his Holiness was mentally engaged and inquisitive throughout, even more remarkable given more than half the comments were being translated for him.

The Dalai Lama typically wakes about 2:40 a.m. and starts his daily meditation routine at 3 a.m., even as most of his staff is still snoozing.

This was the backdrop when one of his senior staff members picked me up outside the monastery early one morning. We drove in a three-car convoy to the gates outside his private residence.

From there, several more staff members escorted us to a small conference room where his security detail was slowly waking and drinking their morning tea. Finally, his chief of staff walked me just outside the personal quarters of the Dalai Lama.

There were a few minor instructions before we entered. Eye contact is not a problem, and shaking hands is acceptable if you use two hands, not just one. Try not to turn your back to him when leaving the room, and instead walk backward, as much as possible facing him. When sitting cross-legged on the floor, don't point your feet at the Dalai Lama. And the correct address is "your holiness."

Shortly after, the doors opened, and I nervously walked into a very modest room where the Dalai Lama was sitting on a raised platform, already deep in meditation. I slipped off my shoes, sat cross-legged at a slight angle on the floor to avoid my toes being pointed in his direction, closed my eyes and started to focus on my breathing.

All my meditation insecurities immediately started to kick in. After a few minutes, I heard his deep, distinctive baritone voice: "Any questions?"

I looked up and saw his smiling face, starting to break into his characteristic head-bobbing laugh.

"This is hard for me," I said.

"Me, too!" he exclaimed. "After doing daily for 60 years, it is still hard."

It was at once surprising and reassuring to hear him say this. The Dalai Lama, Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of Tibet, also has trouble meditating.

"I think you will like analytical meditation," he told me. Instead of focusing on a chosen object, as in single-point meditation, he suggested I think about a problem I was trying to solve, a topic I may have read about recently or one of the philosophical areas from the earlier sessions.

He wanted me to separate the problem or issue from everything else by placing it in a large, clear bubble. With my eyes closed, I thought of something nagging at me -- something I couldn't quite solve. As I placed the physical embodiment of this problem into the bubble, several things started to happen very naturally.

The problem was now directly in front of me, floating weightlessly. In my mind, I could rotate it, spin it or flip it upside-down. It was an exercise to develop hyper-focus.

Less intuitively, as the bubble was rising, it was also disentangling itself from any other attachments, such as subjective emotional considerations. I could visualize it, as the problem isolated itself, and came into a clear-eyed view.

Too often, we allow unrelated emotional factors to blur the elegant and practical solutions right in front of us. It can be dispiriting and frustrating. Through analytical meditation, His Holiness told me, we can use logic and reason to more clearly identify the question at hand, separate it from irrelevant considerations, erase doubt and brightly illuminate the answers. It was simple and sensible. Most important, for me -- it worked.

As a neuroscientist, I never expected that a Buddhist monk, even the Dalai Lama, would teach me how to better incorporate deduction and critical thinking to my life -- but that is what happened.

It changed me. And I am better for it. I practice analytical meditation every day, usually early in the morning. The first two minutes are still the hardest, as I create my thought bubble and let it float above me. After that, I reach what can best be described as a "flow" state, in which 20 to 30 minutes pass easily.

I am more convinced than ever that even the most ardent skeptics could find success with analytical meditation.

Over the holidays, I spent as much time as possible relaying the Dalai Lama's teachings to my family and friends and teaching them basic principles of analytical meditation. This was the gift I most wanted to share with them. And now with you.

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Lessons from meditating with the Dalai Lama ... - CNN

SOUTHBURY Meditation will be introduced at the Love andKnishes Lunch on noon Wednesday, February 22in the social hall at the Jewish Federation of Western Connecticut, 444 Main St. North.

All area adults are invited to make reservations for the lunches, which feature great programming, good company and delicious food catered by Creative Events by Bonnie.

The Jewish Federation will be hosting Janaki Pierson from Woodbury Yoga Center.

Guests are promised adelicious lunch followed by a guided meditation and discussion on the fundamentals of developing theirown yoga practice.

Whether guestsare experienced with meditation or not, this program is sure to provide themwith insight, thoughtfulness and some ideas on how to enhance overall well-being through the act of meditation.

Ms.Pierson is the co-founder, executive director and principal instructor of the Woodbury Meditation andYoga Center.Ms. Pierson presents seminars on Hatha yoga, meditation, stress management, death and dying,life and living, elementary Sanskrit and thinking into being.

Ms. Pierson has been teaching meditation for more than30 years and has practiceddaily for 35 years.

She teaches extensively throughout New England in medical, educational, corporate and community settings.

Lunch reservations should be made by the Monday before each lunch.

There is a suggested lunch donation of $7.50 for adults age 60 and older.

To RSVP, interested parties may call 203-267-3177, ext. 340 or email rsvp@jfed.net.

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Meditation Program Planned - PrimePublishers.com

Im trying to start a daily sitting meditation practice, but I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on how long I should meditate for. Whats your advice?

Illustration by Nolan Pelletier.

There are two different views on this: 1. Any time spent meditating is good, no matter how short. 2. The longer you meditate for, the better. The thing is, theyre both right. Even five minutes a day is better than nothing, and a longer meditation session can be more beneficial than a shorter one.

Half an hour a day might be a good starting point, but the key is what works for you. The most important thing is keeping a regular meditation practice. If you practice for so long that it infringes on the rest of your life and stresses you out, or it feels like a chore and you dont enjoy it, then youll be less likely to do it every day.

There is one objective guideline, though. You should meditate long enough for your mind and body to settle down. Only when your thoughts have calmed down and your body is relaxed can you really start your practice. That may take the first five or ten minutes of your meditation session, so try to sit long enough to go through the settling-down phase and have enough time left to really enjoy and benefit from the practice.

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How long should you meditate for? - Lion's Roar

I ate, I didnt pray, and I learned a lot about Burning Man.

Im lying on my back on the floor of a yurt at a farm in upstate New York, staring up at a round skylight window as a yoga teacher plays the harmonium. Her goal is to lull us into a meditative state to help us move on from our exes, as we inhale and exhale together. Breathe in let the teacher says as some of the women audibly start to cry. Breathe out go But while it may be working for the rest of the group, it certainly isnt for me instead of breathing, clearing my head, finding a sense of peace or whatever it is people do when meditating, Im counting the wood beams that seem to shoot out of the skylight like the sun, and wondering if the wood-burning stove thats heating the yurt is going to give us all carbon-monoxide poisoning. Is that how I die? By a stove in a yurt?

I found myself in that fateful yurt as one of seven women attending the very first Renew Breakup Bootcamp. The brainchild of Amy Chan, a Canadian relationship columnist who the Observer once said was like a scientific Carrie Bradshaw (as in, she writes about the psychology of relationships), Renew is a three-day retreat of meditation, yoga, group therapy, and organic eating on a luxury farm. I am not a healer, but we are all here as facilitators of healing, Chan told us during the retreat. The facilitators include Amy, a life coach, a yoga instructor, a gorgeous 22-year-old private chef we all flirted with shamelessly, a farmhand, and an empowered wellness psychologist the practitioners at the retreat nearly outnumber the participants.

Chan came up with the idea for the retreat after enduring a difficult breakup of her own, she told me. She worked with therapists and life coaches, and did research into the science of love, before being able to find forgiveness, take accountability, and as she puts it, restore her power. Now, she hopes to help others do the same at Renew. Shed frequently attended yoga and party retreats across the world in the past, but she had never come across one specifically geared towards getting over a broken heart. Her next retreat is set to span a week in late May or early June, and eventually, she plans on establishing a permanent center.

Before attending Renew, I wasnt particularly heartbroken, though I was adjusting to being single for the first time in a while. I had just gotten out of two back-to-back relationships one with an on/off boyfriend of about a year and a half, and the other was a failed attempt at long-distance with a Brit I had dated in New York before he moved away. For the past few years, Id had a tendency to jump from guy to guy. My therapist pointed out that perhaps this wasnt the healthiest of habits, and suggested that I try to sit still and try actually being alone. The problem with that, of course, is that I am an incredibly impatient and restless person, so trying to relax and enjoy solitude goes against my nature. I decided to give Renew a try, to see if getting out of the city and forcing myself to meditate might help me stop feeling so antsy.

Its a wellness bootcamp for those in the Goop or Amanda Chantal Bacon set who can actually afford to shell out a pretty penny to help mend their broken heart.

Renew, it should be noted, is not for those of us on a budget. Instead, with its first three-day retreat costing $1,500 for a private room and $1,000 for a shared room, its a wellness boot camp for those amongst the Goop or Amanda Chantal Bacon set who can actually afford to shell out a pretty penny to help mend their broken heart. The first event took place at the picturesque Prana Farms about two and a half hours north of the city. The property has two houses (that are decorated as if a country home from a Nancy Meyers film mated with an issue of Kinfolk), a barn, sprawling fields, a sauna, pool, the aforementioned yurt, some goats, and four Alpacas who ran out to greet us each day as we walked between the buildings.

Although everyone had a different reason for being here (some were recently heartbroken, others were stuck on a past relationship) there was one thing that unified mostly everyone at the camp: a mutual love of Burning Man. The women talked about it constantly. They had amazing kombucha at Burning Man; they came to new realizations about themselves there; one of them even met her ex at the festival. To them, Burning Man was a fact of life. But to me, the Black Rock Desert festival sounded like my worst nightmare: like Mad Max: Fury Road, only with thousands of people having simultaneous spiritual epiphanies alongside Katy Perry and Adrian Grenier.

On its website, Renew promises to help rewire the heart by bridging the gap between science and spirituality, and it certainly tried to do just that. We had long group discussions about attachment theories and relationship triggers; we wrote out lists of all the people who have hurt us, and reframed the negatives into positives; we had extensive meditation and yoga sessions. Some of the women chopped wood (to get out their anger) or had acupuncture (to calm down afterward), though I opted out of those activities due to a fear of both axes and needles. And at the end of each night, we retreated to our bedrooms, where we were supposed to stay away from our phones and get a good nights sleep. I, however, found out the WiFi password and stayed up late frantically texting my friends about whether Burning Man might not be so bad after all, if a shift in vibrations really is to blame for Donald Trump, and whether I should be eating more leeks. I felt like I was in a parallel universe and my phone was my only link to reality.

Im not a spiritual person, as youve probably guessed the only things I believe in are logic and the inevitability that were all going to die so the retreats New Age-y vibe didnt really work for me. On top of that, I realized that I wasnt really in the sort of headspace that would benefit from such a retreat. If anything, Im feeling bored and anxious by being single. Instead of retreating, I should really just find myself a new hobby. But as I sat in a complicated meditative posture in the yurt, with my head resting on wooden blocks perched on my thighs and a blanket covering my shoulders, I found myself thinking longingly about the barre class I attend in the city. Thats my version of spirituality: A place where I can clear my head for an hour as I tuck and lunge to remixes of Rihanna songs. For me, that may just be more effective than group chanting.

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An exclusive video preview of his fall/winter presentation.

Because sitting on your couch tonight is way better than being at an overpriced dinner.

Nice of him.

From the white bandanna to slogan-printed shirts.

Not for boot camp.

Ugh.

There is strong reason to believe that Ms. Conway has violated the Standards of Conduct.

Heres a terrible idea.

She was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Polished serenity at Oscar de la Renta, the Row, Eckhaus Latta and Proenza Schouler.

From suede bowed sneakers to clear-as-day heels.

Hi Kellyanne. I cant sleep.

Supermodels danced on tables and nobody had phones to broadcast it.

My Instagrams have never looked better.

Logan Everett sure sounds familiar.

The chicest look from NYFW yesterday.

Kelly and Allie make friendship necklaces with LOral spokesmodel Blake Lively.

An insiders view of New York Fashion Week, day five.

2017, New York Media LLC.

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Yoga, Meditation, and a Yurt: A Weekend at a Breakup Retreat - New York Magazine

New research shows that a specific type of meditation can actually help you worry less.

In astudypublished in Behaviour Research and Therapy, researchers examined the effects of three different types of mindfulness techniques on 77 people.

After each was practiced, anxiety levels and negative thought frequency were assessed.

Acceptance-based mindfulness meditation that was guided by a script was the most successful meditation technique of the group.

This type of meditation focuses on allowing thoughts to be rather than resisting their presence.

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Heres what else the research found and how you can benefit to worry less:

Researchers found the acceptance-based meditation (which is actually also a type of therapy) reduced negative thoughts that occurred repetitively, especially in people who already suffered from depression and anxiety.

Weve all experienced how negative thoughts not only divert our attention, but how they also increase stress and worry.

Thinking of the worst-case scenario is often enough to spike your heart rate and begin to throw you into a fight-or-flight response.

Decreasing the frequency of these negative thoughts is only onepositive side effect of the meditation.

Instead of trying to empty your mind or be totally free from thoughts, acceptance-based meditation focuses on making room for your thoughts and feelings.

Researchers did this by using a simple script to guide their subjects into the meditation:

Direct your attention inwardly notice thoughts, emotions, physical sensations any other kinds of experiences as they show up in the field of your awareness sitting and noticing whats here, right now, for you. Each time you become aware of a private experience, such as a thought, or a feeling turning your attention towards it, acknowledging it, maybe labeling it and as best you can, letting things be as they are making space for your experiences.

Resisting thoughts often strengthens them. Stop resisting.

Instead, allow thoughts and feelings to come and go as you meditate.

When you increase your self-awareness and become conscious of a thought or feeling, observe and acknowledge it. Make room for it to be.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and considerupgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

This type of meditation was proven to be the best above attention-based meditation, which involves focusing on the breath, and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), which focuses on tensing and relaxing certain muscle groups.

Giving your thoughts and emotions even if they are negative a safe, judgement-free space to just be can help reduce these thoughts.

So, how can we reduce the anxiety that comes with them?

Consistency is key when it comes to finding this new meditation helpful.

This interesting new research also found that just one session of this mindfulness practice didnt reduce anxiety. This is because sticking to a routine when doing your acceptance-based meditation is important.

The more you practice this type of meditation, the more it may help you to circumvent stress and depression.

Its easy to practice meditation at home, whether its guided or not. Whats not always easy is sticking with it.

But to experience the benefits, you must.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and considerupgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

After all, the study did conclude that acceptance-based meditation can improve resilience and help people manage everyday worries that can lead to anxiety.

So, whether you choose to meditate for 2 minutes or 30, you can benefit from this simple practice.

Guided meditation may be easier to stick with, or perhaps you already know you do well by yourself.

Regardless, you can stop thinking negatively and reduce your anxiety by doing this simple practice every day.

Subscribe to Elite Daily's official newsletter, The Edge, for more stories you don't want to miss.

Jenn Ryan is a freelance writer who loves writing about many topics and learning about new things. Find out more about Jenn and her work at http://www.thegreenwritingdesk.com

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Here's The Type Of Meditation You Should Try If You Can't Stop Worrying - Elite Daily

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ - Do you have questions about Buddhism or wanted to learn how to meditate? If so, the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center may have answers for you.

"The basic philosophy of Buddhism is to do good, not evil, and improve your mind," center member Ravi Karunaratnesaid.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center was established in 2003and is located in Franklin Township minutes away from Princeton and a 45-minute bus ride from New York City.

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In Sep. 2009 the Samadhi Buddha statue was built, on the 10-acre property of the Meditation Center. According to theirwebsite, it is the largest outdoor Buddha statue in the western hemisphere. The Buddha is 30 feet tall, sits on a pink lotus and is made of steel and concrete.

Since the unveiling of the statue, the center has been considered a New Jersey landmark attracting a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. It can be seen from Route 27 by people driving by, especially on a moonlit night due to the luminous glow of the statue.

"Our members come from all over - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware and New York, we have about 600 families," center member Dr. Wije Kottahachchisaid.

According to their website, "the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara is dedicated to serving Buddhists, as well as non-Buddhists in the United States, essentially for religious, cultural and social purposes."

Many practicing Buddhist believe peace can only be found through love, compassion, tolerance, co-existence and non-violence. At the NewJerseyBuddhist Vihara and Meditation Center visitors can learn practical methods to deal with the everyday stresses of life through various programs offered at the center.

Visitors can meditate in front of the Samadhi Buddha statue every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is also a scenic redwood tree-lined meditation trail, one can walk to help cleanse their mind, and along the trail, they will see quotes to help with meditation.

On Friday nights between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. are evenings of meditation with the resident monksand after meditation one can take part in discussions on the Buddhist doctrine. There is also a Dhamma school for children to help give them a foundation to assist with the development of rational thoughts, along with positive attitudes.

At the center, you can learn different forms of meditation - Metta Meditation, Anapansati Meditation, and Buddhanussati Meditation.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center provides descriptions of each form of meditation, below is a brief snapshot:

Metta Meditation:"Metta meditation is a good way to calm down a distraught mind and some consider it to be an antidote to anger."

Anapanasati Meditation:" The practice ofanapanasatiis a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by uncontrolled thoughts."

Buddhanussati Meditation:"In thismeditation,we direct the mind to the qualities of Lord Buddha as the object of meditation."

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center is in the midst of an expansion project that will include an 11,000 square foot building that would house a library, meditation hall, residence for the clergy, and areas for community gatherings. The meditation trails through the woods will also be expanded and meditation gardens will be built.

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Houses of Worship in Franklin Township - Buddhist Vihara Meditation Center - TAPinto.net

When I think of meditation, I picture an image of serenity a wide-open room, a person sitting cross-legged on a mat, eyes closed and mind relaxed. Meditation, to me, conjures up peacefulness, calmness, quietness and stillness.

Which is why the sight of bulging biceps, dripping sweat and a barbell slamming to the floor doesnt exactly fit with that picture. But looking a little closer, the practice of weightlifting actually has a lot more in common with the art of meditation than first meets the eye.

To meditate is to spend time in quiet thought, as the dictionary puts it, and while the purpose of meditation is to still the mind, that doesnt necessarily mean stilling the body. Meditation, many people mistakenly believe, can be performed only through sitting quietly and clearing the mind of intrusive thoughts. In actuality, meditation can be as simple as focusing your mind on a single point of reference, even when intrusive thoughts insist on cropping up.

Meditation can be achieved in the middle of Times Square, said Cali Estes, a psychologist, personal trainer and chief executive of the Miami-based Addictions Coach, which offers help to celebrities and corporate leaders trying to overcome drug, alcohol and other problems.

Meditation is simply the decompression of thoughts and clearing of the mind from any unwanted, negative threats or harmful ideals that can sabotage your success, [and] using exercise as a means to release stress and clear the mind is an excellent tool in both personal and professional life, said Estes, who uses a variety of methods in her work, including exercise and meditation.

And in a world that increasingly has people chained to desks and screens and spreadsheets and Snapchats, it may be more important than ever to free the mind by first freeing the body through exercise.

When I am lifting and seriously lifting theres nothing else besides me, the iron and the goals I place around it, said Janelle Tank, 23, a personal trainer and fitness entrepreneur from Michigan who began weightlifting three years ago to protect against what she calls self-hate and substance abuse. My life up to that point was ... well, I shouldnt be here today.

After experiencing a miscarriage that left me feeling unmoored, weak in more ways than just physically, I also turned to weightlifting, and I soon realized the benefits that could be unlocked through grunting, repping and sweating more than I thought a 5-foot-4, 150-pound woman of 30 should ever sweat. There is such blissful release in the hour I spend at the gym, where I can think of nothing but the next repetition, pushing through the burn, completely focused on one task, instead of the hundreds of to-dos normally flitting through my mind like a relentless Rolodex.

Weightlifting, I have come to find, is my meditation. Breathe in, breathe out, lift, hold and repeat.

Consciously focusing the attention of the mind is the backbone of meditation, notes Larissa Hall Carlson, 41, a yoga, mindfulness and ayurveda expert at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Any activity can be done mindfully, [but] what turns an ordinary exercise into a potent and benefit-rich form of meditation is ones awareness and intention.

Carlson says by focusing all of ones attention on the lifting of weights, indulging in the sensation of muscles contracting and releasing, feeling the roughness of your skin against the weight in your hands, noticing the sweat trickling down your back, and by connecting breath with movement, it is possible to transform a workout into what she dubs meditation in motion.

And its that meditation in motion that fitness experts, such as celebrity trainer Kira Stokes, say can affect the rest of life. Stokes, who is based in New York, trains her clients to focus on every muscle contraction through her Stoked method, a mindfulness practice she encourages them to use throughout the day. Her clients learn to pay attention to their breath, when to inhale and exhale with stress, and to recognize how it feels when their muscles are clenched in tension.

You become more aware on an average day of how youre feeling: Do I need to sit down? Do I need some fresh air? Do I need to take a nap? she said.

I guard my meditation-in-motion time fiercely. That hour is more than just me time; it is also a time that allows my mind to empty enough to tackle the rest of my life.

I started lifting weights because I wanted to feel stronger at a time in my life when I felt the weakest. And it is through weightlifting that I have found my strength in one of the most unlikely of places my own mind.

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Pumping iron able to provide a type of meditation in motion - Northwest Herald