Try eating a meal alone istock/LeoPatriziWhen was the last time you did this? According to Rebecca Weible, founder of Yo Yoga!, eating alone without people or your phone, tablet, or a book creates real awareness. "Take the time to notice each bite, including the taste and texture of your food," she says. "This is also great for digestion and portion control." Unplug and take a walk istock/ChalabalaSometimes slowing down is an easy as unplugging from the digital world, including your phone, social media, and email and taking in your surroundings. Weible says to take notice of each step: "The first and last part of your foot to hit the ground with each step, your stride and your pace. See how long you can stay present." Running is also a great way to unplug; here are some easy ways to go from being a walker to being runner. Try out some yoga moves istock/Johnny-GreigAnyone can do yoga, trust us! "Yoga is a moving meditation as you are encouraged to be mindful of each part of your body in every pose and how you are moving from pose to pose," says Weible. In yoga, you are forced to focus on your breathing and muscle control, which makes you totally present in the momenta key to good meditation. You can even try out some easy yoga moves every day.

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Here Are 10 Ways You Can Meditate Every Day Without Trying at All - Reader's Digest

The United Meditation Room will open to Ohio University and surrounding communities at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, on the fifth floor of OUs Alden Library.

Created to support OU students, staff and faculty as well as community members various faiths, beliefs and religious practices, the United Meditation Room is a student-led initiative that has received support from throughout the OU community and beyond. It was designed not only to provide a space at the center of the Athens Campus for individuals to gather for meditation, reflection and/or prayer, but also to recognize the religious and spiritual needs as well as the diversity of the OU community.

More than a year ago, doctoral student Hashim Pashtun took the idea to the staff at OUs Office of Global Affairs and International Studies and reached out to Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones. Those conversations led to a meeting with University Planner Shawna Bolin.

The group conducted research, looking at what other college and universities, including OUs peer institutions, were doing in this realm and found that several of them have dedicated meditation spaces on their campuses. They also reached out to various administrators and offices on the Athens Campus to gauge their level of support. The idea received full support from OUs administration.

OUs Division of Student Affairs contributed the funds to cover minor construction, most notably the relocation of technology in the room and reconfiguration of the rooms entryway to make it a public entryway rather than an office entryway.

Pashtun reached out to individuals in the OU and Athens communities who are affiliated with different religions for their input on how best to make the room a neutral space in which all feel welcome.

Everything from the color of the rooms walls to the minimal furnishings within the room was selected with neutrality and inclusivity in mind. The room will include a mobile partition for privacy, a shoe rack for those whose religious beliefs require shoe removal, and a shelf for books on all faiths and religions.

Guidelines for the meditation room that are being developed will be posted on-site and on a webpage that is being created for the room. The room will not be staffed or reservable and will be open during Alden Librarys regular operating hours.

Pashtun said his hope is that people use this room not only as a space to meditate, self-reflect and escape the stresses of life, but also to witness how others engage in these activities and to seize an opportunity to engage with one another.

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Meditation room to open at OU's Alden Library - Athens Messenger (registration)

Everyone loves endorphins those naturally occurring chemicals in the body that are commonly credited with the euphoric highs caused by running or sex or even hot peppers.

But theres another compound a cousin to the endorphin that deserves similar accolades. Enkephalinsare peptides that are produced in response to certain stimuli such as stress, fear or pain that also have potent painkilling properties.

In a Stanford study published recently in Neuron,researchers identify a neural circuit in the brain that helps explain how the body uses these painkillers. This circuit can reduce or increase pain thresholds, by either increasing or decreasing the level of enkephalins released in response to a particular stimuli.

We propose that this system could underlie the increase in pain caused by stress and anxiety, and the decrease in pain caused by positive expectations, the placebo effect, and meditation, saidGregory Scherrer, PhD, Pharm.D., senior author of the study and assistant professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine and of neurosurgery. This is also useful because it could be targeted to make new pain medications.

The authors write that this pain-stress loop might even contribute to the sensation of pain in patients with psychiatric disorders or underlie pain catastrophizing, which is characterized by exaggerating the severity of pain and ruminating on it.

In the 1970s, scientists discovered cells in the brainstem that can both increase and decrease pain, Scherrer said. And its been known there are neurons in the brain that can alter the transmission of pain signals via the spinal cord, a process known as descending pain control. But it hasnt been shown exactly how this system works.

To explore this, the researchers first determined the source of enkephalins using mice. They then took a version of the rabies virus that could only infect the neurons that produce enkephalins to find out how these neurons are connected to the rest of the brain. What they saw was that the neurons that produce the painkilling chemicals were connected to only one place within the brainstem known to be important for descending pain control.

Further results showed the cells in the brainstem that release these enkephalins have the ability to either increase or decrease the amount released depending on what stimulates the pain circuit. Researchers surmise that stress activates the circuit so that there are fewer pain relievers released, while meditation or other positive influences inhibit the circuit so that more enkephalins are released.

This is important because this descending pain system, which works through the spinal cord to trigger neurotransmitters, is involved in the placebo response and meditation, Scherrer says. Or when youre hungry or not sleeping, or in a bad mood or stressed all this can affect this system of descending pain control.

Scherrer added the results of the study were unexpected because they are counterintuitive.

If you activate this circuit, which we have discovered facilitates pain, it uses the inhibition of a pain inhibitor to cause pain, Scherrer says. It works by inhibition of inhibition. We dont know why. It is surprising.

Previously: Existing drug found to limit some side effects of opioids in miceandIs pain in the brain? A pain psychologist discusses alternative to opioids Image byBryan Jones

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Research reveals circuit that clarifies how stress exacerbates pain and meditation eases it - Scope (blog)

Yoga On Main instructors Denise Lyon, Kelly Dougherty and James Swaim.

Submitted photo

Yoga on Main, located in the lower level of The Liberty in downtown Elkin, will now be offering courses in meditation as well as welcoming back a former yoga instructor.

I feel so grateful that Yoga on Main is offering more classes, styles and teachers for the community in Elkin, said owner Kelly Dougherty. My true passion is teaching and sharing the practice of yoga with my students but I am only one person, each teacher weaves their own experience, insight and wisdom into their classes. I feel honored to be a part of this growing community of well being and cant wait to see where it takes us in the future!

Dougherty began her own yoga practice about 10 years ago when she took a free class offered at York College in Pennsylvania, where she was a student. She said she fell in love with yoga and it all evolved from there. After moving to North Carolina a few years ago, Dougherty completed a year-long training with Sunrise Yoga Studio in Clemmons. She has been teaching at Yoga On Main, located in the lower level of The Liberty, for three years now. She also teaches yoga at the Yadkin Family YMCA.

James Swaim (RYT 200) has recently returned to teaching after a two-year break in which he underwent a successful bone marrow stem cell transplant. He looks forward to regaining full strength as he helps others with the practice of yoga. His first yoga experience came in 2002 when his wife Jennifer dragged him to a yoga class at Yoga on Main, operated at the time by Elizabeth Barr. It was love at first downward facing dog and he was hooked, he said. He subsequently practiced in Winston-Salem and surrounding areas and earned his 200 hour certification at Sunrise Yoga in Clemmons.

In 2012, Swaim retired from Triad Medical Services, Inc. after 25 years in the healthcare industry. He began teaching shortly thereafter with the goal of sharing the mental, physical and spiritual benefits he has found in the practice of yoga. As a senior citizen, Swaim is especially aware of the needs for flexibility, balance and retaining muscle mass and bone density as the body ages. He added Silver Age Yoga Certification, A Healthy Aging with Yoga Project in 2014. He offers encouragement to all who want to maintain or improve their health. In addition to his yoga practice and teaching, Swaim enjoys reading, working in his yard, biking, hiking, and traveling.

Denise Lyon has recently joined the Yoga on Main staff and is a certified meditation and mindfulness instructor. Lyon has been in the healing arts for over twenty years and is also a licensed massage and bodywork therapist.

I meditated pretty lazily for several years, but about five years ago I began to be more disciplined and saw pretty wonderful results, said Lyon. I knew that it wasnt easy to make it a priority, so I wanted to learn how to do it right.

This started an exploration of meditation that began with a course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and the beginning of an ongoing learning relationship with Bhante Gunaratana, the renown Buddhist monk and author of Mindfulness in Plain English at Bhavana Society Buddhist Monastery.

Lyon spent the last year on a 200-hour course of study with Sarah McLean, founder of McLean Meditation Institute and former educational director for the Deepak Chopra Center.

Now it is my hearts desire to teach peace and to share what I have learned and experienced with others. I believe that a meditation practice and living a mindful life can change the way you see things in a very basic way. Learning to live in awareness is one of the most awesome things that meditation teaches us, and that naturally leads to a life of peace and compassion and a richer experience all the way around, she said.

Lyon grew up in Elkin, but lived elsewhere for 25 years until deciding to come back home.

I thought for awhile that I would have to move to a larger city to be able to transition into teaching meditation, but I am starting to see that teachers who live in smaller areas might have an advantage. There are so many people yearning for a deeper experience of life and they are coming out of the woodwork in Elkin. Im so happy about that. We can form our own tribe of people who want to create peace.

Lyon will be teaching day-long classes and weekend retreats in the near future, as well as classes at Yoga on Main. For more information, contact her at [emailprotected] Lyons other interest is being a trail advocate. She believes that being outdoors and on a trail is a great way to find your peace and wellness. She is a founding board member of the Elkin Valley Trails.

For more information on classes and programs at Yoga On Main, visit http://www.yoga-on-main.com.

Kitsey Burns Harrison may be reached at 336-679-2341 or on Twitter and Instagram @RippleReporterK.

Yoga On Main instructors Denise Lyon, Kelly Dougherty and James Swaim.

http://elkintribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_PHOTO_20170201_164131.jpgYoga On Main instructors Denise Lyon, Kelly Dougherty and James Swaim. Submitted photo

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Meditation courses coming to Yoga On Main - Elkin Jonesville Tribune

Forbes

Mindfulness Meditation Helps Quell Negative Thoughts, 'Monkey Mind' Forbes Our brains do a lot of chattering without our permission. When left to its own devices, the mind tends to ad lib for extended periods, and the reality of this is that much of the chatter is negative, usually revolving around fear and worry-based ...

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Mindfulness Meditation Helps Quell Negative Thoughts, 'Monkey Mind' - Forbes

Silhouettes of Saint statues are seen during the Pope Francis' Sunday Angelus prayer on February 12, 2017 at the Vatican - AFP

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peters Square on Sunday. In remarks ahead of the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father offered a meditation on the Gospel reading for this Sunday, taken from the 5th chapter of Gospel according to St. Matthew, in which Our Lord says:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Reflecting on the passage, Pope Francis said:

Today's liturgy presents us with another page of the Sermon on the Mount, which we find in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. 5:17-37). In this passage, Jesus wants to help his listeners to achieve a reinterpretation of the Mosaic law. What was said in the Old Covenant was true, but it was not all: Jesus came to fulfill and to enact definitively the law of God, down to the last iota (cf. Mt. 5:18). He manifests the Laws original purposes and He fulfills its authentic aspects and He does all this by His preaching and even more by offering Himself on the Cross. So, Jesus teaches how to do the will of God fully and He uses this expression: with a justice superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Mt. 5: 20) a justice animated by love, charity, mercy, and therefore capable of realizing the substance of the commandments, avoiding the risk of formalism.

Formalism, continued Pope Francis, departing from his prepared text. This I can do, that I cannot: up to here I can, up to here, I cannot.

No, said Pope Francis, more, more.

The second moment of Pope Francis reflection concerned the second part of the Gospel reading again from the 5th Chapter of St. Matthews Gospel, in which Jesus says to His disciples:

You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You fool, will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean Yes, and your No mean No. Anything more is from the evil one.

Pope Francis continued his reflection, saying:

In particular, in [this Sundays] Gospel, Jesus examines three aspects, three commandments: murder, adultery and oath-swearing.

With regard to the commandment, Thou shalt not kill, He affirms that it is violated not only by actual homicide, but also by those behaviors, which offend the dignity of the human person, including insulting words (cf. Mt. 5:22). Certainly, these injurious words do not have the same gravity and sinfulness of killing, but they are placed on the same line, because they are the premises of the more serious acts and they reveal the same malevolence. Jesus invites us not to establish a schedule [It. graduatoria] of offenses, but to consider them all harmful, insofar as they are all moved by the intention to do harm to ones neighbor.

Jesus gives the example, Pope Francis went on to say, once again departing from his prepared text. Insulting: we are used to insulting, it is like saying, Good morning. And that is on the same line as killing. Anyone who insults his brother kills his brother in his heart. Please, do not insult! We earn nothing by doing so. Pope Francis then returned to his prepared text, and continued with his reflection:

Another fulfillment is made to marriage law. Adultery was considered a violation of a mans property right over [his] woman. Jesus, however, goes to the root of the evil. Just as one comes to murder through injuries, offenses, and insults, so one comes to adultery through intentions of possession with respect to a woman other than ones wife.

Adultery, like theft, corruption and all other sins, are first conceived in our hearts and, once the wrong choice is made in the heart, they are actuated in concrete behavior. And Jesus says:

Again departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis continued, He who looks with a possessing spirit at a woman who is not his own is an adulterer in his heart, he has begun to go down the road to adultery. Let us think a little on this: on the bad thoughts that are in this line.

The Holy Father then turned his attention to the swearing of oaths:

Jesus then tells his disciples not to swear oaths, because the oath is a sign of insecurity and duplicity with which human relations are conducted. Oath-swearing exploits the authority of God to give assurance to our human affairs. Rather we are called to establish among ourselves, in our families and in our communities, a climate of clarity and mutual trust, so that we can be considered honest without resorting to higher interventions in order to be believed. Mistrust and mutual suspicion always threaten serenity!

Before leading the faithful in the Angelus, Pope Francis prayed that Our Lady a woman of docile listening and obedience might help us all to pause and spend more time with the Gospel, that we might be Christians not merely in appearance but in substance. This, said Francis, is possible with the grace of the Holy Spirit, who permits us to do everything with love, and so to fulfil the will of God.

Read more:

Pope Francis at Angelus: meditation on fulfilment of the Law - Vatican Radio

Monday, February 13, 2017 at 6 a.m.

Lo Moon took a different route than other bands coming up in the age of the Internet. Rather than share musical ideas and songs immediately through social media or a digital platform like Bandcamp, the Los Angeles group worked on its music for four and a half years before releasing debut single Loveless in 2016.

Band founder Matt Lowell started playing music in New York City. Around 2010, he was lured to Los Angeles by friends who had moved to the West Coast and the promise of more space. Through other friends, he met bassist Crisanta Banker, who is originally from Denver, and Sam Stewart, the son ofthe Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, from England. The trio became friends and then formed Lo Moon.

The three allowed their music to develop naturally, at first recording in studios in their homes, around Los Angeles, but mostly at the Hall of Justice, in Seattle, with Chris Walla, who played in Death Cab for Cutie and Tetaz. The Hall of Justice had been home to Recriprocal Audio, the studio where many of Seattle's best grunge-scene albums were recorded.

We recently spoke with Lowell about his band's evolution, the impact of more ambitious pop bands like Talk Talk on Lo Moon, and the importance of meditation.

Westword: Loveless might be misconstrued as a kind of dream-pop song, in the vein of what's been going on in Los Angeles in recent years. But on repeated listens, it has a depth of detail and richness of composition that is reminiscent of Talk Talk.

Matt Lowell: They were a weird band, because [the albums] Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock were the end of that band but also the beginning of every other band that wanted to explore that realm. I was interested how they made something so vast and experimental, but also how they made something so pop and refined and refreshing and mainstream. That's the thing I love about Talk Talk. Obviously Mark Hollis's writing is amazing, but that band had such a scope. My favorite bands have a scope. They didn't pigeonhole themselves. Probably nobody but people in bands cared about Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, but tons of people heard stuff like Happiness Is Easy.

When I heard Spirit of Eden in particular, it stopped me like, what the fuck is this? That's any band's goal.... There are beacons for Lo Moon, and I think Talk Talk is, definitely.

On your website, there's a picture of a book, Turn Your Mind Into an Ally, by Sakyong Mipham. It struck me as being like the Buddhist version of Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. It's the book that inspired Bad Brains and that whole Positive Mental Attitude" thing and the concept of reorienting your mind to accomplish what you want.

Yes, 100 percent. I posted that shortly after the New Year. It's weird, because it's the book that I just go for when it's like January 3. I have to sit down again and meditate, because I dropped off the four months of the last year. I had a lot on my plate coming up, and I needed to get my mind ready. I've read that book so many times, and I think it's basically a handbook for me. I need to remember why meditating was working.

Why is meditating so important?

It centers me. It helps me deal with my anxiety and the perils of fucking everything. I'm a really easygoing person, but I get ahead of myself. The one thing about that is that even if you're sitting and thinking and you can't focus on your breath the whole time, you can after twenty minutes, you realize you didn't let anything from the outside world distract you. [When] you're focusing on your breathing, even if you're not succeeding at it, you're stopping your day for twenty minutes. I try to make that as part of my [daily] routine.

Lo Moon plays with Muna, Tuesday, February 14, at the Larimer Lounge. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8; tickets are $15. For more information, call 303-291-1007.

Read more:

Lo Moon's Arresting Pop Songs Come From Patience and Meditation - Westword

Mondays get a bad rap. Its the beginning of the work week, which means emails to respond to, reports to write, clients to meet, etc. The compounding of menial tasks with only so many hoursin the day spawns stress.

Butsometimes it helps to put that existence in perspective. The video above hints at the geological processes that unfolded over millions of years to form the Hawaiian islands we know today.

And thats not to say that theyre a finished product. Lava continues to flow from the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, eventually spilling into the sea.

Taking the time to appreciate Hawaiis beauty, and how slowly the Earth continues to change, is instructive. It shows how the tasks on which we place so much importance are simply not so pressing after all.

So give yourself four minutes this Monday, full screen the video above, and let your mind wander.

You can also check out a 360 version here.

Originally posted here:

This Video About the Formation of the Hawaiian Islands Is Like a Monday Meditation - TheInertia.com

Mike Ilitch had a nondescript career as an infielder. Signed by Detroit in 1952, he was assigned to Class D Jamestown where he played alongside Coot Veal and Charlie Lau. Veal went on to play shortstop for the Tigers. Lau went to the big leagues as well, then became a legendary hitting guru.

Ilitch spent four years in the low minors, then became a pizza magnate and a beloved owner of two sports franchises in his hometown. On Friday, he passed away at the age of 87.

Ilitch opened his first Little Caesars in 1959, and in 1982 he bought the Detroit Red Wings. Ten years later, he bought the Detroit Tigers. All three have thrived under his ownership.

Little Caesars is the third-largest pizza chain in the United States. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup four times from 1997-2008, and have reached the playoffs for 25 years running. The Tigers have gone to the postseason five times in the last 11 years, and their lowest attendance over that stretch was 2.46 million.

What will happen now that the patriarch of the Ilitch empire is gone? Forbes estimates that the family is worth $6.1 billion, so the money is there if 51-year-old Christopher Ilitch, who is now calling the shots,follows in his fathers footsteps and keeps the purse strings open. MLB doesnt have a salary cap (the NHL does) and the Tigers currently have one of baseballs highest payrolls. Unlike some owners, Mike Ilitch was more interested in winning than he was in filling his own coffers.

Christopher Ilitch is unlikely to do things much differently than dad. But that doesnt mean changes arent on the horizon. The Cabreras, Kinslers, V-Marts, and Verlanders are no longer spring chickens, and the farm system is anything but vibrant. A rebuild seems inevitable, regardless of expenditures, and it will likely begin following the 2017 season. In the meantime, the Tigers will chase a World Series title in memory of Mike Ilitch.

When I interviewed him last summer, Cardinals outfield prospect Harrison Bader told me that he has a pretty concrete understanding of how a swing is going to work. Its hard to argue. The 22-year-old University of Florida product has an .822 OPS since St. Louis selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft. Riding on a fast track, he reached Triple-A midway through his first full professional season.

He hit a speed bump upon his arrival in Memphis. Bader slashed .231/.298/.354, with just three home runs, in 49 games following his promotion. The power outage was notable, as hed gone deep 16 times with Springfield in 318 at bats.

Eric Longenhagen raised concerns about Badens future thump in his Cardinals prospect list a few weeks ago. According to our in-house scouting expert, Bader has plus bat speed and some raw power, but its hard for him to utilize it in games because his swing is so flat and linear.

My interest piqued, I asked Baden for his perspective.

Quite frankly, Ive taken some pretty-non-linear swings through the zone, said Bader. Ive gotten lift on the ball. But as fast as the pitches are moving, its really difficult to be that fine with your swing. My only goal is for it to be strong and aggressive. I do try to stay flat through the zone. You dont want to be chopping at the ball, or getting under it. Sometimes it works out well with that flat swing it results in a back-spun ball that goes over the fence.

Bader is aware that launch angle data is being studied, but he hasnt spoken to anyone about it. While he considers himself a student of the game, not everyone explores the science of hitting in the same way.

Studying the game from a players perspective would be drastically different from that of somebody hired out of an Ivy League school into a front office, opined Bader. I dont bring my calculator to the box with me. I just focus on getting into a hitting position to where I can do the most effective damage. At the end of the day, it comes down to understanding your body, and having a feel for the game that you cant really get if you dont play it. Thats what Im trying to perfect.

The Chicago Cubs announced several promotions on Friday. Among them was John Baker going from Baseball Operations Assistant to Coordinator, Mental Skills. The new title befits what hed already been doing. What happens between the ears, and how that impacts physical performance, became a focus for the 36-year-old Cal-Berkeley product not long after he was hired 14 months ago.

As far as former backstops go, Baker is more of a Moe Berg than a Yogi Berra. Calling him a renaissance man may qualify as hyperbole (or maybe it wouldnt), but hes certainly not cookie-cutter. That much was clear when he brought up one of his pet projects at last summers Saberseminar in Boston.

We use the scientifically-backed practice of meditation with our players in the minor leagues to help them perform better on the field, said Baker. We teach guided meditation. Darnell McDonald thats his main role with the team. He goes around and leads guys in meditation, and teaches them how to do it on their own. We promote some different applications iPhone applications, Android applications for our players to do that.

Improving focus is a primary objective. Baker spoke of three-second time windows where each player on the field should be fully focused on every pitch. Another goal is to reduce stress. That is especially true in environments like Boston and Chicago.

Kevin Youkilis talks about having been called a truck driver, and the hate he sometimes felt, explained Baker. Jake Arrieta told me that he was followed in Manhattan, for 10 blocks, by 60 people. He was with his family. Kris Bryant was telling me hes having trouble, in Chicago, just leaving the house.

Theres all of this pressure, so we practice meditation. Why? So we can recognize negative thoughts and let them go, and so we can be fully present for those three seconds. Thats how we teach them to deal with that kind of pressure, stress, and failure. Its by living right now, in those three seconds, 150-200 times a game, and then going home and not worrying about them any more.

Nate Jones was confident that his velocity would return. He wasnt disappointed. In his first full season after coming back from Tommy John surgery he went under the knife midway through the 2014 campaign the White Sox reliever regularly rushed his heater to the plate in the upper 90s.

Rehabbing from a repaired ulnar collateral ligament is an arduous slog, replete with a fear factor. That is especially true for flamethrowers. What if the explosive fastball the weapon that got them to the top fails to rematerialize?

Jones did his best to cast doubt aside. Rather than dwell on negative what-ifs, he put his trust in the process and eschewed radar gun readings.

Coming back, I wasnt worried about velocity, Jones told me this past summer. I wasnt trying to hit a certain number, or anything like that. My focus was on making sure it was quality work, with my mechanics and my direction. If you have that good foundation, everything should fall into place, including the velocity at the end. I just went out there and did the program, and luckily it worked out.

The righty has a similar attitude when hes standing on a game mound.

Ive never been one to have a feel for just what my velocity is, said Jones. I just throw with what I have. If Ive gone a couple days in a row and its only 90 percent of usual, its still Boom! Im going after you. Ive always been like that. Whether its 99, 97, or 95, its all about whats in the tank that day.

Are certain pitch sequences more effective than others? I asked Red Sox manager John Farrell that question recently, and while time didnt allow for an expansive answer, he did weigh in on the subject.

Any time you can force a hitter into making adjustments to the extremes that a given pitcher can execute high fastball to something soft and moving down below the strike zone youre creating the greatest difference between velocity and location, Farrell told me. Those are combinations that have proven to be successful. And strikes are a priority. So is the appearance of strikes, whether thats through deception, or release point, or whatever it might be.

Farrell went on to say that sequencing is something you talk to pitchers about routinely. Not being predictable is crucial. Hard up followed by soft down is less effective if the batter knows its coming.

A pitcher has the final say, said Farrell. If youve maybe established a sense of predictability, you always have the ability to adjust off of it. All it takes is one variation of that predictability, and then all bets are off. You cant assume its going to be the same pitch, in the same count, as in the previous sequences.

This past Wednesday, we heard from Chase Headley and Ken Singleton on why switch-hitters will occasionally go same side against an opposing pitcher. Not included in the article were Mark Teixeiras thoughts on that same subject.

The recently-retired Teixeira was better from the right side an .895 OPS as opposed to .858 lefty and thats how he liked to hit against butterflies. Thanks largely to his AL East match-ups against Tim Wakefield, the erstwhile Yankee had 50 right-on-right plate appearances over his long career.

It was a knuckleballer-only thing. If a conventional pitcher was on the mound, he was going to be in the opposite-side batters box. Period.

Youre just not used to doing it, Teixeira told me at the tail end of last season. Ive been switch-hitting pretty much my whole life, so its just not a comfortable feeling when youre going right-on-right or left-on-left off a normal pitcher. When youve been doing something your whole life thats just what you do. Theres a reason youre a switch hitter to go left against right, and vice versa so Ive never thought about doing it any differently.

Teixeira, who was just hired as an analyst by ESPN he should excel in his new job went deep 409 times, and slugged .509, for four teams from 2003-2016.

I missed the news when it came out just before Christmas, but Todd Kalas is the new TV play-by-play voice of the Houston Astros. He is replacing Bill Brown, who retired after three decades in that role. Kalas reportedly one of 70 to apply for the job has spent the last 19 years as part of the Tampa Bay Rays broadcast team. His father, 2002 Ford Frick-recipient Harry Kalas, called games for the Astros and the Phillies from 1965-2009.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Walter Johnson went 10-2 in games where he pitched 13 or more innings.

As of his 21st birthday, Dwight Gooden was 41-13 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.93 FIP. Hed played two MLB seasons and led the NL in strikeouts in each of them.

Dwight Evans had a 3-0 count 193 times in his career. He put nine balls into play on 3-0, including a single, a double, a triple, and two home runs. In all plate appearances where the count started 3-0, he slashed .426/.813/.721.

In 1912, Home Run Baker of the Philadelphia As led the American League in HR (10) and RBI (130). He also had 40 doubles, 21 triples, and 40 stolen bases.

A reminder that the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference will be held March 9-11 in Phoenix. Featured speakers include Jim Deshaies, Jerry Dipoto, Mike Hazen, Jed Hoyer, Bill James, Randy Johnson, and many more.

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Sunday Notes: Ilitch, Bader's Bat, Baker's Meditation, more - FanGraphs (blog)

Its sort of like yoga. Without pants. And with lots of stroking.

Collage by Kevin Burzynski

I came to the practice of Orgasmic Meditation nine years ago via a circuitous 20-year route of other practices: yoga, seated meditation, bodywork. I havent found a more powerful catalyst for really effecting change in my life than OM.

Orgasm, the way I know it, is indirect, unpredictable, expansive, inclusive. Its a state rather than an event. What the rest of the world calls orgasm, we call climax: part of orgasm, but far from the whole story. If the climax is the cymbal crash in a symphony, were looking at the whole symphony. We learn to up our attention to the more subtle stuff; the low oboe line is just as interesting and relevant.

OM is a 15-minute partnered practice in which a stroker strokes the upper-left quadrant of a womans clitoris with no goal except to feel what arises. The stroker is fully clothed, and the strokee is undressed from the waist down. Its a strict 15 minutes we set a timer. Part of the beauty of the practice is that its so self-contained; I know exactly whats going to happen in those 15 minutes. The protocol of the practice is quite rigid. This isnt a professional service, like getting a haircut or a massage. Rather, its a community of folks who practice, meaning theyre co-creating an experience. The whole notion of giver and receiver falls away. Its more like jazz. The bassist isnt giving Miles Davis a bass line. Rather, theyre both just responding in pitch-perfect resonance to the thing thats between them.

Both stroker and strokee train in this practice private training is three sessions to get started. (My intro package is $450, for about three to four hours of instruction.) After training, all practice sessions are free. Once youre trained, youre added to a private community page or forum, and thats where you find partners for your practice. There are probably about 500 or so folks who have learned to OM in Philly. Its not like a dating app, either. I OM with people I would never date, and Ive had amazing experiences with partners I dont know socially. All genders train and practice of course, you need a minimum of one clitoris to practice. Usually its done in somebodys home; just like youd have a friend over for tea, you have a friend over for an OM.

We look at orgasm as a flow state, something bigger that overtakes you. Its so different from other sexuality practices out there. Its not 15 tricks to blow her mind tonight! Its more similar to the Slow Food movement, which took all the crap out of our food so that we can learn to truly taste how, say, an apple tastes. This is learning to feel again.

I expected OM to change my romantic relationship, and it did it improved our communication, and we became more honest with each other. But I was blown away by the impact it had on my other relationships. The range of people I enjoy has expanded infinitely. I have more empathy and better boundaries, and Ive learned to ask for and receive what I want more fully. Practicing that, day in and day out, with the most sensitive part of my body has made it so much more available when my pants go on and Im out in the world. Im nine years into this practice, and the only things I know for sure are that Ive never had the same experience twice in an OM, and Ill never feel all of my orgasm. And thats the beauty of it: This terrain is infinite.

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Philadelphia Sex Diaries: I Practice Orgasmic Meditation - Philadelphia magazine