Hammer Museum in Los Angeles offers free, weekly 30-minute meditation classes, kicking off similar mindfulness classes among cultural institutions across the country. MORE

Kit Eaton App Smart column compares mobile applications that allow users to do calming exercises and get help with meditation; recommends Alto's Adventure mobile video game. MORE

Mindfulness meditation helped older men and women get a good nights sleep, a rigorous new study found. MORE

U Htein Lin was detained for more than six years in Myanmar as a political prisoner, but has recently returned to teach meditation to prisoners and guards; says that meditation helped him survive his own incarceration, and that he wanted to pass on that skill to others. MORE

New York's latest wave of teaming up ancient practice of meditation with Type A Manhattanites has led to a new type of networking; studios like the Path, invitation-only meditation class, enables entrepreneurs and potential investors, job-seekers and employers, to meet while striving for reflection. MORE

Brooks Barnes Scene Stealers column recounts his visit to Unplug, guided meditation studio in Los Angeles owned by former Vogue and Glamour editor Suze Yalof Schwartz; observes that fun, tightly edited meditation class helped him unwind more than he expected. MORE

Engineering student Angela Ng launches Mindfulness Room, campus space that encourages students to meditate, at Carnegie Mellon University. MORE

Spiritual enlightenment sweeping America has strong ties to Buddhist mindfulness practice, thanks in part to Jack Kornfield, ex-monk and founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California. MORE

Research suggests meditation and mental exercises may be better than drugs at helping people cope with attention problems. MORE

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column notes that followers of spiritual master Sri Chinmoy, who died in 2007, carry on his teachings at vegetarian restaurants around the world; although Chinmoy-afiliated restaurants are owned by individuals, they all extol their teachers philosophy, which married meditation to the practices of art, literature and above all vigorous exercise. MORE

Dan Hurley Eureka column notes mindfulness studies reveal how meditation, which can decrease stress and improve focus, also has some unwanted side effects; observes excessive meditation can inhibit creativity and decrease ability for implicit learning; says finding balance between meditation and mind wandering, and knowing when to do both, is key. MORE

Mindfulness, Buddhist-inspired concept that encourages people to be in the moment by meditating, has become trendy among overworked television stars, executives and even Silicon Valley techies; many new conferences and events have sprung up, offering suggestions on how to achieve inner peace and disconnect from the tethers of technology. MORE

Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, forms unique partnership with Emory University to merge the hard science of the laboratory with the soft science of the meditative mind; project involves small band of Tibetan monks and team of translators working to bring Western science to monastic education system in India, while Western scholars ponder meditation and consciousness. MORE

Gray Matter column by psychology Prof David DeSteno describes his research on meditation's effects on cognitive abilities, to be published in journal Psychological Science; notes that his research found that those who meditate are more likely to help others in pain. MORE

Alina Tugend Shortcuts column observes that misconceptions surround practice of mindfulness, which is part meditation and part greater awareness of one's surroundings. MORE

Meditation may be centered on rejection of the material, but several savvy brands are aware that some material is essential, unless the dedicated meditator prefers shivering nudity, and are introducing meditation-specific clothing collections. MORE

Mirabai Bush Preoccupations column says The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society is aiming to show how meditation techniques can bolster productivity and creativity in organizations. MORE

Op-Ed article by author Maria Konnikova examines lessons that can be learned from way in which Sherlock Holmes trained his mind, particularly his focus on concentration, which in essence is what many cognitive psychologists refer to as mindfulness; highlights research that shows both physical and mental benefits of mindfulness training and meditation. MORE

Op-Ed article by author James Atlas reflects on his decision to go to a Buddhist meditation center, and on the ways in which the teachings of Buddhism offer a retreat from the hectic modern world. MORE

Noa Jones travel article on irony of the anxiety she felt while spending three weeks driving a spiritual guru and meditation master across the United States. MORE

Many people who practice meditation tout its beneficial effects on their brains; role that it plays in brain development has been the subject of several theories and a number of studies. MORE

Meditation can offer many benefits such as relaxation, stress relief, healing, spiritual awareness and improved concentration; variety of approaches and techniques exists, making it accessible to anyone looking to gain the benefits. MORE

Stretch column notes growing number of New York City yoga studios that are increasing focus on mediation, in addition to physical movement. MORE

Susan Gregory Thomas travel article on visiting the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, Pa, which provides a vacation of affordable peace and quiet, complete with guided meditation; chart of other travel destinations recommended for quiet retreats. MORE

Many overworked urban professionals are attending rural Buddhist retreats, where they find peace by meditating silently alone for a week or even a month at a time. MORE

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Meditation News - The New York Times