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Harvard Meditation Study: Resilience, Tummo, And Inner Peace

Harvard Meditation Study

Tummo is the rage, Harvard Meditation Study. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Long before Harvard’s recent studies on meditation and mindfulness, the science around the subject has been disputed. Regardless, meditation lovers, mindfulness experts, monks, and prayerful people of all types regularly report a variety of benefits resulting from these practices.​

Whether avid meditators or not, most of us have reported positive experiences when meditating. Benefits include stress reduction, feeling more peaceful, feeling better about ourselves, feeling less judgmental, and improved relationships and creativity.

“Surrender To What Is. Let Go Of What Was. Have Faith In What Will Be.”
— Sonia Ricotti

Many couples who meditate together during Harvard Meditation study, report feelings of deepening and connectedness that were not present before meditation. Teachers who introduce meditation to their students find that everyone has better attention spans and the majority tend to get along better.

Many doctors report that mindfulness techniques and positive visualizations help to calm their patients. Some doctors have said that regimens of meditation have improved conditions associated with irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Meditation and mindfulness are taught and practiced by prisons, sports teams, and even the U.S. military to improve resilience, clarity, presence of mind, and feelings of connectedness.​
Also, the vast majority of meditation studies have shown that meditators tend to experience regular states of selflessness and emotional clarity.

“The Real Meditation Is How You Live Your Life.”
— Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Science Of Meditation

Traditionally, meditation and mindfulness studies have been poorly designed and executed. Of the over 400 clinical trials aimed at determining the benefits of meditation between 1956 and 2005, only 10% were constructed from quality theoretical perspectives and methodologies. This included studies by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the American Heart Association.

When it comes to happiness and emotional well-being, some studies show that people who meditate have higher levels of happiness than control groups. Similar studies have shown that people who meditate for 20 minutes per day have higher levels of happiness than those who rested for 20 minutes per day. The challenge with these types of results is that they haven’t included data related to meditators being better at self-care than non-meditators.

“The Present Moment Is Filled With Joy And Happiness.
If You Are Attentive, You Will See It.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh

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The Harvard Study On Meditation And Mindfulness

A neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Sara Lazar, sought to explore the benefits of meditation and mindfulness via brain scans while doing Harvard Meditation study.
What did she learn? Meditation and similar practices can improve, expand, and change your brain. Lazar’s findings of meditators were profound:

  • Over time, their senses become enhanced.
  • With regular meditation, they experience improved executive decision making. Whether younger or older, participants have shown increased gray matter in the prefrontal cortex.
  • The brains of new meditators thickened after eight weeks in the areas of the brain that cater to self-relevance, learning, cognition, memory, emotional regulation, adopting perspectives, empathy, compassion, and the production of regulatory neurotransmitters.
  • The areas of the brains of new mediators related to anxiety, fear, and stress became smaller over time.

While there isn’t robust data about how much and how long someone must meditate to achieve benefits like these, Lazar said that meditators would probably need to practice at least a couple of days per week, at an average of 30 minutes per day. That said, there is no definitive scientific data in this area.

Tummo Meditation

While meditation science has been unable to prove every benefit for every niche and category, Tibetan Monks and Himalayan yogis have been meditating for centuries, and with consistent, miraculous results. Tummo Meditation, (gTum-mo in Tibetan, or g-Tummo), which translates to “inner fire,” is regularly taught and practiced by Tibetan Buddhists throughout the world.

Wrapped in cold, wet sheets, Himalayan monks can heat their bodies through Tummo meditation, and in the process, dry the wet sheets. This astounding ability has kept academics, doctors and regular folks stupefied for over a century. Truly, Tummo meditation is the holy grail of meditation neuroscience.

This ancient technique combines meditative breathing with visualization and results in a deep state of inward connection. Monks report being able to increase and control the heat in their bodies.

While their body temperatures rise during the meditation, they can transfer the resulting heat to any organ or extremity, including their scalps, hearts, kidneys, fingers, and toes.​Tummo meditators report a variety of benefits, including improved concentration, memory, and mental clarity; improved breathing, including the depth of breaths; improved lung and heart health; improved confidence; and of course, improved control over the body’s heat.

Given all this, meditation should be a no-brainer, right? RIGHT!.  

How To Tummo

The purpose of Tummo is to reach a high yoga tantra (or state) and gain control over the body’s processes.
Here are the steps to achieving Tummo Meditation and the psychic control of your body’s heat:

  1. Sit comfortably, with your back straight; cross-legged is ideal.
  2. Imagine your spirit’s kundalini (channel) “tube” up and down your spine.
  3. Imagine that each nostril is a tube connected to your kundalini tube.
  4. Imagine your body being hollow, sacred, and filled with light.
  5. Visualize a hot ball of fire inside of your body, around the belly-button.
  6. Focus on your breath and inhale slowly.
  7. Imagine each breath to feed your fireball of light, making it hotter and hotter.
  8. Imagine that your fireball is safe and healing, continuing to feed it with the breath.
  9. Try to hold each breath for 10-30 seconds, then exhale.
  10. You can repeat this breathing process for up to 30 minutes.

“What Day Is It?” Asked Pooh. “It’s Today,” Squeaked Piglet.

“My Favourite Day,” Said Pooh.

— A.A. Milne

Types Of Meditation And Mindfulness

Meditation can take many forms. Some meditate on their breath. Others find that mantras and tones are helpful when attempting to detach from the mind and be fully in the present moment.
Here are a few types of meditation that you might find helpful.
Mindfulness Meditation (Also Breath Meditation)

  1. Sit comfortably with your back straightbook-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner
  2. Focus on your breath and how it moves in and out of your body. Feel the sensations in your lungs, chest, and belly. Notice the air as it enters your nose and mouth. Pay attention to your breath as it leaves your body.
  3. Allow thoughts to come and go. Become the watcher of your thoughts, whether they are based in happiness, hope or anxiety. Simply allow them to be and then let them go. Remain calm as you feel the results of your thoughts. Refrain from suppressing or ignoring them. Over time, your thoughts will naturally bubble up and disappear at will.
  4. Without judging yourself, allow your mind to wander or get carried off into a thought-path. When this happens, effortlessly return your focus to your breath. Throughout the process, be gentle with yourself.
  5. When you experience a period of peacefulness, try to maintain it.
  6. When the time feels right, bring your meditation to a close. As you come out of the meditation, sit quietly for some time. Become aware of who you are in the moment, and where you are. Be gentle with yourself as you return to the present moment.
  7. When it feels right to you, stand up and carry on with your day.

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Mantra Or Tone Meditation

Start with 5 minutes each morning and try to increase the length of time every day.

  1. Once you’re seated comfortably, either in a chair or in lotus position on the floor, choose a mantra or tone for inhaling and exhaling.
  2. As you inhale, silently chant the tone “Maaaaa” in your mind.
  3. As you exhale, silently chant the tone “Ommmmm” in your mind.
  4. Throughout the meditation, allow your attention to return to these tones continually.
  5. When we tone within our minds, we dissolve our mental chatter and bring healing vibrations to our brains, hearts, and bodies. 

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Meditation In Action

Whether we are exercising, walking, or doing the dishes, an activity can quickly become a meditation. Focus on your feet pressing against the earth or your hands stretching out as they touch a tree. Bring your attention to the activity, without judgment, anticipation, or stress. See things as they really are, without trying to reduce them to something else. Bring your mind’s attention to the resulting sensations within each activity.

This type of meditation allows us to detach from our minds and identities, and immerse ourselves in the spirit of the action. Throughout the process, we experience moments of liberation.

There are many types of meditation. You might consider studying the true nature of reality through Vipassana Meditation, a 10-day silent retreat.

Research what feels best to you and try to build meditation into your daily habits and routines.

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Ongoing Scientific Efforts

Research perspectives and methodologies aimed at proving the benefits of meditation and mindfulness have drastically improved.​
Thankfully, an ongoing effort in this area is occurring at a variety of universities and hospitals, including, but certainly not limited to:

  • Massachusetts General Hospital’s Benson-Henry Institute
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
  • The Cambridge Health Alliance
  • Harvard University
  • The Mindfulness Research Collaborative
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Miami
  • Georgetown University
  • Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine
  • Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life
  • Many other institutions and organizations

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Mindfulness Leaders

Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Tibetan Buddhist monk, taught thousands of people how to meditate. Jon Kabat-Zinn, his worthy student, memorialized those teachings in a variety of profound books on the subject, including “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” “Mindfulness For Beginners,” and “Meditation is Not What You Think.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

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Herbs And Supplements That Can Heal Or Awaken Your Thyroid

Herbs And Supplements

You can heal your Thyroid! A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

One of the key drivers and actors behind your emotions and emotional intelligence is your thyroid. Resting below your Adam’s apple, and along the front and sides of your windpipe, the thyroid has two squishy compartments connected by a similarly textured bridge. Shaped like a butterfly, this gentle and vital friend appears to elevate your breath and give flight to your voice.

The thyroid might hold the key to the evolution of your relationships, consciousness, and sense of Self. Even if your thyroid appears to be on her last breath, she is waiting to be healed. While this might take some time, effort, patience, and inward reflection, it’ll be worth it. Your thyroid processes experiences and information akin to your heart. When you love, your thyroid loves. When you breathe, so does this lovely and powerful little organ.

Your thyroid is hyper-aware and connected to the other realms, unlike any of your other glands and organs. It might also be providing you with helpful information on how to live, love, heal and thrive.

As with all things related to your health, seek the help of a doctor, D.O., or nutritionist to help you understand, treat, and heal your body. The thyroid is a particularly complex organ, so as you pursue its healing, be careful, be gentle, and have patience.

How Does The Thyroid Work?

The thyroid gland uses the iodine in your body (sourced from food and supplements) to produce two vital hormones: T3 (Triiodothyronine) and T4 (Thyroxine). Your pituitary gland, nestled in your brain, is the thyroid’s master and the gatekeeper of TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone).

When your pituitary gland releases TSH into your bloodstream, your thyroid excretes hormones. When your pituitary gland detects low thyroid hormone levels, it releases more TSH. When it detects the opposite, it reduces its excretion of TSH. To diagnose thyroid problems, doctors will use blood tests to determine your levels of TSH, T4, T3, and sometimes RT3 (Reverse T3).

Thyroid Disease Dictionary

The thyroid is part of the endocrine system, which produces hormones that fuel many critical bodily functions. It can become damaged through heredity, repeated trauma, drug use, alcoholism, stress, and diet.

Symptoms of a damaged or weak thyroid include:

  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Feeling cold all the time
  • Joint pain and muscle soreness
  • Regularly feeling emotional or depressed
  • Weight gain
  • Slowed heart rate, movement, and speech
  • Dry skin
  • Heavy menstruation
  • High cholesterol
  • Anemia
  • Loss of libido
  • Recurring urinary and respiratory tract infections

There are several types of thyroid conditions and diseases, some of which are more difficult to heal than others.

Hypothyroidism

When the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones (thyroxine) to keep your body in balance, it means the gland is under-active. Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, cold sensitivity, constipation, memory loss, and muscle cramps.

Hyperthyroidism

An overactive thyroid occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. This condition can cause heat intolerance, increased sweating, insomnia, decreased appetite, rapid heartbeat, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, and anxiety. You’ll see below that there are many natural supplements for Hyperthyroidism.

Grave’s Disease

This condition results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones, which can also cause Hyperthyroidism.

Hashimoto’s Disease

Also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hypothyroidism), Hashimoto’s disease causes your immune system to attack your thyroid. This causes it to underperform and then overcompensate, swinging back and forth in pendulum-like fashion. While this and other thyroid conditions tend to affect middle-aged women, they can all occur in anyone at any age.

Western Thyroid Medication

While doctors most often prescribe the drug knowns as synthetic thyroxine, a medication that’s identical to our T4 hormones, there are several ways to nurture and potentially heal your thyroid. The reason T3 is not always prescribed is that T4 will naturally convert to T3. That said, T3 is more potent and more effective than T4.

Levothyroxine (Synthroid): a synthetic version of T4 and the preferred treatment of hypothyroidism.

Liothyronine (Cytomel): a synthetic version of T3 sometimes used in the treatment of hypothyroidism. Some doctors avoid prescribing this because it can cause hormone toxicity and Hyperthyroidism in some cases.

Levothyroxine Alternative: DTE

When your thyroid is not functioning correctly, taking natural, Desiccated Thyroid Extract (DTE) can change your life. For many, they can provide excellent and effective alternatives to Levothyroxine and Liothyronine.

Desiccated thyroid is a thyroid gland extract, usually taken from a cow (bovine) or pig (porcine). Once extracted, DTE is dried and milled into a powder and made in the form of a daily pill at 75, 150, 300mg, and more.

Products in this category to consider include Thyroid-Gold from Natural Thyroid Solutions (my favorite), Armour Thyroid, and Nature Throid. In a U.S. NIH study that compared the effects of DTE and Levothyroxine, the vast majority of patients preferred DTE. Overall, these patients felt better over time and experienced weight loss when compared to the patients who used Levothyroxine.

DTE might also be better for your emotional and psychological well-being, which directly affects relationships, financial well-being, spiritual health, and personal growth.

Thyroid Support Supplements

Taken in moderation, these are the primary supplements found in most thyroid regiments:book-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner

    • Selenium
    • Iron (and Tyrosine)
    • Vitamin B
    • Vitamin D
    • Zinc
    • Probiotics
    • Zinc, turmeric, Vitamins B and D (your best thyroid support vitamins), Iron, Selenium, Probiotics
    • For Hashimoto’s only: Magnesium converts the inactive T4 thyroid hormone into the active form of T3, which some people find helpful
    • Ayurvedic herbs for thyroid health: Ashwagandha, Guggul, Pepperin, Bauhinia Purpurea, Kanchanara (Bauhinia variegata, purple mountain ebony), Jatamansi, Brahmi, Shilajit, Gokshura, Punarnava
    • Excellent thyroid supplement brands include Thorne, 1 Body, Pure, MegaFood, and Now. Take your time and research all of the possible supplements that promise to nurture your thyroid back to health.

Remember, the best thyroid supplement is the one that gives you the energy and balance that leads to a peaceful and happy life.

Things to Limit Or Avoid

While some of these things are okay in moderation, be careful around how much you regularly consume.

  • Avoid kale, broccoli, spinach, and cabbage
  • Limit soy foods like tofu, tempeh, and edamame
  • Starchy foods like sweet potatoes
  • Limit fruits including peaches, pears, and strawberries
  • Limit alcohol, coffee, green tea, and other caffeinated beverages as they can irritate your thyroid
  • Millet
  • Pine nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Highly processed foods like hot dogs, chips, desserts, and snacks
  • Taking too much selenium and iodine can be harmful
  • Anger
  • Exaggerated emotional reactions
  • Doctors who know little about your thyroid, and who have no interest in learning the latest and most effective methodologies

Food and Modalities to Heal Your Thyroid

While seeking the help of a certified health practitioner is always recommended, here are a few things you might want to add to your life and daily regiment:

  • Meditation and deep breathing will increase your vibration, which can have a lasting effect on your brain, heart, and thyroid
  • Forgiveness and crying will release stored, toxic energy that could be inhibiting your thyroid
  • Essential Oils for thyroid nodules include spearmint, peppermint, myrrh, rose, cedarwood, lavender
  • Bach Flower Remedies help reduce anxiety and return people to their natural emotional state.
  • N.E.T. Remedies help balance and honor your emotions
  • Seaweeds such as kelp, nori, and wakame are rich in iodine
  • Salted nuts like Brazil, macadamia, and hazelnuts are abundant in selenium
  • Eggs
  • Yogurt
  • Baked Fish
  • Flaxseed
  • A forward-thinking, open-minded doctor or D.O. who can fathom and act upon ideas sourced after 1970

Your thyroid is like a little kitten. Love her, massage her, talk to her, and breathe life into her whenever possible. Do the same for all of your organs and you’ll give yourself the best chance at lasting health.

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