How can meditation improve your life and creativity?
As one example, an Inc. magazine article notes:
Steve Jobs was “a pioneer in what was once a rather esoteric “mind technology”–the use of Zen mindfulness meditation to reduce his stress, gain more clarity, and enhance his creativity.
“As the Financial Times pointed out, Jobs was quite specific about how he went about practicing this “discipline” (as he called it).
“Biographer Walter Isaacson quotes Jobs as saying:
“If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is.
“If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there’s room to hear more subtle things–that’s when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more.
“Your mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before.”
(From post: “How Steve Jobs Trained His Own BrainSteve Jobs was not only a pioneer in computer technology, but also in the technology of the brain.” By Geoffrey James, INC.)
(Meditation is not about going blank image refers to comments by Ariel Garten in video below: “Meditation and trauma recovery.” Brain image is from article “Three Myths About the Brain (That Deserve to Die)” By Lisa Feldman Barrett, NBCNews.)
How can a neurofeedback device help?
Muse co-founder Ariel Garten explains how the EEG headband works: “Muse tracks your brain activity…theadband is like a heart rate monitor.
“As it tracks your brain activity, it sends that information to your computer, smartphone or tablet, where you can do exercises that track your brain activity in real time, and give you real time feedback to teach you how to calm and settle your mind.”
Does Muse Actually Work?
Learn more about the Muse Brain Sensing Headband.
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A testimonial
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Meditation and trauma recovery
Muse co-founder Ariel Garten explains, “Meditation is a practice, or training, that leads to healthy and positive mindsets. Mindfulness is a skill that is built as a result.”
This video is a short excerpt from her conversation “Rewire Your Mind: Meditate To Reprogram & Reduce Trauma” with Dr. Aimie Apigian at The Biology of Trauma 3.0 Summit.
The Muse site says it “was created to help you harness the calming power of meditation to live a more relaxed and present life. 78% of users reported they were calmer and more relaxed since starting their Muse mindfulness journey.”
Learn more about the Muse Brain Sensing Headband.
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Meditation is “an incredibly helpful tool to help with creativity”
An article on the Muse site notes “James Zucco spent many years creating award-winning work as an art director in advertising.
“Three of his commercials are featured in the permanent collection at MoMA, and his work has earned an Emmy nomination and other industry honors. In 2015 James shifted his focus to his passion for fine art.
He now spends his days in the studio, drawing and painting across a variety of mediums. His art now resides in private collections across North America, Europe, and the Middle East and has been featured in The New York Times and The California Sunday Magazine.”
He comments about his meditation practice: “It is an especially useful tool when I’m feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. It’s also an incredibly helpful tool to help with creativity or just thinking more clearly in general.”
From article Meditation & Creativity with Artist James Zucco.
Many other artists have commented about the values of mediation.
Author Ruth Ozeki thinks writing and meditation are entwined:
“They’re both contemplative practices that require enormous patience,” she says.
In meditation “you’re aware of your thoughts and your sensations. You’re constantly being pulled out of the present moment by your worries, what to cook for dinner or some other concern.
“And then you catch yourself, and you return.
“It’s this constant practice of return. That’s very much what writing is about, too.”
From article Ruth Ozeki: Mindful meditation By Hillary Casavant, The Writer, Oct 21, 2018.
(Photo: Ruth Ozeki signing books, 2013 via Wikipedia.)
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Using a Muse headband
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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