The following
anecdotes show the power of intention; of meditative mind/body exercise and the
health benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong.
Group Meditation
Reduces Crime: (source: http://www.istpp.org/crime_prevention)
Following is a
quote from a study reported by The Institute of Science and Technology. It
details a 1993 study wherein 4,000 people collectively meditated to reduce the
violent crime rate in
This study presents the final results of a
two-month prospective experiment to reduce violent crime in
Based on the results of the study, the
steady state gain (long-term effect) associated with a permanent group of 4,000
participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi
programs was calculated as a 48% reduction in HRA crimes in the District of
Columbia.
Given the strength of these results, their
consistency with the positive results of previous research, the grave human and
financial costs of violent crime, and the lack of other effective and
scientific methods to reduce crime, policy makers are urged to apply this
approach on a large scale for the benefit of society.
Dr. Masaru Emoto’s study of the affect of thoughts on water: (source: positive-thinking-principles.com)
This story is
also referenced in the film, What the Bleep Do We Know, and in Dr. Emoto’s book: The Hidden Messages In
Water.
In these studies,
Dr. Emoto treated pure water from the Fujiwara dam to
various thought treatments, and then photographed the changes which resulted
using a dark field microscope. He found that in each case the water crystal
structure was changed by the intent of the participant.
His central premise put forward is that
human beings can affect the shape and molecular structure of water just through
conscious intention. He demonstrates this in two ways: first by showing images
of water molecules from the Fujiwara Dam, before and after they have been
blessed by a zen Buddhist
monk. He then shows the impact of labeling bottles of distilled water with
thoughts. Some bottles feature positive thoughts, while others feature negative
ones. He then freezes contents from each bottle and photographs them at sub
zero temperatures using a high powered microscopic camera.
The Iceman: (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi_the_Iceman)
We know that the
arts like acupressure and acupuncture were the basis for the eventual
development of Qigong, Tai Chi and perhaps even Yoga. There is a good deal of
debate about the origins of these arts, and just how far back into our history
they go.
This story
confirmed the fact that acupuncture itself is over 5,000 years old, and was a
very developed and globally practices art at that time.
In
Ötzi apparently had whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), an
intestinal parasite. During CT scans, it was observed that three or four of his
right ribs had been squashed when he had been lying face down after death, or
where the ice had crushed his body. One of his fingernails (of the two found)
shows three Beau's lines indicating he was sick three times in the six months
before he died. The last incident, two months before he died, lasted about two
weeks. Also, it was found that his epidermis, the outer skin layer, was
missing, a natural process from his mummification in ice.
Ötzi had approximately 57 carbon
tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left
knee, and on his right ankle. Using X-rays, it was determined that the Iceman
may have had arthritis in these joints. It has been speculated that they may be
related to acupuncture.
The use of
tattoos to mark the points for self administered acupuncture is very widely
practiced today.
The two
extraordinary things about this find is that it confirms that acupuncture is
thousands of years old, and was so widely used in the ancient past that a fair
skinned, fair haired northern European man; thousands of miles from China, was
a self administrator of acupuncture.
The Power of The Mind:
Sources: DragonFly Qigong by Dr. Micheal
Steward, Study of Tibetan Meditation” : openbuddha.com
written by William J. Cromie of the Harvard Gazette:
As Dr. Michael
Steward points out in his book, Dragonfly Qigong, the Qi is directed by the mind. The mind is called Yi in
Chinese.
“There is an old saying that ‘Qi follows Yi’, meaning that Qi
can b directed by the mind. Ancient practitioners of Qigong knew what modern
western medical science is only discovering, that we can direct energy with our
mind and affect the healing process.Experiements have
been conducted in which practitioners send energy to a certain part of their
bodies; that area is ten measured with heat sensitive instruments. Results have
shown an increase in heat radiation in the area to where the practitioner has
directed Qi.”
A classic example
of this type of power is exhibited by contemporary Tibetan monks in a practice
called “Tum-mo. Their deep meditative powers enable
them to heat their bodies so much they can dry out a wet cold sheet.
From “Study of
Tibetan Meditation” : openbuddha.com written by
William J. Cromie of the Harvard Gazette:
In a monastery in northern
If body temperatures continue to drop
under these conditions, death can result. But it was not long before steam began rising from the sheets. As a result of body heat
produced by the monks during meditation, the sheets dried in about an hour.
Attendants removed the sheets, then covered the meditators with a
second chilled, wet wrapping. Each monk was required to dry three sheets over a
period of several hours.
Why would anyone do this? Herbert Benson,
who has been studying g Tum-mo for 20 years, answers
that “Buddhists feel the reality we live in is not the ultimate one. There’s
another reality we can tap into that’s unaffected by our emotions, by our
everyday world. Buddhists believe this state of mind can be achieved by doing good for others and by meditation. The heat they generate
during the process is just a by-product of Tum-mo
meditation.”
Dr. Benson is an
associate professor of medicine at the
Health Boosted by
Tai Chi and Qigong (Source:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving)
Researchers in
Their study says, “The strongest, most
consistent evidence is demonstrated for effects on bone health, cardiopulmonary
fitness, some aspects of physical function, QOL, self-efficacy, and factors
related to falls prevention.” Other good news is that the health benefits can
be achieved even with the less complicated Tai Chi routines .
Said Dr. Shin Lin, “The research studies reviewed here showed that simplified
routines that are more practical…are in fact quite effective in health
enhancement.”
Stress Tips: Calm
Your Mind, Heal Your Body
(Source: Mark Hyman, MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markhymanmd)
“If it is missing from your life, it
causes or worsens 95 percent of all illness. It has been associated with
dramatic reductions in disease and increased longevity.”
“And it is more important than
cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, or any other risk factor in
determining whether you will live a long and healthy life. But it doesn't come
in a pill, and it can't be found in a hospital or in your doctor's office.”
“What is this critical factor that
determines so much about how healthy or how sick you are?”
“Your attitude, your social networks, your
community, and your spiritual beliefs.”
Vigorous Exercise
Increases Risk of Heart Disease
(Source: by Dr. Mark Wiley)
It is widely
asserted by the Tai Chi and Qigong community, that forceful and vigorous
exercise return only short tern results, and that excessive
exercises of this type are injurious to health.
While studying a method of qigong known as
zhan zhuang (pile standing)
in
“…the leading cause of exercise-related
death among high-level athletes is coronary heart disease.”
“No wonder slow-burn exercises like
walking, yoga, tai chi and qigong are considered as the safest and most
effective exercises around the world. And the world is a whole lot bigger than
the “experts” in the
—Dr. Mark Wiley
Meditation Slows
Aging and Strengthens the Immune System
Recent published
studies illustrate the great benefits of meditation in reducing stress,
improving overall health and slowing the aging process. This is a paragraph
from Science Daily article: Positive Well-Being to Higher Telomerase:
Psychological Changes from Meditation Training Linked to Cellular Health
We have found that meditation promotes
positive psychological changes, and that meditators
showing the greatest improvement on various psychological measures had the
highest levels of telomerase," said Clifford Saron,
associate research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.
Elizabeth Blackburn, professor of biology
and physiology at UCSF, is a co-author of the paper.
Telomeres are sequences of DNA at the end
of chromosomes that tend to get shorter every time a cell divides. When
telomeres drop below a critical length, the cell can no longer divide properly
and eventually dies. Telomerase is an enzyme that can rebuild and lengthen
telomeres. Other studies suggest that telomerase activity may be a link between
psychological stress and physical health.
The research team measured telomerase
activity in participants in the Shamatha
From the article:
We’re Only Human, appearing at psychologicalscience.org, and the
Association For Psychological Science.
Less expected is the recent finding that
intense meditation may also have anti-aging effects. Tonya Jacobs, a scientist
at UC—
Link:
“Tonya Jacobs, a scientist at UC—
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101103171642.htm Link to Science Daily article.
