| Empathy and compassion are two emotions that | | | | chronic stress and high blood pressure, and |
| make us human. It's the ability to identify with | | | | improve clarity and attention. With the high |
| another person, to place ourselves in another's | | | | positive impact this can have on your life, it's |
| shoes, which allow us to have a greater | | | | important to make daily meditation a priority. |
| connection with our fellow man. | | | | Meditation tools and tips |
| Unfortunately, with the stress and general | | | | When life gets so busy, it's easy to put off |
| busy-ness of life, it becomes harder for us to | | | | meditation. You don't have time. You don't have |
| place ourselves in the lives of others, as we're | | | | space. You just can't fit it in. |
| too busy worried about our own lives and our | | | | However, meditation is one of those rare things |
| own families. Though it is easy for us to | | | | that you actually can do just about anywhere. |
| empathize with those close to us, it's a lot harder | | | | Whether you're at work or at home, if there's a |
| to summon compassion for people we've never | | | | place you can go for just a few moments of |
| met. | | | | quiet, even if it's the bathroom, then you can |
| However, it's possible to learn compassion and | | | | meditate. |
| empathy through meditation techniques. | | | | Images provide a very powerful meditation |
| Here's the story | | | | technique for some people. Imagine that the light |
| A recent study published in the journal PLoS One | | | | in the room is sunlight shining on a beach. Turn on |
| showed that 16 Buddhist monks had been able to | | | | the water in the bathroom and imagine that |
| train their brains to be kinder and more | | | | you're sitting by a babbling creek. If it helps, bring |
| compassionate, thanks to years of practiced | | | | in scents like pine or lavender to help you |
| compassion meditation. | | | | meditate. |
| The monks and a volunteer control group | | | | Meditation tools are an excellent addition to your |
| underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging | | | | meditation repertoire, especially if you're just |
| brain scans during meditation sessions. During the | | | | getting started. It can help immensely to have a |
| sessions, the participants were given emotional | | | | physical tool on which to focus your energy. One |
| cues - a baby crying or a woman in distress, for | | | | particularly effective meditation tool is the Zen |
| example - and asked to meditate or to refrain | | | | Stick, a smooth, wooden stick that you toss and |
| from meditating. | | | | catch with your eyes closed. It takes some |
| The scans showed that the brain circuits that | | | | coordination, but the repetitive motion combined |
| detect emotion and feelings were significantly | | | | with the physical meditation tool makes it a very |
| changed in the monks, where the volunteers | | | | quick and successful meditation. |
| showed little change, if any. The deeper the | | | | Meditate one day at a time |
| meditation, the stronger the response from the | | | | In the modern world, we are constantly |
| monks. | | | | bombarded with a sense of "now now now" and |
| What this means for you | | | | "me me me." We are so worried about the future |
| No, you don't have thousands of hours right now | | | | - what to have for dinner, when to do our taxes, |
| to spend training yourself in compassionate | | | | how to finish those projects at work - that we |
| meditation techniques. However, those monks | | | | forget to take time to enjoy the present and |
| didn't start with thousands of hours under their | | | | help our fellows. |
| belts. They had to start one day at a time. | | | | Meditation techniques take away that unending |
| By starting now, you can start making your brain | | | | rush and bring your focus to the here and now. |
| kinder and more compassionate, taking it a day at | | | | Take it one day at a time, and you'll be more at |
| a time. | | | | peace with yourself, and be on your way to being |
| Meditation has other, more noted health benefits | | | | a more compassionate, empathic person. |
| as well. Studies have shown that it can reduce | | | | |