It's been a little over three months since the 12 boys and their soccer coach were rescued from a Thai cave. On Monday, Ellen DeGeneres had all 13 of them, plus a translator, on her show to give their first interview after their frightening incident.
They report that they are all healthy and fine. Ellen had them recount their 10-day-long experience in the cave and discovered that meditation was key in keeping them all calm while they were trapped underground.
And, as is the tradition on the show, they got some surprises, including a visit from the boys' soccer idol, Swedish pro-player Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Read the rest
Stella McCartney profiles David Lynch in this moody piece on the joys of cinema and transcendental meditation. Read the rest
TIL: the fabulous Lynda Barry teaches at the University of Wisconsin! In this lesson, called "Writing the Unthinkable," she shares a neat method to get started on a new piece. It begins by drawing a tight spiral as a meditation.
"Once I start to draw this spiral, I'm starting to get in the mood to write some kind of story."
(Wertzeen) Read the rest
Expandable Necklace
Director David Lynch is an avid meditator. His twice daily Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice spans over 40 years. In fact, he's such a fan of TM that he started a foundation in 2005 to "ensure that every child anywhere in the world who wanted to learn to meditate could do so."
He writes:
It has given me effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within. This level of life is sometimes called “pure consciousness”—it is a treasury. And this level of life is deep within us all.
But I had no idea how powerful and profound this technique could be until I saw firsthand how it was being practiced by young children in inner-city schools, veterans who suffer the living hell of post-traumatic stress disorder and women and girls who are victims of terrible violence.
The David Lynch Foundation now serves both children and adults around the world, teaching them the healing power of meditation. Through the end of the year, 20% of the proceeds from his line of "Meditating Eye" jewelry goes to the foundation to help them with their mission.
The entire gold and silver tone collection is available at online retailer ALEX AND ANI.
Charm bangle
Men's cuff
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The impossible architecture puzzle game Monument Valley is pretty soothing—it's inspired hours of ASMR videos, if that's your jam—but the newest iOS release from Monument Valley developer Ustwo takes things a step further with a straight up relaxation app. Read the rest
For more than a year, once every week or so, Benjamin Bennett sets up his video camera, sits in front of it, and smiles at it for four hours straight while recording.
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Join with your inner stillness, where those fucks can't get under your skin with all their horseshit.
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Negativity-reducing website calm.com offers guided relaxation breaks of 2 to 20 minutes. They also have a free smartphone app to help you meditate, sleep, or relax wherever you are. Read the rest
Since Mark first reported on Gravity Glue in 2011, artist Michael Grab has traveled extensively as he balanced rocks, and his beautifully-shot footage only improves with time. Just a few highlights below. Read the rest
The Telegraph reports that popular Indian guru Shri Ashutosh Maharaj is either dead or, according to his followers, just meditating, very deeply, in a freezer; now, his wife and son want the courts to investigate. Read the rest
"The Meditator," a personal isolation tank fashioned from 12 pentagons decorated with photo collages. "You may find the sensation akin to that mystical communion with nature that you experience when alone in a forest," according to Popular Science writer Ken Isaacs in November 1970. At popsci.com, they've republished a photo gallery with enough detail that serenity-seeking DIYers in 2012 can once again roll their own. Read the rest
There's a feature worth reading in the New York Times today by John Hanc on the role that meditation plays in brain development, and scientific studies to explore "the extent to which meditation may affect neuroplasticity — the ability of the brain to make physiological change." Read the rest
[Video Link] Hard to explain this web series, and this particular episode. Cats. Philosophy. Emptiness. Best to just watch. (via Andrea James) Read the rest
