Sedona AZ (July 14, 2018) – Compassion is the topic of Meditation Monday led by Sarah McLean at The Pavilion at Posse Grounds on Monday, July 16, 5:30-6:30PM. The program is free, open to the public and is hosted by McLean Meditation Institute, Sedona International City of Peace, Spectrum Healthcare Group and the Mental Health Coalition Verde Valley.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama
According to McLean, “Compassion is a natural state of humans. It motivates each one of us to cherish other living beings and to help to alleviate their suffering. The Loving Kindness Meditation is a simple, heart-centered meditation technique with roots in Buddhism, sometimes called Metta Bhavana. It’s practiced around the world to cultivate compassion for one’s self and others. It’s a simple practice that anyone can do. You’ll be guided to choose a specific compassionate phrase that you repeat silently, as you focus your attention on your family and yourself, as well as on others that share this planet with you. “
Stanford University researchers show that a 7-minute practice of loving-kindness meditation can increase social connectedness. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher, Barbara Fredrickson, found that loving-kindness meditation can boost positive emotions and well-being. Loving-kindness meditation has also been shown to reduce pain and anger in people with chronic lower back pain. A study at the University of Wisconsin showed brain areas are modulated during compassion meditation, increasing the activity such as the parietal lobe, insula, and amygdala. This change in activity can increase the subject’s ability to see things from another’s perspective. Compassion meditation has been shown to lower the participants’ reaction to inflammation and distress, both of which are associated with major depression, heart disease and diabetes, in response to stressors. Practitioners who spent more time meditating having corresponding more significant changes in their brains.
Sarah McLean is a local meditation and mindfulness teacher and founder of McLean meditation Institute. She’s always known that peace on this planet is possible, remembers the first Earth Day, and is a lover of the mysterious and the unseen. That’s why she teaches meditation, to help people wake up to the beauty and wonder of their lives and the earth. She is a best-selling Hay House author of “Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation” (Hay House) and “The Power of Attention: Awaken to Love and its Unlimited Potential with Meditation.” For information contact Barbara Litrell 649-0135.
