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Mindfulness and meditation

Close-up of a cracked oil painting depicting a man’s face in profile, showing the texture and age of the artwork.

Consciousness

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What happens to the brain during consciousness-ending meditation?

Psychologists are studying a form of meditation known as ‘nirodha-samāpatti’ that reportedly ceases all mental function

by Shayla Love

Aerial view of a swimmer in a blue swimming pool with marked lanes, water ripples, and reflection. Only one swimmer is visible in the middle lane.

Sacred places

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I swim to think and to stay afloat in an ever-wetter world

‘The Beames my Bones, my flesh the plankes’: in pools, I glimpse the future of our terrestrial bodies in an ocean world

by Steve Mentz

Traditional Chinese painting of two figures crossing a bridge in a serene landscape with trees and mountains, signed with two red seals.

Transcendent experience

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To experience Zen-like awakening, try going the headless way

Try to point to your true self as you’d point to a brick wall, and other experiments in Zen-like awakening

by Brentyn J Ramm

Climber with gear walking through a snowy landscape into heavy fog with mountains barely visible in the background.

Mindfulness and meditation

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Meditation is like mountaineering: approach it with care

We speak of meditation as exercise, something that’s good for everyone. But, like scaling a mountain, you must use caution

by Nicholas Van Dam

Close-up of two hands nervously picking at the skin around the nails, indicating anxiety or stress.

Worry and rumination

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Here’s how to take back your life from long-term worrying

Long after they’ve gone, stressors can cause harm to your health. These psychological techniques offer a powerful defence

by Dane McCarrick & Daryl O’Connor

Close-up photo of a person with closed eyes and hands pressed together in front of their face against a blurred background.

Spirituality and religion

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Spirituality is a brain state we can all reach, religious or not

Neuroscience shows that spiritual experiences are correlated with brain states that we can all aim for, religious or not

by Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan

A small Buddha statue seated on a green leaf with a blurred background, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

Mindfulness and meditation

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Modern mindfulness meditation has lost its beating communal heart

Ancestral blessings in meditation are not premodern residue. Attachment theory suggests they’re vital for compassion

by Paul Condon & John Makransky

A vintage photo of a group of women and girls in period clothing lying on the ground, posing casually and looking at the camera.

Memory and nostalgia

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In a journey through time I’ve seen the past imprinted on the present

Memory allows us to break free from chronological time, to extend ourselves beyond a single life to embrace earlier generations

by Vicky Grut