#Writing Meditation Practice Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
64
archive,paged,tag,tag-writing-meditation-practice,tag-64,paged-2,tag-paged-2,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,select-theme-ver-2.1,vertical_menu_enabled, vertical_menu_width_290,side_menu_slide_from_right,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.9.0,vc_responsive
 

#Writing Meditation Practice Tag

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Posted on July 14, 2025
in Journaling, Nonverbal Activities, Travel, Walking
4 Comments

My husband and I started traveling in our early sixties. We planned to travel twice in a year: within the country (preferably a National Park) and to a foreign country. We also decided against “seeing everything” at any place because that amounts to experiencing nothing. However, walking in any new destination always added to the adventure. As our feet moved with slow pace; our senses got engaged. Pacing reminds me of the mosaic sidewalks in Lisbon, Portugal, streamside sauntering in Kyoto, Japan, and making space through the throngs of people on the sidewalks of New Delhi, India.  Moonlit Night, Oil on Canvas, Madhu Wangu Entering little mom-and-pop shops, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, or talking to street vendors gave us an opportunity to communicate with local people and get a flavor of how they...

Read More

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Posted on July 2, 2025
in Walking
4 Comments

Since we moved to Ashby Ponds, meditation and walking have turned out to be par excellence nonverbal activities for me. But for you and many others, equally good nonverbal activities are gardening, any visual arts, playing a musical instrument, traveling, dancing, cooking and so on. Wordless hobbies give our mind time to daydream and contemplate about ourselves.  Before moving to Ashby Ponds, I used to cook three to four times a week throughout the year—Indian, Italian, Chinese and American dishes. Outdoor, during early spring I tended to our garden—cleared the soil of fall debris around the perennials: tiger lilies, rose bushes, gerbera daisies then planted annuals: impatience, zinnias, naustrasiums etc. Our garden bloomed and blossomed in variegated flowers and lush leaves in changing seasons. Now my nonverbal activities are limited to meditation, working...

Read More

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025
in Daily Reflections 2025, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
6 Comments

Though this post feels like it is meant only for seniors (Mindful Creators Group at Ashby Ponds), go ahead and read it anyway. I feel it would be beneficial for younger, middle-age generation (Mindful Writers Groups) as well, albeit in future. Different phases in life bring different transitions. It just so happens that we all are in the final stage of our lives. Some of us living here at Ashby Ponds are comfortable and at peace. But some others with a major health issue or death of a spouse may feel thwarted or terribly lonely. Some may experience sadness/relief after years of caregiving to a spouse with dementia who passes away. Yet some others may dislike being dependent as they are no longer physically fit and thus unable to live on...

Read More

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Posted on June 25, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Nonverbal Activities, Well Being
4 Comments

Today I’m going to talk about how to sleep better. Yes it is that important! Seven to nine hours of sleep, including the afternoon siesta is one of the most effective things we can do to reset our brain and body and increase quality life span. As we sleep the body replenishes itself. This affects every system, “From the brain to the heart, the immune system and all the inner workings of our metabolism. While we sleep the body heals tissues, strengthens memory and even sharpens brain.” Sufficient sleep keeps us attentive, sharp and creative. The brain has a “clean cycle” system for washing away metabolic debris and junk. Failure to remove this brain trash may be linked to higher risk of developing dementia. In three words—Sleep is medicine.So what can...

Read More

Tuesday, June 24,2025

Posted on June 23, 2025
in Flourishing, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Sharper Brain after Retirement
6 Comments

Today's inspiration is geared more toward Ashby Ponds' Mindful Creators than Mindful Writers because, if I remember correctly, the age range of MWs is younger. But it never hurts to know things in advance to prepare for future health benefit. So here it goes: By the age 85 and older, about a third of people have dementia. Prevention is the most powerful antidote to this illness. You can’t prevent something you cannot see and dementia is one such illness. It increases exponentially after age 65. The mental decline is linked to lifestyle: physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, social isolation, poor sleep, lack of mentally stimulating activities and misuse of alcohol. All opposites of the eight good habits we’ve been reading about and hopefully practicing.  Prevention should start early. Our Ashby Ponds community may...

Read More

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Posted on June 18, 2025
in Flourishing, Sharper Brain after Retirement, Well Being
2 Comments

Longevity New Research # 1So that you knowWe have been told that our brain has “Left” hemisphere and “Right” hemisphere, and each one of us is either dominated by the “Right hemisphere” or the “Left”? However, the recent research using brain scanning technology has revealed that brain’s two hemispheres work together intricately. They are codependent.  It is still true that the right brain is more creative and artistic and the left more technical and logical. But the processing of reading, math and language is understood to take place in both hemispheres. And more importantly for us to know that regular meditation practice connects and coordinates the two hemispheres. And the more they connect the more optimally we perform on any given task New Research #2So that you know: We have five senses, if we include...

Read More

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Posted on June 16, 2025
in Journaling, Sharper Brain after Retirement
6 Comments

I hope the Inspirations so far have motivated you to read more poems. Here is a link to mindful poetry for you to explore: https://cih.ucsd.edu/mindfulness/mindful-poetry In my previous email I mentioned the practice of following disciplines to a sharper and smarter brain: meditation & journaling, sleep, nutritious meals, walking, reading, socializing, any creative project and something that you feel passionate about, something that gives purpose to your life. Based on these eight, do you have a weekly routine? Body without brain is just flesh. Our 3.3-pound brain monitors our body and heart. Amazingly fragile, it has incredible ability to perform sophisticated tasks such as language learning, performing complex skills, trying new creative hobbies, living amicably in social groups and so on. All these activities help increase attention, reasoning and memory.  The brain grows,...

Read More

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Posted on June 11, 2025
in #Reading Poetry, Creativity, Imagination, Reading
4 Comments

In Praise of PoetryPoetry grows on us. Reading poems aloud can turn into an enjoyable exercise, but more importantly, it helps refine our thinking and enhances journaling. You may not want to become a poet but you learn to have a grasp on words and how they have power to stir deep feelings and emotions in you that you may not have experienced before.  Reading poetry is a private, intimate experience. It widens our emotional space by stirring self-examination. It helps us deal with paradoxical emotions we don’t understand. Poems have messages that speak directly to us. When a poem links with our heart, it feels like the poet has shared a secret. The relationship between the poet, the poem, and the listener inspires awe and delight. A boy reading sitting...

Read More

Tuesday, June 10,2025

Posted on June 9, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Reading Poetry, Imagination
6 Comments

Who doesn’t want to sharpen their mind at any time in our life, especially during the final stage? We now know that the brain can be enriched, made faster, fitter and sharper at any age by practicing, that is doing something over and over again (neuroplasticity). We also know a sharper mind is more resilient which improves when we go through challenging experiences. Each day counts.  Body and brain are deeply connected. What is good for the body is good for the brain. Here are eight practices brain needs. You may be already exercising some of these. So one by one try to add the ones you are not: 1. Sleep for seven to eight hours a night2. Eat three nutritious meals a day3. Walk/Exercise four to five times a week4. Daily...

Read More

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Posted on May 28, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Flourishing, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
8 Comments

“In the beginning nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the ending nothing goes,” wrote the Tibet’s eminent twelfth-century poet, yogi and sage, Milarepa. What does it mean, we wonder. Matthieu Ricard, the American yogi who lives in Tibet unpacks this puzzle in this way:At the start of meditation practice, little or nothing seems to change in us. After continued practice, we notice some changes in the way of our being, but they come and go. Finally as practice stabilizes, the changes are constant and enduring, with no fluctuation. Instead of being temporary states they become altered traits of the practitioner. The beginners impact begins from under 100 total hours of practice. Long term meditators range from 1,000-10,000 hours. Yogis tested at Richie’s lab averaged three times more than long term...

Read More