A recent paper in the journal Psychological Science tries to identify brain functions that are actually enhanced by meditating. The study shows that intensive meditation can help people focus their attention and sustain it — even during the most boring of tasks. But while participants who meditated were able to pick up visual cues better than a control group, it was not clear whether meditating helped them process the new information in a meaningful way.

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Can a 3-year-old really reach a Zen-like state–or is it just a good way to shut him up? Gwynne Watkins discusses the growing ranks of parents and gurus who say meditation calms crazy kids.

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The life of a Buddhist monk may seem far-removed from the busy, gadget-packed daily buzz most of us experience. But new research suggests daily meditation can give us a piece of the peaceful life, as the focused practice boosts attention spans.

"You wonder if the mental skills, the calmness, the peace that [Buddhist monks] express, if those things are a result of their very intensive training, or if they were just very special people to begin with," said Katherine MacLean, who worked on the study as a graduate student at the University of California – Davis.

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People who regularly meditate apparently find pain less unpleasant, because their brains are busy focusing on the present and so anticipate the pain less, blunting its emotional impact, a new study reveals.

Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness, such as the pain caused by arthritis. To better understand how it works, scientists recruited 12 volunteers with a diverse range of experience with meditation, spanning anywhere from no experience to decades. The kind of meditation practiced varied across individuals, but all included "mindfulness meditation," which trained them to sustain focus on the present. Read the rest of this article

Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist, has become a partner in the Dalai Lama's attempts to build a connection between Buddhism and western science. This weekend, the Dalai Lama will mark the opening of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the university's Waisman Center, where more than a dozen researchers will study the science behind positive qualities of mind. Davidson said the center will be the only one in the world with a meditation room next to a brain imaging laboratory.

Davidson's research has used brain imaging technology on Buddhist monks and other veteran practitioners of meditation to try to learn how their training affects mental health. Read the rest of this article

We have long believed that a cup of coffee every morning can make us more awake, yet a newly published study suggests that brief meditation can prepare us for the day just the same. Read the rest of this article

The purpose of the Conscious Meditation is to help you find what it is you would love to do, what it is that inspires you to be the greatest you can be…. to live your inspirations and achieve your dreams, hopes and goals in life. Before you start, make sure you have a pen and paper near you. You will need this at the end of the meditation. This meditation is designed to help you relax and teach you easy techniques to gain focus and clarity in your life. This is a conscious meditation, with your eyes open while you read the mediation, however, all of your senses should connect to the words while doing the conscious meditation. Read the rest of this article

Scientific literature is brimming with research showing that transcendental meditation literally changes the structure of the human brain, at least among persons who practice "mindfulness," as it is sometimes called, for many years.

But new research shows that even 20 minutes a day, four days a week, can produce an impressive increase in critical cognitive skills. Read the rest of this article

About 16 years ago, Elisabeth Fayt had no interest in meditation.

One day, she ended up at a weekend workshop that happened to discuss the ancient spiritual practice.

Fayt absolutely loved the experience.

"I realized that meditation was more than sitting in silence. Meditation is a way of life. It changed my life. Everything in my life changed. Everything I thought had meaning had no meaning the way it used to. I became happier," she says.

That experience sent her on a spiritual journey where she studied the teachings of Yogananda. Today, meditation is a way of life for the Calgary wife, mother, businesswoman, author and international inspirational speaker. Read the rest of this article

Some look to coffee to sharpen their brain but U.S. researchers suggest a bit of meditation may help improve cognition. Read the rest of this article