Various studies on meditation

Vox has an article titled "Are we morally obligated to meditate?", a general article about the author's meditation journey and the various studies on meditation they came across.

Meditation and mindfulness training may lower blood pressure

There is anecdotal evidence that meditation and mindfulness training may reduce blood pressure, according to Medical News Today.  The study can be found at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0223095.

An excerpt from Beyond the Self

Beyond the Self is a book by Matthieu Ricard (a molecular biologist that became a Buddhist monk in Nepal) and Wolf Singer (a neuroscientist) that is a conversation between the two about meditation and the brain.  The Atlantic has an excerpt - it's a bit of heavy reading, but interesting nonetheless.

Transcendental Meditation for treating Post-traumatic stress disorder

A study funded by the Department of Defense, US Army Medical Research and done at the Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System found that Transcendental Meditation works as an alternative for those who do not want to receive or do not respond to exposure-based treatments for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What to use instead of willpower to be more productive, according to neuroscience

A long article from medium.com goes over how the primitive part of our brain sabotages delayed gratification and how to program our brain using IF-THEN statements to stop that sabotage.

Near Death Experience discussion on television

Expedition Unknown on the Discovery Channel is currently having a series called "Search for the Afterlife", with the "Heaven and Hell" and "After the Search: Talking with the Dead" episodes having some discussion about Near Death Experiences.  Definitely recommended watching!

Heat and the brain

Do you feel like your brain is not with it in the summer heat?  The Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University has found that our brains are susceptible to temperature abnormalities.  All the more reason to stay cool.