Go to the Limits of Your Longing By: Rainer Maria Rilke

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like a flame
and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

Book of Hours, I 59

20 Scientific Reasons To Start Meditating Today By: Emma Seppala, Ph.D.

Great blog post list here by Emma Seppala on mediation benefits. 

I like #20 from Emma's post..

It Makes You WISE(R)

It gives you perspective. By observing your mind, you realize you don't have to be a slave to it.  You realize it throws tantrums, gets grumpy, jealous, happy and sad but that it doesn't have to run you. Meditation is quite simply mental hygiene: clear out the junk, tune your talents, and get in touch with yourself.  Think about it, you shower every day and clean your body, but have you showered your mind?  As a consequence, you'll feel more clear and see things with greater perspective.  "The quality of our life depends on the quality of our mind," writes Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.  We can't control what happens on the outside but we do have a say over the quality of our mind.  No matter what's going on, if your mind is ok, everything is ok. Right now.

The Science of Meditation

95-year-old Tao Porchon-Lynch - Sizzle Reel

Dirgha Pranayama or Three-Part-Breath

Sam Harris: Mindfulness is Powerful, But Keep Religion Out of It

Sam Harris is the author of :  Waking Up

"Meditation is interrupting the continuous conversation we are having with ourselves."

What is the Breath? 

By: Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman

"In many cultures breath possesses a sacred significance. The Greeks called it psyche ‘pneuma’, meaning ‘breath’, ‘soul’, ‘air’ or ‘spirit’. In Latin ‘anima spiritus’ means ‘breath’ and ‘soul’, while in Japanese, ‘ki’ means air or spirit; and in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, ‘prana’ is the life force coursing within us that ceases at the moment of death. In Chinese, the character for breath (hsi) contains three characters meaning ‘of the conscious self or heart’, suggesting the breath that enables you to be alive and conscious also brings mental and emotional vitality."