Scientists are recommending that local authority planning departments include green space availability in all future development plans.

It has now been scientifically established that people who live near parks are healthier. The study conducted by Frank Popham from the University of St Andrews and Richard Mitchell from Glasgow University, investigated 41 million people in England; everyone below retirement age. They further analysed the connection between availability of green spaces and fatal illnesses of the 366,348 people who died in between 2001 and 2005.

The biggest difference in causes of death for people living near green space as opposed to those without was not lung disease, but circulatory diseases.

The scientists are recommending that local authority planning departments include green space availability in all future development plans.

The scientists said "Populations that are exposed to the greenest environments have the lowest levels of health inequality related to income deprivation," and that "Evidence suggests that contact with such environments has independent salutogenic effects, for example, green spaces independently promote physical activity."

“Several studies have shown that contact with green spaces can be psychologically and physiologically restorative, reducing blood pressure and stress levels and possibly promoting faster healing in patients after surgical intervention," say the study authors.

They conclude: "The implications of this study are clear: environments that promote good health might be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities."

After being in Iraq and then in Afghanistan for two years, a 27-year-old British captain suffered a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is not uncommon for front line military people.

This captain learnt TM and it completely cured him. The health authorities had nothing to offer him at all, but this helped him. He has now decided that he has a mission to get the British military to use TM for the treatment of PTSD. 'So this very bright, captain who is now totally enthusiastic about TM is focusing on setting up special presentations for military leaders at the top military training colleges in Britain. P. Warburton GCWP May 08.

Research has shown TM is good for PTSD. See the Journal of Counselling and Development 1986 Vol.64 Transcendental Meditation in the Treatment of Post Vietnam Adjustment Brooks & Scarano

Dr. Herbert Benson, President Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “What we have found is that the very genes that are turned on or off by stress can be turned the other way. The mind can actively turn on and turn off genes. Those who meditate suppressed more than twice the number of stress-related genes than those who did other techniques to reduce stress”. In the first comprehensive look at how mind states can affect gene expression, Benson and his colleagues compared gene-expression patterns in 60 subjects.

This is a significant advance in the understanding of how techniques such as meditation, prayer and yoga improve health: by changing patterns of gene activity that affect how the body responds to stress.

This research used Benson’s own technique created after learning TM and participating in research on TM. However, in his own book he says TM is a better technique said Bernard Winchester.

Comparative research demonstrates results from TM are 3 times greater than those achieved by Benson’s technique, Re; Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45, 1989; and Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 6, 1991).

PIONEERING STUDY now measure ‘enlightenment’.

Researchers can now measure ‘enlightenment´ with new integration scale. “This experimental work uses standard neurophysiological techniques to probe deeper levels of consciousness than are usually studied in the field of neuroscience. The study is published in Biological Psychology (November 2002, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 293319).

Dr. Travis said “every great religious and philosophical tradition has posed the possibility of higher human functioning”. In the 19th century, Harvard’s esteemed William James observed that most people use only 5-10% of their mental potential, thus positing states that are more elevated. In 1901, Canadian psychologist Richard M. Bucke wrote a landmark book on full human potential entitled Cosmic Consciousness. Later, Abraham Maslow reported that individuals who were “self-actualized” commonly had “peak” or “transcendental” experiences.

Q: If I sit in a chair and close my eyes, I fall asleep immediately. What good would TM do me?

Dr. Krag: This is simply an indication that you are in need of rest and likely have a “sleep debt.” TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION provides a profound level of rest and over time it will assist you in “paying off” the “sleep debt,” leaving you feeling more clear and energetic during the day.

Q: What about stress due to sleep deprivation? I almost never get a good night’s sleep. Does the Transcendental Meditation technique help with that?

Dr. Grosswald: ... The stress of not sleeping accumulates over time. And even if you are getting normal sleep once in a while, sleep does not dissolve the accumulated stress of daily life; it can only dissolve the fatigue of today. So fatigue and stress keep building up. Even when on vacation, the relaxation doesn’t last very long once you get back to your usual lifestyle. That’s why everyone needs a way to dissolve the accumulated fatigue and stress of daily living, which is made worse by sleep deprivation.

Practicing TM on a regular basis allows you to throw off that accumulated stress, improves health, including psychological well-being. Researchers estimate that 70 to 90% of disease is stress related, so if you have a mechanism for reducing stress, it improves your overall health and all aspects of your life.

Maharishi: If you can not sleep, just lie there and rest. Even in cosmic consciousness one must rest.

Between waking and sleeping, there is a gap. Some times one seems to fall into that gap and you say afterwards “that was nice!” You try to recreate that moment and you can’t. That technically was transcending. It is often fleeting and unrepeatable.

With regular practice and understanding of TM, one can, after some time, access that state in the comfort of one’s own armchair. That is, not just accidentally coming across it, but going there, knowing that that bliss is there, waiting for you, when ever you want it. And it has so many benefits. Derbyshire Evening Telegraph Feb.2003

When through continued regular practice of TM, any imbalances in the physiology and/or psychology begin to dissolve and fade away life begins to be enjoyed more. This is a sign of our consciousness rising towards the 6th state of consciousness which is when one enjoys life 24/7. Yes, even through sleeping and dreaming one’s awareness is aware. The qualities of the heart grow more, and we begin to embrace more of life with more love and joy.

As Maharishi said; "Then, even the worst person in the world is perceived as 80% good”. This is what he meant by; "The world is as I am” and “If the world around you is not right – change your self. Avoid accumulating fatigue and stress by shedding those obstacles as soon as possible with rest, sleep and TM. Take it as easy as possible in activity during the day.

Panama 200 of the Kuna Embra Nation, Guatemala 500 Maya, Argentina 50 Quom Toba, Bolivia 800 Aymaras, and Paraguay 200 Toba Quom have started TM, the TM Sidhi Programme, and Yogic Flying. Also Nebraska, Maine, New Brunswick, and Vancouver as well as a programme in a school with nearly 500 Maoris in New Zealand and another one with aborigines in Australia.

Over 9,700 people from 6 Latin American countries began instruction in yogic flying. This is on top of the over 2,000 yogic flyers already in S America. - Brazil: 4615, - Peru: 2500 - Bolivia: 1000, - Mexico: 1000, - Ecuador: 300, - Colombia: 250.

In Scotland seven school teachers have learnt TM at one school where a further ten teachers and about 30 students will soon be taught TM.

In the UK, The Mayor of a large city asked his business consultant for programmes to reduce violence and crime in the youths. He has come back to say that after studying many programmes TM is the only one that shows any evidence of working and that he recommends it to be introduced in the city schools.

TM is to be introduced in a sixth-form college where a TM teacher is already employed, and he will begin by teaching 40 students right away.

In a London school, ten teachers are to learn TM. In another school six teachers and one of the school governors have started TM and an intro talk has been arranged for all teachers and governors.

N Ireland (extracts from the Global Good News Web Site). An education official who is in charge of 24 schools in the Unionist areas of Belfast visited a secondary school where teaching TM had just been introduced. When he spoke with some meditating pupils, they told him about the wonderful experience they had had with TM, that morning. The official was so impressed that he decided to learn.

He also appreciated the scientific basis and the many scientific studies. Recently he said he feels very comfortable recommending TM.

He added that a primary school in a high-stress region had reached a crisis point—with many teachers away from work due to stress-related illness, and a chaotic atmosphere arising from some students' behaviour.

On his advice, a TM will be introduced into the school immediately. He recommended TM to his counterpart for the Nationalist areas.

An entire office in the education department on the Nationalist side learned TM last year, and has also recommended two schools for the programme.

Two weeks later, the man returned, repaid the £5,000 and the interest, which came to £15.41. The loan officer said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled, why you would bother to borrow £5,000'. The man replied: 'Where else in the City can I park my car for two weeks for only £15.41 and expect it to be there when I return''

Two thirds the population of Ecuador voted in a referendum this autumn. They voted that Nature should have the same rights as humans. This said the lawyer who drafted the bill acknowledges that all life on earth is interconnected.

What is the difference between meditation & sitting there doing nothing? Not a lot until one gets into it. TM is very subtle; one may not notice much difference to begin with. But it is very powerful. The finer one goes, the more bliss is experienced and the more powerful it becomes. Like the atom, finer, more powerful. We don’t meditate for the sake of meditation; we meditate to be our best in all fields of life!

Is not meditating a selfish thing? Yes. When, with continued practice after some time, we have raised consciousness sufficiently, all that we do for ourselves, we find spontaneously we are also doing for others. So proper meditation, we can say, is altruistically selfish.

Beavers are being re-introduced into the wilds in the UK Broadleaf Autumn 08

Compressed algae produced oil can replace fossil oil. Algae lives on carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. Considered a viable option to fossil fuel it does not compete with food crops and land because it can be harvested in polluted water, salt water and sewage water. The USA’s oil needs would only require 0.2% of its land mass to provide it’s energy needs. Europe’s would be even less. Ref. +ve News Autumn 08.

“Greed destroys the Brain”, said the Chairman of an increasingly successful German cooperative bank recently. He was referring to the crisis with the major private banks. Radio 4, 25 October 08.

Two short on line videos to look at;

1) How TM improves the brain and is different to other techniques, see the video at www.mum.edu/videos/tc_and_the_brain.html.

2) A delightful one minute video showing dolphins playing with bubble rings at

www.snopes.com/photos/animals/dolphinrings.

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF EATING - Eat RIGHT.

Dr. Ben Balzer said in Positive living Issue 45. “There are races of people who are slimmer, stronger and faster than us. Arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and strokes, schizophrenia and cancer are absolute rarities for them. Those people are in the last 84 tribes of hunter- gatherers. They share a diet that has changed little since the first humans two million years ago and there predecessors up to seven million years ago. Theirs is the diet that humans evolved on, the one that is encoded in our genes and it has some major differences to the diet of our modern civilisation.”

A book that investigates the anthropology of blood and eating in some detail and makes eating recommendations to suit one ‘s blood type is ‘Eat Right 4 Your Type’.

Ed. Note: I found this book’s recommendations very similar to Maharishi Ayur Veda’s recommendations for my pulse diagnosis.

Some years ago, William Hague lost his job as leader of the opposition. This was not long after he announced he had stopped practicing TM. Shortly after, The Times newspaper said; “He would not have lost his job if he had continued to practice TM”.

The intellect does not always appreciate the benefits from practising TM. This can be for many reasons. 1) Benefits may come (and go if one stops) very slowly and subtly. 2) The intellect habitually credits benefits to events on the grosser level of life. 3) When not practicing TM the awareness is reduced. Research has clearly demonstrated the connection between the awareness and regular TM practice. Lack of awareness blinds one to the truth.

Sidney Weinstein, Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Neuroscience said;

“Over the past 10 years the editors and reviewers of the International Journal of Neuroscience have accepted several papers on TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION because they have met the rigorous standards of scientific publication.

IJN is honoured to have two Nobel laureates on its editorial board, and has a distinguished group of scientists from leading universities on every continent who judge the scientific value of the papers submitted for consideration.” Reference; ‘The Truth about TM’ truthabouttm.org/truth/Research/TMResearchPublications/ index.cfm August 2008.

Editor’s note; “You don’t get research published in journals like this unless it is top quality”

PIONEERING STUDY now measure ‘enlightenment’.

THE STRESS OF NOT SLEEPING

A MEDITATOR RECENTLY WROTE;

2008 - A YEAR OF TM IN SCHOOLS Reported by A. Calcraft. TM has been taken up in schools in the following countries.

SMART MONEY

snippets

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF EATING - Eat RIGHT.

THE MISTAKE OF THE INTELLECT?

the International Journal of Neuroscience. (IJN)