"Which is better for your body: meditation or exercise?" asks The Telegraph journalist Jonathan Wells on 23 March 2016. "On the surface, it seems like an obvious decision - physical exercise can strengthen our muscles, bones and heart, and has been proven to promote the production of oxytonin and other 'feel-good' chemicals. Whilst meditation is, well, a fad. Right? Wrong. Or, at least, possibly wrong."
Under the title “Modern Meditation - A practice without the complexities of traditional systems”, the Malaysian newspaper The Sun has recently published an interview with Acem’s founder Dr. Are Holen. Acem Meditation, starting in Norway in 1966, is described as a “no-fuss” approach to meditation - a non-religious technique that is unlike traditional meditation - one sits comfortably and gently repeats a simple sound in the mind.
According to recent studies, yoga and meditation practices may help us to lose weight, reduce our blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and slow down our pulse. Both psychological and physical quality of life seems to improve.
Raichle’s discovery of the default mode network may have important implications. On the one hand, it may help us find ways of dealing with medical problems, such as depression, schizophrenia, and dementia. On the other hand, new knowledge about the default mode network and the self-reflecting thoughts that it stimulates may facilitate our understanding of how we function in our daily lives. We are more than intellect or the motor control of arms and legs, which is often the focus of brain researchers. Perhaps it may at times be good to know that our brain actually gives us room for our spontaneous thoughts and the associations and emotions that may at first seem a bit weird.
On 25 February 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Acem and Centurion University in India. At the same time, 25 female engineering students at the university learned Acem Meditation.
The brain shows more signs of relaxation during meditation than during ordinary rest. Nondirective meditation has a greater impact than does concentrative meditation, especially in parts of the cortex associated with the processing of stress, emotions, and memories.
Some types of meditation, in particular the nondirective type such as Acem Meditation, activates brain areas that facilitate mind-wandering and processing of self-related thoughts and emotions, more so than during simple resting.
Svend Davanger, MD, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oslo
Meditation Instructor in Acem
An increasing body of medical evidence confirms that meditation has a wide range of positive effects for the practitioner. The probably most influential and respected print media in Germany, der Spiegel, […]
Half of the time, our mind wanders between thoughts, episodes, images and feelings. In Acem Meditation, the free mental attitude often increases the spontaneous activity of the mind. The brain uses available capacity to work through residue from past events, "read" other people, find creative solutions and prepare for the future.
