Explores meditative practice, experience and research. The bloggers practise Acem Meditation, but represent their own views here.
“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.” Read more…
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. Read more…
By Erik Ekker Solberg, PhD, cardiologist, specialist in sports medicine
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. Read more…
“We discovered the default mode network accidentally, without any preconceived notion of it,” says the brain researcher Marcus Raichle. “Nobody had thought of anything like the default mode network in our brain. It is different from the brain’s visual and movement systems.” Read more…
On 25 February 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Acem and Centurion University in India. At the same time, 28 female engineering students at the university learned Acem Meditation.
Read more…
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.
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, recently ran the article: Der heilende Geist: Gesund durch Meditation und Entspannung (The healing spirit: Healthy through meditation and relaxation) on its front page.
By Øyvind Ellingsen
The brain’s natural resting state is not a void or an absence of thoughts, but a spontaneous wandering among thoughts, episodes, images and feelings (1). Usually only 50 % of us are aware of them, but if we ask people at random, we learn that we all have such activity 30-50 % of the time, also when we are preoccupied with other activities.
The spontaneous stream of thoughts is reduced during tasks that require concentration, and increases during routine activities and rest. During the practice of Acem Meditation, a free mental attitude often increases the spontaneous activity of the mind.
