Science 'films' HAPPINESS in brain

Better living through (natural) chemistry

There's a chemical in dark chocolate (real Theobroma cacao) related to happiness and good sensations. It's also present in mary-jah-wanna, which probably explains why consumers get so clingy and attached to using the herbal substance. This naturally occurring chemical is called anandamide. Ananda, of course, is the name of the Buddha's closest friend and monastic attendant (likely his son with Mriga from before the birth of Rahula with his wife Yasodhara (aka Bimba Devi, according to some Buddhist schools). In Sanskrit and Pali anand means "bliss, joy, rapture." The suffix amide is added: In the usual nomenclature, one adds the term "amide" to the stem of the parent acid's name. For instance, the amide derived from acetic acid is named acetamide (CH3CONH2).

• The Bliss Molecule: Why the Anandamine in Chocolate Makes Us Feel So Good

Now, one might be wondering, “What on earth is anandamide, and why should I care?” Well, pull up a chair and grab a square of dark chocolate, because we’re about to embark on a flavor-filled journey into the world of neuroscience and cocoa chemistry. Anandamide, derived from the Sanskrit word ananda, meaning “bliss or joy,” is a naturally occurring compound in our brains. It’s part of the endocannabinoid system, a complex network that helps regulate various bodily functions, including mood, appetite, and pain sensation. In essence, anandamide is the brain’s very own mood-enhancing, stress-busting superhero. But how does this marvelous molecule work its magic? When anandamide binds to specific receptors in our brains, it triggers a cascade of feel-good effects. More

Buddha's Brain: Neuroscience of Happiness

Happiness is literally an inside job, according to scientific materialism, which believes that we are nothing more than material constructs and that the miracle of consciousness is but an epiphenomenon following on the interaction of material objects like cells, chemicals, molecules, and ever smaller atom, electrons, and quarks.

Organized religion errs on the side of spiritualism, believing us to be a "soul," "spirit," or "magical subtlety." These three things are real, but they are not the self any more than consciousness is.

There is nama rupa, "name" (the instructions) and "form" (the carrying out of those instructions in the material sphere). But self (atta) is not that. How else could it be? If it not one, it has to be the other, unless it is both? It is both both and neither.

What we regard as "self" (soul, ego) is mind-and-body, but though mental and physical processes exist and are active, they do not amount to a concrete "self."

The "self" that exists is dependent, temporary, ephemeral subject to Three Characteristics of All Conditioned Things: they are impermanent, incapable of satiating/fulfilling, and are impersonal.

This last characteristic is the one that is impossible to believe, but it is the key to awakening/enlightenment in the Buddha's teaching.

We can see that all things are impermanent, in flux, constantly changing, undependable. We can see that we have never been fulfilled for long; we experience great pleasure but remain hungry, in many cases becoming more hungry for newer and better pleasures.

IF THERE IS NO SELF, WHAT IS THERE THEN? The Buddha answered this question in terms of Dependent Origination (paticca-samuppāda). And it is on account of not seeing this, not grasping, not penetrating this that we have wandered so long in this painful samsara.

Will we fall under the spell of scient-ism, run to religion for shelter, or begin to see what the Buddha was getting at when he encouraged us to strive for calm and liberating-insight?

"Science can prove what it says." Can it? It redefines "happiness" as an endorphin then shows a peptide "walking," and viola, nonmaterialistic Buddhism is wrong? That's how it might seem, but it is not the case. We must look more deeply. Science fails us. And coming and seeing and investigating what the Buddha taught liberates us. Try it.

Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

Preface by Jack Kornfield

(Paperback) Authors Dr. Rick Hanson Ph.D. and Dr. Richard Mendius, MD (with preface by Jack Kornfield and foreword by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, MD) have 4.7 out of 5 stars (with 2,019 reviews).

Change your brain, change your life with this essential classic from New York Times bestselling author Dr. Rick Hanson—now celebrating 15 years in print with more than 500,000 copies sold.

Great teachers like the historical Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, and Gandhi were all born with brains built essentially like everyone else’s—and then they changed their brains in ways that changed the world.

Neuroscience now reveals how the flow of thoughts actually sculpts the brain. More and more, we are learning that it’s possible to strengthen positive brain states.

By combining breakthroughs in science with insights from thousands of years of mindfulness practice, we too can shape our own “Buddha’s Brain” for greater happiness, love, and wisdom. 

Buddha’s Brain draws on evidence-based neuroscience to show readers how to stimulate their brains for

• more fulfilling relationships,
• a deeper spiritual life, and
• a greater sense of inner confidence and self-worth.

Using guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, learn how to activate the brain states of calm, joy, and compassion instead of worry, sorrow, and anger.

Most importantly, anyone who implements these practices will foster positive psychological growth that will literally change the way life is lived day-to-day.

This book provides an essential intersection of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice. It’s filled with practical tools and skills useful every day to tap into the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater well-being. More

Marijuana and Spirituality (video)

Teal Swan; Pat Macpherson, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Marijuana and Spirituality (Does cannabis enhance spirituality?)

Pot, or cannabis, is considered a spiritual plant medicine that has been used as such since 2000 BC. It is psychoactive; it can alter our state of consciousness. Altering consciousness helps us break free of illusion and the restrictions of limited perception.

 

The Number 1 benefit of cannabis is that it helps us release resistance. By affecting the brain as it does, it inhibits it from focusing on and translating the resistant, stressful thoughts that cause a negative emotional response within the body.

 

This is why it is so effective at reducing stress. This is also why it is so effective for use in pain management. After all, pain is a symptom of resistance. By causing a person to release resistance and "flow downstream with life" a person is free to be who s/he really is. More of our true essence is present in the absence of resistance. This is why people often undergo such intense spiritual experiences while under the influence of cannabis.

 

But this is also why it is used recreationally. If we try to escape our resistance by using a tool like cannabis, we have learned nothing other than to be dependent on the tool. We may have increased our awareness of what is beyond this dimension, but we hey have not learned anything about how to access states of consciousness beyond this 3D consciousness on our own, without the use of an external substance or tool.

 

In essence, we have become powerless and dependent. While these plant medicines are often life-changing -- because they can serve to crack through the illusion (maya) of the physical dimension allowing a person to peer beyond -- they all too often become a person's only way of transitioning consciousness into a "more spiritual" state.

 

They then become a crutch that disables a person and keeps one from reaching those states naturally. The feeling-state created by these plant medicines becomes an addiction. And the more subtle transition of increasing one's vibration and altering one's focus, so as to facilitate a natural shift in consciousness, no longer registers as a "special and noteworthy experience" when compared with the intensity of the radical break from reality caused by plant medicines.

 

Therefore, often the drug (entheogen) itself becomes the person's only access to spirituality. The drug itself becomes the religion. In this episode, Teal Swan explains the benefits and drawbacks to using pot in or as a spiritual practice.

• Kuan Yin's Mantra (c) 2002 Lisa Thiel, used by permission (sacreddream.com). Help caption and translate this video (amara.org/v/DgeR) ❤ Teal Swan's webpage: tealswan.com)

Micro-dosing LSD: Your boss will love it?

Josh Dean, Gentleman's Quarterly (GQ); Ananda M., Jen, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly

All we need is peace, love, understanding!

What started as a body-tinkering, mind-hacking, supplement-taking productivity craze in Silicon Valley is now spreading.

It is reaching more respectable workplaces, maybe even to your office, where the guy down the hall might already be popping a new breed of brain-boosting pills or micro-dosing LSD -- all in the name of self-improvement.

Can any of us afford not to keep up? Maybe the weirdest thing about dropping acid at work, as I did one day just after breakfast, is the faith required.

Dharma Meditation Initiative - MARC UCLA - Disclosure - Pasadena Dharma - Punx

.

Pack your desk and get the hell out.

The small brown vial came to me via a chain of custody that shall not be discussed and with the assurance that the clear liquid therein was, according to some guy who told the guy who gave it to me, a precise dilution of LSD. If the stories I'd heard were true, taking a tiny bit of it, a micro-dose, had the potential to make my workday more productive than ever.

At least that's the pitch as delivered from a growing horde now using acid to boost creativity and cognitive function. I squeezed the dropper gently, putting a clear drop into a mug of water on my desk, and drank it all in a single gulp. Then I began to worry that I was about to trip balls. More

A New Way to Happiness? (May 24th)

Ananda (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Ven. Aloka, Moriah, Wisdom Quarterly

What is "happiness"? Last week with the young American Buddhist nun Sayalay Aloka, we had a great time breaking it down.

There are those things that cost a lot of money, take a lot of effort, and produce only a little temporary alleviation from the daily humdrum. They disappoint. But they're all we've ever known to relieve unhappiness.

U know u want. I'm the carrot. You're the ass.

Is "ALL life suffering"? No. If it were, explained the Buddha, nobody would remain in samsara (the endless wandering on in search of sensual pleasures plagued by ignorance and ensnared by lust).

U know u want it. Make the payments, b*tch.

"All conditioned-existence is unsatisfactory," that's the way to accurately translate it. Things disappoint. So Buddhists say, "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way!" Be happy now. But how?

All conditioned things are incapable of fulfilling us, satisfying us, putting to rest our abysmal craving. So if we don't get off this carousel, it will just keep going forever in the three periods of time (past, present, future).
 

See how that works, Max? - No. - Go home, boy.

It is getting in touch with the Three Roots of Happiness (alobha, adosa, amoha).

We'll learn and PRACTICE presence (the power of now) by what the Buddha taught as "mindfulness" (sati), which differs from the way many are using the word nowadays. Why will we practice?

Because if greed, hatred, and delusion are the sources of misery, perhaps

1. letting go
2. deeply opening the heart, and
3. being mindful in this present moment

is a whole new way of approaching happiness, bliss, and ecstasy here right now. And these teachings of the Buddha can be practiced all the way to enlightenment.

• Dharma Meditation Initiative: "A New Way to Happiness" 
• FREE, Thursday, May 24, 2018 6:30-8:0 PM
• The Sequoyah School @ Neighborhood UU Church
• 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. Room #23, Pasadena, CA

"Cannabis: A Lost History" (video)

Chris Rice (2018 documentary); Ananda M., Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

All images sole property of their respective owners, used here only for educational purposes.

 

This documentary explores the longstanding relationship of human beings and Cannabis sativa, from its use in ancient Asia to its ban in 20th century America.

Written, narrated, and directed by Chris Rice (patreon.com/chrisricema), the director of "DMT: A Lost History." Music by Chris Rice except "Grandma's Grapes" by Green Warp.

For more information on the sacramental history of cannabis, check out the works of Chris Bennet (cannabisculture.com). For more on the ancient use of cannabis in general, check out Marijuana, the First Twelve Thousand Years and Antique Cannabis Book.

How to meditate when you can't "meditate" (2)

Dhr. Seven, Ananda M., Jen B. (Meditation Initiative); Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

 
1. Breathe

Let the breath help. Breathwork (pranayama, "breath control") is a great preliminary or preparatory practice.

"Doing" is not meditation, but it can indirectly bring about meditation. It can clear the mind, cause bliss, awaken the pineal gland/third eye to produce DMT and/or endorphins. HOW?

• Inhale long and hold the breath. The mind suddenly stops. Exhale. Do it again. Hold it longer. While holding, there is no thinking. It is like applying the brakes on the Monkey Mind. Do three times, which gives a respite, then resume attention to normal breathing (anapanasati).
• Breathe in to the count of 4, breathe out to the count of 6. Breathe in to the count of 5, breathe out to the count of 8. (Whatever the count, keep the approximate ratio between inhalations and exhalations). Do this pattern for a few minutes until calm overcomes you. (When excited we unconsciously hyperventilate shallow breaths and stay stressed out. This techniques calms the body, which in turn calms the mind).
• If nothing is working, let's get heavy duty: bellow-breathing. Breathe in through the nose in a huff (with a sniffing nose), exhale through the mouth in a huff (with a ha noise). One-second in, immediately followed by one-second out (whole cycle takes two seconds). Use the belly like a bellows. Go faster. Keep this up until the endorphins flow or exhaustion sets in.
• An excess of nervous energy can be worked off with yoga postures or soothing mindfulness of walking.

(Don't overdo it). We're just making an effort to calm body-and-mind. After one to three minutes, take a long, deep inhalation and completely let go. Bellow-breathing is like a fiery cleanse, expelling old stale air, flooding the body with rejuvenating oxygen and prana. Now relax. Bring full attention back to the nostril area as the body resumes natural breathing.
 

If worse comes to worse, pick up this popular book and read instead. How To Meditate...

 
2. Soothe the mind

If directly working with the mind is more appealing than working directly with the body, here's something to DO. Utilize a mantra ("thought instrument").

• Group meditation is where we learn what to try.
• Chant. Utter an extended "ohm" (om, aum) on each exhalation. Let each utterance grow longer. Repeat until the mind is calm.
• Breathe in "bu," breathe out "dho." Repeat budho in sync with the natural breath until the mind is calm.
• Turn the mantra "Om mani padme hum" into a japa (the repetition of a sacred sound). Repeat until the mind is calm.

Here's a BONUS from the Monroe Institute: a guided visualization to induce meditation

  
3. Binaural Beats

If doing is to much to do (taking too much effort), do this to yourself. Put on some headphones, and just listen.

Utilize binaural beats (acoustic phenomenon). When two different tones -- one in each ear -- are played, they combine in the brain to create an acoustic beat. It is not heard by the ears but by the brain making sense of the two frequencies.

Frequencies are measured in hertz (Hz). They combine to produce an otherwise inaudible but perceptible thing. The sound does the work to bring the mind into a coherent state, which is calm, concentration, and samadhi. We recommend binaural products by the Monroe Institute. There are many free neural oscillations on YouTube of varying quality that may induce calm and clarity:

• Theta wave
• Delta wave
• Alpha wave
• Gamma wave

4. Preparatory Practices

There are preliminary and preparatory practices that come down to us from the time of the Buddha and the first enlightened disciples (monastic "elders," theras and theris) to get one set for meditation to sprout and blossom into its fullness.

• Find peace and quiet (withdrawal into temporary solitude).
• Noise is the enemy of undistracted-attention (unflappable concentration), so if solitude is impossible, at least find silence. Put in some earplugs. Resort to the closet. Rest in the bathroom with a warm tub in the dark or by unscented candle.
• Cultivate boundless loving-kindness (metta), which breaks down the barriers to meditation.
• Recollection of the Buddha's qualities
• Choose one of those qualities, such as arahan, and repeatedly recite or reflect on it.
• Consult an expert teacher to learn the practical way of doing these things that in print remain theoretical.
• The Dharma Meditation Initiative has two new handbooks being read on Thursday nights in Los Angeles. Come practice. It's free.

Dharma Meditation Initiative/MARC.ucla.edu

These things help meditation happen when just sitting (dzogchen) there isn't cutting it. It is like making the soil ready for cultivation (in the kammaṭṭhāna or "field of work") by adding amendments.

Make sure virtue (sila), which is the basis of everything else in Buddhism, is in place because this is the foundation of coherence, calm, collectedness, concentration (samadhi) of mind's power to "meditate."

After absorption ("meditation"), emerge, and take up insight-meditation practices to realize enlightenment in this very life.

Meet the "Third Eye" Pineal Gland (video)

Dhmr. Seven and Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly; video by Truthzonetvcom, Akyastv
 Minute 8:15 mentions a Buddhist connection seen by Dr. Rick Straussman, MD.

The connection is actually to the pre-Buddhist Bön religion overlaid by Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet, which practices Lamaism, Tantra, and the Diamond Way. Mystics, first Bön shamans and later ecstatic meditators, elaborated a postmortem map to escape rebirth.

The Bardol Thodol or "Tibetan Book of the Dead" was meant to be read to the dying to guide them through the initial stages of a brief intermediary period before another afterlife. The individual, not a "soul," is cycling through samsara, the Wheel of Life and Death. Part of this cycle is happening right now, on this plane, in the human world.

Edgar Cayce (David Wilcock) explains the agni chakra or "mark of the beast."

When one passes away from here, the Tibetans envisioned an elaborate route or passageways onto the next life. (Various cultures have seen it according to what they know on Earth, so while the details change, the themes are the same, suggesting an objective experience).

The goal was to avoid rebirth or at least rebirth on lower planes of existence. But the things to be done to avoid that are meant to be done in the human world during this life, not some last minute maneuver outwitting Yama, the King of the Dead.

What should be done if one wishes for freedom is to develop this wisdom -- suffering and the end of suffering, dukkha (disappointment) and nirvana, a kind of bliss unutterable. The way to do that is to cultivate virtue (compassion for all), serenity (absorbed concentration), and liberating-wisdom (insight, superknowledge, nyana).

The way to that is to contemplate (ponder) and meditate (sit still without thinking) on the Four Noble Truths. All of this is summed up in the general and very detailed Noble Eightfold Path. When one has died again, when one goes on the next world to experience the joys and consequences of past actions (karma), it is no time to then try to sit and still the heart/mind.

One has karma as one's inheritance, as one's companion, as one's associate. That karma is always adjustable. Whatever we have done, we can do better right now. We can cultivate more skill, more profit, more comfort. It will always come in handy. Through confidence (verifiable "faith") in the good we are able to step forward toward the good. What is the good?

• IMAGES: All-Seeing Eyes of Buddha stupa, Nepal (Gebenn/flickr.com); allseeingeye2 (acreativeuniverse.com); eye by Phoddastica; eye as greenish mirror of consciousness seen in meditation (dhammawheel.com); Tibet landscape at the "rooftop of the world" (dipity.com).

Giving (dana, alobha) is good. Developing the Five Precepts is good. Applying the Dharma we have learned. Sharing the good we do with others by inviting them to join in. Restraining ourselves from the harmful impulses we experience. Daily reflections on the qualities of the Buddha, the liberating Dharma, the liberated or "noble" Sangha are good and easy exercises to set the heart in a useful direction.

There is an eye that sees. But it is the heart that knows. That "third eye" (in Buddhist terms, the dibba cakkhu) would seem to physically correspond to the pine-shaped pineal gland, an inner eye replete with rods and cones.
  
"DMT: The Spirit Molecule" (thespiritmolecule.com)

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Buddhist nuns of Cambodia (Nick Marghe)

Science: Laughter Really is Good Medicine

(SkypeLaughterChain.com) A contagious language we all understand that brings us closer.

Scientists Hint at Why Laughter Feels So Good
Text by James Gorman (New York Times, Sept. 13, 2011)

Laughter is regularly promoted as a source of health and well being, but it has been hard to pin down exactly why laughing until it hurts feels so good. The answer, reports Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford, is not the intellectual pleasure of cerebral humor, but the physical act of laughing.... ha, ha, ha... endorphins... “Laughter is very weird stuff, actually”... laughter contributes to group bonding and may have been important in the evolution of highly social humans. Social laughter, Dr. Dunbar suggests, relaxed and contagious, is “grooming at a distance,” an activity that fosters closeness in a group the way one-on-one grooming, patting and delousing promote and maintain bonds between individual primates of all sorts. More

3-Minute Meditation Technique

Watch 3 Minute Meditation in Faith & Spirituality  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Stress? Frenzy? Dr. Judith Orloff suggests this simple "meditation." Stop. Take a deep breath (pulling in prana). Place your hand over your heart (activating heart chakra).

This is energy medicine, transforming emotion by this simple technique. The mind goes to a peaceful place as we stand right where we are. In a sense, the technique pulls the calm and levelheadedness we experience when we're calm into the moment when we are not.

It's as simple as that. The reptilian brain (fear, worry, anxiety that thrusts us into a thoughtless, protective, survival-mentality in desperate mode), the linear mind, and our habits have a "normal" way of doing things. They have brought us to stress, worry, and even a frenzy.

The heart, on the other hand, stretches, is flexible, and sees things in new ways. It is like the shaman figure in "The Fall" versus the linear thinkers that lead us to the edge of ruin.

Orloff claims that Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Nobel Peace Prize laureate and its democratically-elected but deposed leader, wrote her recently stating that she was reading Emotional Freedom using Kindle (eBook reader). Even peace leaders need comfort, Orloff claims. (Hear her interview on The Aware Show).

NEWSFLASH: Our emotional energy literally and measurably affects everything around us, particularly our electronic devices and gadgets (computers, cell phones, iThangs) and energy vampires. Frenzy will lead to frustration with our technology, and it's no coincidence. Patience is transformative and a spiritual practice in itself. We can intuitively know when the time is right.

Meditation too hard? Try Parkour! (video)

P. Macpherson and C.C. Liu (Wisdom Quarterly)
(LINK) UrbanFreeflow.com's 100% amazing Parkour jumps, a compilation video

If anyone else finds meditation too hard, raise your hand. It's "boring," some say. It's supposed to be, others foolishly add.

Yoga is great preparation for sitting. It was created by ancient India seers who wanted to be able to sit long enough to enter dhyana (absorption), levels of concentration they generally called samadhi.*

But yoga itself is not moving meditation. It could be if the mind were withdrawn from sense stimuli and could stay on the subtle breath (or meditation object). Tai Chi comes closer to doing that. Yogis and martial artists become perfectly still when touching bliss. But long before full lotus, they do special exercises.

• VIDEO: How to do Parkour

Parkour is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.

Samadhi was considered enlightenment and liberation (moksha) from the suffering of continued rebirth, which was nirvana to them. The Buddha clarified Vedic misinterpretations. He explained meditation (for serenity, mindfulness, liberating insight, or the development of powers and abilities) as consisting of many kinds of exercises.

Meditation is the easiest thing in the world and, paradoxically, the hardest. People often delude themselves, fantasizing that they are meditating successfully. It's so simple: Be present and accepting of whatever is, just for this moment, without discursive thinking, analyzing, or holding expectations.

"Be here now" became the American mantra for how to be "Zen" (the Japanese word for dhyana) in the 1960's. When Zen is so easy that it's too hard, the reason someone would take up Parkour (PK) or Tantra (sacred sex) or even entheogens (DMT) will make sense.

• VIDEO: When PK defies physics and reality

*Samādhi is the unification of an appeased (serene) mind; right-concentration is defined by the Buddha as the first four jhanas. Yogi Baba Hari Dass breaks it down: sam (together) + ā (completely) + dhā (to hold) = "to hold [the mind] together completely" or full absorption in one object.

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  Dr. Michio Kaku answers reader questions about physics and futuristic science at Big Think. Post questions in the comments section at: Dr. Kaku’s Universe and check back Wednesdays. Q: Are supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies involved in galactic formation?

7 Pointers to Lift a Bad Mood

Q: What can I do about mood swings to in general be happier?

A: No one can live a long and healthy life without the will to go on; sometimes mood swings can make us feel that life is too much for us.

A bad mood not only gives you a gloomy outlook, it also lowers your immune function, leading the way to illness. Here are some suggestions to lift your mood, spirit, and health.

1. A Laughing Matter
"Laugh Therapy," pioneered by Norman Cousins, has turned out to have real substance. Research has discovered that laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of the natural killer cells that help defend the body from illness and cancer.

Laughter also increases the release of endorphins -- compounds that give you a sense of well-being -- in your brain. Without a doubt, joyful people liver longer and healthier lives. So read your favorite comics, watch your favorite comedies, and laugh it up!

2. Amino Acid for Restored Mindset
When an imbalance or deficiency is creating a bad mood, the Europeans use supplements of a natural compound found in human cells to regulate mood and restore a healthy mindset. SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) is produced from methionine, an amino acid that plays a role in the production of uplifting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

One study indicated that SAMe worked on patients who had unsuccessful results with conventional antidepressants. To get a boost from SAMe, take a supplement combining it with vitamins B6 and B12.

3. Hands-On Healing
Human touch increases the production of endorphins, growth hormone, and DHEA, all of which lengthen your life span and lower the negative impact of stress. Studies have found that patients who are regularly touched recover faster than those who are not touched. So give someone a hug and feel both of your moods improve.

4. Boost Your "Youth Hormones"
You don't need pills to flood your body with a rejuvenating flood of growth hormones. Research has found that doing squats and leg presses will greatly increase your natural production of the "youth hormone". Increased growth hormone translates to an elevated mood, among other physical benefits. Keep it up with weight training, knee bends, push-ups, and rowing.

5. Take a Bracing Breath
Breathing correctly is important for dispelling the toxins and wastes from your body; in fact, it is estimated that we expel only about 30 percent of toxins in our bodies through the bowels and bladder-the rest is all respiratory. Breathing is also a great way to clear your mind, boost your energy, and improve your mood. Practice deep, slow, rhythmic, breathing daily with mind-body disciplines such as tai chi, yoga, qigong, and meditation.

6. Smell the Joy
Research has shown that smell has a definite impact on our bodies and minds. When you stimulate the olfactory nerves inside your nose, you activate the limbic system of your brain, which is associated with moods and memory. This concept is instrumental to aromatherapy, a natural health tradition that makes use of the healing powers of plants with strong scents.

Aromatherapy recommends treating depression with jasmine, eucalyptus for exhilaration, and grapefruit to increase alertness and joy. Just put a dab of the essential oils from these plants on your temples, back of your neck, or acupressure points. Another option? Boil the herb in water and inhale the steam through your nose.

7. Feel Fine with Flowers
There is a reason that flowers are the traditional get-well gesture. Colorful flowers have a powerful influence on moods; they can uplift a patient's mood and even combat stress. One study found that during a five-minute typing assignment, people sitting next to a flowering bouquet were more relaxed than those who sat near foliage-only plants.

These tips will help the good feelings flow! Visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me. Live long, live strong, and live happy! - Dr. Maoshing Ni

5 Keys to Happiness

Greg Soltis (LiveScience.com)

If you're not happy and you know it, read along.

You've watched "Seinfeld" re-runs, splurged on yourself, and downed pints of Ben and Jerry's. Nothing's helping. Maybe you're one of the 20 million Americans diagnosed with depression, you're bottoming out, or you just want something to improve your day. Here are five ways — some admittedly challenging — to help you get that much-needed mood boost:

1. Pick good parents
In Happy Land, genes trump environmental factors, according to the experts. And a study in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science scores another point for the gene team: Differences in DNA that could explain why some people tend to have an extra bounce in their step might also underlie the tendency to be more emotionally stable and socially and physically active.

• Spirituality and Religion Make Young Americans Happy
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Genes do not provide free passes from the doldrums, and other external factors will still try to mow you down. But, heredity could provide some people with a horde of happiness that they can draw from when the good times aren’t rolling.

And Canadian researchers' ability to genetically stifle depression in mice in 2006 indicates that human happiness could one day be improved by manipulating genes. This was the first time science throttled the throes of any organism. Mice bred to be void of the gene, called TREK-1, acted as if they had been downing anti-depressants for at least three weeks.

2. Give it away
It only takes $5 spent on others to make you happier on a given day, according to a 2008 study. And selfless acts can also help your marriage become a more enjoyable experience for you and your spouse. After performing good deeds, people are happier and feel their life has more purpose. But is the act selfless if you expect something in return? Maybe it just depends on how you look at it.

3. Ponder this
Think of a happy place. And you, too, like Happy Gilmore, might sink that putt and earn back your grandmother's house — or overcome your own hurdle.

Humans are more resilient than we think and can endure trying times, as demonstrated in a 2005 study that tracked mood changes in dialysis patients. They were in a good mood most of the time despite having their blood cleaned three times a week for at least three months. But healthy patients envisioned a miserable life when asked to imagine adhering to this demanding schedule.

As Winston Churchill said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

4. Work out
Consistently breaking a sweat, along with medication and counseling can help people battling depression by sapping lonely and vulnerable feelings.

Exercise improves one's state of mind in part by affecting the body's levels of two chemicals, cortisol and endorphins. The adrenal glands of angry or scared people produce cortisol. This increases blood pressure and blood sugar, weakens the immune response and can lead to organ inflammation and damage. But working out burns cortisol, restoring the body's normal levels.

Running, biking or using an aerobic exercise machine also causes the brain to release endorphins — the body's natural pain relievers — into the bloodstream. The body forgoes the negative side effects of drugs while still experiencing a natural high. To gain the most from your workout, make sure its intensity reflects your stress level. And challenge your body to continually adapt by varying the exercise’s length and intensity.

5. Live long
If you have the right genes and are selfless, optimistic and active but still find yourself down in the dumps, just give it some time.

A study of 2 million people from 80 nations released in January found that depression is most common among adults in their mid-40s. Among Americans, the worst of times hit women around age 40 and men about age 50.

But with age humans are more inclined to filter out the negatives while focusing on what they enjoy.

Americans in their golden years tend to see the glass as half full, despite their increased doctor visits and chemo treatments. After battling cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other health-related obstacles, 500 independent Americans from age 60 to 98 rated their own degree of successful aging as 8.4 on average, with 10 being the highest in a 2005 study.
Happiness, it seems, takes time. Source

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