“The root of suffering is attachment”- Buddha

Attachments come in many forms; so much so that there are probably hundreds of attachments you are holding on to right now that you had no idea even existed. They come in the form of anything from beliefs (about ourselves and others), expectations of how situations should go or ways people should behave, to more obvious things like relationships & material possessions.

Anytime we are dead set on something happening, or are holding on to an idea, belief or plan, or object so tightly that we are unable to entertain any other points of view or options of outcomes, this is an indication that we have formed an attachment.

What we may not realize, however, is that in doing so we are also setting ourselves up to experience some level of suffering...

We have known that cognitive bias (where we live, if we are a man or woman, our cultural and religious leanings etc.) colors how we interact with the world since Plato, but scientists are now continuously finding that emotions may have more to do with our physical health than anything else.

HOW THOUGHTS, EMOTIONAL HEALTH AFFECTS PHYSICAL HEALTH

Did you know, for example, that the heart speeds up without any physical activity when we are stressed out? This can lead to heart attack and a higher overall resting heart rate, which could lead to earlier death.

Furthermore, it isn’t just the foods you eat that can lead to elevated levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol. If you have a positive, upbeat outlook, you will more than likely experience lowered cholesterol levels and better heart health.

Past-life recognition in children is being studied extensively by various scientists and psychiatrists around the world to prove the survival of consciousness beyond the physical realm.

Reincarnation research was advanced by Dr. Ian Stevenson in the 1960’s, who interviewed thousands of people who had recollections of past lives. Dr. Stevenson discovered that recollection of past lives by children was much more common than many expected and he developed categories to help screen for cases worthy of further study. Dr. Jim B. Tucker, colleague of the late Dr. Stevenson and an associate psychiatry professor at the University of Virgina Medical Center’s Division of Perceptual Studies, has compiled over 2500 case studies of reincarnation, which document young children recollecting their previous lives.

Source: www.themindunleashed.org | Original Post Date: September 25, 2014 –

While scientists, psychologists and health care professionals have long known about the connection between exercise and well-being, a new study published in the September 25th edition of Cell has uncovered the mechanisms that may underlie this link. This study showed that having strong, toned muscles can make people more resistant to stress and help filter a depression-causing toxin away from the brain.

When we exercise hard, our muscles produce a compound known as PGC-1α1, which is known to have positive effects on the body, such as stimulating the production of blood vessels. In this study, researchers genetically altered the amount PGC-1α1 in the skeletal systems of lab mice...