Facing Freedom

A very emotional video of the moment in which laboratory chimpanzees see daylight for the very first time in 30 years, at an animal sanctuary outside Salzburg, is in risk of becoming viral on social networks and is already touching the hearts of those who see it!


Still with the fantastic movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in my mind, in which Rupert Wyatt brilliantly explore the apes feelings and thoughts and their relationship with humans, it´s impossible not to feel for these smart, beautiful and unfortunate creatures.


In this one of a kind video, you can see the chimps hugging each other by the door, smiling and staring in amazement the world they had never seen before! You can easily understand their feelings and emotions and can´t help yourself from shedding a tear or two for them.

Saving Valentina

Have you seen the movie "Free Willy", which tells the story of a whale and her friendship with a child that at the end helps her achieve her liberation? Well, it seems that, this time, fiction turned way into reality!


That´s right! On Valentine´s Day, right in the Sea of ​​Cortez, in the Pacific near Mexico, Michael Fishbach, one of the founders of the association "The Great Whale Conservancy (GWC)" dedicated to the preservation of the largest mammals on the planet, along with some family members and friends, were photographing whales when they found a young whale caught in a nylon netting abandoned by fishermen. The death would be her cruel fate but Michael and his friends fought for hours, armed with a simple knife, cutting the net and hoping that the whale could resist the forced immobility that she was in.


Fortunately, a few hours later, the whale, who was given the name of Valentina, was finally free and for the surprise of all, she thanked with gratitude everyone who helped save her life by an exciting real show with jumping and acrobatics.

Quite moving, really! See for yourself in the video...

Meditation is proven to promote good health

The Sydney Morning Herald  yesterday shared with the world  the news that a new study led by Dr. Ramesh Manocha, lead researcher of the study on work stress at Sydney University, has proved that meditation actually eases stress and promotes better health!

According to this study, the mental silence traditional approach used in Sahaja Yoga triggers a change in electrical activity of the brain, improving the mind and body in measurable ways.

The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Dr. Manocha saying that "Within the context of meditation and stress, it's the largest study in the world … and we've applied some rigorous conditions". "What authentic techniques should do is show you how to widen space between thoughts until the space is so large you have no thoughts whatsoever in that moment" .

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the clinical trial participants, 178 full-time workers, practised twice daily at home, for 10 to 20 minutes over eight weeks. The improvements for mood and depression were twice as high for those practicing ''mental silence'' compared to the ''relaxation'' and placebo groups.

''We've done other published studies where, when you teach people relaxation, they feel better, but there's no change in disease, but when you teach mental silence approach, they felt twice as better but also saw significant changes in indicators with disease" Dr Manocha is quoted saying.

However, this is not the only type of meditation proven to benefit your mind and body! Last year an international research team from China and the University of Oregon found that only 11 hours of a specific type of meditation, integrative body-mind training (IBMT), increases brain tracts connecting the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to other brain structures.

IBMT, developed by Dr. Yi-Yuan Tang of Dalian University in China, is a type of mind-body meditation based on traditional Chinese medicine. IBMT uses body relaxation, breathing, mental imagery, soothing music, and mindfulness. Contrary to other types of meditation, IBMT does not attempt to control thought, but instead focuses on achieving a state of restful alertness.

The ACC is part of the “emotional brain” that detects conflicting messages and then connects areas in the brain to suggest the next appropriate action. Increased connectivity of this problem-solving area to other brain regions helps regulate emotions and behavior. Growing more fibers is a good thing, because the more connections the ACC has, the more possible solutions and responses can be made. An inactive ACC with less connections has been associated with attention deficit disorder, tobacco addiction, depression, dementia, and other mental health disorders. For these reasons, increasing the activity and connectivity of the ACC may be a useful mental health treatment.

This research compared two groups of participants: those who practiced IBMT and those who used Relaxation Training (like progressive relaxation of muscles). Brain imaging showed that the IBMT group grew more fibers, strengthening connections of different brain regions to the ACC. This increased connectivity could mean a greater ability to have appropriate reactions when faced with conflicting situations.

Given these, it seems that meditation is no longer considered just an Hindu practice! In fact, every human being should seriously consider taking some minutes from his daily shores to just be with Itself...

Give love!

To inspire you for the weekend, listen to this great music video by MC Yogi, GIVE LOVE!

SAVE THE WORLD!

ZORBUDDHA.ORG

According to this website, ZorBuddha "is a project whose mission is to help people, organizations, and society at large to live happier and more balanced days. It provides sustained and scientifically credible tools, methods, and processes that help to develop integrated well-being."


In this link you will find a 90 days free programme that "brings together a set of teachings and techniques related to health, wellness, and happiness, from authors in fields such as positive psychology, integrative medicine, wellness coaching, mindfulness, and interpersonal neurobiology. The ZorBuddha tool, when used consistently will help to develop positivity, balance and focus."

PORTUGUÊS:

De acordo com o website, ZorBuddha "consiste num projecto cuja missão é ajudar pessoas, 
organizações e sociedade em geral a encontrarem um caminho mais feliz e equilibrado no seu dia-a-dia. Para isso disponibiliza ferramentas, métodos e processos credíveis e sustentados cientificamente que permitem o desenvolvimento de um bem-estar integral."


Neste link irá encontrar um programa de 90 dias gratuito que reúne "num mesmo local um conjunto de ensinamentos, técnicas e métodos directamente relacionados com a saúde, o bem-estar e a felicidade, provenientes de diferentes autores e áreas do saber (ex. psicologia positiva, medicina integrativa, wellness coaching, mindfulness, neurobiologia interpessoal, entre outras)." A ferramenta ZorBuddha, quando usada de forma consistente, irá permitir o desenvolvimento de uma atitude positiva, equilibrada e centrada.

Is reincarnation real?

Whatever are yours beliefs on this issues, you will be touched and amazed by this book called "Soul Surviver", about a special little boy who recalls all the details of his life as a World War II fighter pilot over 60 year ago!!

For more information, visit their website.

Save the Dolphins!!

About 23,000 dolphins, porpoises and other small whales are killed in Japan every year, making it the largest scale slaughter of cetaceans in the world. About 2,500 dolphins and other small whales are killed in the so-called dolphin drive hunt that takes place six months out of the year. The rest are killed with handheld harpoons out at sea. In the small fishing village of Taiji, Wakayama prefecture, the dolphin drive hunt is carried out by about 26 fishermen from September 1st though March.


Terrorizing the dolphins with underwater sound, the fishermen herd the dolphins into a secret killing cove close to Taiji Town. Often times, dolphins die during the chase that can last eight hours or more. The Taiji fishermen claim that dolphins eat too much fish and therefore must be exterminated. Operating with a permit from their government, the Taiji fishermen have referred to the dolphin hunt as "pest control."


The majority of people in Japan have no knowledge about the annual dolphin blood bath.


The fishermen kill the dolphins with spears, fishermen's hooks and knives. Trashing about in their own blood, the dolphins emit high-pitched screams during the massacre. The slaughtered dolphins are processed into meat and distributed to supermarkets throughout Japan for human consumption. Dolphin meat from drive hunts in Taiji proved to be highly contaminated with toxic chemicals such as mercury, methyl mercury and PCBs. Repeated chemical analyses have shown that the level of mercury in dolphin meat is much higher than the maximum allowable level set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Some of the dolphin meat is given to children as part of their school lunch program.


Some members of the international aquarium and zoo industry are strongly connected to the Japanese dolphin slaughter, in that they pay top dollar for dolphins deemed suitable for commercial exploitation in dolphin shows and captive dolphin swim programs.


The Japanese dolphin hunt will continue for as long as members of the international dolphinarium industry continue to reward the hunters for show quality dolphins, thereby making the hunt tremendously profitable.


Please help the dolphins! Gather more information on:

http://www.takepart.com/thecove

http://www.causes.com/causes/331088

Sponsor a Child

"More than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. These children and families are all too familiar with poverty. It has robbed them of hope and threatens to steal their future.


By helping a child living in such extreme poverty we can enable them to experience the fullness of life God offers. Join World Vision and sponsors all over the world as we seek to bring compassion and justice to the world's poorest people. Sponsor a child today."


For more information, please visit http://www.worldvision.org/.