Boston Meditates Kicks Off with Meditation Seminar August 3

Online, July 25, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Initiated by Boston-based young professionals and students from MIT and Harvard, Boston Meditates is a new movement to spread awareness about the benefits of meditation.

Boston Meditates kicks off at 7 p.m. on August 3 at the First Parish Church in Harvard Square with a two-hour interactive session on the "Secrets of Meditation" led by Rajshree Patel, senior faculty for the Art of Living Foundation and internationally renowned meditation and self development expert.

"We believe in the power of meditation to change lives," says Jacqueline Berglass, a medical researcher, yoga teacher and Boston Meditates volunteer.

"I have observed a misconception that, to meditate one must embody qualities of a monk or a yogi doing a headstand," Berglass said. "We want to debunk this myth and provide Bostonians with an understanding that meditation provides the tools thrive in this fast-paced city through cultivating greater clarity and dynamism."

A former attorney, Rajshree Patel has taught meditation workshops to more than 25,000 people in 35 countries. She has led workshops for esteemed institutions such as The World Bank, The United Nations, The Pentagon and Morgan Stanley, as well as in prisons, at schools with at-risk populations and on college campuses.

"Bostonians are known to lead hectic professional and personal lives. The busier one is, the more one has to meditate," Patel said. "Meditation helps one dive inward to the source of joy, energy and creativity, and come out into activity with that stillness. It is a daily practice to center oneself and allows one to stay in the game at their best."

Increasingly, corporations and other institutions are offering mediation workshops. CEOs and executives at top companies, including Google, Salesforce and Tupperware, state in recent magazine articles that meditation restores balance in their lives, improves sleep and provides them with a competitive edge.

Studies have shown meditation can lower levels of cortisol, the "stress" hormone, in people, even those brand new to meditation. People who meditate report they are not only happier, but also more productive and healthier - no surprise given that stress is linked to 80 percent of disease.

"I have been meditating for about two years and noticed a significant improvement in my productivity in the lab," says Allison Takemura, graduate student at MIT. "I find that I'm a lot calmer and less reactive to events that would have bothered me before. And I'm more creative."

Following the interactive session Aug. 3, participants will have the option to sign up for a weekend Art of Meditation workshop (August 4-6) with Rajshree Patel, and learn a 20-minute daily meditation practice.