Who doesn’t want to sharpen their mind at any time in their lives, especially during the final phase stage? We now know that the brain can be enriched, made faster, fitter and sharper at any age by practicing, that is doing something over and over again. We also know a sharper mind is more resilient which improves when we go through challenging experiences. Each day counts.  Body and brain are deeply connected. What is good for the body is good for the brain. Here are eight practices brain needs. You may be already exercising some of these. So one by one try to add the ones you are not: 1. Sleep for seven to nine hours a night2. Eat three nutritious meals a day3. Walk/Exercise four to five times a week4.......

In 2002, the first Tibetan yogi tested in Dr. Richard Davidson’s lab was Mingyur Rinpoche. The number of his lifetime meditation practice hours were 62,000. His qualities of endless patience and gentle kindness truly impressed the researchers and were useful during the long and exhausting tests and the mappings of his mind.   Mingyur had to lay down in absolute stillness. EEG tracked his brain’s electrical activity and fMRI mapped the active regions in minute details.  It takes considerably longer than a few minutes to settle the mind. But for Mingyur as soon as he began the meditation, there was a sudden huge burst of electrical activity on the computer monitors displaying the signals from his brain. Everyone assumed he had moved. But he had not moved an iota. These were jaw-dropping......

Neuroplasticity is something our age group must celebrate. The fact that we can keep learning a new skill, experience new experiences and strengthen the neural pathways of our brain is a scientific discovery to rejoice. Resilient and sharp mind is not only for the younger people but also for people in their eighties and nineties.  Most of us in today’s world prefer our meditation practice easy and brief. Because of this we leave behind a lot from the world’s rich contemplative traditions. We morph the practice to user-friendly forms. To gain self-awareness, insights into the subtleties of consciousness and achieve lasting positive traits require dedication. In addition, ethical attitude and moral guidelines are crucial. What we abandon is ignored or forgotten. A strong motivation to practice for the benefit of......