#every time i try and do a challenge in october or s/t the world hits me in the face. mayhaps im cursed

[wri0thesley]

✨ 🧚 WIP FAIRY VISIT! ✨ 🧚 Share a line from one of your WIPs, and then pass the message on to other writers! Looking forward to seeing what you're working on! ❤️❤️❤️

;w; hello anon!! i always feel too nervous to share these with other ppl but i appreciate you coming to me anyway!!! im working on the kinktober morax virgin sacrifice fic. im supposed to post it today but with everything in october Happening who knows what will go on, but here is an excerpt anyway!

“Perhaps not in the way you are expecting me to,” he says, and there is a finality to it as if what you have said has made him come to some kind of decision. Clawed hands gently cup your waist - sharpness slicing through the silk as if it is a knife through clouds, and suddenly you are bare before him on the altar. “Oh. How precious a thing you are.” 

[thestarkerisobvious]

Samhain

amazing art, and concept, by the incredible @mrstarksbaby​

WARNING - OUR FIRST NC-17 OFFERING IN THIS SERIES

Enjoy

Samhain

Tony knew there would be trouble when they had returned from Mabon and, within half an hour of entering the penthouse, he had caught Peter sobbing over his phone.  His to-do list for the next Monday had grown exponentially and the boy was blaming himself.   “Why was I so naive to think they would ever give me a chance to catch up?  Why did I ever think a 3-day weekend wouldn’t just get me further behind?  Why was I so stupid?”  It was a familiar line of reasoning ever since Peter has started

 graduate school, and it left Tony perplexed and baffled. 

Perplexed, baffled, and helpless.

His entire life, Tony Stark had been surrounded by men whose anger exploded outward, who blamed others.  He didn’t know there was any other way to be angry.  But Peter was different.  Peter exploded inward, blaming himself.  And Tony was helpless to do anything about it.

And, really, what else could Tony do?  He could provide laundry and meal service, could make sure Peter always had a ride to and from wherever he needed to go.  But that wasn’t much help - those were things Tony was providing anyway, had been providing since he had finally convinced his lover to move in together.  He couldn’t do anything else but watch.  

Watch, and try very hard not to advise.  Peter didn’t like it when Tony advised.  

But really, what advice could Tony even give?  That was the trouble with their May-December romance (although Tony insisted it was a May-October romance, he wasn’t that old.)  They had both faced their 20’s on two different planets.  When Tony was Peter’s age he coped with drugs and alcohol, just like the rest of his peers and everyone on TV.  Drugs, alcohol and anonymous sex.  Two of which Peter would never touch and the third - well that just gave Tony nightmares…

(But that was the real problem, wasn’t it?  In Peter’s new world, a world of new challenges, new names and new faces and new time-demands left Tony in the dark, sometimes in the cold.)

The days after Mabon became a steady challenge, leaving Tony feeling less useful than ever before.  There simply wasn’t enough sex to comfort his boyfriend now, to erase the doubts that were blossoming in the mind of the young genius who had never doubted himself before.  But those were the milestones that every 20-something kid had to face and, in the end, Tony was no help at all.  

But Samhain Was Here and no matter how busy the schedule, his witch couldn’t miss a High Holy Day.  So here they were on their way out of town.  Driving in silence since that last blow up  (another tense argument.  Over nothing, as always.)  Now Peter was giving him the cold shoulder.  There was nothing Tony could do but drive.  

When they arrived at the cabin it was already drizzling.  Tony asked, as cautiously as possible, if Peter had any High Holy plans.

“Maybe just light some intention candles,” he mumbled, reaching for his bag.  Which meant Tony wasn’t even carrying his bag in. 

Just one more way that Peter didn’t need him.  

Just like that graduate degree that Peter was paying for himself (“It’s what Uncle Ben wanted, it was what the money was for, he wanted it that way!”) Add that to the list of One More Thing Peter Could Do For Himself.

To add insult to injury, Peter didn’t even have a special recipe for Tony to prepare for dinner.  That, somehow, stung the most.  More than once Tony offered to wing it - after reading Cunningham’s Book of Magical Herbs from cover to cover he had bought every spice and herb listed in the book so he was ready for all occasions.  Their battered copy of Cunningham’s Book sat right there in the pantry for convenience. Tony could whip up a pasta or rice dish for any occasion and a corresponding omelet for breakfast to boot.

But Peter had grabbed some microwave meals at the last convenience store they hit before heading to the cabin.  Peter didn’t need him to cook.

Which meant Tony would be pretty much useless for the rest of the weekend.

The sun was setting when they arrived, but the cloud cover meant there was no sunset to view.  Cloud cover meant there was no moon or constellations to view either, which would just put Peter in a darker mood.  But then his witch said something offhand that made Tony’s ears perk up.

 “Just a few intention candles, and I’ll put some rocks out on the porch facing west.  Then the 5-fold kiss and I’m going straight to bed.”

Tony smiled ruefully.  At least he would be good for something tonight.

 His witch couldn’t exactly kiss himself.

                                                 * * *

They somehow even managed to get into an argument about whether they were doing this in front of the fireplace or in the bed, and how that argument even started Tony couldn’t hardly fathom.  He had been so careful not to say anything, not to make any definitive statements or make any suggestions.  He was very careful to only ask questions (and that only when necessary.)  And yet here they were yelling “Fine!” “Fine!” at each other and stomping off to various parts of the cabin to get what they needed for the most intimate ritual of the evening.

Tony found himself storming off to the bedroom with a clenched jaw.  But that was better.  Keeping his mouth shut meant that he wasn’t talking.  Talking always seemed to get him into trouble.

He returned to the fireplace room with the sheet he found his witch already laying down on the scratchy rug, his tense, angry body covered in the gentle silky wine-colored negligee that Tony had been the present from Mabon.  Tony was glad to see his witch wearing it, even if his heart sank to see his lover lying down instead of standing up.

The last time they had been at the cabin, Peter had finished his rituals full of vim and vigor, which had led to an amazing night in front of the fireplace.  When it came time for the five-fold kiss, he had stayed on his feet.  Stayed on his feet, ordering Tony to his knees to supply the first two kisses. 

Tony had gone gladly.  Gladly bowed his head to kiss and caress Peter’s feet, then his knees, as his grinning witch murmured the ritual words.  

Words that dried up in Peter’s smiling mouth when Tony pressed the kiss softly onto Peter’s silk-covered cock.  Even the smile disappeared, Tony remembered, when Tony, using only his mouth, had teased Peter rock-hard through the tiny slip of silk panties.  

Tony hoped that this was a sign of more good things to come.  Since they had started dating Peter had become, naturally, more confident in bed.  More willing to give up the romantic for the more adventurous (ie the more kinky.  More of the things that Tony had asked for.)  

Things like ordering Tony to his knees, things like standing up when the oral sex began.  Things like allowing Tony to fully define the term “Cock Worship.”

But that had just been a moment in time, it would seem. From now on the five-fold kiss would involve Peter lying down, just as it always had.  That last ritual, that had just been a special occasion.  The very first time that Tony’s younger, shyer lover had allowed Tony to engage in this particular sex-act.  Tony’s favorite sex-act (ie, oral sex that was less tender and more agressive, with Tony on his knees and Peter’s hands tangled in his hair.  There was a crude word for that, but Peter didn’t like to hear those words in bed.)

And, it would seem, the last.

That had been a special night, a night when his young witch, filled with confidence after his midnight ritual, had discovered that he could do all the things that Tony had been suggesting, had been hinting at (had sometimes begged for.)  Could take Tony’s head by the hair and move him into position, could use his mouth… and use it vigorously… until he came…

It had only been a moment in time. There would not be a repeat of that night again.  It was obvious when Tony walked into the room and found Peter lying on the floor, in his usual position.

Tony tried not to be disappointed.

At least Peter was here at all.

                             * * *

He said nothing.  Silently he tossed the wine sheet aside by the door.  He took his place at Peter’s feet and knelt.  

He wanted to apologize before he began, but there was no real way to do that.  Words just got him into trouble, so he didn’t try.  But before he placed the kiss on the two bare feet he began to knead them, massaging them instead of apologizing.  He tried to let his hands do the talking, saying what he couldn’t really say.

And so, silently, he apologized.  Apologized for being so old, for being so needy.  As he caressed and kneaded, digging his fingers gently but firmly he knew he had much more to apologize for.  For being him.  Unuseful.  Uneeded.  For the part where he hadn’t warned Peter.  Hadn't warned him that this was inevitable.  That Peter would go on to do new things, face new challenges, become a new person, and more importantly MEET NEW PEOPLE and realize that it was time to move on – peter as moving forward, which he was supposed to do at his age – and Tony is standing still – which he is supposed to do at his age, and this May-October romance may be coming to its logical conclusion.

It’s foreordained conclusion.

It hurt, but the truth hurt sometimes.

Tony lifted Peter’s foot and pressed it to his mouth, kissing the instep.

Peter’s breath caught.

Tony looked up, blinking.  He hadn’t even thought about it - had just kissed instinctually. Kissed the boy that he was hurting… kissed the boy that hurt.  And now that same boy was lying in front of him, eyes closed, mouth hanging open…

Tony leaned down and kissed the instep again.

                                                            * * *

What happened next happened very naturally.  Although it had been years, decades really since Tony had enjoyed a lover who let him play with his feet… well… enjoying it again was a rare treat.

His hands continuously working, Tony kissed and nuzzled and teased with his tongue, his teeth.  Peter enjoyed the treatment with his eyes closed, moaning softly, right up until his big toe went entirely into Tony’s mouth.  He jerked a little, but Tony only smiled.  Gently he put that foot down and picked up the second, and started the treatment again.  There were words Peter was supposed to say at this point, but the room was silent.  There was no noise except the crackling fire.  The fire, and Peter’s tiny whimpers.

Tony slipped his tongue between each toe, holding Peter’s foot steady as he shivered, teasing the tip of each toe with his teeth.  A plan was forming in his mind… a plan that involved doing the same thing to Peter’s knees… first the massage, then the tongue and teeth…

… but that wasn’t going to happen.  Tony sighed in disappointment as Peter pulled his foot, gently, away.

“No… I didn’t say stop…” Peter whispered, pushing his foot back into Tony’s hand.

Tony looked down at him in confusion.

“Do it again,” Peter said in a tiny voice. 

Confused, Tony began massaging again.  It was only when he leaned down to kiss Peter’s big toe that Tony understood. 

Keeping his mouth close to Peter’s foot, he followed as the boy pulled him closer. 

His acrobat spent no effort at all, bringing his foot until it was hovering right above his cock, visibly straining under two layers of fabric.  Then the foot went away and Tony lowered his head with a moan to place kisses on what he found there.

Breathing in deeply, anchored in Peter’s scent, Tony relaxed completely, his worries melting away.  He moaned in appreciation as Peter lifted up the skirt of the negligee.  Beneath it, Peter’s erection poked out from the silk and lace.  Tony teased the tip with a wicked tongue…

…then reminded himself to be a good boy, and kissed his way back down to the base.  The 3rd ritual kiss of the night (apparently they had skipped the knee-kisses but who was Tony to complain??  Peter was in charge here) was not supposed to turn into a different type of sex-act.  Peter was adamant.  Oral sex could happen after.  That was the rule.  

Not that they always followed that rule.

And apparently they weren’t following that rule tonight.

It was particularly apparent when Tony found himself, with no idea how he got there, with Peter’s legs wrapped around his shoulder and not ONE but TWO of Peter’s insistent hands tangled in his hair.  And then… ah gods and then…

…from the very beginning of their relationship, Tony had begged for this.  Begged for Peter to use his mouth this way, to be more, well, enthusiastic during this particular sex-act.  To be more demanding.  It was something his young, gentle lover had always blanched at, up until now.  Until tonight.  Tonight, Tony was getting everything he had suggested, had hinted at, had provided a few video clips as descriptors (that was what his gentle lover had blanched at.)  Tonight, Tony was getting his wish.

It was a truly holy night after all.

He was hoping that Peter would come in his mouth, of course.  But he couldn’t exactly argue when Peter pulled away and flipped him onto his back (after all, his lover was quite a bit stronger than he was.)  He tried to argue a bit when Peter straddled him, but before he could even catch his breath to speak he found his lover already prepped himself during their short time apart.  He opened his mouth to comment, only to fall silent when Peter began riding him with a will. 

“Our first angry-sex,” Tony’s belegured brain informed him, and it was true (certainly this wasn’t makeup sex.)  Peter had thigh muscles that just wouldn’t quit, and seemed, once again, to prove it.  Tony himself wasn’t a young man - but tonight he had a few things to prove as well.  He’d been sore in the morning, but right now?  He was prepared to give as good as he got. 

                                                   * * *

They held each other in the afterglow, talking quietly.  Trading ‘I love you’s.’  Trading apologies.  Holding each other close.

Then, when Peter had turned around and snuggled against Tony’s chest, they watched the fire together.

And Tony spoke.

He spoke about young men who needed to spread their wings and fly out on their own, and about the older men who just needed to be needed.  And he spoke of the specific type of brains that never stopped moving who found every puzzle presented in highschool to be simple to the point of boring.  He spoke about the panic the first time that brain faced a puzzle that it had solved wrong.  He spoke of impossible expectations that might come from demanding parental figures, or might just come from the demanding voice inside a head.  Both were voices that could never be pleased.  Both were voices that could never be satisfied.

They spoke long into the night.  There were tears and whispered confessions and repeated assurances and more declarations of solidarity.  

Finally, as the fire died down, there were actual plans made.  Plans that involved more realistic goals.  Plans that involved longer timelines, and less ambitious courseloads.  It was only in the wee hours of the morning that Peter fell silent, turning around and snuggling in to sleep.  

But Tony lay awake for a long time afterward.  Holding his boy close, harboring a little hope for the future.  

Believing, a little, in magic.

[austennerdita2533]

I'm so happy that you love Folklore too! It's not just my favorite Taylor Swift album, but easily one of by favorite albums, full stop :) Here's a fun challenge: which Folklore songs remind you of a certain ship? So is there a Folklore song that makes you think of literati? Another one that makes you think of a Grey's ship? A third that makes you think of Elizabeth/Darcy? A fourth that reminds you of Klaroline and - I'll shut up, you get the idea :) Pick any Folklore songs/ships you want!

Taylor Swift’s latest album is a masterclass of musical poetry and storytelling. Rarely do I download every song a musician puts out on a new album (I tend to pick and choose), but I can genuinely say I never hit DOWNLOAD so fast in my life before than I did with Folklore! I love all sixteen tracks! I’ve been listening to them on a loop for two days straight and I imagine that’s likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Also, YASSS! That is a fun challenge! It’s also one I can manage because I’ve been thinking about how certain songs/lyrics apply to many of my ships since I first started listening anyway. Prepare yourself. This is gonna be long. 😁

Okay SO, for Literati... 

If I’m angling to lean into s3-s6 angst that was Rory and Jess at that point in the OG series, then I’d say the 1 is a good fit. That song has the same energy as someone who’s writing a goodbye letter to a loved one that will never be sent. It’s cleansing. Cathartic. An exorcism of feeling. It absolutely reeks of regret and longing with just a touch of look-back-over-your-shoulder-and-wish, just wish, that things could have been different:

“But we were something, don't you think so?”

“And if my wishes came true It would've been you“

“But it would've been fun If you would've been the one”

However, if I’m in more of a They’ll Come Back to Each Other mood with Literati then I think this is me trying screams Rory and Jess. That song emanates nostalgia! It’s haunting in tone (with the echoes, with some slight vibrato). The lyrics bleed with feeling, with emotion that should have rusted long ago but hasn’t. Love is still as red as it was at the beginning of everything only now...only now there’s realization and an attempt at atonement for past mistakes...

“I didn't know if you'd care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that Pulled the car off the road to the lookout Could've followed my fears all the way down And maybe I don't quite know what to say But I'm here in your doorway“

It's hard to be anywhere these days When all I want is you You're a flashback in a film reel On the one screen in my town (the town, of course, made me think of Stars Hollow)

I just wanted you to know That this is me trying At least I'm trying

For Darcy and Elizabeth, I think seven works well for them in spots. If you listen to the song, there’s a little bit of an echoey timber to the way Taylor sings it and that gave me the sense of how classic love stories/literature kind of ripple across time, you know? How the pages may crinkle or yellow over the years, but they still leave their mark. Plus, there’s also the piano in the background. Almost feather light. It mixes with what sounds like violins in places. Idk, it has a slight P&P 2005 vibe about it to me:

“Please picture me in the weeds Before I learned civility” >> (Because did Darcy learn civility before or after Lizzie eviscerated him mid-proposal at Rosings? Did Lizzie learn to temper her prejudice before or after Lydia ran away with Wickham?)

“Passed down like folk songs Our love lasts so long“ >> (Elizabeth says herself she’s going to be happier than Jane because “[she] laughs; [her sister] only smiles.”)

I have a couple for Klaroline, too. hoax jumped out at me for them first because it’s layered with darkness and angst. The imagery pops. It’s all smoking guns and eclipsed suns and screaming on cliffsides; which, for a pair of supernaturals, and for an Original who has a history of leaving blood in his wake, I think some visuals of misery and violence are a fitting thing. I’m also obsessed with the piano in this. The way she strokes her fingers over the keys - quick tap, tap, taps then a slow one or two in places - gives you a sense of running. It’s a great parallel to her lyric about “sleepless nights.” Here are some other Klaroline-heavy lyrics in this song:

“You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart But what you did was just as dark Darling, this was just as hard As when they pulled me apart” >> (This whole section just booms with “I’ve shown kindness. Forgiveness. Pity. For you, Caroline It was all for you” energy.)

“Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in Don't want no other shade of blue But you No other sadness in the world would do“

peace is the other song that had me crying in Klaroline. I like the softness of it, the vulnerability. I imagine it more from Klaus’s perspective, though, because it strikes me as more confessional in nature. Like it’s a revelation that’s being dragged across his teeth and he wants to scream. Almost as if these aren’t necessarily feelings he wants to share, or wants known, but there’s just no holding them back now. He’s thrown off the lid. Caroline needs to be able to walk toward him with her eyes wide open, so he only speaks truth, he only speaks honesty now. Similar to hoax, this song has darker imagery as well. There’s fire and fences and trenches and all that jazz:

“Your integrity makes me seem small You paint dreamscapes on the wall“ >> (Same energy as “you’re strong, beautiful, full of light.”)

“And you know that I'd Swing with you for the fences Sit with you in the trenches” >> (basically a promise that he’d fight FOR her and WITH her)

“But I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm If your cascade ocean wave blues come All these people think love's for show But I would die for you in secret“ >> (THIS IS THE PART THAT HITS ME THE MOST BC so much of Klaus’s love is shown not spoken, so yeah, he dies for her in secret all. the. time. already. There are 5 other ways I could interpret that as well. But I will spare you haha)

“The devil's in the details

“Would it be enough If I could never give you peace?” >>With supernatural enemies everywhere, there won’t be much peace, will there?

I get walloped with Braime/Jaime and Brienne feels every time I listen to epiphany. Like, it’s actually rude how much this song makes me think of them. I can close my eyes and hear their swords clanging, taste the blood of their injuries on my tongue; feel the ash claw their throats, sting their eyes. Just--ah! The two of them serving, fighting back-to-back, two knights with an unspoken oath to protect a love they haven’t even voiced out loud yet...*cries*

“Only twenty minutes to sleep But you dream of some epiphany Just one single glimpse of relief To make some sense of what you've seen

“With you, I serve With you, I fall down Down Watch you breathin' Watch you breathin' out Out“

invisible strings makes me think of Shirbert/Anne and Gilbert. I love the pluck of guitar strings and how it has this air of innocence and sunshine and green grasses about it even though it’s being told/sung from a hilltop of experience. There’s so much imagery in this song, so much color and figurative language, that I can’t help but think it’s perfect for our imaginative dreamy-eyed girl and the boy who’s adored her since he first tugged her pigtails and called her Carrots in that schoolroom:

“Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park >> (Can’t you just picture Anne lying in the grass, a book in her hand, flowers in her hair?) I used to think I would meet somebody there Teal was the color of your shirt When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop“

“Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?“

“Wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold Tied me to you“ >> (Love the warmth and vibrancy of this. The wool makes me think of Avonlea blanketed in snow; the gold has me drinking sunshine, smelling goldenrod in October)

“Time, wondrous time Gave me the blues and then purple-pink skies“

“And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?“ (Love the idea of the string representing their friendship, how it never snipped. How it only braided together, growing tauter, closer, all the time.)

august hits me with a waterfall of Darvey/Donna and Harvey feels. There’s a wistfulness about this song that settles in my gut, twisting it with longing, with musings of all those Almosts in relationships that were so close to coming to fruition then never did. It’s so incredibly reminiscent of how Donna and Harvey toe the lie between friends and almost lovers who-are-nearly-there-but-not-quite for 12 years. IT HURTS SO GOOD.

“Back when we were still changin' for the better >> (THIS IS SO EMOTIONALLY RESONANT IT HURTS) Wanting was enough For me, it was enough To live for the hope of it all Canceled plans just in case you'd call”

But I can see us lost in the memory August slipped away into a moment in time 'Cause it was never mine And I can see us twisted in bedsheets August sipped away like a bottle of wine 'Cause you were never mine >> (Obviously I’m swimming in the angst of this until my fingers get all pruny.) 

Finally there’s mirrorball which is Jisbon/Jane and Lisbon all the way! It’s funny because when I first listened to Folkore I thought that’d be one of the last songs I’d pair with a ship?? YET HERE I AM. Jane was in the carnival circuit growing up and I cannot, for the life of me, stop attaching him to all the descriptions of the circus/revelry. So much of his schtick throughout the show comes down to trickery and observation, which he uses to size people up, and sarcasm, which he often employs as a defense mechanism to keep people at an emotional distance. I like the theme of this song for him and Lisbon. As the mirrorball, he’s shining his true self only for her. She’s the only person who sees his “shattered edges”; she’s not distracted by all his “glistening.” Here are my favorite lyrics that are applicable to them:

“I'm a mirrorball I'll show you every version of yourself tonight

“I can change everything about me to fit in You are not like the regulars The masquerade revelers Drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten” >> (Okay, so this makes me think Jane’s on camera confession to Erica Flynn: “I’m looking for someone who…uh, someone I can trust. Someone strong. Someone at peace with themselves. Someone better than me. Someone who knows the…worst side of me and still loves me.")

“And they called off the circus, burned the disco down When they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns I'm still on that tightrope I'm still trying everything to get you laughing at me”

“I'm still on that trapeze I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me“

I will stop there because otherwise I could sit here analyzing songs and ships for the rest of my life, boring you to tears haha. Thanks for this, lovely! (And obviously I’d love to hear some of your song/ship matchups as well!) xx

[insanityclause]

Zawe Ashton is sorry that she is tired. In her dressing room at Manhattan's Jacobs Theatre, at what would be the end of a working day for many, she still has to go over last night’s notes with her director Jamie Lloyd, and get into hair and make-up. Within hours, she will hit the stage for another sold-out night of her Broadway run in Betrayal, the Harold Pinter revival, which will make her a New Yorker until the end of the year.

“I feel like I'm going mad, but I think I'm really into New York. [When I speak], I can already hear my American upward inflections!” she giggles. The play, which also stars Charlie Cox and Tom Hiddleston, has come to New York after a sold-out turn in London in a year that has cemented 35-year-old Ashton's transition from emerging ingenue to bonafide leading lady. In person, she's warm, wickedly funny, and whip-smart — a combination that goes some way to explaining how she's built a career not just in front of the camera, but as a writer, director, playwright, too. Just don't call her an overnight success — it's been nearly 30 years in the making.

Ashton was born and raised in Hackney, a culturally diverse part of East London at the forefront of the city's gentrification. "Cut me open, and I do bleed Hackney," Ashton says. “I remember when cab drivers wouldn’t even go there but for me, there was just local people establishing community and establishing identity. It was multiculturalism, it was biracial, it was anarchy.”

She grew up the eldest child of an Ugandan mother and English father. She describes her younger self as a hyper child. “I just wanted constant stimulation.” Her mother, busy with three kids, enrolled Ashton in the Anna Scher Theatre, an affordable drama class, whose notable alumni ranges from Hollywood crossovers Daniel Kaluuya and Kathy Burke, to Eastenders favourites Sid Owen, Patsy Palmer, and Natalie Cassidy.

“I went in, and there were like three or four baskets on a tiny little stage. One said wigs, one said hats, one said costumes, and I thought to myself, 'I’m going to love this.'" Ashton went on to spend 14 years with the company. "Every Friday night and every Saturday afternoon for 14 years! I think back now, what a disciplined young person that I was. I think I’ve always needed something like that to keep me anchored.”

Small roles in Game On and The Demon Headmaster followed, along with appearances in British staples like The Bill, Casualty, and Holby City, but her success led to bullying at her north London school. “I was different from others at a time when you're supposed to just be blending into that wall,” she says. If there's one thing that's clear, it's that Ashton doesn't do blending in. "I never understood this thing of finding yourself or finding the truth — I couldn’t give a sh*t about the truth," she says.

Earlier this year, she released Character Breakdown, a book about her experiences as actor and the challenge of darting between make-believe and everyday life. "I've never bought into the idea that there is this one self," she says. "I started acting as a 6-year-old child, when my brain was still extremely fragile. I didn’t have hope in hell if I didn’t want to have fractured selves — that moment was over by the time I’d finished my first day on a film set."

Ashton's breakout role didn't come until years after that first day. In 2011, when she was 27, she debuted her role as the hilarious and sensational Vod in Channel 4's now cult classic, Fresh Meat. “When I got it, I had just done an independent movie called Dreams Of A Life,” she recalls. “That was a one-two punch. I had my independent film world covered and I suddenly had this cult TV world covered, and that was it. My head was above the parapet, and things have just been on the up since then."

Like many actors of her generation, she's only down with the "up" when it's about the work. "I’ve never been bothered about fame," she says. "Even when I was at Anna Scher Theatre, you were never allowed to use the words 'star' or 'fame,' they were like swear words. I want to be a successful actor, never a famous star. Because one is an organic meal that will sustain you, and the other is toxic.”

That does complicate things, because whether she's conscious of it or not, Ashton is a star. Her most recent work has seen her share the screen with Toni Collette in the BBC drama Wanderlust, about a therapist trying to save her fraught relationship with her husband,  played by Steven Mackintosh. She also had a lead role in Netflix’s Velvet Buzzsaw, a quirky thriller set in the contemporary art world where she plays Josephina, the object of affection, alongside an idiosyncratic art critic called Morf, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Her wattage is rising, and unsurprisingly, the designers have come calling. Erdem, Mulberry, Regina Pyo, and Roksanda Illincic all want to dress her, but as Ashton discloses, the style part doesn't always come naturally.

“People talk about ‘effortless style’ but effortless is so far away from any of my experiences of that sort of thing." She now works with stylist, art director, and brand consultant Steph Wilson for her big appearances. "She's not a celebrity stylist, which seems to be a very different breed of person," Ashton explains, "but my stylist is a big reason I am able to cope with events." Their first collaboration — a voluminous, tiered Stella McCartney gown that Ashton wore on the 2016 Olivier's Red Carpet — set the tone in their relationship. "We affectionately called [it] the lampshade dress," Ashton recalls. "It was a complete risk, and a risk that I'd been told again and again and again not to take. 'Don’t go there, you're not well known, you're not famous, unless you’re famous you shouldn’t wear things like this.' I just said, 'I want to dress like the artist I feel,' and that was that."

Ashton might sound assertive, but she swears she is only now coming into her own. “How long have we got to talk about women of colour and imposter syndrome,” Ashton asks, now in her hair and make-up prep. “It’s a real thing, and many people have it. It’s, I think, a particular characteristic of the overachiever. Because you're bottomless, you never think what you’ve achieved is enough. There are lots of little dots, as I approach my 30th year as an actor, that I'm sort of really looking to connect so I can move on to the next stage of my life.”

Part of that next stage is taking up more space. "When you work in film sets, when you’re working on projects that are male dominated, you are always treated as the last priority," she says carefully. "There have been times when, like in sex scenes or whatever, I’ve just been expected to get on with it. No conversation, no time wasting, you're just supposed to minimise your space, and let the money-making industry crack on because time is money." Not any more. "I'm going to call abuse when it’s abuse, and I'm going to call micro-aggression when it’s micro-aggression," she says of on-set behaviour she once might have let slide.

In October, in both Hackney and New York, she will stage For All The Women Who Thought They Were Mad, a play she wrote some 10 years ago when she part of the Royal Court Young Writers group. The play uses statistics to platform the cultural biases at work in medical institutions in Britain that are specifically stacked against women from the African diaspora. “Women being over medicated, unnecessarily being sectioned into their families, losing their jobs. It’s all really shocking, so I wanted to write something for all the women I’ve known [who] thought they were alone. It’s taken so long to get off the ground because it was considered an exposé by every theatrical institution in London, and [I'm] so glad we are doing it," she adds. "A lot of women for a long time have been told to find their voices, but I don’t agree. We have voices. We just need a platform. And we need the words."

One word Ashton is thinking about a lot these days is "motherhood." “I would like to have a baby,” she says slowly. "I’ve never said that before, but women never say it." Despite various rumours about her love life, she emphasises that the baby is a goal, not a current reality. "It's not in the works, and it's not being planned," she says. "There's absolutely not one single detail that I can mention, but the next thing on my agenda is building towards that stage, and I feel very proud of that."

Ashton is aware that the path in that direction will be unreasonably complicated. "The widespread shame of motherhood is criminal, and it needs to stop," she says. "The world can never improve if you disrespect the people that bring life." Still, Ashton is rolling up her sleeves. "I feel like this career has so many connections to my childhood desires, and now I want to figure out what my adult ones are.”

[moonanagames]

Good and bad news, CHECK THIS OUT PLZ

(are... are you ready)

Haro my fellow earthlings and interplanetarian folks!

Today I bring good and bad news altogether, so please bear with me for a bit! Firstly, I wanted to talk about how development has been going since the very beginning, so let us go to our nice time capsule :D

This is a timeline of the development up until now, I tried to be the most accurate as I could, but it can be a bit difficult when I don’t remember many things anymore lol

The game is in development since January 2017. The timeline goes like this:

2017

From January to May, 20, I developed on my own my first public demo of Virgo Vs The Zodiac. It took longer as I was all by myself.

Then my Grandma said she wouldn’t be able to support me anymore if I was going to quit college to develop games. From May to August, I prepared the Crowdfunding Campaign to help me fund the project and my EXISTENCE. The Campaign was launched in September 2017, I think.

After the campaign ended, I could finally get Anglerman onboard! Ay! He does animations for enemies and some party members animations too and is also the greatest deity of our lives. A legend. He helped me a lot with the Game Design Document I was working on because new people would join and I needed to make the things in my head to be a bit more concrete.

From the end of the Campaign until October we were working with a another programmer, but that didn’t work too well since they had another big project they were working on at the time. We had to change the programmer. It was when I found Ben here on Tumblr, current lead programmer. Our lord and savior.

After that I was browsing tumblr randomly and I found Veyerals among asks sent to this tumblr and thought his work with menus was pretty cool (and I liked his game as well, played a lot of that back then). Veyerals joined the project too as the UI programmer and would also be working with the SHMUP mini games, which he had experience with. Bless the UI G.O.D.

From that point on we had to basically rebuild the game from scratch from the moment we got the new programmers. Not only develop the game from scratch, but doing everything RPG Maker already had built in for us into the new engine because that was the only thing I knew in terms of “programming”. That and adding everything new I thought for the project. It was a huge amount of work, and we only had a battle system working fine in December, where we started developing a new build.

(concept art of lady nurse)

2018

In this year things got a bit complicated!

At first, when the battle system was mainly “complete”, as we thought back then, we delivered a 15 mins build for ID@XBOX to be shown at the Game Developers Conference, on January 2018.

We had billions of problems from january to august with the development and also unrelated to the development, like dealing with US taxes. A lot of things weren't working as we wanted them to be, this time was mostly spent on making the timed hits to feel nice, rebuilding the base systems and trying to make the game to have the same feeling as the RPG Maker build had of it being challenging. Also, overall asset production. That was demanding as heck. In RPG Maker the enemies didn't move, while in Game Maker they were animated. I had never worked with Game Maker before, so me and Anglerman (the animator and fellow game designer) had to learn the engine from scratch while developing the game, that resulted in a lot of set backs, but lead us to where we are now. We're confident with the overall game's scaling, difficulty, battles and systems. In Game Maker the maps are also bigger and have way more polishing, so that took a lot of time to get used to on the new engine.

(a really weird, but solved, bug)

From that point on we built Capricorn, and started working on Taurus and other realms at the same time. After some time we determined that doing several realms at the same time, even though we knew which level the player would be wouldn't work well, and we decided to finish the realms before heading to other realm.

Billion lines of code later, in october we started development of the first 2 hours and a half of Taurus. All of it took one month and a half. It was a significant improvement from the previous 5 months to develop the same amount of gameplay! We determined that we can finish the game on the first half on 2019 upon seeing the progress of the development in Taurus. Now we have a stable work flow, as our lead programmer only has to work on random tiny things, for example, "I would like for Virgo to throw Alpacas for an event, can you add that?". Those are small details that Ben can do easily. Everything that was promised on the campaign, like SHMUP minigames and the crafting system is also all working nicely and well.

That brings us to the bad news: The release will be delayed, for all the reasons exposed before. At first we thought of keeping with the date announced in the Crowdfunding Campaign of December 4th and release the game in Early Access. However it all seemed unfair to the Beta Backers who donated first to get access to early builds of the game. Other than that, a save system of something like a RPG such as Virgo Vs The Zodiac wouldn’t work well with the early access system of Steam. Just imagine your save messing up every time the game is updated. That would be just bad. xD Unfortunately I didn’t know that back then when I announced the date, and I didn’t know the amount of hassle I would go through to learn the engine while developing the game. I can only blame my naiveness, honestly. Other than that, December isn’t a good time to release games because of the Steam Sale that makes it harder for new games to be noticed with so many games on sale.

With that being clarified, I can say now that the game would most likely be released in the first half of 2019, around Q2. I apologize deeply and am extremely sad, I was even avoiding saying this here and avoiding social medias in general due to anxiety attacks <_< I’m sorry for that as well! For anyone who said their birthday was in the same day as the game’s release, I apologize immensely, and please send me a message and I’ll send you a card of Sagittarius wishing you a happy birthday. It’s the only thing I can do now, to be honest. S O R R Y =(

O U T R A G E O U S

New possible release date: Q2 2019.

As for the good news now:

Taurus Realm Build For Backers

The Taurus build I was talking about will be sent to backers this week! :D You can expect a bossfight with a Zodiac, millions of new characters, around 1800 new lines of dialogues, new equipment to check, new fellows to beat or spare, quests and the SHMUP minigame, now implemented on the game! Also, as seen on the trailer, you can throw enemies off screen now :3

Kinda Funny Games Showcase

We’ll also be participating on Kinda Funny’s Games Showcase that’ll be happening in December 8th! You’ll be able to see a new trailer of Virgo Vs The Zodiac on the stream that’ll be happening on Kinda Funny’s Twitch. That’s a really cool opportunity for us, so eternal thanks to Greg Miller for chosing VvtZ. That got me by surprise! xD

Date: Saturday, December 8th

Time: 10am PT

I think that’s it! Basically we had a lot of setbacks, but we’re in the right path again now and I can say doing anything is faster as is! The game’s quality improved and the development became more demanding of our skills, but it’s also a nice challenge for everyone. I’m glad to have started this project, my life was pretty dull back then, I had lost many important things before and VvtZ brought sparkle back to my life. That’s important, as even in the most difficult times I can remember I’m creating something I have so much fun with. I’m blessed to have all the people who support me on Virgo Vs The Zodiac discord, who supported me in the campaign and everyone around social medias. It’s what makes my days happier, tbh.

Ever since I began development I lost contact with many of my friends from the other city I lived in, but I also made many other precious friends who helped me along the way! All the good and bad memories on my life shaped this place I created for myself in the world. I like this place, it’s comfy :3 Again, I’m sorry for ruining your expectations to have the game up on Steam this year, it’s a first delaying the development like this. As a Taurus I can say it pains the most to not have things done when I need them to be despite the hard work going behind this game. Damned Bugs. I want the bugs to die. Gotta work even harder from now on to extinguish bugs the maximum we can!

[ontarioyoga]

Is Sleep Meditation Real Meditation

New Post has been published on https://www.ontarioyoga.net/is-sleep-meditation-real-meditation/

Is Sleep Meditation Real Meditation

Studies Say Meditation Can Help Prepare Us For A Great Nights Sleep But Put Into Practice In The Real World Alongside Stressful Days In The Office And A Never

It’s predicted that between 60% and 90% of people with insomnia also suffer with depression. Mental health and sleep go together like bed and breakfasts, so how do we ensure we’re getting the best quality sleep possible?

Studies show that the answer could be as simple as regular meditation before bed. Meditation has been proven to help people fall asleep twice as quickly, enhance rapid eye movement sleep states, and preserve deep sleep. In fact, it apparently works so well that by the end of one insomnia and meditation trial, 60% of participants no longer qualified as insomniacs.

So, the science has spoken. But what happens when we trial out these findings in the real world? And, given meditation is about being present in the moment, would having an expectation stop us from truly experiencing the positive effects?

asked two volunteers to meditate before bed each night for a week to see if introducing some calm into their nightly routine could help them get a good night’s rest. Here’s how they got on:

Listen To This Free Guided Sleep Meditation It Will Help You To Enjoy Relaxed Natural Sleep

Play this audio when you want to go to sleep. It’s a 34 minute long free guided meditation for deep sleep that will allow you to drift off and enjoy your rest. It is peaceful and soft, so if you go to sleep quickly, the guided meditation will not wake you back up.

There are no bells at the end, so you will not be jarred back awake. Instead, it will allow you go even deeper into restful, regenerative sleep. For many people, this meditation is so effective that they use it every night to relax into dreamland.

It also is effective for people who have no trouble initially falling asleep, but who wake up later in the middle of the night. Simply listen to it then , and it will guide you gently back into sleep.

For some people, it may help to use the sleep timer on your device to turn off the meditation even sooner

Still having trouble? Try this meditation for completely letting go.

More resources to help you get the rest you need –

Heres A Sample Of The Sleep Meditation Compassion For Friend Guided Meditation Script:

Welcome back to another guided sleep meditation.In today’s practice we’ll be focused on the cultivation of compassion.Sending care for those who are suffering or experiencing difficulty in their life.So, taking some time to get settled.Finding a comfortable position, perhaps on your back or on your side however feels most comfortable for you.Finding a place you can be relatively still.Softening the belly.And perhaps taking a few deep breaths just at your own pace.And allowing your breath return to its natural rhythm.Letting the body breathe itself.And for this practice of compassion today, starting with bringing to mind someone from your life who you care about and you know that they’re experiencing some difficulty.So, this might be a good friend or a relative or a teacher or a mentor.But you know that they’re experiencing some pain or difficulty, some emotional distress.

Here’s What Happened After A Month Of Listening To Soothing Bedtime Stories For Adults October 28, 2019

Meditation is nonnegotiable when it comes to my everyday routine. Most of the time, it means dragging my meditation cushion out from under my living room couch and onto the tiny bit of floor space I have in my New York City apartment. From there, I pull out my smartphone, launch the , and listen to the Daily Calm—a 10-minute guided meditation that changes every day.

I’ve been using this app for more than a year and have found that holding myself accountable for meditating 10 minutes a day is what’s realistic, and it has had a noticeable impact on my life. I can always count on learning something new and finding my center in 10 minutes flat. I feel more grounded, and I’m less likely to react to annoyances such as a pushy New Yorker or a late subway train.

 A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

My energy level was a different story. I don’t often struggle to fall asleep, but even after a restful seven to eight hours of shuteye, fatigue would creep up on me throughout the day. I’d find myself fighting the urge to curl up for a 20-minute nap. Sometimes I’d go for a quick hit of energy—pounding a pint of water or dancing around my living room—after a long day of work and before teaching an evening yoga class. I started to wonder: Was my quality of slumber lacking? And could guided sleep meditation help?

Description Of Sleep Meditation For Calm Sleep By Wysa Software Latest Version

As mentioned above, devices cannot download Sleep Meditation for Calm sleep by Wysa 0.6.1 from the Google Play Store due to incompatibility or national restrictions. Therefore, loading a Sleep Meditation for Calm sleep by Wysa MOD APK file from a trusted source like sleep.app.relax.calm is considered the best option for you.

Before you get instructions on how to download it, clear the word “APK MOD”. By default, the Sleep Meditation for Calm sleep by Wysa MOD APK is a Sleep Meditation for Calm sleep by Wysa application package kit used on Android operating systems. The custom KST APK file is specially designed for Android users who cannot download this application from .

Week 2 Of Sleep Meditation: Building Intention And Awareness Around Sleep

After the first week, incorporating sleep meditation into my nightly routine became second nature. I would climb into bed, ignore any lingering texts, switch my phone to sleep mode, and turn on my sleep story. From the moment each sleep story began, my mind started to move with the story. However, my skepticism continued. Was this new practice helping my quality of sleep—or would I have gone to sleep just as easily without the guided meditation?

It wasn’t until I went a day without the sleep story that I realized how much of an impact it was having on me. On night No. 12, I skipped my sleep story—and I woke up every hour, on the hour.

Whether it was the intention behind setting myself up for sleep, or something about these sleep meditations that was improving my sleep quality, I realized that if I wanted to sleep well, I would have to make an effort to do so—not just let my head hit the pillow.

 The 9-Minute Meditation You Need to Create More Space in Life

Verhoog De Productiviteit In Omstandigheden Met Overmatige Efficintie

Een onderzoek dat in 2012 werd uitgevoerd, bracht individuen in een real-world multitasking-situatie. Ze moesten een aantal acties uitvoeren waarvoor in een typische werkomgeving verschillende soorten invoer nodig waren, ze moesten ze meestal allemaal binnen 20 minuten volzetten.

Een paar van de individuen kregen mindfulness-coaching en een paar niet. Daarna onderzochten ze ze allemaal nog een keer. “De enige personen die betovering aangaven”, meldden de onderzoekers, “zijn degenen die de mindfulness-coaching hadden gekregen.”

Een ander onderzoek bevestigde dat “elke dag meditatie-achtige gedachte frontale mind-oefening zou kunnen verschuiven naar een steekproef die gerelateerd is aan wat cognitieve wetenschappers constructieve, benaderingsgerichte emotionele toestanden noemen – toestanden die ons meer geneigd maken om met de wereld om te gaan dan om ons terug te trekken ervan.”

Omgaan met stressvolle, krachtige omstandigheden zoals een professional kan zeker een nuttig talent zijn om te hebben, en het is er een die meditatievoordelen je kunnen helpen te domesticeren. Als je extra motivatie wilt om de productiviteit te vergroten, bekijk dan de gratis informatie van Lifehack: Laatste werkblad voor onmiddellijke motivatieverbetering.

The Verdict: Meditation Isn’t Making You Tired Your Lack Of Sleep Is

Meditation is believed to improve memory, thwart depression, reduce our feelings of stress, make us smarter and even make us rich. Keep up the om-ing for years, found UCLA neurobiologists, and meditation may even cause some positive physical changes to the structure of our brains.

But if meditation is so beneficial, how come it’s hard for some people to stay alert whenever they give it a try?

“The only real way to not fall asleep during meditation is to get enough sleep,� says Jon Lieff, MD, a Harvard Medical School-trained neuropsychiatrist who specializes in the relationship between neurology, psychiatry and medicine. “Currently, almost everyone is deprived. Most people need more sleep than they’re getting.� In fact, nearly 70 million U.S. adults suffer from some sort of sleep disorder, according to recent research from the Centers for Disease Control.

Yet many of us don’t realize how tired we are until we attempt to meditate, says clinical psychologist Vickie Chang, Ph.D., a mindfulness meditation teacher in Menlo Park, California. “We may not notice our day to day because we habitually drink coffee or perk up with sugar,” she says. “So when we stop and tune in to our bodies in mindful meditation, we may discover that we are deeply tired.”

To begin a meditative practice:

Get those basics down and you’ll be well on your way to a steady — instead of sleepy — meditation practice. I’m om to that!

Week 4 Of Sleep Meditation: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

The final week of my 30-day sleep meditation challenge was filled with travel, holiday crazies, and pretty much zero normalcy when it came to my sleep. Which is why I went a few days without sleep stories each night.

The result? After a typical 7 hours of snoozing, I woke up feeling tired and sluggish—not well-rested, like I had been after falling asleep to my sleep meditation. Which is when it hit me: Just like my daily meditation practice keeps me energized and focused during the day, the quality of my sleep is determined by what happens right before I go to sleep.

My biggest realization at the end of this month-long challenge is that whether you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, how you set yourself up for sleep is critical.

Thanks to sleep meditation, I’ve seen a dramatic shift in my sleeping habits. Even when I don’t listen to a sleep story to help me drift off, I am way more conscious of the way I set myself up to go to sleep. And for those nights when I do feel like I could use a little help, I know a sweet bedtime tale read by Matthew McConaughey is just a click away.

 This One Simple Practice Will Change How You Feel About Yourself

About the AuthorBridget “Bee” Creel is the editorial producer for Yoga Journal. She works as a yoga teacher in NYC and is the co-founder of the wellness community, . 

Membership Spotlight

Whats The Difference Between Sleep Meditation And Normal Sleep

The difference between normal sleep and Yoga Nidra is that during sleep, your subconscious mind takes over, whereas with Yoga Nidra, your conscious mind is awake and alert. Another key difference is that during sleep, your subconscious mind cannot leave behind your worries and stress, but during Yoga Nidra, your conscious mind can, making it a form of sleep therapy.

‘Yoga Nidra can also offer tools to induce sleep organically, following the workings of your own mind’, explained Yoga Nidra teacher, Jennifer Piercy.

Mejorar La Productividad En Condiciones De Eficiencia Excesiva

Una investigación realizada en 2012 colocó a las personas en un estado de cosas multitarea del mundo real. Necesitaban realizar una serie de acciones que requerían numerosos tipos de entrada en un entorno de trabajo típico, por lo general, necesitaban completarlas todas en 20 minutos.

Algunas de las personas adquirieron coaching de atención plena y otras no. Luego, los examinaron a todos una vez más. “Los únicos individuos que indicaron mejora”, informaron los investigadores, “fueron aquellos que habían adquirido el entrenamiento de mindfulness”.

Otra investigación confirmó que “cada día el pensamiento similar a la meditación podría cambiar el ejercicio de la mente frontal hacia una muestra relacionada con lo que los científicos cognitivos denominan estados emocionales constructivos y orientados al enfoque, estados que nos hacen más propensos a interactuar con el mundo que a retraernos de eso.”

Tratar con condiciones de alto estrés y alto rendimiento como un profesional definitivamente podría ser un talento útil, y es una de las ventajas de la meditación que pueden ayudarte a domesticar. Si desea una motivación adicional para extender la productividad, eche un vistazo a la información gratuita de Lifehack: Hoja de trabajo final para mejorar la motivación inmediata.

Wait Whats The Difference Between Mindfulness And Meditation

Yes, there’s a difference. Mindfulness is a way of being in the present moment with a relatively non-judgmental or non-reactive mindset and meditation can be a way to practice mindfulness, explains Michael Goldstein, Ph.D., a research fellow in the Sleep and Inflammatory Systems Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Klatt notes that you can incorporate small aspects of mindfulness into your daily activities, such as paying attention to the feel of the water, texture of the sponge, and smell of detergent while you wash dishes.

As for meditation, Ong likes to use the metaphor of trainspotting. “It’s the activity where people just observe trains, usually standing on the platform or even away from the train station,” he explains. Sometimes trainspotters take photos or write down notes; they are interested in the qualities of the train, rather than using them for a ride.

Understanding Different Types of Meditation

Now, imagine that your mind is like a train station. “Your thoughts and emotions are like trains coming in and out,” say Ong. “Most of us use those thoughts to analyze, judge, or do something—like people who use trains for transportation.”

How To Meditate Before Bed: Improve Sleep And Fight Insomnia

Florida Medical Clinic

When you turn off the lights and lay down in your bed at night, do you find your mind buzzing with thoughts of the day, and plans for tomorrow? If you struggle with “turning your brain off”, you may find yourself feeling restless and unable to sleep. Fortunately, meditation is one way to quiet your thoughts and fight insomnia.

Meditation has been shown to help people who struggle with insomnia and other sleep disturbances. But many don’t know how to meditate before bed, or aren’t aware of the different techniques and methods they can use. 

To help you on your path to restfulness, Dr. Anjum Kumbkarni shares some insights on how to use meditation to improve sleep quality and fight insomnia.

Mindfulness Meditation Helps Fight Insomnia Improves Sleep

If you’ve ever crawled under the covers worrying about a problem or a long to-do list, you know those racing thoughts may rob you of a good night’s sleep. Sleep disturbances, like having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, affect millions of Americans.

The daytime sleepiness that follows can leave you feeling lousy and sap your productivity, and it may even harm your health. Now, a small study suggests that mindfulness meditation — a mind-calming practice that focuses on breathing and awareness of the present moment — can help.

A study published a few years ago in JAMA Internal Medicine  included 49 middle-aged and older adults who had trouble sleeping. Half completed a mindfulness awareness program that taught them meditation and other exercises designed to help them focus on “moment-by-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions.” The other half completed a sleep education class that taught them ways to improve their sleep habits.

Both groups met six times, once a week for two hours. Compared with the people in the sleep education group, those in the mindfulness group had less insomnia, fatigue, and depression at the end of the six sessions.

The findings come as no surprise to Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. “Mindfulness meditation is just one of a smorgasbord of techniques that evoke the relaxation response,” says Dr. Benson.

How Can Mindfulness Or Meditation Help Improve Your Sleep

Sleep tends to come a lot easier when you’re actually sleepy, but sometimes we hit the lights and get under the covers just because it’s “time for bed” without paying attention to whether that is the case—but mindfulness could change that.

“Our thinking is that by grounding yourself in the present moment and just being aware of what to look for, it gives you a better chance of reducing that fight or flight response,” says Ong. “A lot of people with insomnia go to bed because they’re tired of dealing with the day and they want to escape, but that’s not how the brain regulates sleep and wake. Meditation helps keep you from getting in your own way and it allows your brain to regulate sleep and wake based on how it naturally does.”

Six Free Apps For Meditation Breathing And Falling Asleep

It can be overwhelming to take in what’s currently going on in the world.

And it’s easy to let your worries – whether it be global or personal – build up and weigh you down.

Dedicating a small part of your day to self-care practices can be beneficial for your overall well-being and can help you create a better mindset to deal with what tomorrow will bring.

If you don’t know where to start – there are several mindful apps available to download for free that can lead you through a short, daily self-care practice.

From guided meditation to breathing exercises and practices that can help you fall asleep at night – there are plenty of ways your smartphone can help you to unwind.

Here’s our round up of six apps for relaxation that won’t cost you a penny.

What Are The Reasons Of Falling Asleep During Meditation

Here are some reasons for falling asleep while Meditation. What I understood in last 11 years:1. Meditation on bed2. Choosing your sleeping time as Meditation time3. Doing Meditation after a big meal4. Lying down while Meditation5. Choosing relaxation music such as River Sound with Flute6. Not taking proper sleep from many days7. Targetting the Meditation as relaxation8. Meditation in the night time9. Not setting up a goal for Meditation10. Overthinking11. Not being in the present moment12. Telling a lie to yourself that I am not feeling tired before start13. Losing the control of weight on shoulders14. Not straightening the spinal cord15. Looking downward-facing while start

Sleep Meditation: Whats Happening In Calm Sleep Stories

I started my month-long sleep meditation adventure using the Calm app, which has a feature called “Sleep Stories.” Essentially, it’s a library filled with soothing bedtime tales for grown-ups, narrated by the dreamiest of voices .

“We integrate mindfulness elements into sleep stories in a very deliberate way, giving the stories a grounding, calming quality,” says Christian Slomka, Calm’s community manager and a yoga and mediation instructor. “Instead of an elaborate buildup, Sleep Stories are a gradual unwind.”

There are three main elements of Calm’s sleep stories:

Find an AnchorSlomka says the sleep stories are geared to helping listeners focus their attention on an anchor—usually the breath—to quiet the mind and help shift the listener away from overactive thoughts. As the character in the story travels along her journey, she is fully immersed in the present moment. The thinking is that the listener will experience this immersion along with the sleep story’s character.

Practice Body Awareness and Relaxation TechniquesAnother mindfulness element that sleep stories touch on is body awareness and relaxation. When a story opens, the narrator walks the listener through a brief body scan exercise to help quiet the mind and relax the body. Throughout the story, the character also scans through her sensations, and the hope is that the listener does the same.

Back Up: What Happens In Your Body When You Cant Sleep

To understand what Ong means, it’s helpful to have a little background about our physiology. “When it comes to sleep problems, especially for people with chronic insomnia, oftentimes they’re so caught up in trying to make sleep happen that it creates a sense of pressure that makes sleep likely to happen,” says Ong. “Essentially, it activates the fight or flight response that is built in our body. When that gets activated, your body thinks that it needs to be on guard or vigilant and it tends to override the parts of your brain that regulate sleep and wake.”

This is why once you have that first thought of I just wish my brain would stop thinking and let me sleep, you’re pretty much doomed—you’re already stressing about not sleeping, which makes it even harder to doze off.

Lucha Contra Las Enfermedades Y Mantente Ms Saludable

Las ventajas de la meditación pueden ser útiles para la mente y el cuerpo. Tener la capacidad de lidiar con el estrés en mayor medida puede reducir su impacto en su cuerpo, lo que podría reducir los síntomas y el agravamiento de varios puntos de salud, junto con el dolor de cabeza.

Un investigador de uno de los hospitales instructores de Harvard Medical College señala que “El tipo de problemas que ocurren si meditas tienen resultados en todo el cuerpo, no simplemente en la mente”. Las ventajas para el bienestar abundan si se compromete a meditar.

Hagamos una descripción general rápida: la meditación puede ayudarlo a lidiar con el estrés en mayor medida, ayudarlo a reconocer a sí mismo más y mostrarle cómo reducir el nerviosismo y la melancolía.

Solo con estas ventajas de la meditación, parece bastante que podría dormir mejor por la noche. En cualquier caso, si puede dejar de pensar en las carreras y dejar que sus sentimientos se enfurezcan, será más probable que flote hacia los objetivos de los dulces. El análisis coincide:

“Las prácticas de meditación afectan las capacidades de la mente, inducen numerosas ocasiones de plasticidad neuronal intrínseca, modulan las capacidades autonómicas, metabólicas, endocrinas e inmunitarias y, por lo tanto, median los ajustes regulatorios internacionales en numerosos estados de comportamiento junto con el sueño”.

Las meditaciones guiadas, en particular, pueden ayudarlo a adormecerlo, así que inténtelo en este momento.

Use Critical Thinking To Find Out What Works For You

Meditation can be a powerful tool to help you get better sleep, but it isn’t a replacement for sleep, nor is it the only thing that can improve your sleep. Proper diet & exercise; a calm, cool, and quiet sleeping environment; set meal and bedtimes; reducing the amount of alcohol and caffeine consumed at night— all of these things can have big impacts on your sleep.

1.Britton, W. B., Lindahl, J. R., Cahn, B. R., Davis, J. H., & Goldman, R. E. . Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4054695/

2. Zielinski, M. R., McKenna, J. T., & McCarley, R. W. . Functions and Mechanisms of Sleep.  Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5390528/

3. Thorpe, M. . 12 Science Based Benefits of Meditation  Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#section1

4. Nagendra, R. P., Maruthai, N., & Kutty, B. M. . Meditation and its regulatory role on sleep. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328970/

5.Pandi-Perumal, S., Trakht, I., Spence, D. . The roles of melatonin and light in the pathophysiology and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.  Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncpneuro0847

6. Teplan, M. . Fundamentals of EEG.  Available at: http://www.edumed.org.br/cursos/neurociencia/MethodsEEGMeasurement.pdf

10. Walker, M. . Why We Sleep. The Sleep Cycle. pp 43-55.

Optimistische Resultaten Zelfs Als Je Niet Mediteert

Onderzoekers hebben ontdekt dat de manier waarop meditatie je geest helpt om hoger te werken constant is, niet alleen als je op een kussen zit met je ogen dicht, maar regelmatig bij je blijft. Op basis van de analyse zouden “de gevolgen van meditatiecoaching op emotionele verwerking mogelijk overschakelen naar niet-meditatieve staten.”

De onderzoekers stellen dat dit af en toe kan betekenen dat de voordelen van meditatie niet specifiek zijn voor een activiteit of bepaalde stimulus maar processpecifiek zijn, wat betekent dat ze “kunnen eindigen in blijvende aanpassingen in psychologische prestaties. .”

Reduzca El Aislamiento Y Sintase Realmente Vinculado

Es inusual que dentro de la era de la conectividad fija, el aislamiento y la soledad puedan sentirse mucho más conmovedores. Pero seguramente ocurre, y cuando desciende esa sensación de aislamiento, puede ser abrumador.

No obstante, se demostró que la meditación reduce las emociones de soledad en una investigación sobre adultos mayores, y aquellos que han estado practicando la meditación trascendental, incluso por un tiempo muy breve, dicen que el seguimiento de la meditación proporciona una sensación de estar relacionado y completo, un “Etapa básica de la unidad”.

Sleep Meditation Music I Can Actually Fall Asleep To

Do you have trouble falling asleep? I do! These sleep meditation playlists will help you fall asleep faster, guaranteed.

Is it weird that most sleepmeditation music gives me anxiety? There is nothing worse thantrying to fall asleep to “peaceful” music, but it only ends up giving you heartpalpitations .

After years of trial and error I finally found the perfect sleep meditation music that I can actually fall asleep to.

Is it weird that most sleepmeditation music gives me anxiety? There is nothing worse thantrying to fall asleep to “peaceful” music, but it only ends up giving you heartpalpitations .

After years of trial and error I finally found the perfect sleepmeditation music that I can actually fall asleep to.

Deep Sleep Meditation Tip #2 Deep Meditation Music

Sleep meditation works differently from one person to the next. Some may like to have a sleep meditation video track turned on, while others prefer to listen to a sleep meditation audio with music. Then, there are those who prefer listening to a meditation podcast as it helps them to focus, depending on what type of meditation they’re doing.

Clearing The System: Release Of Stress And Fatigue

Of course, sometimes we do fall asleep in meditation, but that’s fine. It’s important not to vigilantly guard against sleep during meditation. Instead, it’s better to think of sleep and dullness during meditation as the release of fatigue and stress. For some of us, it’ll be necessary to go through a lot of sleep and fatigue during meditation, and sometimes even after meditation. It would help to keep in mind that these signs indicate a very beneficial clearing process.

If you have an overwhelming urge to lie down and sleep during meditation, then do that . When you wake up, sit up and meditate for five or so additional minutes. Your system will have cleared a backlog of fatigue, so even a short meditation after waking will be very useful.

Increasing Feelings Of Stress Anxiety & Depression

Stress doesn’t go away on its own, and if left to its own devices it can spiral out of control quite fast.

If we don’t find a way of dealing with our stress, every new day just adds an extra layer on top of it, until we can no longer bear the weight of it.

Meditation can help deal with stress and resolve things that we need to go pretty deep within ourselves to figure out.

If we don’t have something similar to a meditation practice, our stress can just keep growing until it reaches a level we can’t deal with anymore. This can lead to nervous breakdowns and the like.

Week 1 Of Sleep Meditation: Am I Doing This Right

Imagine the quintessential New York City hustle—then, imagine me in it.

I wake up at 5 a.m. on the regular, teach yoga in the morning, work out, plow through a full work day, and sometimes even teach yoga again at night. So, you’d better believe that when my head hits the pillow at night, I’m out like a light. When I began this challenge, I decided to make a conscious effort to not only try to go to bed early, but to actually start winding down before leaping under the covers . Sounds dreamy, right?

The first week of my sleep meditation was extremely frustrating. Maybe it was because I’m impatient and didn’t notice a difference after a few days. Or maybe it’s because this sleep meditation challenge just felt like another task on my long to-do list at first. Also, I would fall asleep within the first 5 minutes of each 25-minute sleep story, which, looking back, was a good sign. But during the first few days, I was annoyed at my inability to stay awake and listen to more of the story.

But around day 5, I discovered that Calm’s sleep stories were designed to mimic the kind of bedtime stories most of us experienced when we were kids, which means the whole point of them was to lull me into a deep, restful sleep—keep me awake, on the edge of my seat.

At the end of my first week of sleep meditation, I stopped judging myself for whether or not I was doing it “correctly” and focused instead on how grateful I was to be able to fall asleep.

Deep Sleep Meditation For Healing & Regeneration

: 4.9 Stars

What they say “This ambient sleep meditation music was designed to help you fall asleep fast. Calming your mind, releasing tension and stress, and allowing you to drift into a deep and restorative delta sleep state. Produced in 528 Hz with the intention of stimulating rest, healing, and regeneration.”

Does it actually do all that? I have no clue, but it is really relaxing and does help me fall into a deep sleep. In fact, I just listened to it while writing this post to make sure it was still one of my favorites. I immediately started getting so tired I had to turn it off .

Letting Go Into Meditation For Deeper Cleansing

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tells us that there are two types of letting go. One is where everything drops and you sink into an unconscious state—this is sleep, a state, where knowledge is not available. The other type of letting go allows you to completely relax, but with slight intention or feeling that very subtly continues—that’s meditation.

Meditation and sleep are both hypometabolic states, where breathing and other body activities decline. Both release stresses, but the rest that meditation gives is much deeper than the rest that comes from sleep. Therefore, deeper rooted impressions, or , leave the system.

Yet meditation is completely beyond sleep. It’s consciousness, knowingly becoming conscious of itself. That same consciousness is present during waking, dreaming, and sleep, and witnesses all of them.

Although in sleep the consciousness is not active in any of its “modes,” it’s still present as the witness to sleep. This is how you know that you had a “good sleep.”

As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar beautifully says, “Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness, while dreams are like the twilight in between. Meditation is like the flight to outer space, where there is no sunset, no sunrise—nothing!“

Meditatievoordelen Die U Succesvol Zullen Maken

Laatste update op 17 februari 2021

Wat kan heel goed hoger zijn dan het bereiken van uw enorme doelstellingen? Het lijkt erop dat meditatie – één ding dat je mogelijk elke dag zou kunnen doen, gratis en met weinig moeite – voordelen biedt die succes niet kan overbrengen. Meditatievoordelen kunnen in elke ruimte van je leven doordringen en je algemene welzijn op de lange termijn verbeteren.

Meditation Connects Us With Inner Peace And Joy

One of the most profound benefits of meditation is its power to connect us with inner peace, joy, wisdom, and freedom—that is wholly independent of external circumstances. Being rooted in this unconditioned and durable peace and freedom dramatically enhances our ability to navigate our lives skillfully.

The bright, awake awareness fully unveiled via meditation is the witness of the waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep states. It’s what remains constant throughout our nighttime and daytime experiences.

Beneficios De La Meditacin Que Te Harn Triunfar

Final actualizado el 17 de febrero de 2021

¿Qué puede ser más alto que alcanzar sus objetivos masivos? Bien, parece que la meditación, una cosa que posiblemente podría estar haciendo todos los días, sin cargo y con poco esfuerzo, ofrece ventajas que el éxito no puede transmitir. Las ventajas de la meditación pueden filtrarse en cada espacio de su vida y mejorar su bienestar general a largo plazo.

Mejore La Forma En Que Sus Capacidades Mentales

Una investigación de 2012 confirmó un proceso mental conocido como girificación que ocurre más en las personas que meditan.

La girificación es “el ‘plegamiento’ de la corteza cerebral debido al progreso, que a su vez podría permitir que la mente transmita información antes. Aunque el análisis no mostró esto de inmediato, los científicos sospechan que la girificación es responsable de mejorar la mente en el procesamiento de información, tomar decisiones, formar recuerdos y mejorar la consideración “.

Si eso no es suficiente, puede haber pruebas adicionales a partir de resonancias magnéticas de que la meditación puede reforzar las conexiones entre las células de la mente. Una investigación confirmó que la meditación “también podría estar relacionada con ajustes estructurales en áreas de la mente que podrían ser necesarias para el procesamiento sensorial, cognitivo y emocional. La información adicional recomienda que la meditación podría reflejar las disminuciones asociadas con la edad en la construcción cortical “.

En otras palabras, la meditación no solo puede hacer que su mente funcione más alto, sino que también puede desacelerar el proceso de envejecimiento de la mente.

Will Meditation Before Bed Help Me Sleep Better

There’s strong evidence to suggest that regular meditation can help improve your quality of sleep. Similarly to how exercise promotes physical health, exercising your mind is equally essential for our mental health. Some guided meditations can walk you through simple techniques to relax before bed; however, starting the simple habit of daily meditation can profoundly affect your sleep quality.

How Do Meditation And Mindfulness Affect Sleep

Mindfulness and meditation help bring about a relaxed state of mind that is conducive to falling asleep. This reaction is often described as the relaxation response, or the opposite of the stress response.

Whereas falling asleep involves a gradual reduction in , is often defined as a state of hyper-arousal. When we are stressed, depressed, or anxious, our brain stays “wired” and we find it more difficult to fall asleep. Over the long term, we perpetuate this tension as we start to associate bedtime with worries about not being able to fall asleep.

The state of acceptance and awareness invoked by meditation helps reduce psychological distress and improve rumination and emotion regulation. Studies on people with fibromyalgia have found that mindfulness helps patients manage anger, worry, anxiety, and depression. These researchers theorized that mindfulness may improve sleep quality by supplying patients with the mental resources to calm down the nervous system in preparation for sleep.

At a biological level, meditation slows the heart rate and breathing and lowers levels of , the stress hormone. Over the long term, the relaxation response reduces stress-related inflammation and oxidative stress and improves insulin resistance.

What To Expect When Meditating To Fall Asleep

Meditation for sleep should be approached the same way we approach meditation in the daytime: gently, with a relaxed focus. When we allow the body , and allow the mind to drift off, we do so in a soft, gentle way, not trying to force sleep, otherwise we encourage more thoughts and, possibly, some tension. As much as possible, allow yourself to be led by the guidance, not thinking too much about the technique or instructions.

Before you begin your sleep meditation: lie flat on your back on the bed, take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes, allowing the body to begin powering down. If you’re using a guided meditation, follow the instructions. If practicing unguided meditation, progress at your own pace. The more you practice this type of meditation, the more likely you are to build a quiet and restful mind that can sleep at ease.

The Benefits Of A Regular Meditation Practice

A great meditation practice increases all the benefits that come with a good night’s sleep. There are some benefits that you won’t get just by sleeping though.

These are some beneficial things that come out of having a regular meditating session:

Increased sense of calm

Increased awareness of your body

Increased awareness of other people’s emotions

More rational decision-making

Getting Good Sleep Is Crucial For Good Health

Most of us understand that getting a good night’s sleep is a good thing, but it may be much more important than you think. Research is showing that getting eight hours of natural, restful sleep per night is crucial for health and wellbeing. Specifically, not getting enough sleep can:

Make you more likely to gain weight. In fact, not getting enough sleep is a reliable predictor for obesity.

Put you at greater risk for heart disease and stroke.

Increase your risk for diabetes. In fact, in studies, healthy young people getting 4 hours of sleep for 6 nights in a row, showed symptoms of pre-diabetes.

Make you depressed. Short sleep and poor sleep quality are even linked to suicide.

Drastically increase your level of inflammation.

educe your ability to interact with people socially, and understand others.

These are just a few of the negative effects of not getting enough sleep. Obviously, getting good rest is incredibly important for your health and wellbeing. So how can you do that?

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.”

~ W.C. Fields

Deep Sleep Meditation Tip #1 Prepare For Bed

For sleep meditation to work, you will need to prepare yourself first. You should turn off your lights and put away your electronic devices.

If it helps, take a shower first so your body will feel more relaxed. Lie down on your bed afterward. Make sure you start your bedtime routine early enough to get plenty of sleep.

Meditation For Quality Sleep During The Day

falls into a unique category in that good quality Zzzs require much more than doing a simple meditation in bed. Restful sleep largely depends on having a rested mind, and so the preparation can begin with your mindset … during the day. More often than not, our issues around sleep are rooted in our thinking processes.

Headspace’s 30-day Sleep course , for example, isn’t designed to send you to sleep in the moment; it’s designed to change your relationship with sleep. By gradually training the mind in a specific way — day by day, for a month — you gradually create an environment conducive to a good night’s rest.

It’s recommended that the 30-day Sleep course be used during the day, in conjunction with the single sleep meditation at bedtime. The course trains the mind for long-term, sustainable change; the single meditation is a specific exercise to send you to sleep.

Verminder Isolatie En Voel Je Echt Verbonden

Het is ongebruikelijk dat binnen het tijdperk van vaste connectiviteit, isolement en eenzaamheid echt veel schrijnender kunnen voelen. Maar het komt zeker voor, en wanneer dat gevoel van isolement afdaalt, kan het overweldigend zijn.

Desalniettemin is bewezen dat meditatie emoties van eenzaamheid vermindert in een onderzoek bij oudere volwassenen, en degenen die transcendentale meditatie hebben beoefend, zelfs voor een heel korte tijd, zeggen dat het volgen van meditatie een gevoel van verbondenheid en volledigheid geeft, een “basisstadium van eenheid”.

Getting Started With Guided Sleep Meditation

Sleep Hygiene

Guided sleep meditation is a method for helping you to let go of worrying thoughts and relax your body before bed. Like other forms of meditation, this practice involves moving your focus away from your thoughts to sensations in your body. Regular practice of guided sleep meditation has been shown to improve sleep, meaning that this method is an important strategy that you can use to help reduce problems falling and staying asleep.

According to the American Sleep Association, around 30 percent of adults have short-term problems with insomnia, and about 10 percent have chronic difficulties with falling and/or staying asleep.?? What’s more, around a third of adults report typically getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Given that adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep to function best, and teenagers need even more , it’s not surprising that methods for improving sleep are becoming more well-known.

Better sleep can contribute to lowering stress and an improved immune system. However, achieving restful sleep can be hard if you are battling stress and anxiety—it can be simply hard to quiet your mind. Many issues around sleep begin with your thinking processes at night. This is where guided sleep meditation can help.

What Types Of Meditation Work Best For Sleep

Meditation techniques for insomnia tend to incorporate breathing and mindfulness components, with a significant amount of overlap between methods. If you’re new to meditation, you can start by talking to a licensed practitioner, downloading an app, or looking up videos online to find a relaxation exercise that works for you. Some common meditation methods for sleep include:

Mindfulness Meditation: Most of the research on meditation for insomnia has been done on mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness involves focusing on the present and welcoming thoughts and emotions in an open-minded, non-judgmental manner.

Guided Imagery and Music: Guided meditation for insomnia promotes relaxation by asking the meditator to imagine themselves in a calming place, such as a white sandy beach or a forest. This is often accomplished with the help of a video recording or audio clip.

Body Scan Meditation: In body scan meditation, participants are instructed to focus on different parts of the body and note any sensations of pain or tension. This is closely tied to progressive muscle relaxation, in which participants actively tense and then relax each successive muscle.

Deep Breathing: Deep breathing while engaging the diaphragm is often used in combination with other meditation techniques to enhance relaxation. An example of this is the 4-7-8 breathing method, in which you breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, then breathe out for eight seconds.

Sleep As An Autoregulatory Global Phenomenon

Sleep is reported to be associated with reduced heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and rhythm, oxygen consumption, anxiety or arousal, and an overall decrease in basal metabolic levels leading to a hypometabolic state. This phenomenon of sleep induced hypometabolic state is a natural and spontaneous outcome necessary for biological survival .

Meditation also brings a sustained hypometabolic state termed as relaxation response by Herbert Benson and helps in sleep initiation .

It has been hypothesized that meditation practices activate prefrontal cortex, fronto-limbic, fronto-parietal neural networks and limbic and paralimbic cortices associated with sympathetic arousal. Meditation practices activate structures like insula, anterior cingulate, and hypothalamus and bring about autonomic and humoral changes . Meditation thus produces a continuum of global regulatory changes at various behavioral levels favoring quality sleep.

The Difference Between Meditation And Sleep

Admit it, sometimes when you’re meditating you think to yourself, “Why don’t I just go to sleep instead?”There’s no shame in that! In fact, that’s part of the point of meditation—to rest and relax the mind—but sleep and meditation don’t affect the mind in the same way.

Here’s a more in-depth look at what happens to the brain during sleep vs a meditative state.

Meditation And Sleep Are Mutually Enhancing

Does this mean we should forego sleep entirely, in favor of meditation? Not at all! A good night’s sleep and deep meditation practice—while they’re not interchangeable—are mutually enhancing.

Being well-rested from a good night’s sleep lessens the chances of falling asleep during your meditation session. And one of the benefits of regular meditation practice is how it enhances your sleep.

So we might consider meditation and sleep to be akin to our right and left hands: while they’re not identical, they do work together beautifully.

What Happens In The Brain During Meditation

The biggest difference between meditation and sleep is that while meditating, you’re consciously focusing your mind on something.

What you’re focusing on doesn’t matter for the purpose of this article, but what does matter is the fact that your brain is active during this process.

Your Brain Waves Change

Beta waves are the brainwaves that are usually around when the brain is processing information.

When you meditate, these waves decrease, showing that the analytical, reasoning, and planning part of our brain takes a backseat.

and theta waves are most active during meditation, and they’re usually sleepy-waves.

This means that your brain activity is mimicking that of a sleeping brain. No wonder meditation has a reputation of being amazing for relaxation!

The Grey Matter Increases

Meditation is kind of like giving your brain a workout. The more you do it, the more your brain responds to it, and grows just like your biceps would when doing bicep curls.

It would seem that comparing brains of meditators and non-meditators indicates an increase in grey matter for those who do partake.

Grey matter occurs in certain parts of the brain, mainly in the hippocampus , but also in areas that are responsible for emotion regulation, reflection, mental flexibility, and self-awareness.

Rewiring of Neural Pathways

Rewiring of neural pathways is something that happens if you meditate regularly.

This Is The Best App By Far For Mindfulness

It’s almost embarrassing to say this, but I have been a “meditator” for about 30 years and I have to say that I never really got very much out of doing it. I tried so hard, but I’m finding out I never truly understood that “trying” to be a good meditator or mindful person, was missing what doing this was about. What I’m learning through this app is that “mindfulness” is about me – understanding myself first, and it’s a lot about acceptance. So with that understanding and acceptance I can begin to see “things” so much more clearly and why previous ways of thinking, particularly about myself, were holding me back from living my life and loving myself. And I’m finding that the more I practice self acceptance, the fears about living fully and going after what I want out of my life, are disappearing. The previous version of myself is rapidly becoming someone I only used to know, and this new ME is much more in line with who I’d always wanted to be. I’m able to try and do so much more, all while in the comfort that I am lovable, even if I fail at something. I simply dust myself off and try some more.This app has completely changed me and the way I’m able to appreciate all the good that’s in my life. And I’m worthy of going after the things I want for my life, while freeing me up to share my gifts with others and society in general.If this is where you find your life stalling out, this app will bring you back to yourself.

How To Control Sleep During The Meditation

Here is what I did for controlling my sleep during Meditation:Usually, I always did my Meditation at night time, because I found that night time is more peaceful and mind is so quiet this time. But the problem was that I was always tired by night time and my mind always gave the order to the body to sleep. But I changed my to control my mind. First of all, I did not take any heavy meal and I took more and more water every day. Just before the Meditation, I used to walk for some steps fastly, and after sometimes I splashed the face with cold water. Meditation gives us more than what is not in the list of our desires so I always gave more priority to Meditation. I separated my place of Meditation from the bed. For some days, before Meditation, I chewed some cardamom that helped me to do more meditation. I kept my eyelids straight while doing Meditation because if the direction of is downwards, you may sleep. I focused on my third eye and prayed to God that I am doing something for awareness, so, please bless me with amazing results.I to myself when I was dozing off or snoring and said to myself that I am not on the earth for sleeping, I am here to awakening. The mind needs practice, so It took some time but in the end, I overcame.

Related Articles

Verminder Tekenen Van Angst En Melancholie

Meditatie kan je helpen om je verwant te voelen en met stress om te gaan, maar hoe zit het met een aanhoudende nervositeitsstoornis? Hoe zit het met overweldigende ongunstige emoties of dat slopende gevoel van melancholie?

Goed, een onderzoek onder middelbare scholieren bevestigde dat een voordelen van mindfulness en meditatie veel bij elk zouden kunnen helpen: studenten die met een mindfulness-programma werden betrapt, “vertoonden verminderde tekenen van stress, nervositeit en melancholie, elk onmiddellijk na en 6 maanden daarna systeem”.

How Often Should You Meditate For Insomnia

Meditation is a skill, and those who practice it more often tend to see more meaningful benefits. Studies on the relaxation response have found that it produces immediate psychological and physical effects, suggesting that daily practice is optimal in order to see effects on that night’s sleep.

While factors such as the minutes spent meditating and the quality of meditation are difficult to quantify, the benefits of meditation have been found to be enhanced in long-term practitioners.

Similarly, a study on the benefits of meditation for insomnia in breast cancer patients found that these benefits disappeared after 12 months. These results suggest that the greatest benefits are derived from consistent meditation over a long period of time.

What Are Some Other Benefits Of Meditation

Meditation is perhaps best known for its ability to reduce anxiety, depression, and pain.

Along the same lines, emerging research is uncovering potential benefits on quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia, , breast cancer, and irritable bowel syndrome. Preliminary evidence indicates that meditation may also play a role in preventing cognitive decline, quitting smoking, and lowering blood pressure.

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Reducir Los Signos De Ansiedad Y Melancola

La meditación puede ayudarlo a sentirse relacionado y lidiar con el estrés, pero ¿qué pasa con una disfunción de nerviosismo en curso? ¿Qué pasa con las abrumadoras emociones desfavorables o esa debilitante sensación de melancolía?

Correctamente, una investigación realizada en estudiantes universitarios de secundaria confirmó que a las ventajas de la atención plena y la meditación podrían ser de gran ayuda para cada uno: los estudiantes universitarios que participaron en un programa de atención plena “mostraron una disminución de los signos de estrés, nerviosismo y melancolía instantáneamente después y 6 meses después de esto sistema”.

What Happens In The Body During Meditation

Don’t be fooled into thinking that meditation only affects the mind. Even though it’s not quite the same thing as having a nap, there are things that happen in the body too when you meditate properly.

Cortisol Levels Drop

Just like when you’re asleep, the stress hormones in your body decrease when you meditate effectively.

This is highly useful as you’re now replicating the very thing that gives your body space to heal when it’s sleeping. It follows naturally from there, then, that your body’s healing ability is increased when you meditate.

Heart Rate & Breathing Slow Down

Along with the reduction in stress-hormone comes a relaxation in your body’s fight-or-flight response.

Your heart rate slows and breathing is regulated naturally, and your body can enter a state of rest.

Will Meditation Improve Your Sleep Tonight

“People will commonly try a meditation practice for a night or a few nights, and not notice a difference, but sleep naturally varies night to night,” says Goldstein.

He suggests keeping a daily log of things like sleep quality; meditation; naps; exercise; substances like alcohol, caffeine, or medications you take; time you get into bed; time you turn off the lights; middle-of-the-night wake-ups; how long it takes to fall asleep; and what time you get up in the morning. Try to notice patterns in how certain behaviors affect your sleep over time and give any new changes a week before judging if they’re helpful.

“Mindfulness meditation is not a one and done thing—it’s a continual practice.”

It’s also crucial to see your doctor for a sleep assessment if you’re really struggling. If an underlying condition like sleep apnea is the root of your tossing and turning, then meditation isn’t going to be your fix. An evaluation can help determine what’s really interfering with your shuteye and help you and your physician come up with an individualized treatment plan, says Goldstein.

If that plans includes mindfulness or meditation, patience and consistency are crucial. “People want to do it once and have it just work,” says Klatt. “Mindfulness meditation is a practice that you have to really bring to your whole life. It’s not a one and done thing—it’s a continual practice.”

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How Meditation Helps With Emotional Health

Scientific research has found a positive correlation between meditation and a host of fantastic benefits. Everything from sleep and concentration, to memory and learning can be improved by implementing a steady meditation practice. It can even help with depression1.

Here’s a look at how you can start a meditation practice and begin taking advantage of these wonderful benefits.

But first — let’s better define what exactly meditation is.

Meditation Can Be More Restful Than Sleep

What may surprise you to learn is that in deep meditation, the level of rest that the body receives can be two to five times deeper than what it receives in the deepest part of sleep.

That’s right—meditation can be relaxing and therapeutic than sleep!

And when the body is resting deeply, the mind also can more easily come to sleep, and release long-held anxiety, stress, clutter, and mental fatigue. And this leads to feeling more calm and relaxed when we rise after a meditation session.

Resultados Optimistas Incluso Sin Meditar

Los investigadores han descubierto que la forma en que la meditación ayuda a tu mente a trabajar más alto es constante, permaneciendo contigo no solo si estás sentado en un cojín con los ojos cerrados, sino de forma regular. Según el análisis, “las consecuencias del entrenamiento de meditación sobre el procesamiento emocional posiblemente cambiarían a estados no meditativos”.

Los investigadores señalan que esto puede implicar ocasionalmente que las ventajas de la meditación no deben ser específicas de una actividad o estímulo seguro , sino que son específicas del proceso, lo que significa que “podrían terminar en ajustes duraderos en el desempeño psicológico”. . “

Step #1: Setting Up The Right Environment

The first step of meditating before bed is preparing the right environment. The ideal environment should be calm, quiet, and free of distractions. It may be helpful to create a set nightly routine to make the process easier.

Here are some tips for creating a relaxing setting:

Remove distractions. Turn off the TV, make sure the kids are in bed, and put down your recreational electronic devices. Make sure your meditation space is quiet and dark .

Get comfortable. Wear whatever you find most comfortable. Choose a posture that limits fidgeting and discomfort; you may either lay down in bed or sit up.

Set up your meditation tools. If you’re using your phone or another device to listen to a guided meditation program, turn down the screen brightness and close all other apps or windows. If you use a white noise machine, turn it on at a comfortable volume. It’s important to keep your meditative time free of distractions, so ensure your environment is set up with everything you’ll need before getting started.

Some find that candles are helpful when creating a soothing setting. If you want to use candles, make sure you blow them out before falling asleep.

Differences Between Sleep And Meditation

After a few regular meditations, meditators usually realize that sleep and meditation are quite distinct states. Coming out of sleep, one feels a little dull. But emerging from the deeply settled “no mind” state, one basks in clarity, and feels peaceful and often joyous.

Also, the breathing patterns during deep sleep and meditation are quite different. Deeper states of meditation are associated with very feeble breath or even suspension of breath, whereas in sleep, respiration does reduce, but less.

During your meditations, please don’t try to figure out whether you were sleeping or deeply meditating at certain times. Doing so could interfere with the innocence of the meditation process. The statement, “whatever happens is fine,” shows the best attitude.

The key distinction between meditation and sleep is alertness in meditation and non-alertness during sleep. But meditative alertness has a different quality than that of the waking state. To understand that distinction, and also how meditation and sleep are different, we need to consider how the four modes of consciousness—mind, intellect, memory, and ego—operate in the waking, dreaming, and sleeping states and also in the fourth state of consciousness, which is experienced in meditation, traditionally called the state.

Week 3 Of Sleep Meditation: Appreciation

On Day 16, my appreciation for sleep meditation hit an all-time high. A few minutes in to my sleep story, I noticed my attention effortlessly shifted from what had happened that day and what I had to do the next day to the story. It was almost like the person leading the sleep story gave me the permission I needed to let go of the day and let my mind and body go to sleep—instantly. I started looking forward to my sleep meditations—a sign any seasoned meditator will tell you is one that means your new meditation habit will likely stick.

 7 Simple Ways to Call in More Joy—and Feel Less Stressed

Meditation Autonomic Activity And Sleep

Changes in autonomic activity had been reported with respect to specific sleep states with predominant parasympathetic activity in SWS and sympathetic activity during REM sleep . Vipassana meditation practices would have activated the anterior cingulate cortex and hence modulated the parasympathetic activity during sleep. These reports are suggestive of a positive modulatory role of meditation in sleep through autonomic functions.

Why Do I Fall Asleep During Meditation

Sleeping while doing Meditation is one of the common errors or obstacle occur when a beginner yogi starts the Meditation Practices in life. Does this happen with you that you are doing a Meditation listening to the beautiful music or and after 20 minutes you wake up when the music is already finished and some drool is spread on your face and you remember that you just now? If yes, it is a very common obstacle while a yogi starts the Meditation practice. I remember while doing Meditation in 2009, my mother used to give me a glass of milk after dinner, and I kept it aside to cool. After that, I wrote something in the diary, took some sips of Milk, and decided to meditate with music. Immediately after 20 Minutes listening to the beautiful Indian Flute and Sitar meditation music I was sleeping sitting in meditation pose. After some time, I snored and so on, suddenly I realize that I have to meditate, I woke up, Meditate for some time and again the same. Finally, I decided to sleep well and I took the same milk in Morning when I wake up.

Verbeter De Mogelijkheden Van Uw Geest

Een onderzoek uit 2012 bevestigde dat een geestesloop bekend als gyrificatie extra plaatsvindt bij mensen die mediteren.

Gyrificatie is ‘het ‘vouwen’ van de hersenschors vanwege vooruitgang, wat op zijn beurt de geest in staat zou kunnen stellen sneller informatie te verwerken. Hoewel de analyse dit niet onmiddellijk aantoonde, vermoeden wetenschappers dat gyrificatie ten laste wordt gelegd omdat het de geest hoger maakt in het verwerken van informatie, het maken van keuzes, het vormen van herinneringen en het verbeteren van overweging.

Als dat niet voldoende is, kan er aanvullend bewijs zijn van MRI-scans dat meditatie verbindingen tussen hersencellen kan versterken. Eén onderzoek bevestigde dat meditatie “ook te maken kan hebben met structurele aanpassingen in gebieden van de geest die nodig kunnen zijn voor zintuiglijke, cognitieve en emotionele verwerking. De aanvullende informatie suggereert dat meditatie een indruk kan maken van leeftijdsgerelateerde achteruitgang in corticale constructie.

Met andere woorden, meditatie kan niet alleen je geest hoger laten werken, maar het kan ook het ouder worden in de hele geest vertragen.

[lethe-rpg]

TW death, loss of a sibling, self harm, suicidal ideation

Landon was nine years old when his baby sister was born. During his mother’s C-Section, he was in the waiting room with his dad, a stuffed elephant clutched in his little hands, and his father bent down, looked him in the eyes, and told him that he needed to take care of her, to show her the way, to protect her. He told him that she was going to need him because the world was a scary place. And as soon as Landon and his dad were let into the room to meet little Isabelle Kincaid, he took her small hand in his own and told her that he was never going to let harm come her way. Life continued on mostly the same, with Landon practicing his shifting abilities to entertain his sister, often taking the shape of the family dog, Barney. He took on a paper route as soon as he turned 12, coming home and caring for his sister before they both went off to school together, and then going home and doing homework together. With two working parents, he often found himself making them both dinner while little Bella did her homework at the kitchen table. The truth of it was that he was closer to a parent to the young girl than a brother, or maybe some mix that landed between the two. His social life outside of his baby sister wasn’t much to brag about by his own doing; he had decided at a young age that he disliked how prejudiced and judgmental their small town was. So, while he was well-liked, he kept a distance, focusing on his family, school, and job instead. He had a few friends here and there, neighbors mostly except for Forest Hawthorne who was on his route and never craved more.

It was when he was 15, on October 11, 1986, however, when life became cruel, as it often is. Landon was outside with Bella while she played, himself sitting on the porch with a novel open in his lap that he wasn’t even reading, his eyes instead tracking every movement of his sister’s. That is until he was distracted by the next-door neighbor girl, his attention shifting to take in her appearance and short skirt. But then he heard the brakes squealing and the thud, and by the time he turned, his sister was bleeding on the ground with the car that hit her just a speck down the road. He had rushed to her as quickly as he was able, as he called for help, begging her to hang on. They found out later that even if her body had still been there, her brain had shut down instantly. The next year was one of the worst of his life and Landon became sullen and withdrawn, rarely speaking to anybody and snapping at people for various things, even his employer and teachers. His parents were quiet and distant, barely talking to each other let alone him, and all that he could think was that they blamed him as much as he blamed himself. Every day was a challenge and every night was that much harder, but it all came to a head the following summer when the calendar marked one year since his sister’s tragic death. He found his father’s old pistol and turned it on himself, his own self-hatred determined that this was better than he deserved, but that at the same time he didn’t deserve to live while she had died. Yet, his hand jerked at the last moment and the bullet hit only his right ear, leaving him partially deaf for the rest of his life and scarred, but alive. No one would believe him when he told them later, but he swore that he saw his sister in the room and became certain that she had been the one to save his life that October night. He was sent to a mental hospital in Cincinnati, and the following year changed his life completely.

Landon found a purpose, realizing that he could save other people from the same fate that he had barely avoided. He finished his schooling and became a motivational speaker and author, traveling around the world as he shared his story and helped people with their own pain. He slowly branched from self help to general fiction, though he never entirely stopped writing self help. Fame found him quickly as he did his lectures, tours, and writing, and while he was never fully comfortable with it, he knew that it gave him a way to assist those who might need it. He kept contact with one of his old doctors, calling for assistance and guidance when needed. Even through the years and passing time, Landon still retreated every October 11, making sure not to schedule anything or calling out from work, and let himself miss his little sister and feel the guilt that was never going to heal the entire way. In 2010, he found Lethe and made his home there, becoming a grief counselor in town and working alongside Odette Lockhart and Orion Faulkner.

When the Riverborn began appearing, Landon did his best to make them feel welcome and at home, to help them make their peace with everything happening and all of the new information and frustration. He, of course, knew loss and pain well and knew what it could do to a person, as well as the difficulties of isolation. The start of Riverborn appearing once again was something he found startling and intriguing, but mostly he was just concerned that the prejudice against the Riverborn would get worse from people’s fear. Recently, he found his old friend, Forest, a reunion that was both surprising and comforting, a piece of home he hadn’t known he wanted until he had it. The worst event so far in his eyes has been the parade, though the event itself was a wonderful way to get the town together and bonding, the fire at Asmodean Autoshop was tragic and Landon immediately took it on himself to try to reach those affected and hurting.

[torentialtribute]

Rangers legend Fernando Ricksen opens up on battle with motor neurone disease

The players who knew Fernando Ricksen the best, remember how he would burst through the doors of the Rangers canteen like a cyclone and the silence shattered.

Barry Ferguson does not mind that he admits that his heart would fall short of anticipation and that he would think, while he was sitting there at 8 o'clock, & # 39; Oh s ** t, here he eats – my peace goes frightened & # 39 ;.

Ferguson always saw something about Paul Gascoigne in Ricksen. & # 39; A large child that did not have an off button. A child with a sugar shower. Sometimes a total pain in the a ***, but deep inside I loved him for it. & # 39;

[R] In October 2013 Ricksen was diagnosed with the incurable motor neuron disease

It is that the collective memory of the individual has chosen the shared PFA Player of the Year of Scotland in 2004-05 , who makes his entrance

It is almost six years ago that the former Holland International announced at the age of 37 that he was in a fight that he would not win, with motor neuron disease.

He stated in his extraordinary autobiography that he is not a "normal guy". was not and # 39; would give up & # 39; in the face of the disease. Yet his arrival in a packed Tradeston Ex-Servicemen & # 39; s Club reveals the unrelenting nature of the disease. Now 42, he is a shadow of the gladiator who wore the No. 2 jersey during the stadium on the road.

An audience of 300 has been present here for a fundraising evening since a fixed start time of 19.30 hours, although a word comes from a delay when leaving the hospice that has become his home, half a day drive for hours to the east.

Ricksen's latest appearance with Rangers fans, in October, made him struggle to breathe and was hospitalized for three months with a return to Spain as unsafe, so they do not look as self-evident.

Ricksen is largely unrecognizable from the gentle person with old age Katie Price – then known as Jordan – and got fantastic fantastic in a six-year Rangers career from 2000, but the eyes are clear and the materializations the emaciated face are the same as always.

Why was it important that you were here tonight? & # 39 ;, he asked when he had stationed his chair in the middle of the room. & # 39; It's good that I get out of bed! & # 39; he answers and brings the house down.

He used the same kind of computer-based speech system that was used by Professor Stephen Hawking, who was affected by the same disease.

Allows Ricksen to communicate in a way he never thought possible, limiting him to a series of blinks to & # 39; yes & # 39; or & # 39; no & # 39; to signal when his voice failed. But answering the most elementary question is difficult. I have to train his eyes on every letter of the computer keyboard to spell the word he is trying to say.

& # 39; How do you feel? & # 39; & # 39; Very good, & # 39; he replies. & # 39; You feel good? & # 39; & # 39; Absolutely. & # 39;

One dates from October

One dates from October

One dates from October 2003 and the Club League clash on Panathinaikos then, after lunch the day before the game, a number of board members of the club Ricksen said he would not have the courage to throw chairman John McClelland to the hotel pool.

& # 39; Then I saw him struggling and gasping for air. That his phone, wallet and £ 20,000 Rolex were still in his pocket. When I returned, they told me they could not swim. Bastards! I started to feel uncomfortable because of the joke. "

McClelland's reaction went along the lines of that and you're noted, but Ricksen smiles broadly, while the automated voice closes the story, it's an hour to compose.

& # 39 It makes me laugh even now.I think that I have contributed, by taking the pressure from everyone.This is my excuse anyway. "

A break for food creates the chance for photo 's with Ricksen, a row that goes back to the door I went to. There are requests to Ricksen's head, which periodically adjusts his wife, Veronika, to alleviate any stress. Ricksen lacks the ability of the muscle to do so, but many can not help embracing it.

There is an unpredictable sadness about Ricksen who has the ability to hear and see everything that unfolds in a room full of supporters standing in line to be photographed

& # 39; I am grateful that I have the machine, & # 39; he says. Before I had it, very little communication was possible, but this has made things different. It has opened new possibilities. I can do many things with it. "

The question about the value of the machine takes a few seconds to ask him, the answer takes 10 minutes to compose.

It would have taken 30 seconds to know that he has also calculated how much the machine can do for him, he has set up a system that allows him to receive and reply to WhatsApp messages and use his computer screen as a TV, downloads box sets, and uses the US-Canadian sci-fi series Stargate as the favorite

& # 39; He is the full techie & # 39 ;, says his friend and regular visitor, Pauline Glen, who is aware of Ricksen's limitations as any. "We know each other well and sometimes I forget him and I ask him for ten things when I arrive & # 39 ;, she says.

There is no disguise of the enormity of the challenge that a disease entails, which just struck when Ricksen thought he was confronted with it and struck down his demons.

Drink was the core of many of them. It was behind an argument with an air inspector when he returned from abroad with Rangers, who effectively ended his time in Glasgow.

The autobiography, Fighting Spirit, tells the story of how Zenit club doctor Dr. Sergey Poechov saw many players, including Ricksen, injected with "liquid preparations."

He says: & # 39; There were needles and syringes everywhere. Players hooked on drips, laughing. It looked like a secret laboratory. I was astonished. Doctor Pukhov stared at me from behind his desk. I smiled.

With the help of the Sporting Chance.

clinic, Ricksen defeated his drinking problem. By the summer of 2013 I spent four years with Veronika, who is Russian. Their daughter, Isabella, was born in 2011. They lived in the warmth of Valencia. Then I realized that something was wrong, initially with his speech. & # 39; I was different. I sounded like I was drunk. But I was absolutely not. "

He relates in his autobiography how he reduced his alcohol intake to two glasses of beer a week, but he also struggled with swallowing, being constantly tired, having trouble with most basic movements, like sweeping a cigarette lighter

The diagnosis came in October 2013, but the day before the follow-up consultation appeared on the Dutch television program From World Turning By (The World Goes On) to discuss the book.

& # 39; At the moment I have trouble talking & # 39 ;, he said on a terribly sad television set. & # 39; A month ago I went to the hospital They diagnosed me with MND

& # 39; More research is needed & # 39 ;, he says.

The requirement of Scottish doctors that it was not safe for him to make the trip home to Valencia hit Ricksen harder than anything. Friends say he has resisted for a while before he accepted that he would spend the rest of his life at St Andrew's Hospice in Airdrie.

& # 39; We try to live every minute & # 39 ;, says Veronika, who spends her time between Spain – where they want Isabella to be educated – and Scotland. & # 39; We have been together for 10 years and I know his illness every day. We can communicate with our eyes. We understand eachother. "

Ricksen is optimistic about what lies ahead, but not ready to let go of life." I am not afraid to die, "he says. & # 39; I've discussed euthanasia with my family, but I still enjoy being alive too much, I'm not ready yet, I can understand other people who feel different, but that's how I feel. too far in the future.

I had this week a tattoo of a lion in his neck inked

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[10wwfwrestlers-blog]

10 WWF Wrestlers

Living Planet Report by WWF on Biodiversity

The Wrestler is a heart wrenching tale of many a wrestler by way of the world of the skilled wrestling circuit, it tells the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a Wrestler who was one time on the top of his game, but now battling on the small time circuit to make ends meet, along together with his weekday job at a grocery store.

Among the wrestling scenes concerned in this circuit usually are not for the faint hearted, a few of it involves being stapled numerous occasions, (the scene the place the staples had been being eliminated was extraordinarily discomfiting) , a fork used on the forehead, and being dropped on to a table stuffed with glass, to name a couple of.

I heard Mickey Rourke as a consequence of his extraordinarily lifelike efficiency is to be invited to one of the key invents from WWE the place he'll wrestle, and I have to say the performance is mesmerizing, you immediately believe from his visage alone he has led a life the place the world has pounded non-cease on his physique, from the steroid injections to keep up his efficiency, to making an attempt to make amends together with his daughter Stephanie performed fantastically by Evan Rachel Wooden, and making an attempt his luck with an area stripper, who only sees him as a customer at first, but his lovable heart makes her realize he is one soft-hearted ram. Marisa Tomei performs the love interest, and I am not alone wondering how she has the physique of a young person regardless that she is approaching middle age.

In the course of the World Wrestling Federations heyday they had many different product vehicles. You could possibly buy buying and selling cards, lunch boxes, video video games, apparel, tickets, VHS tapes; you name it and you may just about assure that the WWF had a product for it. Again within the eighty's you'll find many overt promos for all of those merchandise. Fifteen second spots would air promoting the merchandise, the announcers would have them, fans with the product would be proven on TV and even the wrestlers themselves would carry the product or "gimmicks" to the ring.

While many of those merchandise nonetheless exist, the very best sellers for the company are T-shirts, video video games, & wrestling figures. And the promoting of these merchandise is extra tongue and cheek than previously, as regular mentions are brought about in a comical manner.

Taping Format

These days on Monday nights the WWE tapes a one hour internet and foreign market show named Heat, followed by the 2 hour stay edition of Monday Evening Uncooked. On tuesdays ECW is taped and is immediately adopted by a taping of Friday Night Smackdown. As you'll be able to see, every taping consists of one week of TV for 2 completely different shows.

The previous format was drastically completely different. Utilizing long blocks, the WWF would run TELEVISION tapings for four+ hours. Typically they would tape four one hour episodes again to back, every episode representing per week's worth of TV. Many wrestlers would appear three or four times per present. Obviously this would grow to be just a little tedious for the fans in attendance. As was the norm, the vast majority of the tapings included the aforementioned "jobber" matches. On prime of this they might also normally tape one or two matches that were exclusive to the WWF's home video tape library, Colosseum Video.

Objectives of TV

The construction for the enterprise was totally different back then than it is today. For instance, today's WWE tv is geared towards rankings & PPV buy rates. In the past, whereas vital, rankings weren't as big of a priority. The main income sources for the WWF got here by way of house show (off TELEVISION shows held in native cities) and in PPV revenue. The standard for at this time options not less than two large matches per TELEVISION. Within the mid eighty's there would usually be a set of jobber matches, matches during which huge title stars had been positioned towards no-name talent, with the stars set to get "put over" or to destroy these no-name wrestlers on a weekly foundation. This method would occasionally change, in most cases in the course of the WWF's late saturday night time NBC hit dubbed Saturday's Evening Principal Occasion.

Hulk Hogan is a ring identify for Terry Gene Bollea. He is knowledgeable wrestler born in eleventh August 1953. He's the son of a construction foreman, Peter Bollea and his mom is a housewife and dance trainer. He started his wrestling profession at sixteen years previous. He's at the moment signed to the "Whole Nonstop Action Wrestling".

Hulk Hogan's biography includes a lengthy hierarchy of his involvement in the wrestling business. He first showed interest when he was learning at Hillsborough Neighborhood College and University of South Florida. He did not graduate with a degree; as an alternative devoted extra of his time in a local gymnasium. He got encouragement from the gymnasium's two house owners and frolicked wrestling on small circuits.

His expertise was seen by Vincent McMahon in 1979 and he gave Bollea the golden probability to hitch WWF. His nickname Hulk Hogan was instructed by McMahon as he has bodily resemblance to Incredible Hulk. He won a match against Andre the Big in 1980 and that made Sylvester Stallone casted him in his film "Rocky III".

Bollea was then awarded the WWF championship belt in 1984 attributable to his outstanding defeat of Iron Sheik. He earned the nickname "Hulkamania" from his fans and in 1985 he began taking lead roles in a couple of films 80's WWF wrestlers Where Are They Now included "No Holds Barred" in 1989, "Mr. Nanny" in 1983 and "Santa with Muscle tissues" in 1996. When WWF was accused of giving steroids to its wrestlers, he had to terminate his movie and wrestling professions.

Hulk Hogan's biography continued with him making a return appearance some time later with the image of "Hollywood Hogan". From there he slowly gained his earlier success. He published an autobiography in 2002 and revealed his household life within the series "Hogan Knows Greatest". The present uncovered a lot of his life including parenting challenges and permitting his daughter to go on dates. He faced the greatest adversity when his son bought concerned in a automobile crash and at that same month his wife filed for a divorce, ending their 24-yr marriage. His intention to reconcile was not responded by his spouse.

Nevertheless, Bollea continued his working career. He co-hosted the "American Gladiators" with Laila Ali in January 2008. He then turned the manager producer and host of "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling". Currently, he's staying along with his daughter in Clearwater, Florida. His daughter is now starring in her own collection, "Brooke Is aware of Greatest".

In October 2006, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released its annual 'Living Planet Report' - detailing the global impression on pure sources and the declining numbers of animal species which might be dependent upon them. It additionally supplied solutions on learn how to reverse the downward traits in these areas. This 12 months's report additionally explores the affect of human exercise on the planet and concludes that the world's natural ecosystems are being run down at a price by no means seen before in human historical past.

The 'Residing Planet Report' makes the terrifying inference that the world's inhabitants of vertebrate species have declined by a 3rd since 1970, thus confirming the worst of human fears: that humanity is utilizing up the planet's assets at a a lot quicker charge than which they can be produced. Carter S. Roberts, President and CEO of the WWF, commented:

"The bottom line of this report could not be more clear - for twenty years we have lived our lives in a method that far exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth. The choices we make in the present day will shape the chances for the generations which observe us. The fact that we live past our means in our use of natural resources will surely limit opportunities for future generations to follow.

In actual fact, the USA, as the world's foremost consumer society, is seen to be at the forefront of what the WWF report calls 'useful resource overshoot' - the usage of more resources than is sustainable by the planet. This makes it all the extra important for establishments in the USA - together with the government, mother and father and lecturers - to teach our kids (the "future generations" that Roberts talks about) with such concern of exactly how dangerous human behaviour could be to the planet.

In an try to attempt to educate children, there has, to date been a wide range of efforts made by totally different sources on how best to preserve the environment for future life. For example, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) runs a children's instructional useful resource called TUNZA, which aims to work in partnership with children across the world in an effort to equip them with the instruments needed to take care of the atmosphere for their very own children in flip.

As foyer groups and environmental organisations continue to push governments across the world into taking drastic measures to curb the acceleration of world warming, it is perhaps truthful to say that different environmental issues could also be at risk of being pushed apart. Individuals have to do not forget that climate change will not be the one scourge to the well being of our planet; the protection of endangered species, for example, stays a paramount concern to many individuals intent on the preservation of pure wildlife internationally.

What makes a species 'endangered'? Generally talking, a species might be stated to be in peril of extinction whether it is few in number or threatened by altering environmental or predation parameters. The 20th century saw the importance of defending sure species from extinction - significantly with the pioneering efforts of organisations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has been protecting endangered species since its inception in 1961.

The UN estimates that just about 100 species are lost every day - a staggering statistic. The key species protected by teams just like the WWF include: tigers, nice whales, marine turtles, elephants, gorillas, of which fewer than 650 are left, and big pandas, of which solely 800 are estimated to exist in the wild at the moment.

Nonetheless, these are only a selection of the 1000's of endangered species that exist internationally. Their survival is essential for plenty of reasons - including that they function umbrella species; because of this their survival additionally helps quite a few different species that live in the identical habitats.

The early efforts of organisations like the WWF have been important in passing essential legislation for the safety of endangered species; this includes the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in America, which was designed to protect plant and animal species from changing into extinct. Since this time, world consciousness of the importance of defending endangered species has skyrocketed. Within the late Nineties, high road outlets started to see the significance of animal protection - retailers like The Body Shop, for example, designed a complete vary of merchandise on the protection of endangered species, and noticed their recognition enhance dramatically.

Climate change is a natural technique of the earth, any mammoth or dinosaur would have the ability to let you know that, nonetheless the rate at which it's at present happening is unnatural. If you have been to consider a course of your physique goes through when a mosquito bites you; you get an itchy-chew, for a few days have a small crimson bump after which ultimately it goes away. It is a natural course of if it was left alone. However we do not depart issues alone; in reality people have a repute of development, change, development and get entangled in issues when maybe generally issues should just be left alone. So we itch, we scratch, we infect. The itchy-bite turns an angry pink and develops into one thing much more severe than it ought to have been.

The year 2010 is the Worldwide 12 months of Biodiversity, the yr that new species continue to be found, however there are extra tigers in captivity than there are within the wild. Here in Africa our trademark beast, king of the jungle, the lion is now an endangered species, with experts predicting its extinction in 20 years. These are events occurring in our life-time.

Based on the Living Planet report in 2007 alone man-sort used 2 planets worth of resources. We already over-shoot the biocapacity of our planet by 50% in 2007 and the carbon footprint has increased by 11 fold since 1961. seventy one countries are experiencing stress on blue water sources and right here in South Africa we are already predicting water-shortage issues and some rural and small cities are already experiencing them.

As per the ripple effect, biodiversity loss has an influence on ecosystems, inflicting injury, degrading and ultimately main to a whole collapse. Threats of habitat loss, alteration and fragmentation, over-exploitation of untamed species populations, air pollution, local weather change and invasive species in flip destroy the providers that ecosystems give humans for free; regulating services of pure processes, comparable to water filtration, waste decomposition, climate regulation and crop pollination. Services corresponding to support for regulation of primary ecological functions and processes for example nutrient biking, photosynthesis and soil formation.

[mudcosmetics-blog]

MY favorite teacher; MUD LA

Ray Shaffer

When you ask anyone about Ray Shaffer, industry profession or student will tell you is the kindest, most genuine, and hard working man they know. He is the gentleman of this profession. His road to makeup wasn't a direct course, but that's what has made him an excellent artist and a phenomenal teacher.

"I was born at the Submarine Base in Groton, CT. My Dad was in the Navy at the time and worked on nuclear submarines. Part of my childhood was very residential, and part of it was moving around a lot because I was part of a navy and a coast guard family.

I first got interested in makeup when I was very very young. My Mom still is a nurse. She's been a trauma nurse for about 54 years, and she's finally going to retire this spring. She used to work the 3-11 shift at St. Vincent's Hospital. She would get off work around midnight or so, and come home to get me out of bed to watch Mission Impossible reruns together. There were lots of disguises in the show and my head just smoked at the idea that people could be different people. My Dad, who really wasn't into monster movies, but when I was 5 or 6 he would stay up with me to watch the Creature Feature at night. That was really cool because he's a very down to earth guy and monsters really weren't his thing."

Your first introduction to practical makeup came in the friendly familiar form.

"I remember when I was 12 or so, Dick Smith had a Monster Makeup Kit that you could buy at toy stores. I was saving up from my paper route to buy it, and I would go into KB toy store and look at it longingly. My birthday is in October and I was hoping to have it in time for Halloween, but I knew I was going to be a few bucks short. Well on my birthday my grandparents came over. My Grandpa drove a big green Chrysler, and I was feeling bummed when he called me over to it. He pulled out a box and he had bought me the Dick Smith Makeup Kit!

Basically it was vaccuform molds that you could make your own appliances on out of gelatin, although Dick called it flesh flags. He was looking for something easy to use and relatively non toxic, which it was. The whole heating it up thing was a little weird. You probably couldn't get away with that now. But the first makeups or appliances I did were out of the Dick Smith Kit. Later on I found Stage Makeup by Richard Corson in the library and that put me up on a different level.

I remember the first appliance makeup I ever tried to do on my own was a Rocky makeup. I was 14 or 15 trying to recreate the boxer damage makeup. I remember being very happy with it at the time. Then I lost the pictures, but I'm very glad because it was probably awful. It was a lot of fun. Later I remember what a thrill it was to meet Mike Westmore when he came out to MUD to talk. He had been the makeup artist on the first few Rocky movies, and on First Blood and Raging Bull, and all these cool films, plus Star Trek. It was really cool!

So how did you turn your interest in makeup into a career?

"I started out wanting to act. I'd always loved makeup, but being from the east coast, I may as well have being talking about being a rocket scientist or being a ping pong player in China. I didn't understand enough about the field to figure out how to make that happen. I wanted to be an actor, so I used makeup to augment my range as an actor. I'm a pretty unique looking guy. So unless I just wanted to wave a steak knife, or be the guy yelling "die grandma die", I needed a little help to make me believable as other characters.

In the course of working in theater in college, I was working on a play called a reconstruction. It's where you take a classic text and rearrange it. It's usually experimental theater. My college did Hamlet, and my roommate was playing Hamlet's Father. Our director had the idea in his rebelling of it to make him a Viking Chieftain. And what do they do when a they die, but put them in a funeral pyre. So we needed to have this crispy critter corpse kind of guy. A role like that is an awful lot for a 20 year old actor to wrap his head around. He tried different things, but wasn't happy with what he was doing. So I built the mask for him.

I remember him putting it on and staring in the mirror and being very very quiet about it. When you see your face burnt down to the skull the whole idea of how much you've been violated hits you. That night at rehearsal he was a whole different cat! I remember him walking off the stage and hugged me. I was so emotionally overwhelmed by that, that it was probably at the point I jumped ship. I felt I was doing better work influencing other performers than I was enjoying acting myself."

"I sort of dividde my career into East Coast and West Coast. My first prosthetic makeup job ever was in a theater in Massachusetts. I remember they thought I could age a whole cast for $50. I did it! I ended up having to augment it with cotton and latex.

My first job on the west coast was for Rob Burman. It's funny because it just got released! Andrew Gettty who was the grandson of John Paul Getty was a sort of auteur. He wanted to be a film director. He had some very nightmarish visions and he tried to write a narrative around it. Basically he picked away at this film for a long time. He would shoot it a little bit, then he would get upset and stop, then he'd start again with a different crew...and so on and so forth. He passed about 2 years ago or so and his estate had the work completed since he was in post production, and just released it on dvd and video on demand. It's called The Evil Within. There was some creepy stuff in there. There was a spider that was stitched together from human body parts. Lots of practical gags and lots of in camera tricks, things with perspective. I'm not sure if there was any cg at all. But that was my first film. That was also my first job for Rob Berman."

Eventually you made a transition from practical or teaching.

"I came out to the west coast in the summer of 2000, and I worked intermittently then continually was a makeup artist and primarily as a lab technician. Which means I made molds, I did hair work, I did castings, sometimes when the sun shone in the right direction I even sculpted. I did that for 10 years. In the late 2000's, a lot of things really depressed the film industry. SAG went on strike, and the the WGA went on strike. And then the banks crashed, and I navigated that as best I could but nobody was working.

I had to look for another opportunity. Also around this time my mother started getting sick. Mom is a tank so I knew if something was wrong with Mom then I wanted to be there. So I went back to the east coast to try to be of use to my family. In the course of wanting to stay busy I was going through Craig's List, and there was an ad the MUD NY was looking for instructors. At the time I didn't even know MUD had a campus in NY. So I contacted them.

I know that I'm a patient guy, and I hoped that I'd be descent at teaching. I was surprised by how much I loved it! There was an adjustment. It's challenging to take 20 people who are all at different motivation levels, ability levels, artistic levels and to guide them as a unit through things they sometimes don't believe they can do. So there is a learning curve. What started out as something I wanted to try, turned out to be something I love very very much. I think of friends back home who are knocking rust off of boats and making t shirts and working in fast food stores, and I've got the best job on planet earth.

With having a career sculpting, molding, applying, and painting, what part of the process is your favorite?

"What do I love doing? I love sculpture and molding. What is it that I love about makeup? I just love the whole idea that we can make things that never existed before. That you can sit down with a motivated actor and a little artistic vision and hard work, you can take a bag of cement and a block of wax clay and turn that into people, and species and creatures that the world has never seen before. It's so creative and only limited by your skill set and your imagination. And there's not a lot of that left in the world anymore. Everything is prepackaged. For us to be able to make something that is so unique individual in this world is something else."

What has changed about the industry from your perspective?

"I think computers have become a bigger part of it but even that is cyclic. Now there's a big push back. I think makeup and computers are both awesome tools, provided they are used appropriately for their strengths. If I use a hammer to hammer a nail it's a wonderful tool. If I use a hammer to saw a table in half, it's sort of a mess.

When all of the changes started happening was when Avatar came out. That scared the begezus out of all of us. There had been fun cg characters for some time, but Avaatar was the first instance where a director could look through the viewfinder on the camera and in front of him was people in motion capture suits. In real time he was seeing blue kitty people in the jungle. Basically when everyone saw that it was a huge hit, it freaked everyone out. Everyone making films at the time stopped and went into turn around. They wanted to evaluate this new option, and there was only one studio in the world that was doing work that good, WETA. Other studios caught up, but it took a while and meantime nobody was working.

There was a time when every action or adventure film you saw was just filled with lots of cartoons. Then there was almost a backlash against it. People were tired of watching confused looking actors standing around monsters that clearly aren't there. The Star Wars Prequels are a great example. People standing around in a green room looking confused. I think people missed what makeup brought to performances. I think the physical space that they fill on screen. There's a real tangible quality to them. If you look at the cast of Phantom Menace, they are clearly great actors but you look at how they struggled in that movie. Then you look at a movie like Alien, you have Sigourney Weaver in a real space with a guy in costume in a smokey alley with smile dribbling on her, that affects your performance.

Great makeups in your presence effect your performance. All the sudden you feel like you're in the presence of an alien, or a senator from another planet in a way that someone standing talking to a mark on the wall does not. They're effecting in a way that cg often does not. It's nice to see it come back. I think everything runs in cycles. In some ways opportunities have declined, and in other ways they have not. There are far more people making movies now a days, whether it's a YouTube movie, netflicks, a feature, a low budget thing. In some ways there seems to be more work."

And what does the future hold?

"I would be happy teaching as long as MUD is happy having me. I would be happy sculpting and making makeups. I'm getting better and look forward to continuing getting better all the time. There are things I think that are good or bad, but there's always improvement that can be made."

What advice do you want to share for makeup artists?

"Work hard and don't quit. I know that sounds like such a stereotype. A lot of these pieces of advice you hear so often that they lose their meaning but I've seen wonderfully talented people not succeed when they only need to try a little built harder and not quit. A lot of time common sense and a work ethic are super powers. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it.

If I have no other gift, I hope a teacher I have a gift to help someone who's straight out of high school, or wherever they are in life believe that they can get through a sculpture. And then they can get through fiberglass. And if you keep on trying doors will open. All luck is is your preparation meeting the right opportunity. So don't quit and believe you can do it. The whole idea of being able to make something from nothing is very empowering. Rob Burman used to say, "once you learn you can make stuff, you're never the same again"."  

[weekendsinmaine]

I jumped in again and am now a proud two-time survivor of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I learned from last year that the majority of my time would be spent visiting and engaging with other bloggers. I didn’t want to have something as pesky as actually writing a blog post get in the way which means that this annual one month challenge was in reality an intense two month process.

I researched, wrote and prepped everything in March while in April, other than some minor edits, I focused on all the social aspects of the challenge which is one of my favorite parts.

Click on any picture to jump to a slide show with hyperlinks to my A to Z Challenge Post associated with that image.

A is for Atayne | Even a couch potato needs good performance gear.

B is for Baxter’s Fine Candies | They knew how to do candy right in the 1800s.

C is for Carved Wooden Spoons | 7 tips to keep them forever young.

D is for Dr. Dandelion | Will this gardener’s scrub turn my thumb green?

E is for Eagre Games | Get ready to experience the dream world of ZED.

F is for Flight Deck Brewing | We love (really love) our craft beer in Maine.

G is for Good Natured Brand | Facing mosquito season with Bugaroo and no fear.

H is for Highland Maple Pepper | Maple makes everything taste better.

I is for Islandport Press | Stories connected to New England.

J is for Jarva Cakes | Delicious things come in small packages.

K is for Kendrick | scrappy little nobody | 10% defiant should be everyone’s goal.

L is for LooHoo | Add some fun to your laundry routine with wool dryer balls.

M is for Might & Main | A design firm that understands my passion for Maine.

N is for Northwoods Gourmet Girl | The special joy of a blueberry dessert sauce.

O is for October Fields | Finding my zen with clean burning soy candles.

P is for Pike’s Original Maine Garden Hod | Practical and Beautiful.

Q is for Mainely Quilling | I am in awe of these paper creations.

R is for Recycled Lobster Rope Mats | No better way to say “Welcome to my home”.

S is for Stringin’ Along with Me | Giving new life to old guitar strings.

T is for Tree + Vine | Costumes that match a child’s imagination.

U is for U. Smelly Dog | Now my dog is going to smell better than I do.

V is for Vintage Maine Kitchen | Creatively flavored all natural potato chips.

W is for Waldostone Farm | Elevating brunch with a bloody lobster cocktail.

X is for Xtreme Conditions | STABILicers Maxx make winter hiking a breeze.

Y is for Younity | Want to try a blueberry wine? You’ve come to the right state.

Z is for Zeitgeist Factory | Using concrete in unexpected ways.

Many of my goals for participating in the challenge were similar to those that I set last year including:

Expand My Content. I recently hit a few milestones on my blog including my first year anniversary and my hundredth post. Just as I celebrated completing my first A to Z challenge, I continue to be proud of and celebrate all the milestones I achieve on my site which now includes being a two-timer for the A to Z.

Write Consistently. I am excited that I have successfully  maintained a regular and consistent blogging schedule (for the most part) but nothing compares to writing 26 days of content in one month. It’s always an adjustment to transition back to a normal blogging schedule but I always approach it with more inspiration after the challenge.

Improve My Writing. I’m confident this goal will remain no matter how long I continue to write. There is never an end to getting better at writing. However, practice does help! This challenge improves my writing skills in two ways – all the writing that I do and all the reading that I do. I love stumbling upon other bloggers during the challenge who have fun, creative writing styles and engaging posts.

Highlight Maine. While I had focused on Maine for last year’s challenge too, this year I drilled down and picked one specific area: Made in Maine. I enjoyed researching and learning more about my theme and it helped me build up another area of my site so it was a double win.

Connect with Other Bloggers.  This is without a doubt my absolutely favorite thing about the blogging challenge. Getting to meet, engage with and learn from other bloggers. It was a little more difficult this year without the Linky List to visit every site as each letter had a new “list” to choose from and in the end I think a lot of those I connected with happened to have similar posting schedules to me so I was able to find them easier. But still, I did meet some awesome bloggers who I will continue to follow and support.

I took a few days off to enjoy achieving another successful year of participating in the A to Z Blogging challenge, but now it’s time to figure out what comes next as I continue to work on expanding and growing my blog.

As I finish up this recap, I wanted to again thank all my fellow bloggers for the support and encouragement they provided during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. As always, it motivated me and helped me stay on track. It really makes a difference when you know someone is actually reading and engaging with your posts. Thank you!

  #atozchallenge | Reflections of a two timer and what comes next. #blogchallenge I jumped in again and am now a proud two-time survivor of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

[mikumanogi-blog]

2021-09-28 “You worked hard today☺︎” Hayakawa Seira blog [ENG]

Everyone, hello!

I’m 21-year-old Hayakawa Seira from Osaka. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance☺︎

Recently it’s been chilly every day and so today I decided to eat hot pot.

 Last week I wanted to have hot pot and so I bought nappa cabbage but I was busy everyday and before I realized the cabbage went soft. Cry. ‘But it’ll all be the same when I eat it’ I thought and so I cooked it anyways!

 Last week we appeared on a lot of song programs.

 NHK-san’s ‘utakon’ TV Asahi-san’s ‘Music station’ Nippon TV san’s “Buzz Rhythm 02’

They were all really fun! Thank you very much.

 Everyone, did you watch them??

 Recently my hair has grown longer, I’ve been challenging a lot of different hair styles.

 Everyone, what hair style do you like?

If you want, you can let me know ^ ^

I love Rei-chan starting here solo concert backstage.

The promotion period for the 28th single will be starting soon! I need to focus during the time we have remaining and do my best. Please look after us!

 Next, on Monday, we had our first online meet and greet in a while. To everyone that came, thank you very much!

I’m so glad that I was able to see everyone’s face for the first time in a while.

There was some trouble, and I was late to some slots but I was able to have fun and talk with everyone until the very end!

Thank you very much to everyone that spent a long time waiting in line.

 This time I wore

 1st slot: Love is lacking t-shirt

2nd slot: big sister wearing a knit vest & glasses

3rd slot: big sister wearing a stripped shirt & Alice band

4th slot: white cardigan & ponytail

5th slot: an encore of the ‘love is lacking’ t-shirt

This time I got my revenge, and a lot of people were wearing my birthday t-shirt! I was really happy〜

Thank you ☺︎

Next, somehow, the national event participation limited tickets 1st round for ‘online meet and greet’ are until today, Tuesday September 28th, at 23:59!

The way to apply is through the inserted CD bonus and going to the site printed on the URL or QR code on the ‘National event participation ticket or special present recruitment ticket’. After that you need to input the serial code printed on the ticket to apply!

 I’m looking forward to talking with everyone! Recently I have been talking a lot about my recent activities, if you like, I’d love to talk and listen to everyone, so please tell me your hobbies 〜^ ^

Anyone can register for this event with ease! I’ll definitely be waiting〜

https://www.nogizaka46.com/smph/news/2021/09/post-210906103.php

↑Please check out the details here ☺︎

The other day, after the online meet and greet I appeared as the regular MC on ‘Radirer! Sunday’!

Did you listen to it??

 Recently I’ve been less nervous on the Radio, but this was my first time as MC so I was a little nervous. However, all the program’s staff Fujimori-san, Yoshimura-san, and all the listeners helped alleviate those nerves and it was able to be a very fun time.

I’m, glad I received a lot of mail!

From here on I’m going to borrow everyone’s strength and deliver to you a wonderful time, I’m going to do my best!

Please continue to look after me〜

The answer to the quiz, I wonder what it is? =(^.^)=

Everyone please try and get the right answer!

 Also, speaking of radio! Last week I appeared on ‘Cleanpa! Presents Sato Matsuharu’s do not disturb radio’

It’s the first time I talked with Satomitsu san since right after the 27th single senbatsu announcement, it’s really been a while.

 We talked about the 28th single, hobbies, music, and various other genres but stomitsu listened to everything I talked about and I was relaxed and was able to have fun talking ^ ^

It was a lovely time 〜!

To everyone that listened in, thank you so very much.

 After all, talking is a lot of fun.

 Which means, tomorrow, late night I’ll be appearing on ‘Nogizaka46’s all night nippon’ and so if you like please listen-in ^ ^

Also I’ll be appearing with Ayamen on ‘Nekojita SHOWROOM’! I’m excited.

 I’m going to do my best tomorrow!

Everyone let’s have fun together(*´-`)

☀︎���︎☀︎☀︎annaouncements☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎ ☀︎ Nogizaka46’s 28th single ‘Kimi ni Shikarareta’ is now on sale! It successfully released last week! Thank you for all the support

https://youtu.be/1_oWkusqP4Q

↑「Kimi ni Shikarareta」MV

https://youtu.be/rZiqc7OeKZg

↑「Moshimo Kokoro ga Toumei nara」MV

 -EVENT-

☀︎TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2021 October 3rd. Sunday October 3rd ast 19:20-19:50, Zepp DiverCity (Tokyo) we’ll be appearing on the HOT STAGE! Let definitely have fun together ^ ^ Please look after us.

https://official.idolfes.com/s/tif2021/?ima=0559

↑details can be found here!

☀︎「J-WAVE INNOVATION WORLD FESTA 2021 supported by CHINTAI」Saturday October 9th and Sunday October 10th. I appear as a regular on the radio program, INNOVATION WORLD, and for the event I’ll be appearing as a general moderator! A lot of innovators and artists will be there so if you’re interested, please make sure to participate.

https://www.j-wave.co.jp/iwf2021/

↑please check out the details here!

Thank you very much.

 -TV-

☀︎Nogizaka Star Tanjou! 2nd season. Nippon TV Monday October 11th 25:29. It’s a tv show where the 4th generation members are challenged to sing hit songs from the Showa and Heisei era. The last broadcast was the final episode but the show will continue in the second season!

Thank you very much to everyone that watches. The second season will not only have the 4th generation members sing hit songs but the senior members will also be appearing I want to power up and do my best, please continue to look after me!

https://www.ntv.co.jp/nogistar/

↑details are here

 -Live Stream-

☀︎Nekojita SHOWROOM

Wednesday September 29th, 19:00, Tsutsui Ayame-chan and I will both be appearing! It’s been a while since I’ve done Nekojita SHOWROOM, and so I’m really looking forward to ti. Please check it out ☺︎ Thank you.

https://www.showroom-live.com/nekojita

Tomorrow ↑you can watch it here!

 -Radio-

☀︎The Hit Studio Every Wednesday at 24:00 on MBS Radio. Next time will be the last time. This program always had a warm atmosphere and I really loved it. I’ll be lonely but if you like I’d be glad if you listened until the very end. Recently our theme has been trending topics! Of course, the people in Kansai and in other regions can listen to it on ‘radiko’.

http://radiko.jp/share/?t=20210923000000&sid=MBS

↑If you like you can listen to last weeks broadcast here ^ ^

☀︎ Nogizaka46’s All Night Nippon, Nippon broadcast, Wednesday September 29th 25:00.

I haven’t been on since July! I’m looking forward to talking with Shinuchi-san ^ ^ Thank you very much.

https://radiko.jp/share/?sid=LFR&t=20210930010000

Tomorrow↑You can listen to it here.

 ☀︎INNOVATION WORLD (KYOCERA TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE) J-Wave, Every week on Fridays around 21:40. This time Tohoku University Vice President and Library director Noriko Osumi will be doing a lecture. The topic of this lecture will be on ‘the direction of neuroscience’. The amazing professor can picture all the students close together ^ ^ please make sure to listen.

http://radiko.jp/share/?t=20210924200000&sid=FMJ

↑Last week’s broadcast is here!

☀︎ Radirer! Sunday, NHK Radio 1, Sunday October 3rd 20:05. Next time the 3rd generation members Ito Riria-san and Yoda Yuuki-san will be appearing! It’ll be a continuation of last week’s, Thank you very much ^ ^

https://www.nhk.or.jp/radirer/

↑I’ll be waiting for your mail!

 -Magazine-

☀︎blt graph. On sale now

I was able to publish a solo gravure! Iwamoto Renka-san is on the cover. The photoshoot was really bright, I also had the opportunity to wear an outfit I don’t usually wear, a pink one-piece dress. It was a lot of fun!

 ☀︎ EX Taishu, on sale Friday October 15th.

The photoshoot this time, I was able to do a lot of my favorite things! Gardening and frying Takoyaki! It’s been a while since I’ve done a photoshoot for EX Taishu-san and so I was really glad to be doing one again ^ ^ please check it out when it goes on sale.

 !!!! The Unreliable Q&A!!!!

·         Seira-chan, recently, what is one of your favorite cosmetics?

→Recently I’ve been really liking CLINIQUE-san’s ‘clinique cheek pop flower pallet’ that I got form Mayu-tan as a birthday present ^ ^ Recently I’ve been mainly using it on the song programs! Thank you, Mayu-tan, love you

 Unreliable

·         What’s your favorite flower?

→Lisianthus

Unreliable

 ·         When watching foreign films are you a subtitle person or a dub person?

→Subtitles are the only way!

Unreliable

 ·         Tell my Sera’s Kichen’s number one recommendation!

→Omelet ^ ^

Unreliable

 ·         What should one do to become a sweet potato artisan?

→Potato digger! I want to go dig up potatoes!

Unreliable

 The end!

 As always thank you for all the comments. Doesn’t matter how small, feel free to comment whatever in the comments!

 Ah! I got the job of taking care of a new kokedama plant, I’m taking names ^ ^ If you’d like you can become a godfather! I’ll be waiting ^ ^

 Which means, thank you for reading until the very end!

Bye for now〜^ ^

 2021.9.28 Serra

 https://blog.nogizaka46.com/seira.hayakawa/2021/09/063258.php