Meditation is Good and Helpful and Doesn’t Require All That Woo-Woo Mysticism

Meditation is Good and Helpful and Doesn’t Require All That Woo-Woo Mysticism

When we asked Dr. Darshan Mehta, Medical Director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Boston and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, about the image problem that meditation had, he knew exactly what we were talking about. As he points out, when media outlets write about meditation, it tends to be accompanied by a photo or illustration of a glowing, athletic white woman in a particular yoga pose. This tendency is kind of funny, sure, but it also conveys that unless you look like that, you can’t meditate.

Not so. Laura House, a comedian, writer, podcaster, and meditation instructor, explains that anyone can learn to meditate, reduce stress, and find more calm in their lives. It doesn’t necessitate any religious beliefs or New Age philosophy.

Dr. Mehta walks us through the medical side of it and how it helps blood pressure levels and recurrence of depression. It can also give your immune system help as it broadly reduces inflammation of cells and tissue.

Listen to Tiny Victories here or on the podcatcher of your choice. Visit Laura House's website and follow her on Twitter @imlaurahouse. Find out more about the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at their website here.

Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.

Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.

Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

The Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/

John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is available here.

Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.

John is on Twitter @johnmoe.

Avsnitt(278)

Griffin Newman with Co-Stars Depression, Anxiety, Comedy, Lousy Bikes, The Tick, Kevin Costner, and Woody Allen

Griffin Newman with Co-Stars Depression, Anxiety, Comedy, Lousy Bikes, The Tick, Kevin Costner, and Woody Allen

You’ll notice that this episode is longer than most of our episodes. That’s just the way it tends to go with Griffin Newman. Episodes of his own podcast, Blank Check, regularly clock in at more than t...

9 Aug 20211h 22min

Song Imploder with A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers feat. Anxiety and Depression

Song Imploder with A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers feat. Anxiety and Depression

In this Song Imploder edition of our show (borrowing a format from the podcast Song Exploder), Carl (who records as A.C.) Newman walks us through “Whiteout Conditions”, a song created when his sister ...

2 Aug 202146min

Depression, Anxiety, and Devil Horns: Chelsea Ursin Saves Her Soul with Rock n’ Roll

Depression, Anxiety, and Devil Horns: Chelsea Ursin Saves Her Soul with Rock n’ Roll

Rock music isn’t a cure for depression or anxiety. You can’t wail away on “Smoke on the Water” and have all your mental difficulties melt away. That would be awesome, sure, but that’s not how it works...

26 Juli 202152min

Kelly Williams Brown Has Bad Times With Mental Health, Physical Health, and Marriage But Better Times With Crafts

Kelly Williams Brown Has Bad Times With Mental Health, Physical Health, and Marriage But Better Times With Crafts

You can tell a lot about Kelly Williams Brown’s life by looking at her multiple bowls of tiny origami. Her “lucky stars” are folded in a pattern that Kelly learned and then repeated over and over and ...

19 Juli 202156min

“Hey, Topics! You’re Not So Tough! Wait! Ow! Yes You Are!” with Anna Sale

“Hey, Topics! You’re Not So Tough! Wait! Ow! Yes You Are!” with Anna Sale

It’s much easier to talk about the weather than it is about mental health. We all know this. Because it’s a lot easier to face the idea of a rainy day than the idea of a mental disorder that might las...

12 Juli 202145min

Joel Kim Booster Is In A Pit

Joel Kim Booster Is In A Pit

It’s tempting to try to look for a reason why Joel Kim Booster, ordinarily a very funny and engaging person, feels dead inside, trapped in a persistent depressive state. His father recently died of CO...

5 Juli 202150min

Eating Disorders, What We Knew Before and What We Know Now, with Alexandra Paul

Eating Disorders, What We Knew Before and What We Know Now, with Alexandra Paul

Alexandra Paul wasn’t allowed sugar as a kid but she snuck it anyway, not for the taste but for the comfort it provided. As a teen, Alexandra’s modeling and acting careers were going great. Her relati...

28 Juni 20211h

Grief Feels Like You’re Losing Your Mind. But ARE You?

Grief Feels Like You’re Losing Your Mind. But ARE You?

When a loved one dies, the world can become chaos. Everything has changed. The way you drive a car, the way food tastes, the way you even talk to people can feel different and wrong and weird. It feel...

21 Juni 202149min

Populärt inom Komedi

mellan-himmel-och-jord-med-jlc
ursakta
alex-sigges-podcast
den-som-skrattar-forlorar-podcast-2
jocke-jonna-sanningen-maste-fram
hogt-i-tak-2
gynning-berg
filip-fredrik-svarar
mardromsgasten
skaringer-nessvold
fordomspodden
rss-vafalls
alla-goda-ting-ar-tre
kafferepet
killradet
da-ar-vi-igang
filip-fredrik-podcast
rss-vastgotapodden
hor-har
flashback-forever