The New York Times reported on August 15th 2010 that David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, says that studying what happens when we step away from our devices and rest our brains — in particular, how attention, memory and learning are affected — is important science.

“Attention is the holy grail,” Mr. Strayer says.

“Everything that you’re conscious of, everything you let in, everything you remember and you forget, depends on it.”

See the article here.

This is exciting because scientists are recognizing that awareness is important. There is more recognition that restful activities such as meditation, time spent in nature and taking an afternoon nap can improve memory and brain functionality. In fact the experts have gone further than that to say that too much digital stimulation can actually impair functionality.

For example, Dr Strayer says in the NYT article that on a day-to-day basis, too much digital stimulation can “take people who would be functioning O.K. and put them in a range where they’re not psychologically healthy.”

Vital Switch is excited to be promoting activities which do improve functionality, such as meditation, awareness tools, afternoon relaxation techniques, creativity workshops and more.

Upcoming Events

• New York Meditation Meetup: August 19, 2010 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
• Toronto, Canada. Free Talk: Meditation & Writing, Unblocking the Creative Flow. October 19, 2010. 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Toronto, Canada. Free Talk: Meditation as a Pathway to BE more in your Life. October 20, 2010. 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
• Toronto, Canada. One-Day Workshop: Creative Freedom, Experience your True Self through Writing, Meditation & Movement. October 24, 2010. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Chicago, Il. USA. Weekend Meditation Workshop, November 6 to 7th, 2010
• Toronto, Canada. Weekend Meditation Workshop, November 13 to 14th, 2010.

You have received this email because you subscribed to the Vital Switch newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please send us an email with the words “UNSUBSCRIBE ME” in the subject line.

We hope you are enjoying the Summer.

Best Wishes
Samantha Keen
Vital Switch

Vital Switch meditation news includes:

* The New York Meditation Meetup,
* Samantha in Toronto, Canada,
* The biggest thing in the night sky right now.

New York Meditation Meetup 7/22

The New York Meditation Meetup group has been vibrant and active over recent months. The meetings have been filled with interesting New Yorkers who want to know more about meditation and who like to sit with others.

The next meeting is Thursday, July 22, 2010 7:00 PM - 8:30PM at the Vital Switch office, 80 E11th (corner Broadway) NY, NY. 10003.

Please register online or call Samantha on 206.954.1717 if you are interested in coming along.

Samantha in Toronto 7/25 - 8/2

Samantha is returning to Toronto, Canada later this month July 25th to August 2nd. There will be a one-day workshop for those who have completed and ISIS course with the Clairvision School of meditation. Samantha will also be available to see private clients for 1-on-1 sessions using the ISIS technique, a meditation-based therapy.

What’s the biggest object in the night sky?

An excerpt from the latest entry of the Clairvision blog:

What’s the biggest object in the sky that is visible to the naked eye (apart from the Sun, of course)?
Venus? Jupiter? Absolutely not. At the moment there’s much, much bigger. It is the International Space Station.

Because the ISS is in such a low orbit, it is huge; up to a magnitude of -2.5. And it circles the earth in less than two hours. Meaning that it’s often visible in the early morning (dawn) and evening (dusk) times.

If you are interested in applying esoteric vision to the world today, see the Clairvision blog at http://www.clairvision.org/blog/

The blog contains Samuel Sagan’s comments on recent news and scientific studies.

Vital Switch is supporting some exciting events in the coming month:

A free talk in New York Thursday April 15th,
A free talk in Toronto, Canada Tuesday April 20th and,
A Meditation Weekend Workshop on May 1 & 2 - (requiring registration now for the Early Bird Special).

More information about the events

NYC Free Talk: Emotional Freedom for Here and Now
April 15, 2010. 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Do you find yourself repeating the same emotional patterns over and over again?

Do you want to find the freedom to be yourself in your relationships and your life?

In this 1-hour free talk, Samantha Keen will introduce a meditation-based form of therapy called ISIS.

ISIS was founded by the Clairvision School of meditation for the purpose of developing self awareness and breaking through hidden barriers to true freedom.

ISIS is a powerful tool for regression. Regression can be extremely useful for exploring and releasing emotional blockages and mental complexes. The technique achieves powerful results because it enables people to reach hidden subconscious and unconscious memories, thereby releasing negative emotional patterns for freedom in this life.

This will be a practical talk, using real life examples drawn from personal experience and years of helping clients transform their lives.

The Venue: Breathing Project
• www.breathingproject.org
15 W. 26th Street, 10th floor, New York, NY 10011
Registration Essential: email samantha@vitalswitch.com or phone 206.954.1717

Toronto Free Talk: Emotional Freedom for Here and Now
April 20, 2010. 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm

(See the text for the NYC talk above for details of the talk topic.)

The Venue: Wonderworks.
79A Harbord Street. Toronto, ON. M6R 1T8
Registration Essential: contact Cecilia at spaceforlife@gmail.com or call 416-535-6007

Weekend Meditation Workshop, New York City

May 1, 2010 to May 2, 2010
Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm each day

**Register Now for Early Bird Special. We need to receive your checks by Friday in order to qualify you for this special discount!**

The Venue
Location: Moon Heart Space, 59 W.19th St. (btw 5th & 6th Ave), NYC
For Further Information or Registration Contact Robert Volinsky: 212-501-6290 or ClairvisionNYC@gmail.com

About the Workshop
This workshop presents a systematic process to begin developing the third eye, which is the command center of the body of energy.
The Awakening the Third Eye workshop teaches techniques for meditation and opening spiritual perception, as well as giving participants an opportunity to develop a daily meditation practice and meditation skills that improve your engagement in daily life.

Techniques you will learn at the workshop

* Activate the third eye & learn techniques for dynamic daily awareness
* Third eye-based meditation techniques
* Energetic protection & grounding – seal your energy; prevent fatigue
* Night Practice – relaxation & fast recuperation, peaceful sleep

Registration Essential
Contact Robert Volinsky:212-501-6290 or ClairvisionNYC@gmail.com

Prices
Two Day Workshop: $250.00
Early Bird discount (paid 2 weeks in advance): $200.00
Student Discount: $175.00

Wishing Everyone A Wonderful Springtime!

Samantha Keen

Vital Switch will introduce the technique of meditative rest at the next New York Meditation Meetup on Thursday March 4th, 7pm-8.30pm @ 80 E11th St (corner of Broadway).

RSVP with Samantha Keen on 206.954.1717

See below for some compelling reasons why you might benefit from learning techniques of recuperation and rest for taking an effective power nap during the day…

The value of rest for learning

A study about the value of rest for learning and memory ingraining is making headlines:

Dr Lila Davachi assistant professor of psychology at New York University, says in a news release. “Your brain wants you to tune out other tasks so you can tune in to what you just learned.”

The study, published in Neuron (around 27 Jan 2010), is meaningful for those interested in cultivating their energy. Rest periods are when people’s memories are processed on the level of life force - equating to qi, prana or what Rudolf Steiner calls the etheric. This is also the time when the life force throws itself into fertile chaos state, which stimulates it in a crucial way when it comes to learning.

Making time for regular, relaxing breaks throughout the day can help strengthen people’s memories, according to a new study.

Further research detailed in last month’s Neuron shows that magnesium could boost people’s memories

“Your brain wants you to tune out other tasks so you can tune in to what you just learned,” Lila Davachi, an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, commented.

A Times article (29 Jan 2010) had this information:

Thanks in large part to the proliferation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which precisely maps brain activity based on changes in blood-oxygen levels, neuroscientists have found that important activity in the brain — related in particular to memory and learning — may occur when it is at rest.

Many studies over the past decade have suggested that sleep is crucial to the consolidation of memories and learning; people who take a nap after learning a new task, for instance, remember it better than those who don’t snooze. And now a small but compelling new study from the lab of New York University (NYU) cognitive neuroscientist Lila Davachi finds similar evidence that the brain at rest, even while remaining awake, is conducting meaningful activity. “Your brain is doing work for you even when you’re resting,” says Davachi, who just published a study in Neuron showing that certain kinds of brain activity actually increase during waking rest and are correlated with better memory consolidation. “Taking a rest may actually contribute to your success at work or school,” she adds.

Hello everyone,

I just want to thank those who came to the Vital Switch event in Manhattan last night, especially our colleagues Margarita Holsten M.D. and Robert Volinsky L.MT.

The Meta Center was certainly a beautiful venue and the people who came were great. We talked about Emotional Freedom and Meditation…. the link between the two… and how individual experience is paramount in this area of exploration.

This is a reminder that we have an introduction to meditation this Friday night September 25th, 7pm at the Vital Switch office 80 E11th St (corner of Broadway). The cost is $10.00 ahead of time and $15.00 at the door.
If you would like to come, please go to the New York Meditation Meetup and register there.

You have received this email after attending a Vital Switch event, or signing up to our newsletter. If you would like to unsubscribe please reply to this message with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line. Thank you!

Wishing everyone an awesome weekend
Samantha Keen and Matteus Levell
The team at Vital Switch