Blissful Brain

The Blissful Brain is published by Gaia Thinking. For more information on how to order your copy, please click here.

Guardian G2: Mind over matter by Andy Darling

"Neuroscientist Shanida Nataraja has proven meditation does more than clear your head, it can put both halves of your brain to work, improving your concentration, memory, and decision-making...". To read more, please click here.

The Times: Calm down dear by Angela Pertusini

"Claims by the neuroscientist Shanida Nataraja regarding the benefits of meditation have been backed up by rigourous scientific research and are explained in her acclaimed book The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation". To read more, please click here.

Just this Day event: A Day of Silence and Stillness at St Martin's in the Field on 23rd of November 2011

Shanida Nataraja will be participating in this exciting event that aims to explore the power of silience and stillness in our busy world. For more information, please click here or visit the Just This Day website.

Mindfulness in the Workplace: Brain based approaches to improving employee resilience and productivity at Robinson College, Cambridge on 10 February 2012

Shanida Nataraja will be speaking at this day event that brings together leading experts in mindfulness to discuss how it could help organisations improve productivity & resiliance. Speakers include Professor Mark Williams, Michael Chaskalson, Ruby Wax, Margaret Chapman, and more (for more information, please see click here.

Forward Thinking Patient Care

There are hundreds of different MBSR programmes currently running in North America and Europe today, many of which are affiliated with prominent medical institutions. The University of Massachusetts Medical Center (UMMC) for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society runs the oldest and largest MBSR programme in the US. More than 13,000 individuals have received training since the centre was founded in 1979, and it maintains a database of trained MBSR practitioners offering training programmes across the globe.

The MD Anderson Wellness Programme: the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas is one the premier oncology centres in the world. It currently offers more than 75 complementary therapy programmes, including instruction in Buddhist meditation, centering prayer, yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gung. These complementary therapies are provided in addition to standard care to manage cancer-related symptoms, relieve stress and improve the patient’s QoL. The MD Anderson Cancer Center has also developed a website providing educational resources about complementary therapies. This valuable repository of information about complementary therapies was designed to educate medical professionals and patients alike about the potential benefits and drawbacks of these therapies, thereby promoting their integration into the management of patients with cancer.

The Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre: in the UK, the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre offer a practical course for people with depression that combines MBSR techniques with cognitive therapy. This course, run by Mark Williams, teaches participants to become more aware of the early signs of an impending depressive relapse and to, in some cases, avoid relapse. Furthermore, in an ongoing pilot study run at the centre, Mark Williams and his colleagues are evaluating the use of MBCT in people who have attempted suicide, but recovered. This study aims to investigate whether MBCT can reduce the risk of the these patients committing further self-harm. The centre also offers training for healthcare professionals interested in cognitive therapy in general, and MBCT in particular.

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