POP GO ZEN

Hey All, here’s the interview I did on meditation with abc 7 news. It came out great! I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing meditation to the main stream. I hope you enjoy the piece!

Hello all,

Last year I participated in an amazing study about the benefits of meditation. The study showed increasing scientific evidence that meditation has a positive effect on the brain, increasing neuroplasticity and minimizing the deteriorating effects of aging.

I am being interviewed today on ABC news about the study and giving a quick how to. It was really fun! I guided the anchor woman, Denise Dador in a meditation (which may or may not be included in the interview.)

I’ll post a link when it’s available.

Wishing you well,

Julianna

Hey All, I’ll be leading a guided meditation in LISTENING TO THE  SOUNDS OF THE WORLD to kick off this event. If you’re in LA come on down!!! Dec 2nd, 2560 North Beachwood Drive, LA 90068 DOWNLOAD THE FLIER FOR MORE DETAILS!

Learn how to heighten the listening experience and explore the mind/body relationship to music. Come for a single class or the series: http://www.againstthestream.org/programs/class-series/pop-go-zen

The 3 skills of Pop Go Zen

There are so many different approaches to meditation floating around out there it can make your head spin. If you’re like me you’ve got a strong bullshit meter and maybe you have a healthy skepticism about all of it. My teacher Shinzen Young has an amazing definition of mindfulness meditation, which I’d like to share for two reasons: The definition is both concise and comprehensive. What I love most is that it’s practical! He clearly and neatly lays out what skills we’re developing when we practice and why it’s useful to develop those skills. This definition is deceptively simple and gets richer with time, like the three basic chords of rock and roll. Who would’ve thought all those genius songs could come from 3 simple chords! It also covers ANY meditation practice you choose to do. All meditation approaches will develop at least one of the skills described below, you just have to find one you have an interest in doing consistently. It’s like any form of exercise or practicing an instrument. You need to develop a consistent routine to see results. Even 10 minutes a day is enough to go on. So my advice is to find an approach you actually want to spend time doing. If it feels like a drag you’ll never get around to it. I developed Pop Go Zen because most people enjoy listening to music and would be willing to take 10 minutes to listen to music they love while practicing their skills. Pop Go Zen develops all three of the following skills:

Attention Skill #1: Concentration Power

Attention Skill #2: Sensory Clarity

Attention Skill #3: Equanimity

In Shinzen’s words: “Mindful awareness is a 3-fold attentional skill set consisting of concentration power, sensory clarity and equanimity. You can think of Concentration Power as the ability to focus on what you consider to be relevant at a given time. You can think of Sensory Clarity as the ability to keep track of what you’re actually experiencing in the moment. You can think of Equanimity as the ability to allow sensory experience to come and go without push and pull.”

In my next installment we’ll get into these definitions in greater depth. Meanwhile, check out this groovy Flaming Lips vid. Just because. I can be a frog

I went to see Robert Plant last night at the Greek. It was such an extraordinary show on many levels. The combined strength and subtlety of his voice as an instrument is just mind boggling! He’s also a living example of integrity as an artist, making the music he feels compelled to make. The musicians he surrounds himself with are, themselves, artists with integrity, creating a complete package. The music takes you on a journey… spontaneous, alive, beautiful. So how do you listen to Robert Plant with Pop Go Zen? How do you give yourself fully to the journey? Sometimes it’s easy. There’s nothing to do. You just go on the ride the band is taking you on and completely lose yourself to the experience. When it’s over you feel satisfied and fulfilled because you surrendered your pre-occupations and let your self be taken away. No problem.

Sometimes it’s challenging. No matter how much you would like to, you cannot let go of distractions in the mind or body. The temperature isn’t right or that person won’t shut up or you have to go to the bathroom but you don’t want to miss anything or you forgot to do that thing you were supposed to do today. Usually when you watch a live show you experience a combination of ease and distraction. If you feel a strong connection to the performer and music, that tips the scale and makes it easier to focus but there is always room to go deeper and sustain focus for longer stretches of time. On this site I’ll be offering tips and strategies to do that, so you can get more and more fulfillment out of the listening experience and that can carry over into more and more of your life.

MAY 21, Against the Stream, Santa Monica, 1001A Colorado Blvd. @ 7:30. Sponsored by the Harmony Festival www.harmonyfestival.com this is a donations only event. Pop Go Zen takes live music to a whole new level, training listeners in fun, simple skills to increase enjoyment and decrease stress. Group energy is powerful and listening to live music is one of life’s great pleasures. But, sometimes you’re too distracted to enjoy! Even if you are able to concentrate, you may be interested in skills that deepen and enrich the experience; skills you can carry with you to improve your whole life! I’ll be training you and then you’ll enjoy a live performance by very special guest, Ben Lee. Pop Go Zen: Change your life, one song at a time and have a blast doing it! www.popgozen.com