I’m honored to host the Virtual Book Tour of Soul Journey to Love: 100 Days to Inner Peace by Irene A. Cohen, MD.  

“Would you like to reach a state of inner peace, undisturbed by thoughts, feelings, or outside events? Soul Journey to Lovecontains 100 inspirational messages, prayers and processes for you to reflect upon and apply. The messages appeal to those who are interested in meditation and quieting the mind, and also to students of A Course in Miracles and non-dualistic philosophies. By reading these short, devotional entries you can be returned to your true self, to love and to God.”  The book is endorsed by Larry Dossey & DavidPaul Doyle.

Enjoy this great article on Starting A Meditation Practice by  Irene A. Cohen, MD

Research on meditation over the last 35 years has shown benefits to stress reduction, pain management, athletic performance, blood pressure reduction and so much more. In meditating, one learns to quiet the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight response”) and increase the parasympathetic nervous system (the normal physiological functioning of the body of which we are usually not aware).

I am often asked what the benefits of meditation are and how to meditate. Many people feel they are too busy to take time out of their day or that they can’t quiet their minds enough to sit still. Yet they realize that they would like to achieve the effects of meditation, having been exposed to it at the end of a yoga class or by hearing about it in the media. In fact, a 2010 survey showed that more than 75% of Americans felt their stress level was high.

One should first set aside a regular practice time daily, either at the beginning or the end of the day. It is better to be seated and not lie down, because you do not want to fall asleep while meditating. The purpose is to have a focused, calm awareness and in sleep we lose awareness. You do not need to set aside a large portion of time to begin with, since you want to build up your practice to about 20-30 minutes. Try to sit for 1-2 minutes to start, then for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes. Eventually you will be able to meditate for longer times. It is good to set a timer at the beginning in order to have a sense of how long a minute or two really is.

Secondly, in order to quiet the mind, most people need a focus of attention that is away from their thoughts. There is no need to obtain a mantra from a guru to focus one’s attention. Research done at the Benson-Henry Mind Body Medicine Institute at Harvard by Herbert Benson, M.D. showed that the “relaxation response” can be induced by thinking of a calming word like “peaceful” or “love.” Choose a word that resonates with you and say it to yourself silently over and over again with your eyes closed. Let thoughts come to you but pay them no attention. Just keep repeating your chosen word. Sometimes you will be lost in the thoughts, and that’s okay. Just return to your word again. Imagine a train passing by, and put the thoughts onto the train as it passes you, letting the thoughts go away. We will always have thoughts, but we need not pay so much attention to them.

There are many types of meditation, from using a mantra, to mindfulness, to just sitting in quietness. Try these simple exercises and then explore the style of meditation which will work best for you. Hopefully you will find that you can bring that calm and awareness you seek into your day.

Irene A. Cohen, MD is a psychiatrist, acupuncturist and interfaith minister who has maintained an integrative practice for almost 30 years.  Hay House / Balboa Press just released her first book, Soul Journey to Love:  100 Days to Inner Peace .  Visit Dr. Cohen on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and blog with her at www.drirenecohen.authorsxpress.com.

Purchase Soul Journey to Love: 100 Days to Inner Peace by Dr. Irene A. Cohen, MD today on Amazon and on Kindle and win a signed paperback of Dr. Cohen’s book through August 14, 2012  at GoodReads!

Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane 

The term ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) has been a buzz word in both the business and environmental worlds over the past few years. The message of those who speak out for CSR is simple: the time has come for businesses to move away from thinking only about short-term profits and look at the bigger impact their business has upon the global economy, people and the planet.

We live in a consumer culture. This means that, today more than ever, the entrepreneur has a powerful role to play in society. We all know that with great power comes great responsibility, and given all the ways business and marketing has affected the world, more and more entrepreneurs are waking up to the fact that it is time to reassess what we are doing and why, and to take responsibility for the impact our choices and actions have on the wider welfare of the world.

This cannot happen if we continue we all act in isolation. To create a tangible and positive shift in the world, we need to come together as business owners, and form a critical mass of key influencers in society. We need both to speak up and to listen to each other.

That is exactly what will be happening at the 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC). The 3-day conference will take place on Friday June 22nd through Sunday 24th, 2012 in London, England and will also be broadcast worldwide via Interactive Live Stream.

7GGC will bring together entrepreneurs, marketers, media professionals, journalists, conscious consumers and eco-citizens from around the world, who wish to demonstrate their commitment to business ethics, corporate responsibility, social wellbeing and environmental sustainability. Together, they will become a Tipping Point for positive change. You can read about the conference, and book you place, at //the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC.

The conference will also be offered via Interactive Live Stream, accessible from anywhere in the world with Internet access, where you can share your opinions, questions and innovations with London delegates.

The event will feature 9 dynamic guest presenters including Keynote speaker RACHEL ELNAUGH, former ‘Dragon’ from BBC TV’s hit show DRAGONS’ DEN.

The 7 Graces Global Conference is the brainchild of my good friend, LYNN SERAFINN, a marketer and author of number-1 bestseller The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell.

Lynn says, ‘We won’t be “selling” anything at this conference except our commitment to humanity and the planet. The primary question we’ll be addressing throughout the three days will be “How can we heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell?”‘

I am proud to be supporting 7GGC by helping spread the word about this important event, and I encourage you to attend either the London conference, or via Interactive Live Stream. And, as one of my valued readers, you can also get a special 10% discount when you register:

Register for the 7 Graces Global Conference

either in London or via Live Stream at

//the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Then, enter the coupon code: 7ggc-special-10

I hope to see you at 7GGC on June 22nd-24th.