Peace in Albany NY and beyond...

During this soon to be over year 2014 (wait... pause here and take a moment to think how crazy that is and how insanely fast the years go by... OK, now continue reading...LOL), I had the pleasure to volunteer with a wonderful group of people involved with the Albany Peace Project.

(volunteers meeting to help plan and promote the Albany Peace Project)

The Albany Peace Project is a 10 year research project kicked off in January 2014 and designed to determine if an organized group of trained meditators creating a "coherent state" in their bodies and then focusing peaceful intention outwardly can measurably reduce local violence in the Albany, NY area. 

Our hypothesis is that focused peaceful intention has real world impact, and dozens of prior research studies suggest it as well.

Before I go on, and in case you are in a hurry, let me tell you that the research takes place every January via daily guided meditations delivered online on the project's website and which you can access at the place and time of your choice. You can go HERE to join now (joining simply means you will receive a daily reminder with the link to the day's meditation during January 2015 and it is by clicking this link and playing the recorded guided meditation that you will be counted as a participant in the research for that day).

Now if you want to know more ...
The Albany Peace Project team is currently working toward gathering 2,500 participants to meditate/pray/focus to achieve coherence together for 15 minutes a day for the month of January 2015 while sending peaceful intentions to the City of Albany.  Simultaneously, research will be conducted to record any favorable changes in the Albany, NY crime rates.

To  date, dozens of studies have been performed, many published in peer reviewed journals, that suggests when a relatively small amount of people meditate there is a positive effect on the entire population.  (A summary is available on the project's website). This year, we are fortunate to be collaborating with the Institute of HeartMath which has graciously approved the use of their evidence-based Heart Lock-In Technique ® designed to lead the body into a state known as Coherence, which facilitates synchronization between the heart and brain. Two main factors are key to creating this coherent state in our body: our breathing and our emotional state.
The 31 daily meditations offered via the internet each day of January will therefore lead people through guided meditations/visualizations into this state of coherence, from which we can then send peaceful intentions to our entire community.

Can this actually work?  We need to know as this research is incredibly important both for ourselves and the next generation!

Personally, I am passionate about the Albany Peace Project project for two main reasons; first and foremost: Having enjoyed the benefits of daily meditation for a few years now, I am excited to take part in any initiative that can help bring these benefits to many more. And second, because I LOVE the idea of several members of a community coming together to improve the overall well being of the entire community.

In my last blog post, I wrote about violence, after a horrible crime was committed on our street a few nights ago...I did not expect to have such a reaction and it left me feeling helpless, overwhelmed, and a bit discouraged about humanity's future and the odds of our society ever reaching a higher level of consciousness and compassion, which are in my mind, pre-requisite to a more peaceful and fair world... I wondered what I can possibly do in my tiny capacity to help move us in that direction... Thankfully, a wonderful colleague of mine commented that when a single person shines his or her light, however small a candle it may be, it does make a difference, it does change the world one individual at a time... and being reminded of that truth by someone I admire very much was just what I needed...

Thinking ahead to the fast approaching year 2015 and knowing that, soon, my tiny little light will join hundreds of others, combining the power of our coordinated intentions every day of January helps restore my optimism and hope for humanity...

If you are interested or want to know more, please do not hesitate to comment and contact me to discuss further.

If you can sit, breathe, listen to instructions and have internet access, you are a perfect candidate to participate in the Albany Peace Project! Sign-up HERE now

JOIN NOW