Recently I was contacted and given the opportunity for any of the Totally Zen readers who use an I Phone to download a new application for free! ☺   Are you ready for R U Smarter Than A Monkey?

Keeping your mind sharp is essential and why not game to get the job done?

It is widely known that humans lose their ability to grasp and retain information with age, perhaps due to daily stress and information overload. But the good news is that it can be gained back by engaging the part of brain responsible for memory, focus and cognitive skills. This game might do just that for you.

How many games can you say is fun and good for your brain too?

A study done by Kyoto University shows that a 5 years old chimpanzee can identify numbers from 1-9 in correct order after having these numbers flashed to them for a fraction of a second.

You think you can beat that! Try this game and see… R U Smarter Than A Monkey gives you a chance to test yourself against these naughty little monkeys. It has several levels – starting at easy level (Baby Baboon) to harder levels such as gaps like “Mind the gap” you can practice before you challenge the mighty monkey himself (highest level) at an insane speed! And this is where it will become very addictive as you will do whatever it takes to prove to yourself and everyone else around (who’s probably laughing at you) that YOU ARE SMARTER THAN A MONKEY !!

Here’s a code for you to download the app from iTunes: EM4RE9WLPAHE

THANK YOU VIC!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!

Here’s a link to a story ABC news did on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHUqnw6Yjjk

Here’s another link of gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bne1Gsdlnk8

ALL info in post found at: http://www.rusmarterthanamonkey.com/index.php

Photo provided for by:  http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/chimpanzee.html

]]> http://www.totallyzen.com/r-u-smarter-than-a-monkey-free-i-phone-application.html/feed 0 http://www.totallyzen.com/meditation-part-iii-in-the-five-yoga-fundamentals-series.html http://www.totallyzen.com/meditation-part-iii-in-the-five-yoga-fundamentals-series.html#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:36:42 +0000 Stephanie http://www.totallyzen.com/?p=162 Continue reading →]]>

Meditation is the next layer you add to a yoga practice once you have found posture and breathing. Building a yoga practice bit by bit takes hard work, just like anything you really want to succeed at in life. Indeed, yoga is a life skill and in this hectic world we live in meditation can be as essential as yoga. They compliment each other; but in yoga the real work does not begin until you learn how to meditate because then you can tap into the internal and external energy. It is my deep belief that if everyone meditated there would be a lot less hostility in our world. This is how powerful, transformational and critical meditation can be to your health and happiness and everyone else’s.

Moments of time connected by nothing but breath & clear presence are the crux of meditation. Finding things you might have lost along the way we engage in meditation to reconnect to the source. Deep relaxation can be achieved by participating in a regular practice of meditation. Awareness to the self and others can be cultivated by means of meditation.

When we were babies we had no constant ticker tape of thoughts trailing our every move. We had no information highway, bills, business, relationship woes, concerns or considerations. As we get older the chips start to stack and the pile gets so large just thinking of it can raise your blood pressure, make you sweat, frown, curse and sometimes a lot worse. Just think of all the tragic abuse and killings we hear about every day in every corner of the world.

Meditation helps you regain your center so that all these problems become manageable and approachable. You can take action instead of get stuck in stress of many types; like: fear, anxiety, worry, anger and other more negative emotions.

How do we learn to meditate?                                              

It starts with your breath in a quiet place and an intention to build breath energy without thought. (Refer to the breathing post from 7/3.)

Once you learn how to deep breathe in a constant, cyclical manner you have begun the rhythm or energy.
To transform this energy, which is your breath into clear and positive white light. 

People suggest many different types of concentration and awareness tools:

Some people like to chant, others like to visually see the breath as white light, another method is connecting to the sensation that is your breath. Focusing on a point outside the self or within the self are still other forms of meditation. I began by counting the breath because it is hard for thoughts to enter in your mind when you are counting.

Don’t try too hard and do not get discouraged. I did not learn to meditate for about two years. It depends on your concentration and focus, your openness and effort, your intention and desire.

Start with nine deep breaths without thought once, twice or three times a day. Later you can sit, lie or walk in meditation for longer periods. Build your meditation strength and skill as you would any other learned skill or behavior.

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Ultimately, your goal is to return and join with universal conscious-ness, the divine power, a higher force that exists around you and within you. The One that helps you elevate your level of consciousness so that the “little things” that used to alter your mood or behavior are now more manageable because you have a tool to feed you that true power. Eventually, this leads to peace and contentment.