BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Scientists have long found an association between relaxation and health. Now, there is new evidence that meditation and other spiritual practices have a beneficial and measurable effect on the brain. In a new book, “How God Changes … More →

July 17, 2009

Read more of Kim Lawton’s interview with Judy Collins. More →

November 23, 2007

The ancient Hindu practice of kirtan is a call-and-response form of meditation and spiritual chanting that is gaining popularity in the United States. More →

July 21, 2006

Transcendental Meditation was widely popular 40 years ago: a technique for relaxation and awareness using certain sounds and ways of breathing, 20 minutes, twice a day. Now, it is flourishing in Fairfield, Iowa, the home of what is now the Maharishi University of Management. More →

July 8, 2005

Buddhist meditation techniques are widely popular, and one such method is called Shambhala meditation, a simplified version of Tibetan practice. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, author and meditation leader, told a group of beginners to relax, note their breathing, set aside their thoughts, and just be — quietly — who they are. More →

April 30, 2004

This mystical tradition is declining in the Muslim world while attracting new followers in the West. More →

November 8, 2002

Part four of a five-part series: According to the Gallup organization, between 1984 and 1998 there was a phenomenal jump in the number of people who said they felt a need for greater spiritual growth — from 56 percent to 82 percent, in just 14 years. Part five looks at the many Americans, both religious and nonreligious, who have turned to alternative practices to facilitate this spiritual growth. More →

May 17, 2002

These rabbis, cantors, and Jewish leaders from the Washington, DC area are learning how to make synagogue worship more spiritually rewarding. More →

April 14, 2000

These ancient constructs have some very modern advocates, and they’re not just religious. Secular institutions have also discovered labyrinths as a meditation tool. More →

November 12, 1999

Our special report on the life, the plight, and the humor of the Dalai Lama. Forced out of Tibet by the Chinese in 1959, living in exile with little apparent chance of returning, the Dalai Lama remains one of the world’s foremost symbols of hope and nonviolence. How does he keep from hating those who are destroying his country? More →

June 4, 1999