May 31 - National Meditation Day

Happy National Meditation Day! Today we partake in a mental exercise of private devotion called meditation.  

  

It uses the techniques of concentration and contemplation to attain spiritual awareness and purification, and to calm the body and mind. It detaches one from their thoughts and elicits a mystical feeling.  

  

People do it to find truth and a deeper meaning, and it benefits them beyond the immediate moment, enhancing their personal, social, and professional life into the future.  

  

In the past, it has sometimes been used in preparation for a physically demanding or strenuous activity. It has many health benefits as well: it has been used to lower stress, and to regulate pulse and respiratory rates. 

It has also been used to treat ailments such as migraine headaches, hemophilia, and hypertension. 

  

Any and all of the world's religions have practiced meditation of some form throughout history. For example, one aspect of Hindu Yoga is concentrated meditation—which has been used to purify the mind, body, and soul.  

  

This technique was brought into Buddhism, and into Zen Buddhism in particular. These forms of meditation became popular in the West, as did Transcendental Meditation.  

  

In the 1960s and 1970s, young people in the West rejected materialism and were drawn to Eastern philosophy and religion. With this came the practice of meditation based on those religions.  

  

Various religious meditations also include the repetition of words, and meditation often also includes focusing on an object, such as a mountain. There are so many types of meditation, that it is only fitting that we meditate today. 

  

HOW TO OBSERVE 

  

Celebrate the day by meditating. Explore some of the many types of meditation that exist, or join a meditation class.  

  

Perhaps a good starting point would be to begin your day by spending just five minutes closing your eyes and concentrating on your breathing. Breathe slowly and make sure to take deep breaths.  

  

This simple type of meditation will prepare you to take on your day: it will relax you, fill your blood vessels with oxygenated blood—making you more alert, and help make you more resilient against stress. 

  

#NationalMeditationDay 

#MeditationDay 

@Britannica 

@nichecinema 

  

DATES 

May 31, 2021 

May 31, 2022

May 31 - National Speak In Complete Sentences Day

Happy National Speak In Complete Sentences Day! Today is observed annually on May 31 and is dedicated to using proper elocution in speaking with synchronistic syntax. 

It’s quite possible to celebrate the day while texting as well.  So no "LOL" or "ASAP" on May 31. So if you must Laugh Out Loud As Soon As Possible, you will need to say or type it completely and be sure to include a subject and verb that agree. 

Oh, and you will also want to be sure to punctuate those sentences properly. At the very minimum, your sentence will need a tiny little period at the end. Though, do you think it will require any other kind of punctuation?  

It just might! 

And no speaking like Yoda! You should have saved that for the 4th.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Use #SpeakInCompleteSentencesDay to post on social media. 

HISTORY 

National Day Calendar® continues researching the origins of this grammar-focused holiday.  While they do, check out these other grammar and reading days: 

• • Random Acts of Poetry Day 

• • National Novel Writing Month 

• • Universal Letter Writing Week 

• • National Reading Group Month 

• • World Braille Day 

• • National Proofreading Day 

• • National Grammar Day 

How can you speak in complete sentences today?

#SpeakInCompleteSentencesDay 

@nichecinema