Our regular sitting meditation is a mindfulness practice that works with breath and noticing our thoughts. This week, we dove into goodwill (sometimes called loving-kindness or compassion) meditation. Recent research shows that goodwill meditation has quite a different effect on the brain and that it leads to positive changes quickly. From Goleman and Davidson's book, Altered Traits:

Compassion meditation enhances empathetic concern, activates circuits for good feelings and love, as well as circuits that register the suffering of others, and prepares a person to act when suffering is encountered...Loving-kindness acts quickly, in as little as 8 hours of practice.