Moments of Silence, Moments of Awe: Meditation as an Antidote to Aging? AADA Annual Summer Conference Arlington, Virginia July 25, 2014
In the Flow Agenda I. Introductions II. Setting an Intention III. Laying the Foundation IV. Entering the Experience
and why are we here? Who are we? Setting the Intention
Mind Spirit Body Body Spirit
Meditation and the Aging Process Promoted sense of social connectedness (Hutcherson, Seppala, & Gross, 2008) Lowered systolic blood pressure; enhanced word fluency, learning, and internal locus of control (Alexander, Langer, Newman, et al., 1989) Lowered levels of depression, increased mental health and improved cognitive functioning for family dementia caregivers (mean age = 60.3) (Lavetsky, Epel, Siddarth, et al., 2013) Walking meditation enhanced creativity, which fights aging of the brain (Oppezzo & Schwartz, 2014) Enhances vision, hearing, mood, the endocrine system, and brain functioning (Khalsa, 2001)
Mind * Body * Spirit Keeping us in the Now 1) present-moment & process-oriented 2) awareness of inner states 3) specific patterns of alignment 4) sensitivity to flow of energy, prana, chi, qi, life force LaForge (2005, p. 5)
Meditation and the Breath Always Start Where You Are Why do we seek to control our breath? 1) It is your anchor point for your attention 2)It regulates your pace 3) Keeps in balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic activity 4)Deep breathing allows us to move into physical positions and endure challenges that might be difficult without the support of a focused breath practice SPIRIT
Transitioning to Practice
Silent Meditation Observing the Breath
Loving Kindness Meditation May I be happy, May I be well, May I be free from suffering. It all starts within your own heart... SPIRIT
CHANT? Who chants? We have ALL chanted, but perhaps didn t realize it. Christian monks Muslims Field workers Military troops Contemporary Christians Hindus JUST CHANT!! for worship, for work, to pass the time, for the sheer joy of bathing ourselves in vibration!!
CHANT! Seize the opportunity for alignment!
CHANT! 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall... Seize the opportunity for alignment!
CHANT! 92 Days of Fall to Enjoy 92 Days of Fall Wait 8 weeks and it will be here 92 Days of Fall to Enjoy! Seize the opportunity for alignment!
How are these Two Passages Similar? Catholic Rosary AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Domini nostri, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Buddhist Chant Om mani padme hum
Catholic Rosary HAIL, MARY, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of our Lord, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Domini nostri, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Buddhist Chant Om mani padme hum (ohm) (mah) (nee) (pahd) (may) (hum) OM, composed of three sound A, U, and M, stands for the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of an enlightened person, a Buddha MANI ( jewel) symbolizes the altruistic intention to become enlightened PADME (lotus) a symbol of wisdom HUM indicates indivisibility. Thus the six syllables, OM MANI PADME HUM, mean that by the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. " HH the Dalai Lama
The syllable om is composed of the three sounds: A-U-M (in Sanskrit the vowels a and u join to become o) which represent an important triad: earth, atmosphere, & heaven
Mindful Eating Meditation Simple, available, and profound
Moving Meditation Practice Smiling Meditation Throughout
References Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-Kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8, 720-724. Lavretsky, H., Epel, E. S., Siddarth, P., Nazarian, N., St. Cyr, N., Khalsa, D. S., Lin, J., Blackburn, E., & Irwin, M. R. (2013). A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: Effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28, 57-65. Khalsa, D. S. (2001). Meditation as anti-aging medicine: Turn back the clock naturally. Total Health, 23(2), 26-27. Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 40, 1142-1152. Alexander, C. N., Langer, E. J., Newman, R. I., Chandler, H. M., & Davies, J. L. (1989). Transcendental meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 950-964.