Moments of Silence, Moments of Awe: Meditation as an ... · Moments of Silence, Moments of Awe: Meditation as an ... increased mental health ... Mind * Body * Spirit

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

Who are we? …and why are we here?

Setting the Intention

Mind

Body Spirit

Mind

Spirit Body

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)

Meditation and the Aging Process

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)

Mind * Body * Spirit Keeping us in the Now

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.

SPIRIT

It all starts within your

own heart . . .

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 !

Seize the opportunity for alignment!

100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall . . .

CHANT !

Seize the opportunity for alignment!

92 Days of Fall to Enjoy 92 Days of Fall Wait 8 weeks and it will be here 92 Days of Fall to Enjoy!

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

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.

Catholic Rosary

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

Buddhist Chant

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.