Stress is a fact of modern life. Excessive stress occurs for a variety of reasons and affects our mental and physical health. We suffer from disorders initiated or made worse by stress and the question is how can one reduce these harmful effects of stress and build resilience?
Meditation is a stress relieving mind body technique. Scientific research supports many health benefits of meditation, including reducing stress and calming our minds. Meditation is a simple mind-body process which leads to deep relaxation and stress reduction. According to American College of Lifestyle Medicine – Meditation helps in managing chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and depression.
Under the Education with Purpose initiative ICC offers an Introduction to Meditation workshop/seminar and a Meditation course. Our meditation education workshop/webinar and course are based on the pioneering evidence-based research by Herbert Benson, M.D. and the Mind-Body Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the founder of Mind Body Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Due to current environment, they are offered online. We hope to offer them in person as and when it becomes feasible. The introductory meditation workshop/seminar is FREE of charge and usually scheduled once in two months.
The Meditation Course – Positivity and Relaxation Training is for those participants that want to learn meditation and mindfulness techniques and make it a part of their lives. Participants of the Meditation – Positivity and Relaxation Training course learn
- Self-care techniques to promote health, happiness, and well-being,
- Mind-Body techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, physical activity, positive psychology, creativity, humor, and adaptive thinking,
- Stress management and cultivate a more positive outlook in life
The 9-week structured meditation course is made available for a very small fee. Click here for more details on the meditation course.
Please check our upcoming events for the upcoming meditation workshop/webinar and course schedule.
Our faculty of Lifestyle education and module on meditation is Dr. Bindu Vyas. She has a Ph.D. in management from Rutgers University, NJ and been a tenured professor at the King’s College, PA. Over and above that she is a certified yoga teacher and Benson Henry Mind Body Institute, Positivity and Relaxation Training instructor.
Dr. Vyas is passionate about learning, teaching, and researching stress management for health and wellness. She has conducted workshops, seminars, and courses on Meditation. Positivity and Relaxation Training (PART) program. PART offers self-care and relaxation training and is proven to help participants develop skills to manage stress and cultivate a positive outlook, promote health, happiness, and wellbeing.
(Detailed Bio Link)
Details of the nine-week structured Meditation course
The nine-week program starts with goal setting and introduction to the Resiliency and relaxation response. Each class contains a review and experiential exercises, followed by learning and practicing new skills. Included below are the program topics covered each week.
- Informational and Goal Setting
- Science of Mind Body Medicine, Breath Focus
- Simple Breath Awareness; Sleep
- Stress Awareness; Body Scan; Mindful Eating; Social Support
- Mending Mind and Body; Mindful Movement
- Creating an Adaptive Perspective; Insight Imagery
- Cultivating Positivity; Wise Person RR
- Creative Expression; Idealized Self
- Humor and Staying Resilient; Loving Kindness Meditation; The Energy Battery