Moments of Silence, Moments of Awe: Meditation as an ... · Moments of Silence, Moments of Awe:...
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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
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
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!
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
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.