5/18 The Healing Power of Mindfulness

BHQ site: (www.brainhq.com)

Mindfulness is a simple concept with powerful results. Mindfulness has been tied to a decrease in stress, an improvement in mood, better sleep and more. And being mindful can be incredibly healing. It can benefit your brain and the responses of your body to stress. In our final segment on healing powers, we look at mindfulness. We will discuss some of the different ways to cultivate it, where it occurs in our brain and the effects of different types of mindful meditation. Read on! You can access the lesson online (recommended because of the activities, images and videos), or by viewing/downloading the handout. View a PowerPoint summary here. And don't forget to take the quiz!

• The 10 Fundamentals of Rewiring Your Brain explains the connection between mindfulness and neuroplasticity

• In this article learn how Mindfulness meditation training lowers biomarkers of stress response in anxiety disorder.

• For Pain control read Mindfulness meditation trumps placebo in pain reduction.

• Read The Power of Concentration to learn about the importance of focus and attention for keeping our brains sharp

• Stress reduction is a vital part of healthy aging and it can even be seen in the brain through neuro-imaging technology. Learn how here in Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain.

• Dr. Merzenich, founder of Posit Science, embraces the restorative powers of mindfulness meditation. Read this article to see what he does to keep his brain young and sharp: How to keep your brain young and slow the process of aging.

Zoom Session: Join us this Wednesday, May 27th. This week our lessons are related because the Topics lesson covers another important lifestyle enhancer - the healing power of meditation. Here’s our schedule of events:

6:30-7:00: For ALL! Q&A time about any of the BHQ exercises, progress screens, or the class website.

7:00-7:30: We will focus on the Weekly Basics Lesson - Semester Summary

7:30–8:00: We will focus on the Weekly Topics Lesson – The Healing Power of Mindfulness and Spirituality

To join - Just click here to follow the instructions on the Home Page by scrolling down to Weekly Zoom Sessions. Or you can go directly to the Zoom site by clicking here.

First time on Zoom? Just follow the instructions on this Home Page to learn how. Returning students click here to connect directly. Try getting on the site early to see how easy it is to get it set up. We begin our BHQ Zoom at 6:30, so try getting on at about 6:15 and call if you have any trouble. You can participate by video and audio, or just listen in by phone. Please let us know if you need help! Call Pat’s cell at 619-818-3953. If you’ve been on Zoom before, you will appreciate this new Zoom Video that Mary created to help you learn about some of the features available to you while on the site. See you on Wednesday.

Enjoy the lessons, and have a brain-healthy week.

Need help? Contact us at:

Pat Mosteller (pmostell@sdccd.edu) Cell 619-818-3953 - Online classes

Mary Burns (mburns@sdccd.edu) - Online classes

Debbie Flores (dsflores@sdccd.edu) - Cell 619-608-9001 --Online classes & Wednesday AM and PM classes at the Kroc Center

Janet Blair ( blusdbits@gmail.com ) - St Pauls Plaza. Contact for Support and Lesson Review

Yael Lorberfeld (ylorberfeld@sdccd.edu) . Mondays at the Kroc Center, Wednesdays at the College Ave Senior Center (Temple Emanu-El), and Friday mornings at the La Jolla JCC.

Marilyn Kessler (marilynk@ifssd.org) - Mondays at the College Ave Senior Center (Temple Emanu-El)