Meditation as an Antidote to Aging?

21 Pages·2014·2.46 MB·English

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
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