Neuroscience of Psychology and Meditation
Anthony King, PhD
Focusing awareness on present-moment sensory experiences of the body and breath is a foundational meditational practice that helps bring stillness to the agitated mind and provides opportunity to strengthen and focus attention. Learning to focus our awareness on somatic sensations within our bodies such as our breath, while sitting, lying down, or engaged in movement, brings us into the present moment and can provide a sense of spaciousness. These practices can help us to move out of automatic thoughts and modes of reactivity, to strengthen our ability to shift our attention to broader perspectives.
This day-long experiential workshop will provide instruction and guided practice in several forms of body and breath-based mindfulness and mind-body practices commonly used in stress management programs such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction.
It will also provide a comprehensive and up-to-date explanation of the psychology and neuroscience of mindfulness meditation on the breath and body that is accessible and understandable. We will discuss cutting-edge neuroimaging work about effects of meditation on attention and cognitive function, the autonomic nervous system, and psychoneuroimmunology, as well as positive health-promoting effects of mindfulness on managing stress and improving mental and physical health.