CE Workshop | Scientific Research on Yoga and Meditation: The Relaxation Response

Authors
Indu Arora, John Denninger
Publication
Yoga Alliance
Abstract

About This Workshop

70-90% of all primary care visits in America are related to chronic stress and stress-related illnesses such as anxiety, depression, PTS, heart disease, headaches, GI disruptions, and more. In the next workshop of the Scientific Research series, Yoga Alliance Director of Research, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa is joined by Dr. John Denninger, Director of Research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University and Indu Arora, Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist, for a conversation on how yoga, meditation, and the Relaxation Response might be able to counteract the toxic effects of chronic stress.

During this workshop you’ll learn:

  • Research related to yogic meditation and its effects on the body and mind
  • Research on single-point focused meditation and the Relaxation Response
  • How to use this research in your teachings with an experiential meditation practice followed by tips on how to effectively teach meditation to elicit the Relaxation Response
Related Listings
The effects of relaxation response meditation o...
Authors
Laurie Keefer, Edward B Blanchard
Journal
Behavior Research and Therapy
·
In this study, Herbert Benson's (1975) Relaxation Response Meditation program was tested as a possible treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Participants were 16 adults who were matched into pairs based on presence of Axis I disorder, primary IBS symptoms and demographic features and randomized to either a six week meditation condition or a six week wait list symptom monitoring condition. Thirteen participants completed treatment and follow-up. All subjects assigned to the Wai […]
Mind-body medicine: a model of the comparative ...
Authors
Jeffery A. Dusek, Herbert Benson
Journal
Minn Med.
Although the physiological and biochemical changes that occur during the acute stress response have been well-characterized, the contrasting changes that underlie the relaxation response evoked by various mind-body techniques are less understood. To help guide future mind-body research, we present a conceptual model that integrates patterns of change at the physiological and molecular levels. In addition, we point to future research opportunities and discuss how repeated elicitation o […]
Daily Relaxation Response Breaks in a Working P...
Authors
Ruanne K. Peters, Herbert Benson, Douglas Porter
Journal
Am. J. Public Health
·
An experiment conducted at the corporate offices of a manufacturing firm investigated the effects of daily relaxation breaks on five self-reported measures of health, performance, and well-being. For 12 weeks, 126 volunteers filled out daily records and reported bi-weekly for additional measurements. After four weeks of baseline monitoring, they were divided randomly into three groups: Group A was taught a technique for producing the relaxation response; Group B was instructed to sit […]