By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “yoga is anti-aging, lowers blood pressure, and is beneficial for treating metabolic syndrome x. Waist circumference, blood sugar, and triglycerides. Yoga has been known to balance the endocrine system and hormones for centuries. Now it is also being recognized as a way to balance blood sugar levels and […]
“The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic system, which is often identified with the fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic, which is identified with what’s been called the relaxation response. When you do yoga – the deep breathing, the stretching, the movements that release muscle tension, the relaxed focus on being present in your […]
Reduce Anxiety Around Cardiac Surgery with Yogic Breathing By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Anxiety is the physical, mental and emotional reaction to stress. Both can be calmed through the practice of yoga breathing, also called pranayama.” – M. Patino Patients scheduled for major surgeries usually experience anxiety. This is thoroughly understandable, but this […]
Exercise on the Eightfold Path By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “it’s possible to merge awareness and physical exercise together as one. This allows you to experience the present moment during your physical activity.” – Adam Brady We often think of meditation or spiritual practice as occurring in quiet places removed from […]
Reduce Physiological Indicators of Stress with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Learning how to accept your present-moment experience is really important for reducing stress,” – Emily Lindsay Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in improving physical and psychological health. One reason for these benefits is that mindfulness training improves the […]
Improve the Aging Brain and Well-Being with Mindfulness Training By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “On average, the brains of long-term meditators were 7.5 years younger at age 50 than the brains of non-meditators, and an additional 1 month and 22 days younger for every year after 50.” – Grace Bullock The […]
Meditation Alter Short-Term and Long-Term Breathing By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, meditation healthfully slows down heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, sweating, and soothing all other sympathetic nervous system fight or flight functions.” – EOC Institute In our lives we are confronted with a variety […]
Improve Symptoms of Chronic Heart Failure with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “On the surface, heart failure seems to be a purely physical problem. The heart muscle is too weak, or too stiff, to pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands. . .. But it’s an emotional and psychological problem, […]
The Variety of Transcendent States During Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Ancient masters described intense transcendent states that result from meditation. A true awakening, transformation of consciousness, oneness with the ALL. Many esoterics have glimpsed these levels of consciousness, and for a few it became a persistent state – enlightenment.” – […]
Reduce Opioid Treated Low Back Pain with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “When your focus is on the pain, obviously that increases the pain. For people who meditate, their muscle tension and heart rate drops, their respiration slows and breaths gets deeper. All those things have impact on the pain.” – […]