Meditation Alters a Variety of Biological Mechanisms and Improves Mental Disorders By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Meditation-which come in many variations-has long been acknowledged as a tool to master the mind and cope with stress. Science is increasingly validating those claims, especially for depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and ADHD (attention […]
Normalize Heart Rate Processes with Yoga Practice By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Heart Rate Variability is the ability of the heart rate to change from beat to beat., which is based off the activity of the nervous system. HRV is a more accurate measure of a person’s health than examining only the […]
Improve Cognitive Flexibility with Mindful Non-Reactivity By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation practice and self-reported mindfulness were correlated directly with cognitive flexibility and attentional functioning.” – Daphne Davis Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in improving physical and psychological health and particularly with the physical and psychological reactions to stress. Mindfulness […]
Reduce Blood Pressure in Patients with Noncommunicable Diseases with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness practice can be an effective way to reduce blood pressure (and along with it, the risk of stroke or heart attack).” – NICABM High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is an insidious disease because there are no […]
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 […]
Lower Heart Rate and Increase its Variability with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “If a person’s system is in more of a fight-or-flight mode, the variation between subsequent heartbeats is low. If one is in a more relaxed state, the variation between beats is high. In other words, the healthier the […]
Reduce Hypertension with a Mindfulness Smartphone App By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Investigators found mindfulness was associated with a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure at 1 year and had other gains including better adherence to a recommended diet, lower salt intake, reduced alcohol consumption, and increased physical activity.” – Damian McNamara […]
Improve Self-Compassion with Psychophysiological Flexibility and Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional wellbeing, coping with life challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships. It is an inner strength that enables us to be more fully […]
Improve Mental Health with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. . . The evidence is growing that yoga practice is a relatively low-risk, high-yield approach to improving overall health.” – Harvard Health Mindfulness […]
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 […]