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 […]
Alter the Genes for Better Health with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation practices seem . . . promote endocrinal, neuronal, and behavioral functions. This suggests that the achievement of a state of inner silence through the practice of meditation can prevent or reverse the detrimental effects of a stressful environment.“ […]
Better Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic is Associated with Exercise and Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Introducing a mindfulness and meditation practice during this pandemic has the potential to complement treatment and is a low-cost beneficial method of providing support with anxiety for all.” C. Behan Mindfulness training has […]
Increase Relaxation with Focused Meditation while Increasing Activation with Open Monitoring Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation consists of focused attention meditation (FAM) and open monitoring meditation (OMM), both of which reduce activation of the default mode network (DMN) and mind-wandering.” – Masahiro Fujino Meditation training has been shown […]
Improve Well-Being During Covid-19 Lockdown with Yoga and Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Practicing mindfulness and meditation may help you manage stress and high blood pressure, sleep better, feel more balanced and connected, and even lower your risk of heart disease.” American Heart Association The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the […]
Reduce Negative Self-Representations and Improve Social Anxiety Disorder with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “for dealing with social anxiety, it is much more useful to practice mindful focus during conversations and other situations around people in which we are uncomfortable.” – Larry Cohen Being in a social […]
Improve Attention, Memory, and Emotions with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditating can change the structure and function of the brain through relaxation, which can: Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, Increase focus and learning concentration, Improve memory and attention span, Build stronger immune system and greater physical/psychological resilience, Allow better sleep” […]
Mindfulness Training Increases the Use of Yoga and Meditation to Cope with the Covid-19 Lockdown By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness is one tool that can help promote mental wellness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.” – Julie Dunne Mindfulness training has been shown to improve health and well-being in healthy individuals. It has also been […]
Improve Anxiety and Depression with an Abbreviated Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “People at risk for depression are dealing with a lot of negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about themselves and this can easily slide into a depressive relapse. MBCT helps them to recognize that’s happening, engage with it […]
Meditation Changes the Brain Areas Underlying Executive Function and Mind Wandering By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation nurtures the parts of the brain that contribute to well-being. Furthermore, it seems that a regular practice deprives the stress and anxiety-related parts of the brain of their nourishment.” – Mindworks Mindfulness training has […]