Improve the Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) with Qigong Practice By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Qi Gong is an effective, inexpensive, highly accessible and adaptable form of physical, mental and spiritual exercise. . . It is especially beneficial for those who have chronic lung disease. It relieves anxiety/stress, increases energy […]
Improve Brain Processing of Awareness and Emotions with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Evidence suggests that particular areas of the brain may either shrink or grow in response to regular mindfulness practice.” – Meera Joshi There has accumulated a large amount of research demonstrating that meditation practice has significant benefits for psychological, physical, […]
Reduce Anxiety and Improve Attention in Pre-Teens with Yogic Breathing By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Pranayama is an incredibly effective, important tool to teach children so they can control their energy, their mood, and their impulses.” – Amanda James Breathing is essential for life and generally occurs automatically. It’s easy to […]
Reduce Pain and Falls and Improve Mobility in the Elderly with Tai Chi By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Solid research shows that tai chi can benefit people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, tension headache, and other ongoing, painful conditions.” – Harvard Health The process of aging affects every aspect of the physical […]
Mindfulness is a Cost-Effective Treatment for Fibromyalgia By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness as a practice of conscious meditation affects brain activity, achieving, on the one hand, deactivating the areas of negative pain assessment and, on the other, activating those related to the healing and resilience processes. In this way, it helps calm […]
Improve the Behavior of Prisoners and Prison Staff with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “I have seen how men in maximum security prison were able to support not only their own resilience, but also that of their guards, nurses, and other prison staff, through the practice of meditation, mindfulness, and deliberate […]
Improve the Brain’s Attentional Networks with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “MBSR and RR body scans both induced a common increased functional connectivity between the brain’s ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which plays a role in attention.” – GORAMA The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the […]
Meditation Practice is Growing Rapidly Among Children and Adolescents By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It’s almost as though meditation was designed for kids. They just ‘get it’ – there is this elasticity and freedom in their minds which allows them to be present in the moment and free from any external thoughts […]
Improve Adolescent Psychological Health with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It may be that mindfulness leads to an increase in self-compassion and a decrease in experiential avoidance. It may be selective attention — if you focus on your breath, you have less bandwidth to ruminate. There are a lot of factors […]
Mindfulness Training is Effective with Widely Diverse Populations By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “In the last two decades, references to mindfulness-based treatments have proliferated. Its benefits are touted for many medical conditions and seem to be universally accepted as a technique to improve mental health across diverse populations.” – Sara Davin […]