| November / DECEMBER newsletter | | Welcome to The Minded Institute's November / December 2012 newsletter. We are delighted to bring you news of the recent Confer conference and some up coming courses and training. We are also highlighting some excellent research on the physiological mechanisms of body and breath work (by researchers we enjoyed hosting at this month's conference). Keep reading to learn more about this research as well as details about: | | Why have we changed our name? Due to our expanding fields of interest, Yoga Therapy for the Mind has chosen to change its name to The Minded Institute. The Minded Institute reflects our sincere commitment to educating the public as to how mind-body practices can be used in the treatment of mental health issues. In addition to our professional training, online resources, and medical school programs we will be launching shorter professional modules on various mental health and yoga therapy related topics. The Minded Institute is committed to innovative healing through yoga and mindfulness. | |  | | | spotlight on RESEARCH | | The Minded Institute took great pleasure in sponsoring this month's exciting conference, "Yoga, The Brain and Mental Health" in London, England. We were lucky enough to welcome some of the world's most prolific and experienced yoga researchers delivering presentations and workshops, namely Drs Chris Streeter, Patricia Gerbarg, Richard Brown, Sat Bir Khalsa and Sara Lazar. This year, Drs Streeter, Gerbarg and Brown produced an elegant and concise paper detailing proposed neurophysiological pathways for the effects of yoga. "Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder", published in Medical Hypotheses,highlights yoga's influence on the parasympathetic nervous system and GABA system. Through the stimulation of vagal pathways (for example, through breathwork) and decreasing allostatic load, yogic practices are proposed to help decrease the cumulative strain on the nervous system. As this strain is linked to the pathophysiology of depression, anxiety, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder, yoga offers simple yet powerful practices that could have a significant impact on the symptoms of such debilitating conditions. | | Summary of the Yoga, The Brain and Mental Health three day conference which explored the role of yoga in emotional regulation | | 2-4 November, 2012
University of London | |
This historic conference brought the world's leading researchers on yoga and the brain together with renowned yoga teachers to explore how yoga can be used in a therapeutic context to enhance emotional regulation.
As science begins to appreciate the power of the mind-body connection, yoga is quickly becoming one of the best known practices for reducing stress and enhancing well-being. We considered yoga's function as a body-based therapeutic intervention, not simply within its own cultural tradition but in contemporary western societies where individuals face exceptional levels of stress, anxiety and depression. For those who taught yoga as the core of their work, we reflected on particular forms of yoga and yogic techniques, identifying those best suited for various mental health populations. Mental health professionals were guided through the specific applications of a yoga practice designed to support clients suffering from trauma and emotional dysregulation. Lecture presentations of scientific findings were combined with practical workshops on a variety of themes. These provided practical skills for working with emotional health. Yoga sessions were an important aspect of the three days.
It was sponsored by The Minded Institute and Yoga Campus. | | Yoga and Mindfulness for Child and Adolescent Mental Health with Drs Lucy Clarke and Lana Jackson | | 19-20th January 2013 (4 day course)
The Special Yoga Centre, London, UK | |
Drs Lucy Clarke and Lana Jackson, both Clinical Psychologists and Yoga Therapists for Mental Health, invite you to join them for this innovative four day course. You will learn to support children and adolescents with mental health difficulties using yoga and mindfulness.
Yoga and mindfulness provide children and adolescents (as well as parents and carers) with specific tools and practices for: - regulating their emotions
- increasing concentration and focus
- inspiring confidence and calm
- gaining deeper self-awareness and self-acceptance
- improving physical and mental strength and flexibility
- and developing kindness and compassion towards self, others and the world around them.
This course is suitable for yoga teachers and child health professionals with previous yoga experience. It is an introductory course and there will be further opportunity to deepen your learning with the course tutors and other yoga therapists in the field should you wish to continue. All course participants will be provided with a comprehensive course manual and access to an extensive range of further study materials. For more information, take a look at our events page. To register your interest, please email jess@specialyoga.org.uk or call 020 8968 1900. | | Yoga and Mindfulness in the Treatment of Pain | | February 16-17th, 2013
London, UK | | Originally set to take place in October, this workshop was been postponed to February, due to Tim's invitation to present his research to the Dalai Lama on the same weekend! In this cutting edge workshop, current research on the neurophysiology of both acute and chronic pain is integrated with practical techniques that can be used to work with others and ourselves. Academic and experiential in nature, this workshop will provide you with a holistic view of pain and its management. Join us for two fabulous days where you will learn about the nature and causes of pain and ways to let go of pain, while becoming increasingly aware of your body and mind. On completion of this workshop, you will have gained insight on ground breaking research. You will also have more confidence to teach mindfulness practices and yoga techniques for the effective management of pain. This course is presented by Heather Mason, founder of The Minded Institute, and Tim Gard, a Ph.D. student of neuroscience at the Bender Institute of Neuroimaging in Giessen, Germany. Currently, Tim is a visiting researcher and research assistant at the Lazar Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. He works on several projects investigating the neural mechanisms of yoga and meditation in a variety of contexts, including chronic pain. Tim is also a certified Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction teacher. He works at Massachussets General Hospital delivering mindfulness interventions to chronic pain patients. For more information about this and other courses, visit the events page on our website. To register your interest, send us an email at email@yogaforthemind.info | | Minded Yoga Therapy Professional Training is coming to Boston in 2014(500 hours) | | We are excited to announce that we are launching this 500 hour training in Boston in just over a year. To learn more about this opportunity, visit the professional training page on our website. For a copy of our prospectus, please contact us at email@yogaforthemind.info | | RESOURCES | | We are happy to announce a new resource: Reconnecting with Your Body Sam Bottrill is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in the treatment of Eating Disorders at London's Maudsley Hospital, a qualified Yoga Therapist for Mental Health and lecturer on the YTFTM team. She has developed this unique audio resource. Reconnecting with your Body is a set of fun and simple guided body awareness exercises for teenagers and adults. Combining practices from the ancient traditions of mindfulness and yoga with insights from modern neuroscience, this comprehensive program provides a gentle and graded approach to developing body awareness, self-acceptance and emotional wellbeing. It can be a wonderful ally on the journey to wellness for anyone struggling with body image, chronic illness or pain. It is also an exceptional resource for yoga therapists and clinicians working in this field. To find out more about this and our other resources see the products page on our website. | | Get regular updates and tips by 'liking' us on facebook and 'following' us on Twitter | | | be well.
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