Welcome to a guided meditation on the theme of Health and Vitality with Dr Laura Feuerborn.
*Offered every 1st and last Saturday of the month.
You probably know that meditation can significantly reduce clinical levels of:
Anxiety (including Social Anxiety Disorder),
Toxic stress (including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/PTSD),
Depression, and
Addictive/compulsive behaviors,
and significantly increase emotional regulation, contentment, self-wisdom, kindness and compassion.
You might also know that meditation can grow brain volume in key areas linked to: healthy aging, including improved memory and learning (e.g., hippocampus,) and thicken cortical layers of the brain responsible for executive functioning (think of that infinitely wise voice that tells you NOT send that vengeful email, but take a walk instead).
And, you might also know that meditation can decrease activity in the brain in areas associated with impulsivity, emotional reactivity, preoccupation, rumination, worry, mind-wandering (e.g., amygdala & the Default Mode Network/DMN-- think about the time you may have zoned-out and missing your freeway exit).
BUT, did you know that meditation can improve many aspects of your physical health, including your immune functioning, respiratory health, sleep, digestion, and blood pressure?
Moreover, the benefits can be more pronounced when practiced in a community.
Dr. Laura Feuerborn facilitates these community gatherings by leading a:
1. teaching and reading,
2. 30 minute practice, and
3. group discussion about the ins and outs of mindful/bodyful practices. This includes debunking myths, taking a deep dive into the nuances and challenges of our practice, and group shares (noticings, wonderings, and tips or strategies).
Each session is centered on a topic or a theme, and incorporates different philosophies, ideologies, and modalities, as appropriate to the topic. Mindful movement, progressive relaxation, breathing techniques, and mindful eating are to name a few of our fun and meaningful practices.
This is the perfect time to begin a community meditation practice. Once you sign up you will be emailed a ZOOM link to join the meditation on Saturday. Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before 9am as we will start promptly.
Dr. Laura Feuerborn
Dr. Laura Feuerborn has both classical and non-traditional education, training, and experiences. She has earned her PhD from the University of Oregon in 2004, and has been a professor at the University of Washington Tacoma for nearly 15 years. In addition to over a decade of personal mindfulness-based practices, Dr Feuerborn teaches graduate courses on mindfulness, resilience, and social-emotional learning. She has published several educationally-related books and scientific journal articles on these topics. Dr Feuerborn draws from an eclectic background of study, including psychology, neuropsychology, education, biology, geology, art, yoga, and martial arts.