Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction
Did you know that persistent psychological stress and negative emotions (e.g. anger, grief, jealousy and sadness) are one of the most important risk factors for developing a heart attack?
Did you know that chronic stress and anger increase vulnerability to arrhythmias (irregular or abnormal heartbeat), independent of other risk factors?
Do you know how stress and negative emotions affect your cardiovascular health?
Psychological stress damage the heart by increasing the production of two hormones: cortisol and catecholamines. Chronic elevated cortisol and catecholamines raise heart rate and blood pressure, increase inflammation and oxidative stress, and activate platelets and immune cells. Negative emotions potentiate the harmful effects of stress.
In experimental animal studies, chronic stress induces profound changes in cardiac function, including accumulation of fibrous tissue resulting in stiffening of the heart (diastolic dysfunction), increased plaque formation in the coronary arteries and increased susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmias.
How can you reduce stress and emotional distress?
Data from multiple studies in humans indicate that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is very effective in reducing psychological and emotional stress, anxiety, and depression symptom severity among a wide range of individuals, including healthy young men and women.
One trial conducted in 40 young students showed that practicing mindful meditation with integrative body–mind training for 20 min each day for 5 days significantly reduced conflict, anxiety, symptoms of depression, fatigue, and cortisol levels.
What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?
MBSR is a blend of mindful meditation, body awareness, breathing practice, mental imagery, and gentle yoga. One learns through practicing. It is the study of how your body handles (and can resolve) stress and negative emotions, neurologically.
How does Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) work?
MBSR has been extensively researched in the medical field. This three-minute video provides a brief overview of 30 years of research conducted on the effects of MBSR.
What will MBSR do for you?
Here are ten scientifically proven benefits of mindfulness meditation:
1. Decreased stress and anxiety
2. Reduced negative thoughts
3. Reduced emotional reactivity
4. Enhanced concentration capacity
5. Increased flexible thinking
6. Enhancement of working memory
7. Improved relationship satisfaction
8. Increased empathy
9. Enhanced self-compassion
10. Improved quality of life
The Importance of Practice
Regular practice is the most important component of MBSR. Similar to mindfulness, you would not expect to learn to surf by reading a book about surfboards and waves. Your body/mind is a highly complex instrument. It takes time and practice to use it effectively and harmoniously.
We recommended setting aside 30 minutes for formal practice, at least three times per week. If this amount of practice becomes easy, you may increase your practice up to six times per week.
Additionally, informal mindfulness practice will help you integrate your formal practice into your daily life. You will not need to set aside special time for informal practice. Instead, it will consist of bringing special awareness to some of the activities that you already do on a daily basis. It is through informal practice that you will see the benefits of MBSR.
You will be provided with space in this app to log your formal and informal practice each month, beginning with Month 2. Instructions will be provided each month for ways you can transform your formal practice into informal practice.
Program Outline
· Month 1: Introduction
· Month 2: Simple Awareness. Introduction to the Body Scan
· Month 3: Attention & The Brain. Introduction to Sitting Meditation
· Month 4: Dealing with Thoughts. Introduction to Slow Breathing & Yoga
· Month 5: Stress: Responding vs. Reacting. The One-Minute Breathing Space
· Month 6: Dealing with Difficult Emotions of Physical Pain. Turning Toward…
· Month 7: Mindfulness and Communication. Lake & Mountains Meditations
· Month 8: Self-Compassion Cultivation.
· Month 9: Social Connectedness.
· Month 10: A Closer Look at Happiness.
· Month 11: On Relationships.
· Month 12: Conclusion. Developing a Practice of Your Own
Each module will teach you about a new mindfulness technique and how to practice it. You may enjoy some techniques more than others, which is normal. Each module is designed to take about 20 minutes to complete. Additional (optional) resources will be provided for those who wish to spend more time learning about mindfulness, posture and relaxation, body–mind harmony, and balance.
Getting Started
It can be difficult to begin a meditation/ integrative body–mind practice on your own. A qualified coach will help you to master the basic concepts and techniques so that with time each practice session will achieve the best results. You will greatly increase your odds of staying with this program if you are clear about your goals and when and where you will do your practices.
To create a foundation for your practice, and as your first mindfulness practice, answer the following questions in the spaces provided:
1. By the end of the study, I am hoping that (e.g., I can improve my sleep by worrying less at night before bed):
2. Some of my strengths are:
3. When will I practice? (Try to be concrete, e.g., 6.30am MWF):
4. Where I am planning to practice (e.g., corner of the bedroom, living room, etc.):
5. The time & day of the week I will complete new modules to prepare for upcoming practice:
Study Community
You are invited to join your fellow research participants in the app group, which will provide you with the opportunity to share with others and to get your questions answered by your meditation coach.
Joining is optional. Even if you do join, you can choose to only read the content, questions, and answers that others post and never make a post yourself.
To join and access the group:
About your Mindfulness Coach
Dr Cynthia M Kroeger will be your mindfulness coach. She received her PhD in integrative pathophysiology, specifically in behavioral, exercise, and dietary interventions for metabolic diseases (i.e., heart disease), from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2015.
She became certified to teach Hatha Yoga in 2010 from the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago and has completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training. She has been teaching and practicing mindfulness and hatha yoga for 10 years.
Her research area is the impact of stress and adverse events on the nervous and metabolic systems in people with metabolic diseases, such as heart disease, and how to effectively rehabilitate our physiology via behavioral means.
Points to Keep in Mind this Month
1. As you begin this study, you might find yourselves overwhelmed by all of the new information you are receiving at once. Just remember, this is normal. The path to health is an individual quest that lasts a lifetime. Much like learning a musical instrument or how to read, with patience, determination, and passion, you will gradually acquire skills, step by step, month by month. We will be here to support you and attend to any questions or concerns you have along the way.
2. Speak with trusted friends and relatives about your goals for yourself for the upcoming year, particularly related to nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness. We assimilate new knowledge better when we can describe it as our own experience to others. Further, creating a sense of community around our goals can help foster the success we are looking for.
3. Ponder this mantra, both when feeling calm and during times of distress:
“Undisturbed calmness of the mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” – Patañjali1
Extra Introductory Content (Optional)
· Video: Jon Kabat-Zinn speaking at Google
Notes
1 Patañjali is an Indian Sage, from the second century BCE, who is believed to be the author of various Sanskrit works, including the organization of the Yoga Sutras, which is a classical yoga text that we will hear from again.
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