Seminar #3:
Relaxation breathing and mindfulness
by Darcy A. Santor | June 2022
Relaxation breathing and mindfulness as has been practised for over 5000 years. The first written description of relaxation breathing and mindfulness has been traced to the Ānāpānasati (say ah-nah-pah-na-sa-ti) Sutta, written some 1500 years ago. This document mentions the “mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation” as means of quieting one’s body and cultivating enlightenment. This is likely the first mental health intervention in our history.
The first application of relaxation breathing and mindfulness as a clinical intervention for people’s suffering only occurred in the early 1980s, when it was used by Jon Kabat Zinn to treat chronic pain in patients who were not benefitting from standard medication-based treatments.
Since then, relaxation breathing has been used effectively in the management of stress and chronic pain, as well as in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder. Studies have also shown that relaxation breathing and mindfulness can improve cardiac functioning and even your math grades.
In this seminar, you will learn how to breathe and be mindful, how to use relaxation breathing and mindfulness to effectively manage your stress and worries, and how the strategic use of relaxation and breath can improve your focus and concentration.
Resources: Please download the worksheet before the seminar and complete the surveys after the seminar.
