Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity
Posted by Dr. Alda Ngo
What is Neuroplasticity
90% of the Brain’s activity occurs beneath conscious awareness. Even though it may seem that we have control over how we think, feel & behave, we often get swept away by strong emotion & react in ways that automatically occur out of unconscious habit.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change & grow. The brain is continually reshaped by our life experiences & our thoughts. How we focus our awareness determines which networks in the brain become strong & which ones become weak & lost.
Mindfulness & Neuroplasticity
So the more we worry, the better we become at worrying. But if we practice being calm, clear & focused, then we increase our capacity to settle our mind & nervous system. This allows us to take information in with more clarity, accuracy & objectivity, enabling us to manage challenging situations more skilfully.
When we cultivate our mindfulness skills, we still experience negative feelings, but mindfulness actually rewires the brain and strengthens the neural pathways for resilience. It helps us to be less reactive to stressors, to manage and recover more quickly from stress, and to decrease the negative impacts of chronic stress on our bodies.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
MBSR is an intensive 8-week, once weekly, group program developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and associates at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. It is now an internationally acclaimed program with a growing body of research supporting its psycho-physiological benefits.
It is also used as a standard in studies researching the benefits of Mindfulness, including (but not limited to) reduction of inflammation and stress, and increase in immunity.
Through practical training in mindfulness, cognitive behavioural and self-regulation skills, participants learn to cultivate a different relationship with stress and to develop skillful and healthy strategies in response to challenging situations.
Upcoming Program
Monday evenings
Sep 12 – Nov 14
Join us for this fall’s 9-week program with Hannah Marsh and Dr. Alda Ngo, who are both Certified MBSR Facilitators with the Centre for Mindfulness Studies.
This will be a highly interactive web-based program using Zoom.
REGISTER HERE
WHEN
Mandatory Orientation:
Monday, September 12th
5:45 – 8:30pm PT | 6:45 – 9:30pm MT
8 weekly classes:
Mondays, Sep 19 – Nov 14 (No class October 31)
5:45 – 8:15pm PT | 6:45 – 9:15pm MT
Day of Mindfulness Retreat:
Sunday, Oct 30
8:30am – 1:30pm PT | 9:30am-2:30pm MT
WHO
This psycho-educational program is suitable for anyone looking for practical tools to deal with chronic stress and its negative impacts on the body as well as to improve their overall health and well-being.
COST
Sliding Scale* $325 – $400 – 475 + GST
*Please pay more, if you can, to help support those less able to pay.
Accessibility is important to us, scholarships are also available to those for whom cost is a barrier.
Please contact us for more information: hannah@beinghere.ca
Cancellation policy
Cancellations received prior to the first session (Sep 19th) will be refunded minus a $100 processing fee. No refunds will be issued after that date.
We reserve the right to cancel this program due to unforeseen circumstances; if this should occur, registrants will be granted full refunds.
REGISTER HERE
Registration Deadline: Monday, September 5th
