Mindfulness, Yoga, Tai Chi & Qigong

Are you curious about mindfulness or maybe interested in trying meditation, but not sure how to begin? Resources on this page will help explain the benefits of a mindful practice and I recommend starting with one of the shorter 5-6 minute guided meditations to try and work into your morning routine. For a longer challenge, the resources listed under UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center provide a 30 minute series from their Hammer Museum podcasts or UCSD’s Center for Mindfulness offers 30-45 minute meditations as well.

Meditation might not be the right fit for you, however, there is an alternative approach you may want to consider, which is the practice of mindful movement. Some of these movements can even be added throughout your day and are an easy way to incorporate a focused awareness/stress relief break, especially if you are spending a lot of time in front of your computer.

Why try a mindfulness practice?

Mindfulness for Your Health, The Benefits of Living Moment by Moment - NIH News in Health

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health - UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center

Can mindfulness lower your cancer risk? - Univ. of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
"If you spend as little as five minutes a day on mindful breathing, it may help you eat better, exercise more and reduce your risk for disease."

Center for Mindfulness - Centers for Integrative Health, University of California San Diego
Guided meditations - Offers a number of audio meditations of different lengths varying from 5 minutes to 45 minutes from different contributors.

Myrna Brind Center for Mindfulness - Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Jefferson Health
Explore Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Guided Practices - Audio files
There are brief introductions from each instructor and underneath corresponding audio files including: Body Scan, Sitting Meditation, Mindful Yoga, Expanding Awareness, and Loving Kindness.

Integrative Medicine Resources - Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University
Complementary resource guides and recordings - free audio files recorded by an advanced practitioner and behavioral health specialist.
Guided Imagery - Guided imagery practices can help patients relax, improve sleep, prepare for surgery, experience greater clarity, compassion and gratitude and feel more calm, confident and comfortable.
Heart-centered practices can evoke healing and positive emotions, which broaden and build compassion, forgiveness, gratitude and loving-kindness (extending goodwill for safety, health, peace and happiness).
Mindfulness is paying attention in three particular ways: on purpose, in the moment and without judgment. You can practice mindfulness of breathing, eating, bodily sensations (body scan), thoughts, emotions, communication (listening and speaking) and walking or other activities (such as yoga or tai chi).
The Relaxation Response

Mindful Movement Resources

How to Develop a Mindful Movement Practice - Peter Pace MS, CSCS, Anticancer Lifestyle Program
An explanation of Mindful Movement with 4 four gentle exercises to get you started.

Anticancer Lifestyle Program
Mindful Movement and Breath (video 6:47) - A short series of movements from yoga and meditation teacher David Breen.

Free Apps

UCLA Mindful App
Developed by the Mindful Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), this App offers basic & wellness meditations plus a timer try meditating on your own.

The Healthy Minds App
From Healthy Minds Innovations, a nonprofit affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"Translating pioneering neuroscience into tools for everyday life, our unique framework guides you through the four pillars of the science of training the mind."

Smiling Mind App
By Australian non-profit Smiling Mind, dedicated to provide accessible, life-long tools to support healthy minds.
This is app is ”… developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to your life. Just as we eat well and stay fit to keep our body healthy, mindfulness meditation is about mental health and looking after the mind.”

Univ. of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care Center for Mindfulness

Global Online Meditation Community
Weekly Sessions
Prior registration required
Mondays, 7pm ET/4pm PT (1 hr.)
Thursdays, 12:10pm ET/9:10am PT (40 min.)

The Myrna Brind Center for Mindfulness Jefferson Health

Virtual Guided Mindfulness Meditation
Every Tuesday afternoon via Zoom
No prior registration required

UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)

Weekly Drop-in Meditation Sessions - Available via Zoom
No need to register
Monday & Thursday
12:30-1pm PT/ 3:30-4pm ET

These 30-minute sessions offer an online community of meditation support and teachings.

Mindfulness Center at Brown University

Community Mindfulness Sessions
Available Live Online
or by Telephone

Check their schedule for daily sessions, open to the public.

UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center
A non-profit dedicated to the science and practice of well-being.

• Happiness Break Podcast - This short podcast series (under 10 minutes) guides you through research-based practices to develop more compassion, resilience to stress, and moments of joy and inspiration.

• The Science of Happiness - Free Online 8 Week Course
  "...to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life." Check their page for updates when the next course starts.

• Pathway to Happiness - 4-week practice
  A free personalized, interactive journey toward helping you discover a more meaningful life 2022! Register, then take a short quiz and receive science-based happiness practices to try for the next four weeks!

• Thnx4.org - A mobile-friendly online gratitude journal challenge
  Register and choose either 10-day or 21-day experience and you can sign up and participate as an individual or host a group challenge. "Thnx4 is based on three decades of research on gratitude, and the benefits of gratitude journaling in particular, which suggest that regularly reflecting upon and expressing thanks can have profound benefits on one’s social, emotional, and physical well-being."

• Greater Good Magazine: Science-based insights for a meaningful life
  This free online Magazine covers topics including mind-body, parenting & family, relationships, and the workplace.

Purpose in Life Quiz

Take this free online quiz and "… get your score, learn more about the benefits of purpose, and find resources for identifying and cultivating your own life goals."

While most styles of yoga can be viewed as having therapeutic value, “therapeutic yoga” or “yoga therapy” is specifically designed to address health conditions or challenges. I found this description from the Yoga Jaya studio in Burbank, CA - "The practice of Therapeutic Yoga gives the body and mind time to pause, restore, and rejuvenate. It is a gentle and effective practice to release everyday life stresses, and can be modified for those recovering from or living with different physical conditions." Locating a therapeutic yoga class may not be as easy as finding a power yoga or hot yoga class, but a helpful resource is the Association of Yoga Therapists and their IAYT member database referral. You can scroll through their member list to see if classes are available in your area.

NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Yoga for Health: What the Science Says
Yoga for Health (ebook)
”This 39-page eBook provides an overview of what the science says about yoga for health, including its use by children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with health conditions. You’ll also find information on how to practice yoga safely, as well as a summary of national survey findings about the use of yoga in the United States.”

Restorative Yoga - Fountain of Youth Pose (4 min. video) - Washington Regional Medical Center, Arkansas. 
Loni Harris, DPT, explains the benefits of the Fountain of Youth pose, which is designed to help decrease stress and anxiety.

Whole U Yoga: Restorative Yoga with Sarah Hay (8 min. Video) - University of Washington

UCLA Health’s Integrative Medicine Collaborative virtual yoga therapy - Univ. of California Los Angeles
Free via Zoom Live 30-minute sessions are held at Noon PT / 3pm ET Tuesdays & Thursdays
Registration required
"UCLA Health’s yoga therapy sessions are available to anyone, whether or not they live in Southern California or are patients of UCLA Health. Anyone with a connected device can click the Zoom link and attend the live class. A library of previous sessions is also available online."
A library of previous sessions are available on YouTube.

According the Benson-Henson Institute, "Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that employs slow intentional movements, coordinated with breathing and imagery, to strengthen and relax the physical body and mind. It enhances and balances the flow of internal energy (qi), resulting in improved health,..."

Mayo Mindfulness: Tai chi is a gentle way to fight stress - Mayo Clinic

The Moving Meditation: A Tai Chi Journey Begins with One Step - Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute
What is Tai Chi, what are the benefits, and what is the difference between Tai Chi and QiQong?