May Drop-In Session
This month's drop-in session for Stress Reduction
Program Graduates will be held on
Thurs,
May 12, 7-9 PM at the Wright Tavern
Center, 2 Lexington Rd., Concord.
Our focus this month will be on exploring our senses
through meditation. We will utilize music and
movement in our practice, as well as sit in silence.
Insights and challenges in our practices will be
discussed.
Preregistration in not necessary. Come as you are,
and stay for as long as you are able. The drop-in
fee
is $15
Quick Links...
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Greetings!
Welcome to the May edition of News from
Stress
Resources.
Spring is a wonderful time to practice mindfulness. It
seems each day a new blossom appears and grass
gets a bit greener! This is the practice of
mindfulness -- awareness of the present moment.
During this month, see if you can notice one new
thing each
day. Perhaps noticing a subtle shift from moments of
mindlessness to moments of mindfulness.
I will be offering several ways to practice increased
awareness as well as methods of relaxation over the
next few months. Keep checking the Stress
Resources Website for updates on current
workshops and events. One special workshop I will
be offering will be Mindfulness at Walden
. I will also be offering, by request, a two-
part workshop in August specifically for teens to
promote enhanced focus and concentration in
preparation for standarized tests, such as MCAS and
SAT, as well as athletic performance. More info in
the June newsletter as to dates
and times.
More and more research is being published in areas of
chronic disease and the benefit of stress
management as an adjunct to medical care. Of
particular interest, in light of the current epidemic of
Type 2 diabetes in our county, is the effect of stress
reduction on blood sugar levels. I have highlighted
an article in the May/June 2005 issue of Yoga Journal
for those of you who would like more information.
Finally, I would like to remind you of our relaxing,
rejunvenating, monthly "refresher" sessions at Wright
Tavern Center for Stress Reduction Program
graduates and others familiar with meditation. This
month's session will be on Thursday, May 12
from 7-9 PM. If you haven't attended one
of these drop-in refresher sessions, now is the time!
May you walk in beauty this Spring,
Pam
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Mindfulness at Walden
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"Only that day dawns to which we are awake"
-- Henry David Thoreau, Walden
I will be offering workshops this summer at
Walden Pond -- a location that is a rhapsody of
mindfulness. Two workshops will be offered: one in
June and other other in August. The workshops will
be two hours in length and will include sitting, and
walking meditations, as well as journal
writing. Come to one or both! The June workshop
will
be held on Tuesday June 28 (raindate June 29) from
9-11 AM and the August workshop will be held on
Wednesday August 17 (raindate August 18) from 6-8
PM. The fee for each workshop will be $30 per
person.
Preregistration for these workshops is necessary. To
register, call 978-369-5243 or e-mail
pressler@stressresources.com. Parking is available
at
Walden Pond for $5 Call or e-mail for more
information and directions to Walden Pond in
Concord, MA.
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Diabetes and Stress
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Did you know that the American Diabetes Association
estimates that there 13 million Americans diagnosed
with Type 2 diabetes and another 5.2 million
Americans who are undiagnosed! The World Health
Organization predicts that the number of people
worldwide with diabetes will double by 2030.
Over the past several years, studies have indicated
that the addition of stress reduction techniques to
the standard treatment protocol for Type 2 diabetes
(diet, exercise, medication) may help in lowering
blood
sugar more effectively. Dr. Richard Surwit from Duke
University has conducted studies using progressive
muscle relaxation as an adjunct to diabetes
treatment with promising results. The physiologic
mechanism seems to be decreasing the activation of
the fight-or-
flight response, which increases blood sugar. By
learning stress management tools, patients are able
to learn to elicit the inverse of the fight-or-flight
response, the relaxation response. Current studies
are ongoing at several medical centers using
meditation, yoga and other stress reduction tools in
the overall treatment of Type 2 diabetes.
For more information about ways to work
adjunctively
and integratively with diabetes management, you
may want to check out Dr. Surwit's newly published
book: "The Mind-Body Diabetes Revolution".
An
interesting article on yoga postures and
diabetes appears in this month's Yoga Journal
Magazine. I have linked the article, "Are You
Next?" below for those who are interested in
learning more.
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Tools for Teens
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Do you want to be in the ZONE for
academics and
athletics this fall? In this special two-part
workshop, teens will be introduced to and practice
research-validated tools of stress reduction proven
to help increase focus and concentration.
The Olympic rowing team, the LA Lakers, the Chicago
Bulls and other professional athletes have
successfully trained their minds, as well as their
bodies to help achieve peak concentration and
focus. These same focus techniques are equally
effective with focused academic activities, such as
SAT and MCAS tests.
This summer workshop will be offered in
Concord, MA in mid-August to coincide with team
tryouts and prior to the beginning of the new school
year. The workshop will meet for two evening
sessions, for a total of 4 hours. The program will be
limited to 15
participants between the ages of 13-18. Tuition and
materials are $100. Dates and times will be posted
on the Stress Resources website in June.
Preregistration is necessary.
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