Mindfulness Meditation (formerly Art of Relaxation)
Shift your attention to be more fully aware of moment-to-moment experiences in life.
This class will teach mindfulness meditation, which is the shifting of one’s attention to be more fully aware of moment-to-moment experiences in life. The meditations will include walking, sitting, eating and breathing with mindful awareness, gentle yoga postures and body scan techniques. This program can help people learn to use the wisdom of the body and mind to face stress, pain and illness.
| The regular practice of meditation has been shown to have beneficial effects on the immune system, blood pressure, cholesterol, the heart, chronic pain, headaches, anxiety and depression, and to decrease medical costs and the use of medical care in some cases. |  |
Information for Participants
To achieve maximum benefit from the Art of Relaxation program, we highly encourage you to commit to the entire duration of the course. Daily home practice of the techniques is an important component of the program. For optimal comfort we recommend that every participant:
- dress comfortably
- eat lightly before class
- bring a blanket and pillow
- have a tape or CD player at home for practice
- engage in daily practice (35-40 minutes) of mindfulness meditation.
The course fee includes all instruction and practice tapes or CDs required for home meditation practice. Yoga mats and cushions will be provided for use during class. Those that have previously completed the course can attend for a reduced fee.
Course Leaders
Shelly Vanness, OT and Linda Nett-Duesterhoeft, OT work as Occupational Therapists at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wis. in the biofeedback program. Each has completed a course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. As occupational therapists and biofeedback specialists, they teach patients techniques for reducing anxiety, coping with chronic pain, reducing headaches and learning to manage the body's stress response. Shelly and Linda developed this course for Affinity and regularly practice mindfulness meditation, including Tai Chi, Hatha Yoga and sitting meditation.
Take a moment to relax. In fact, take a moment to be in the moment. Whether it’s a condition such as chronic pain, heart disease, cancer, sleep disturbance, fatigue, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia or headaches; stress of job, family or finances; or simply a need to feel more in control, the Art of Relaxation may be just what the doctor ordered.
Class Schedule
For more information on dates/times, locations and class fees, click here.
To register for any community class, click here or call Affinity NurseDirect at 1-800-362-9900.
The Art of Relaxation program is sponsored by Affinity Integrative Medicine and Affinity Outpatient Rehabilitation.
