This document provides a syllabus for a stress reduction course that includes lessons on meditation, holistic nutrition, and visualization. The first lesson focuses on meditation and its origins, benefits including reduced stress, blood pressure, and cortisol levels. It discusses practicing meditation which can be done individually or in a group using various aids and focusing on the present moment. The lesson includes participating in a 5-minute guided breathing meditation and discusses using meditation to help manage pain and other health conditions. Resources for continuing a meditation practice in the community are also provided.

1. STRESS REDUCTION
Roberta Gadbury

2. SYLLABUS
FOR
STRESS REDUCTION COURSE
• LESSON ONE
• Mediation
• LESSONTWO
• Holistic Nutrition
• LESSONTHREE
• Visualization & Guided Imagery
• Each lesson plan will have its own syllabus attached to that lesson

3. SYLLABUS
FOR
MEDIATION
• MEDIATION
• Art of Mediation
• Mindfulness & Mediation/Practicing Mediation
• Physical Benefits of Mediation/Cognitive Benefits of Mediation
• Social Readjustment Rating Scale/Class Participating in 5 Minute Breathing Mediation
• Used in Pain Reduction/Proven Effective in FollowingAdverse Health Conditions
• Side Effects & Safety of
• ResourcesAvailable in Community & Online Including Handout

4. LESSON ONE
THE ART OF MEDIATION
The field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, while
many feel is a newer area in the study of medicine in actuality
has been practiced for several thousands of years
We all have four quadrants (physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual) which need to be in harmony and balance in order to
achieve optimum health
Reducing the levels of stress in our lives is vital for us to achieve
this goal

5. MEDIATION
Mediation is considered to be both a body and mind practice
It’s origins are found in ancient religious and spiritual practices

6. MINDFULNESS & MEDIATION
• Meditating allows us to turn down the chatter of both the
outside world as well as the internal bringing a calm both to
our physical as well as emotional well beings
• Practicing mindfulness reduces the stress levels in our life
• Daily practicing of mediation will allow us to be more mindful
living in the present moment, not reliving the past or worrying
about our future

7. PRACTICING MEDIATION
• Mediation may be practiced individually or in a group setting
• May focus an object (internally or externally) or on the present
moment
• A video, CD, audio or text
• Begin with short period of time (5 minutes) and gradually to
your comfort level increase your mediation time
• A wandering mind must be dealt with gently

8. PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF MEDIATION
• Counteracts our fight or flight response
• Strengthen our immune system by reducing levels of cortisol in our bodies
• Decreases the following functions in our body to bring our body back to its
preferred state of homeostasis:
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Respiratory rate
• Oxygen consumption
• Muscle tension

9. COGNITIVE BENEFITS OF MEDIATION
• Daily mediation has been shown to increase they gray matter in our brains
• Improve concentration and focus
• Improves working memory
• Improves self-control
• Improves creativity and more of an open mind to life
• Slow decline of intelligence as well as cognitive decline associated with age
• Allows our brain to retain the ability to multi-task as we age
• Slows down the “monkey chatter” in our minds
• Reference:THEBRAINFLUX

10. SOCIAL READJUSTMENT RATING SCALE
• This questionnaire measuring 43 common stressful events
occurring in life will be given to the class with a fifteen minute
time period afterwards for questions and answers.
• Ten minutes will be allotted for filling out the survey followed
by fifteen minutes for Q & A

11. CLASS PARTICIPATING IN A FIVE MINUTE
BREATHING MEDIATION
• Those who are willing may participate in a five minute guided
breathing mediation.
• Following will be a time for the class to discuss how this made
them feel
• Including whether they feel they could incorporate mediation
into their lives on a regular basis and if not, the obstacles they
feel will be encountered and solution offered
• Time allotted approximately 20 minutes

12. MEDIATION USED IN PAIN REDUCTION
• As mediation has been shown to calm and focus the mind and body,
studies have proven it to be effective in allowing us to control our pain
and our perception of its intensity. (Kay, 2016)
• Mediation teaches us that we need to be nonjudgmental observers of
our thoughts and not hold them as fact and become emotionally
attached to them
• High levels of stress in our bodies increase the pain we perceive to feel
• Proven effective for chronic pain
• In many places in the world mediation is used in place of pharmaceutical
drugs during surgeries and certain medical procedures

13. MEDIATION HAS PROVENTO BE
EFFECTIVE INTHE FOLLOWING AREAS:
• Reduce insomnia
• Reduce anxiety and depression
• As smoking cessation treatment (remains uncertain)
• Certain psychological disorders
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Reference: National Center for Complementary and
Integrative Health

14. SIDE EFFECTS & SAFETY OF MEDIATION
• Considered to be safe for the healthy portion of the population
• Those with chronic health conditions should speak with their
physicians first
• Not to be used in place of your current medication or
treatment plan. Consult with your doctor prior to making any
changes
• Do let your health providers know of any CAM related services
that you are currently using so that you may receive the most
safe and effective individualized treatment for you

15. RESOURCES AVAILABLE
• Discuss online resources
• Community resources
• Reliable sources when seeking information advising them on
how to seek unbiased websites

16. RESOURCES AVAILABLE INYOUR COMMUNITY
FOR IMPLEMENTING YOUR MEDIATION
PRACTICE
• The following are located in our home city :
• Third Eye MoonYoga
• La Luna, A Sacred Space for Healing
• Matrix Energy Healing Center
• Seraphina Holistic &Wellbeing Center

17. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE
• An excellent self-help workbook on mindfulness and different
types of mediation would be
• “A Mindfulness-Based Stress ReductionWorkbook” by Bob Stahl,
PH.D. & Elisha Goldstein, PH.D
• Websites would include the following:
• Wildmind’s Mediation
• The Chopra Center
• Omvana

18. REFERENCES
The BRAINFLUX. (n.d.).The Brain Enhancing Effects of
Mediation. Retrieved from http://thebrainflux.com/cognitive-
benefits-of-meditation/
Kay, Sharon. (2016). How Mediation Releases & Relieves Pain.
Retrieved from http://www.health.com/health/condition-
article/0,,20189590,00.html
• NCCIH. (2016) Meditation: In Depth. Retrieved from
• https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm