Concurrent Session 4 – Yoga: A Contemplative Technique for Mental WellBeing

Yoga is an ancient mind-body discipline practiced in various forms in differentAsian countries such as India and Tibet, with important contributions for contemporary society. The number of yoga practitioners in Western society is growing worldwide, in particular in the pursuit of mental well-being. Research shows that yoga techniques can improve emotional balance and strength, especially …

Concurrent Session 3 – The Five Elements and the Body-Mind as an Instrument of Knowledge for Holistic Wisdom: Yogadance Therapy™

Yogadance Therapy™ is a technique based on the five elements theory. Thisresearch focuses on the efforts to find an alternative therapeutic art form, derived from some of the oldest postural patterns and movements of world cultural heritage, creating a new philosophy of performance that allows for the transformation and transmission of energy through kinesthetic expressions …

Concurrent Session 3 – Movement-Based Embodied Contemplative Practices: Current State-of-the-Art and Future Research Directions

Compared to the extensive body of work on mindfulness-based practices, farfewer scientific studies have examined the mechanisms underlying movement-based contemplative practices such as yoga or Qigong. One likely reason is the inherent challenge of dealing with their multifaceted nature, typically involving specific movement sequences, specialized use of the breath, and modulation of attention. Movement-based practices …

Concurrent Session 1 – Yoga’s Self-Regulatory Functions in Promoting Psychological Health: A Proposed Model

Research suggesting beneficial effects of yoga on myriad aspects of psychological health has proliferated in recent years, yet there is currently no overarching framework by which to understand yoga’s beneficial effects. In this session, we provide a theoretical framework and systems-based conceptual model of yoga that focuses on self-regulation. We begin by contextualizing yoga in …

Concurrent Session 1 – Dancing Compassion: Using Dance to Cultivate Personal and Social Awareness in the Classroom

This presentation will explore the use of dance and choreographic methodology as embodied practices for guiding classroom explorations of ethical issues and active compassion. Movement is used as the primary medium for discovering mindful awareness expanding from the personal to the relational and then to social justice awareness and engagement. This presentation will use themes …