EASTWIND STRESS REDUCTION CLINIC

When we encounter problems in our daily lives that have no quick or easy solution we find ourselves at a turning point. We are faced with examining the attitudes and habit patterns we bring to our experience of stress and pressure at work and daily living. Ultimately, we make a choice either to continue a lifestyle, which maintains the inertia of the problem, or to cultivate a more gentle and positive attitude towards our lives, our work, and ourselves.

For the current workshop/course, click here.

For the one-hour workshop description, click here (or scroll down).

For the three-hour workshop description, click here (or scroll down).

For the six-hour (full day) workshop description, click here (or scroll down).

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course

is a 21/2 hour class meeting once a week, for 8 weeks plus one seven hour Saturday session, pre and post interviews for a total of 29 hours involves home practice two audiotapes, reading and awareness assignments.

The workshops focus on

mindfulness and heightened self awareness
light stretching and gentle yoga
relaxation exercises and body awareness
brief lectures and group discussions

Communication exercises introduced which help you to:

transform stress reactivity into an effective and energetic personal response
relax, let go of tension, and enjoy your life
enhance mental disciplines; focus, concentration, memory, courage
take personal responsibility for your own well being and your life’s direction
thrive within a constantly changing world
tune into your breath to calm body and mind in the face of ups and downs
set priorities from a deeper place of meaning in one's life.
nurture creativity and initiative
cultivate teamwork skills, community awareness and shared vision
transform conflict into creativity
appreciate your intuition and realize your full potential

Basic Healthiness & Basic Wisdom

The Stress Reduction and Workplace Wellness Program is based on the principle that we already have everything we need within ourselves to overcome obstacles, confusion and overwhelming stress in our lives. The training helps you to experience your wholeness your basic healthiness, and your innate intuitive wisdom. These inherent human qualities underlie any stress related medical problem or diagnosis. Instead of putting a lot of energy into understanding what is wrong with you we concentrate more on what is right with you. With mindfulness we do not diagnose or treat the problem or illness directly, however, people can be referred to the clinic by their doctors or health practitioners for a wide variety of conditions, including:

Commitment

Unlike taking a pill or passively receiving a treatment, this course demands a strong commitment from you. The homework involves a daily discipline of meditation and relaxation supported by audiotapes. Whatever your physical condition, mindfulness exercises can be tailor-made to benefit you by starting right where you are. Making this kind of a commitment to yourself is the first step toward making a change in your life.

Instructor: Timothy Walker Ph.D.,CCC, NSRPC

Trained in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Family Systems Therapy, Tim has 20 years of experience integrating mindfulness and awareness into counselling, psychotherapy, employee assistance, addictions, education and mental health programs. In private practice at EastWind Health Associates since 1991, Tim has taught counselling at Dalhousie and Acadia Universities and served on the counselling staff at St. Mary's University. In consultation with the QE II Cancer Centre and the Canadian Cancer Society he has worked to develop the "Skills for Healing" Weekend Retreats and the Video Teleconferencing program. Tim believes that vast resources of untapped potential for healing and growth exist within each unique individual.

The Model

The EastWind Stress Reduction Clinic of Halifax is modeled on the highly successful program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., the oldest and largest hospital-based stress reduction clinic in North America. Through research published in a broad variety of medical journals, Dr. Kabat-Zinn has shown that "mindfulness meditation training as part of a stress reduction and relaxation program can be highly effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and self reports of pain and the negative reactions to pain in a majority of patients."* Kabat-Zinn further explains in his promotional literature that:

"...the majority of people report lasting decreases in both physical and psychological symptoms. The majority also report an increased ability to relax, greater energy and enthusiasm for life, improved self esteem, and an increased ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations.
"Mindfulness-based stress reduction clinics of this model have duplicated these results in more than 50 cities across North America including Vancouver and a program at the Toronto General Hospital."

- Journal of Behavioral Medicine Vol. 8 No. 2, 1985.

Click here for an article, “Stress Reduction & Workplace Wellness Program”

ON-SITE WORKSHOPS

The 1-hour workshops will include:

An exploration of the physiology of stress
A brief introduction to mindfulness awareness practice
Breathing practice for increasing stress hardiness
Deep relaxation joined with mindfulness

The 3 hour workshops (Strategies and techniques for becoming stress-hardy) include:

15 min informal discussion of personal stress experience with participants
30 min in depth presentation of the physiology of stress and significant health concerns
15 min Introduction to Mindfulness
45 min Mindful body scan and deep relaxation
15 min Break
30 min Introduction to mindfulness meditation
30-min Mini lecture and discussion of Mindful strategies for overcoming stress in the workplace as well as home and beyond
(This workshop includes lying on the floor on yoga mats for ‘body scan and deep relaxation’)

The full day/6 hour Stress Reduction and Workplace Wellness Program includes:

Morning:
more or less follows the format given above for the 3-hour workshop, above
Afternoon:
30 min Yoga and gentle stretching
30 min Mindful breath, bodyscan and sitting meditation
30 min Presentation of mindfulness as Empowerment
Transforming stress into clarity and power
15 min Break
30 min Facilitation of empowerment process
30-min Small groups work with empowerment process
15 min Process and wrap up empowerment work


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