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We spend 37% of our lives asleep, walk an average of 3,000 – 4,000 steps each day, and take 25,000 breaths.
Yet, despite these activities taking up such a significant chunk of the human experience, our sleeping, breathing and walking habits remain unconscious for most of us.
We learn them at a young age, and then never give them a second thought.
However, new scientific research is beginning to show that these three activities may be ‘the low hanging fruit’ of mental health and wellbeing, and that by making even minor adjustments in these areas, we can dramatically improve our quality of life.
Getting good sleep, for example, has been shown to strengthen the immune system, improve memory, and offer a 3x boost in creativity and problem solving.
Engaging in ‘coherent breathing‘ improves attention and mental clarity, as well as alleviating symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, isolation and trauma.
And walking regularly throughout the day has been scientifically proven to stimulate the production of molecules promoting brain health, boost mood, reduce rumination over negative experiences, and increase blood flow to the brain.
So, in this online conference, we’ll explore the fascinating science underlying these activities, and how you can optimise them for greater wellbeing in day to day life. People already to do this through things like playing online casino games with readl dealers to boost their mood and help them to relax at the end of the day. Of course, this is just one example of how some people do this, others wouldn’t necessarily find games like that good for their wellbeing, so do different things, which we will explore during this conference. This online conference, like many others, can connect you with others simply by using the best laptops for video conferencing. You can find information for the conference down below.
You’ll learn how these unique insights can improve your own quality of life and also how to help others do the same. We are fortunate enough to live in a time where we have access to lots of different ways to help improve our quality of life such as using something like CBD. However, before using something like this you may want to learn more about the CBD tincture vs oil debate that has been rumbling along online.
Walking upright on two feet is a uniquely human skill. It defines us as a species. It enabled us to walk out of Africa and to spread as far as Alaska and Australia. It freed our hands and freed our minds. We put one foot in front of the other without thinking – yet how many of us know how we do that, or appreciate the advantages it gives us? In this entertaining talk, neuroscientist Shane O’Mara invites you to marvel at the benefits it confers on our bodies and minds.
Walking is good for our muscles and posture; it helps to protect and repair organs, and can slow or turn back the ageing of our brains. With our minds in motion we think more creatively, our mood improves and stress levels fall. Walking together to achieve a shared purpose is also a social glue that has contributed to our survival as a species. This session will explore the fascinating science of how we walk, why it’s good for us, and the powerful impact it can have on our mental and physical wellbeing. You’ll learn how practicing this uniquely human skill can help you discover a happier, healthier, more creative self.
Shane O’Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin – the University of Dublin. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from NUI Galway and a DPhil from the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin (FTCD), and was the first Ireland-based elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (FAPS) and is an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA).
He has a popular newsletter at brainpizza.substack.com – signup for slices of writing on brains, behaviour, and lots in between…
37% of your life is spent asleep. Why do we do it? Is it a waste of time? Why are there different stages? Vincent calls sleep “the low hanging fruit of health and wellbeing.”
In this talk, Professor Vincent Walsh will explore the neuroscience of sleep, why it is even more important than you think it is, how we mess it up, and what we can do about it. You’ll learn about the critical role sleep plays in optimal performance, and how to optimise your sleeping patterns and manipulate the sleeping environment through things like calming colours and art posters so you can thrive in day to day life.
Vincent is Professor of Human Brain Research at University College London. He leads the Applied Cognitive Neuroscience research group which aims to use neuroscience to improve high performance in sport, high pressure decision making and advancing human brain stimulation in cognition and health.
For the past decade he has focused on applying his knowledge to the real world. In particular, he has taken a special interest in elite performance (working with football clubs, international rugby and Team GB squads, as well as businesses and the military), creativity (working with concert musicians, artists and business professionals), and sleep (working with sleepdeep, and focusing on sleep and learning, sleep and the menopause, and the role of sleep in learning and creativity). You can follow him on twitter @vinwalsh.
Most of us are feeling the effects of chronic stress related to COVID-19. Fear, fatigue, and frustration can compromise our abilities to maintain emotional balance, positive relationships, and creative individual and community problem solving.
Educators, health-care professionals, service agency staff, and parents bear the double burden of maintaining their own well-being while caring for others. Breath-Body-Mind (BBM) teaches a set of evidence-based practices that can alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, loss, irritability, insomnia, isolation, and trauma. In addition, these breath-centered practices improve attention, mental clarity, energy, performance, and physical health. These skills have helped thousands of adults and children in the US, the UK, and other countries. Many who benefit go on to become BBM teachers, using the BBM tool kit of techniques in their clinical practices, classrooms, service work, yoga studios, and at home for their own families.
Dr. Brown and Dr. Gerbarg will introduce you to Breath-Body-Mind, explain the neurophysiological effects and research studies, describe the program’s benefits, and lead you through some basic movement and breathing exercises.
www.Breath-Body-Mind.com. Our website offers free educational videos, workshop schedules, program reports, research articles, a free newsletter, and contact information.
Dr. Richard Brown, associate clinical professor in psychiatry at Columbia University Medical College, completed psychiatry residency and fellowship in psychobiology and psychopharmacology at New York Hospital Cornell. Coauthor of more than 100 scientific articles, books, and chapters, he is a certified teacher of Aikido (4th Dan), Yoga, Qigong, and meditation. In collaboration with his wife, Dr. Gerbarg, he developed a neurophysiological theory about how mind-body practices can be optimized to quickly and safely reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, fatigue, and trauma. They have taught programs for thousands of healthcare professionals, yoga teachers, First Responders, psychiatric patients, disaster survivors, adult and child refugees, schools, military service personnel, veterans, and the public.
Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at New York Medical College, graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. Her research with Dr. Brown shows that BBM significantly benefits individuals with anxiety or depression, veterans, disasters survivors (e.g., 2001 World Trade Center attacks), and those with stress-related medical conditions. Their award-winning books include: The Healing Power of the Breath, Non-Drug Treatments for ADHD, and (with Dr. Philip Muskin) How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health and Complementary and Integrative Treatments in Psychiatric Practice (American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2017).
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