Exploring Meditation

Click HERE to purchase tickets. 

Meditation has become a favored topic in the popular press over the last couple years as the results of various medical studies have demonstrated the amazing outcomes that meditation can bring for mental and physical health. Meditation comprises a wide variety of techniques that can be described as mental practices that calm the mind and relax the body. Meditation has been shown to improve outcomes for people suffering from autoimmune disease, insomnia, addiction, and many other health concerns. Meditation has been seen to help with everything from people recovering from strokes to formerly incarcerated people dealing with reintegration into society.

In this backdrop, instructor Betsy Turner would like to help people understand: What is meditation? Are all types of meditation the same? What is happening in the brain when we meditate? What are the effects and benefits of meditation? By what mechanism does meditation heal the mind and body? Is meditation something we can reasonably add to our lives?

She will go over a variety of styles of meditation practiced by cultures from all over the world, both historical and contemporary. She will review what is happening in the brain while a person is meditating – including changes to brain waves and neurochemistry. Participants will receive a review of some of the scientific studies that have shown some of the astonishing mental and physical health benefits produced by meditation. And finally, she will profile some types of meditation available to us locally on the Central Coast.

August 13 from 1 to 3 at the Unitarian Church

Betsy Turner is a meditation teacher and a former Cal Poly Chemistry instructor. She has studied meditation for over 8 years and is a certified member of the Shakaracharya Tradition and teaches Vedic Meditation. Betsy has trained and traveled in India and has completed thousands of hours of meditation.

Click HERE to purchase tickets.