Applied Mindfulness in Mind Body Medicine

Day of Mindfulness (one-day retreat)
for Health Care and Human Service Professionals
from 9:30 to 16:30 on Saturday February 8, 2014
at Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong

Walking meditation at the  “Body and Mind are One” DOM at HKU
Centre on Behavioral Health May 22, 2013

Clicke here to get the registration form (PDF)  Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are only 60 spaces available.

Janurary 10, 2013

Dear friends,

You are invited to attend a Day of Mindfulness (DOM) for health care and human service professionals, co-organized by HKU Centre on Behavioral Health and PVFHK Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism (AIAB). This DOM is part of our “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” Initiative to integrate mindfulness practices to the physical and mental health fields. The foundations of this initiative are the teachings and practices of Mindfulness based on the Discourse on Full Awareness of Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta) and the Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Satipatthana Sutta), as taught by the Buddha about 2600 years ago. We also studied how the mind works, based on the teachings of Manifestation-Only Psychology , which was systematized in the 4th century by the Indian Buddhist monk and philosopher Vasubandhu of the Yogacara Buddhist School. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has used these teachings to form the foundation for mediation practices to help us nourish our body and mind, to develop insight and to help us transform pain and suffering into peace and happiness. Even though the teachings are from Buddhist tradition, the practices are non-sectarian and are open to people of all faiths.

In 2014, we will have a Day of Mindfulness for Health Care Professionals once every 3 months, on the 2nd Saturday of Feb, April, July and October. For the upcoming Feb. 8, 2014 DOM, we will see the application of mindfulness in mind-body medicine, an emerging field in Western medicine. We will examine how the practice of mindfulness can lower blood pressure and heart rates, reducing stress and improve our well-being. We also look into the oneness of body and mind, seeing the importance of maintaining good mental health in order to have good physical health, and vice versa. We will see how mindfulness is applied in clinical settings in programs such as Henry-Benson Relaxation Response Protocol at The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine (BHI) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. We will look at the aspect of faith and prayer in medicine, in connection with the Buddhist teachings of the Five Faculties and Five Powers, which are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and insight.

In the day of mindfulness, we will learn the practice of going back to our breath, anchoring our mind in the in-breath and out-breath. We become calm and clear when the mind and body are together in one place, with the help of our mindful breath. We will practice listening to the bell, walking meditation, eating meditation, exercise meditation (mindful movements), and relaxing meditation (total relaxation) … We practice to stop, to slowdown the thinking in our mind via bodily actions.

You can find more information about activities of past days of mindfulness at http://pvfhk.org/index.php/en/activities/body-mind

In the day of mindfulness, we will learn the practice of going back to our breath, anchoring our mind in the in-breath and out-breath. We become calm and clear when the mind and body are together in one place, with the help of our mindful breath. We will practice listening to the bell, walking meditation, eating meditation, exercise meditation (mindful movements), and relaxing meditation (total relaxation) … We practice to stop, to slowdown the thinking in our mind via bodily actions.

 A sample programme schedule for the Day of Mindfulness is as follow:

9:30                 Sitting and Slow Walking Meditation (indoor)

10:30               Lecture

12:30               Lunch

13:30               Total Relaxation

14:30               Group Discussion

16:00               Walking Meditation (outdoor)

16:30               Farewell

Location:        Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong
2/F, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research,
5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

香港大學行為健康教研中心
香港薄扶林沙宣道5號香港賽馬會跨學科研究大樓2樓

Fees:               HKD200.00 per day (including light vegetarian lunch and tea)

How to register:
Clicke here to get the registration form (PDF). Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are only 60 spaces available.

For more information, please contact us at Centre on Behavioral Health, e-mail: bhealth@hku.hk, Tel: (852) 2831 5163.

Breathe and Smile,

Sr. Hanh Nghiem (Sr. Adornment with Action), PVFHK Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism

Venus Wong, HKU Centre of Behavioral Health

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