Health Education and Disease Prevention
Mind Body Medicine
What is Mind Body Medicine Program?
Mind Body Medicine is designed to support service members and their families, patients and staff. Our programming offers a holistic approach to mindfulness, resilience, and coping through a variety of virtual and in-person education and skills-building classes and experiences.
Who can attend?
1. Tricare beneficiaries (18 or over) and Active Duty Service Members are eligible for all MBM classes, programs, and events.
2. Staff (Civilian and Contractors who are Non-beneficiaries) may participate in special monthly and quarterly events.
3. For more information or to sign up for classes call 619-532-7764.
Yoga Meditation for Mind-Body Awareness
1. Join us as we explore some basic yoga poses and stretches. This slow-moving class focuses on mind-body awareness, breathing exercises, and mindfulness-building techniques. Beginners welcome!
2. We will start with gentle stretching and light mind-body activities.
3. Then we will explore various yoga poses, both, physically and mindfully.
4. Lastly, we will again stretch our bodies and finish with a relaxing meditation.
Effective Stress Management and Resiliency
1. Feeling stressed? Join us as we learn about how stress affects all areas of our lives, how your Stress Response Cycle works, and get introduced to a variety of stress reduction tools and skills.
2. Remember: Being proactive (not reactive) helps you build resiliency in the face of stressors!
3. We will begin with learning about various processes in the body and nervous system that become active during stressful situations.
4. Then we will explore some specific skills and techniques you can practice on your own to manage stress.
Meditation for Relaxation and Rejuvenation
1. Think you can’t meditate? Join us for a relaxing meditation experience and un-learn some meditation myths.
2. Try out a variety of meditation exercises to find your favorite.
3. For this meditation you will join the virtual meditation space and simply listen along as you are guided through a rejuvenating meditation.
4. If you have other obligations, you are welcome to join for just a portion, or you are welcome to join the entire meditation if you have the time.
Mindful Breathing for Stress Management
1. Did you know the average person breaths 22,000 times per day?
2. Learn how to harness the power of your breath for self-awareness, energy, motivation, and resiliency when feeling stressed.
3. In this class you will be introduced to the importance of breathing for our bodies as well as some basic breathing science.
4. Then we will practice a variety of mindful breathing techniques so you can reflect on which exercises resonate with you the most!
Mind Body Book Club – The Mindfulness Power Hour
1. Enjoy reading? Listening to podcasts? Stay up-to-date on popular science topics related to Mind-Body Medicine and mindfulness. Join our monthly Mind-Body Book Club where we will read and discuss a new
book the first Thursday of each month.
2. Do you find podcasts more interesting than books? Join us each week during this time to listen to a podcast about Mind-Body Medicine and to have a short discussion (on all Thursdays EXCEPT for the first Thursday
of the month).
3. We will start with overall reflections of the book, followed by guided questions about interesting topics discussed.
4. Afterwards, we will consider options for the next month’s book.
Intro to Mind Body Medicine: Readiness and Resiliency
1. What is “Mind Body Medicine”? Join us as we explore integrative health topics and mindfulness-based activities that promote holistic wellness.
2. This class will introduce the patient to MBM and empower participants to explore their optimal health potential through self-awareness.
3. This class answers the question, “What is Mind Body Medicine?” and introduces the patient to a variety of terms and practices in the field.
4. Patients will leave having identified at least one new mindfulness skill.
Coping Skills
1. We are constantly adapting and coping with life’s demands.
2. Join this class to explore cognitive and behavioral skills geared for your self-sufficiency and building a resilient attitude toward future stressful situations.
3. This class will introduce patients to the importance of balancing out the Stress Response Cycle with the Relaxation Response Cycle, and provides education about coping types.
4. Patients will employ self-awareness techniques to discover which coping methods work best for them.
Canine Therapy Overview
1. Did you know that dogs are used in many types of therapies and the research shows the effectiveness of these activities?
2. In addition to overall mental and emotional wellness improvements, dogs can be trained to be a comforting presence, provide nervous system suppression, reaction time assistance, as well as to provide support for
specific conditions such as: anxiety, depression, PTSD, epilepsy, and many more!
3. This class begins with an introduction to the science of canine therapy and recreation therapy.
4. Then, after learning the specific benefits, patients will have the opportunity to explore how these benefits can provide a direct positive impact on their quality of life and peacefulness.
Recreation Therapy for Stress and Resilience
1. “Recreation Therapy” is an umbrella term for a variety of practices aimed at improving your coping strategies and building resilience in the face of adversity or stress.
2. This class will provide an intro into the importance of play.
3. In this class, patients will be introduced to the effects of stress on wellbeing and how working towards a resilient approach can not only improve readiness but can also help with satisfaction and quality of life.
4. Patients will explore specific types of recreation therapy and will be provided resources for finding these in the community.
Recreation Therapy for Tobacco Cessation
1. Want to have fun while quitting tobacco?
2. Patients in the Tobacco Cessation program can enhance their chances for successful behavior change through learning adjunctive recreation therapy skills to handle cravings, boredom, and redirecting attention.
Yoga Essentials and Safety
1. New to yoga or want to learn the basics?
2. Our certified yoga teacher will introduce you to the world of yoga, how to be safe when moving into poses, and also help you learn some essential yoga poses.
3. Each class will begin with an overview of yoga (including a brief history and descriptions of yoga styles), then move into a discussion of physical safety on the mat.
4. A core set of poses will then be introduced, with time reserved at the end for relaxation and answering questions.
Intro to Yoga - Styles, Flow, and Building a Personal Practice
1. What IS yoga? Whether you are new to yoga or an experienced yogi, this class will provide the education and skills necessary to support your journey into self-discovery through yoga.
2. Join our certified yoga teacher as we explore descriptions and examples of different yoga styles and poses.
3. Then, learn how to develop a sequence of poses that flow together well.
4. Finally, you’ll integrate your knowledge and skills to develop a personalized yoga plan to help you meet your goals!
Sun Salutation Intensive
1. Need a simple (but effective) full-body stretch and workout? Look no further!
2. Join our certified yoga teacher to deep-dive into a sequence of poses called “Sun Salutations” and explore your strength and flexibility in a new way!
3. Each class will open with introductory stretches that build up to the full Sun Salutation sequence.
4. Then, the participants will learn the poses and put it all together, all while developing a broader sense of mindfulness and self-awareness.
Yoga for Stress Management and Rejuvenation
1. Feeling stressed or burnt out? Join our certified yoga teacher to explore the best yoga poses and sequences for stress management, rejuvenation, relaxation, and self-care.
2. Each class will start with a discussion about stress and how our bodies respond during stressful situations.
3. The importance of mindful breathing will also be discussed.
4. Then, you will learn a variety of yoga poses and sequences that can easily be adapted to (almost) any situation you may find yourself in.