scholarly journals Mindfulness in Western Contexts Perpetuates Oppressive Realities for Minority Cultures

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ishikawa
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
North American ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Minority Cultures ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
Scientific Rationalism

This paper examines mindfulness-based practices in North American classrooms as culturally appropriated through the dominantly western modality of individualism and scientific-rationalism. Through investigating MindUP™ and other mindfulness teaching resources, I demonstrate the construed qualities of mindfulness practices in western contexts.  I argue that mindfulness is molded to fit colonial ontologies of values and knowledge and perpetuates oppressive realities for minority cultures. I propose that mindfulness should be reoriented into its Buddhist contexts through required lessons and trainings in Buddhist cultures, ontologies, and knowledges, and creators and supporters of mindfulness-based educational programs should refer to the practices they are promoting as attention-focusing and stress-reduction strategies and not as misconstrued, individualistic qualities of mindfulness. This paper intends to extend awareness to the broader sociopolitical consequences of culturally appropriating mindfulness practices.

Coping Against Weight-Related Teasing among Adolescents Perceived to be Overweight or Obese in Urban Physical Education

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weidong Li ◽  
Paul Rukavina ◽  
Paul Wright
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Multiple Strategies ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Checking Procedure ◽  
Self Protection

The purpose of this study was to examine coping against weight-related teasing among adolescents perceived to be overweight or obese in urban physical education. Forty-seven students perceived to be overweight or obese from a large urban school district were interviewed. Trustworthiness of data analysis was established by using a member-checking procedure, focus group interview, and peer debriefing throughout the research process. The results indicated that adolescents perceived to be overweight or obese used self-protection, compensation, confrontation, seeking social support, avoidance/psychological disengagement, losing weight and stress reduction strategies to cope against weight-related teasing. Adolescents used multiple strategies under different mechanisms to cope, and the strategies they chose were dependent on the situation.

scholarly journals The Continuing Education of Faculty as Teachers at a Mid-sized Ontario University

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine M Carter ◽  
Bettina Brockerhoff-Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
North American ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
The World ◽  
Groupes De Discussion ◽  
The University ◽  
Over Time

The findings outlined in this paper are the result of focus groups conducted with faculty at a mid-sized Ontario university. These nine faculty, all of whom have received awards of excellence from their university for their teaching, shared their insights about how they developed as teachers over time. More specific topics explored were as follows: how they first learned about teaching; how they continue to learn about teaching; resources that might have helped early in their teaching careers at the university; and advice they have about teaching for new university teachers, mid-career teachers, and teachers approaching retirement. While many of the observations offered here are specific to Ontario and some of the literature review is North American in focus, the paper offers valuable insights into how faculty learn to be teachers which may be helpful to universities around the world. Cet article présente les résultats d’entrevues menées avec des groupes de discussion composés de membres du corps professoral d’une université ontarienne de taille moyenne. Les 9 professeurs participant ont tous reçu des prix d’excellence de leur université pour leur enseignement. Lors de ces rencontres, ils ont expliqué comment ils ont évolué à titre d’enseignants au fil du temps. Les sujets particuliers suivants ont été abordés : leurs premiers apprentissages en matière d’enseignement; leurs apprentissages subséquents; les ressources qui les ont aidés tôt dans leur carrière d’enseignant à l’université; les conseils qu’ils ont à offrir aux enseignants universitaires qui viennent de débuter leur carrière, à ceux qui sont à mi-parcours et à ceux qui approchent de la retraite. L’article fournit un aperçu utile sur la façon dont les membres du corps enseignant apprennent à devenir des enseignants. Même si bon nombre des observations présentées sont spécifiques à l’Ontario et si une partie de la recension des écrits est d’origine nord-américaine, ces informations peuvent servir aux universités à l’échelle internationale.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Subjective Ratings of Mindfulness Practices and Outcomes in Patients Participating in an MBSR Program

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò F. Bernardi ◽  
Qinyi Zhao ◽  
Patricia L Dobkin
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Dispositional Mindfulness ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Body Scan ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
Medical Symptoms

Objectives: The present study explored relationships between outcomes of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and the importance attributed by patients to the mindfulness practices taught.Methods: Patients with chronic illnesses (46.8% breast cancer; N=126) completed questionnaires pertaining to medical symptoms, stress, and mindfulness, pre- and post-MBSR.  At program completion, each patient rated the importance of the mindfulness practices employed.  Stepwise linear regression analyses were run to investigate associations between changes in outcome variables and subjective ratings of practice importance.Results: Increases in mindfulness were associated with high ratings of importance for sitting meditation (p LT 0.02) and homework manual (p LT 0.02; Adjusted R2 = 0.10). Decreases in medical symptoms were associated with high ratings for the body scan (p LT 0.01) and small group exercises (p LT 0.01; Adjusted R2 = 0.13). High ratings for the body scan were moderately, albeit significantly, correlated with decreases in perceived stress (p LT 0.01, Adjusted R2 = 0.05). A cluster analysis performed on all 10 of the ratings of practice importance showed that greater importance was associated with better outcomes for all three dependent variables (p LT 0.01).  A qualitative examination of patients’ answers to open-ended questions revealed that incorporating mindfulness practices in daily life was a central component of the lifestyle changes experienced during the course of the program.Conclusions: Understanding the mechanisms underlying MBSR’s effectiveness is important as this program becomes recognized as an empirically-supported intervention. These results suggest that specific types of practice (concentration vs. the body scan) are related to distinct outcomes (dispositional mindfulness vs. medical symptoms, respectively). Overall, awareness of the importance of practicing is connected to actual program outcomes.

scholarly journals Stress reduction strategies in breast cancer: review of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic based strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-734
Author(s):  
Rohit Gosain ◽  
Elizabeth Gage-Bouchard ◽  
Christine Ambrosone ◽  
Elizabeth Repasky ◽  
Shipra Gandhi
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
As Stress

AbstractBreast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women. It is associated with multiple symptoms in both patients and caregivers, such as stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and fatigue. Stress appears to promote cancer progression via activation of the sympathetic nervous system releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine as well as activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis releasing cortisol. These stress hormones have been shown to promote the proliferation of cancer cells. This review focuses on stress-reducing strategies which may decrease cancer progression by abrogating these pathways, with a main focus on the β-adrenergic signaling pathway. Patients utilize both non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic strategies to reduce stress. Non-pharmacologic stress-reduction strategies include complementary and alternative medicine techniques, such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, exercise, use of natural products, support groups and psychology counseling, herbal compounds, and multivitamins. Pharmacologic strategies include abrogating the β2-adrenergic receptor signaling pathway to antagonize epinephrine and norepinephrine action on tumor and immune cells. β-Blocker drugs may play a role in weakening the pro-migratory and pro-metastatic effects induced by stress hormones in cancer and strengthening the anti-tumor immune response. Preclinical models have shown that non-selective β1/2-blocker use is associated with a decrease in tumor growth and metastases and clinical studies have suggested their positive impact on decreasing breast cancer recurrence and mortality. Thus, non-pharmacological approaches, along with pharmacological therapies part of clinical trials are available to cancer patients to reduce stress, and have promise to break the cycle of cancer and stress.

Use of theory and cognitive activities as stress reduction strategies

1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 262-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rena M. Lawrence ◽  
Sally A. Lawrence ◽  
Betty Jane Lee ◽  
Nancy M. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Activities ◽  
As Stress

Stress Reduction Strategies Used by Midlife Black Women to Target Cardiovascular Risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 483-490
Author(s):  
Holly J. Jones ◽  
Carolette R. Norwood ◽  
Karen Bankston ◽  
Tamilyn Bakas
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Reduction Strategies

scholarly journals Prenatal maternal stress, social support, health behaviours and stress-reduction strategies during pregnancy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Matvienko-Sikar ◽  
Avril Cremin ◽  
Sarah Meaney ◽  
Ellinor Olander
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Maternal Stress ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prenatal Health ◽  
Unhealthy Eating ◽  
Reduction Strategies

Objectives. Prenatal health behaviours have significant implications for maternal and child health. Understanding factors that influence prenatal health behaviours is essential to support women’s prenatal psychological and physical health. Examining strategies women report using during this time also provides insight into acceptable and feasible approaches for support. The aim of this study is to examine the role of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS), social support, and knowledge on health behaviours; and to examine women’s engagement in prenatal stress-reduction support.Methods. A cross-sectional study including 252 pregnant women recruited from an antenatal outpatient department in Ireland, and online. Women completed self-reported measures of sociodemographics, PNMS, social support, knowledge, health-behaviours, and stress-reduction strategies. Correlational analyses and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between PNMS, social support, knowledge, and health behaviours.Results. PNMS predicted unhealthy eating (β= 0.229). Social support predicted physical activity (β= 0.206), sleep (β= 0.186), and taking vitamins (β= 0.200). Age (β= 0.232) and social support (β= 0.228) predicted healthy eating. Women reported good knowledge of PNMS, health behaviours, discomforts of pregnancy, and parenting. Forty-nine stress-reduction strategies were reported; exercise and connecting with others were the most commonly reported strategies.Conclusions. Social support is an important independent predictor of health behaviours. Lack of associations between PNMS and any health-promoting behaviours suggests different mechanisms of effect of positive and negative psychosocial factors. Interventions incorporating both social-support and stress focused strategies may therefore demonstrate greater benefit for prenatal health behaviour change, with significant benefits for women and children.

scholarly journals Textual Erasures of Religion: The Power of Books to Redefine Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation as Secular Wellness Practices in North American Public Schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Candy Gunther Brown
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
North American ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
First Century ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
History Of

This essay argues that books, broadly defined to include print and internet publications, played a crucial role in the cultural mainstreaming, including adoption by public schools, of non-Christian religious practices such as yoga and meditation. Promotional books, tactically and ironically, played on the textual bias of Christianity, and especially Protestantism, to re-brand practices borrowed from religious traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, as scientific techniques for exercise and stress-reduction, thereby reintegrating religion into public education. The essay begins with a brief history of religion in U.S. and Canadian public education, explains the textual bias of North American assumptions about religion, and analyzes how twentieth-century promoters of practice-centered religions tactically wielded books to increase public acceptance of non-Christian religious practices. The essay focuses on two twenty-first-century examples of religion-based, textually mediated public-school curricula: the Sonima Foundation’s Health and Wellness program of Ashtanga yoga and The Hawn Foundation’s MindUP program of mindfulness meditation.

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