Lecture Notes for Day 1- Meditation

 Welcome to Class
- Introduction to the class
- Go over syllabus & objectives for the day
- Hand out papers
o Lazar’s study printout
o Guided meditation script handout

 What is meditation?
- Learning to focus on present moment
- Breath, observing sensations, feeling grounded + connected
- Discussion: have you ever tried meditation?

 What is meditation good for?

- Reduces anxiety and depression
- No adverse effects
- Helps with emotion regulation
- Reshapes our brains
Sara Lazar of Harvard has a study showing brain scans before and after
meditation
This study shows changes in memory, empathy, and stress management
(view + discuss Ted Talk)

 How to meditate (guided meditation with music)

1. Position yourself in your chair so you are relaxed
2. Close eyes or focus on one point
3. Lean head from side to side, slowly. Left ear to left shoulder, right ear to right
shoulder.
4. Relax your muscles
5. Observe your breathing: notice how your breath flows in and out. Make no
effort to change pattern.
6. If your mind wanders, bring back focus to breathing
7. Inhale through nose, feel how diaphragm expands to make room
8. Exhale through mouth, feel how abdomen moves inward
9. Inhale for 1,2,3,4,5,6 exhale for 1...2...3...
10. Repeat 2x
11. Wiggle fingers and toes
12. Open eyes
13. Enjoy your new state of relaxation 

 Thanks for coming to class, see you next week where we will learn about herbs &
supplements!
 Lecture Notes for Day 2- Herbs & Supplements

 Welcome back to class!

- Go over objectives for the day
- Handouts
o Herbs matching worksheet
o Common herbs for mental health printout

 Brief history on herbs & supplements (reference in syllabus)

- Using plants as medicine goes back before recorded history
- Writings from Ancient China & Egypt describe using natural remedies
- Used in many Indigenous cultures as well
- WHO estimates 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some
part of their primary health practices
- Natural remedies promote many ailments. Skin problems, digestive issues,
pain, cancer, and what we will discuss today: mental health
- Discussion: do you use any herbal remedies or supplements? Do you know
anyone who does?

 Make sure to do your research!

- Herbal remedies are not FDA regulated
- Quality and ingredients vary: READ LABELS!
- Consult with doctor in order to prevent adverse reactions with medication

 What herbs and supplements help with mental health?

- Supplements (from Collingwood, reference on syllabus):
o Omega3 fatty acids
Help with depression
Up to 3 grams daily
o Vitamin B6
Helps relieve PMS symptoms including depression
o St John’s Wort
OCD symptoms
900mg per day can improve this disorder
Caution: can cause manic episodes in bipolar (RC Psych,
2015)

- Herbs
o Bacopa
Antidepressant: increases serotonin & dopamine
(Bhattacharya & Ghosal, 1998)
Option for treatment of PTSD
 o Kava
Calming antipsychotic
Anti-anxiety: improves sleep (Malsch & Kieser, 2001)
o Saffron
Used in Ayurvedic medicine as a sedative
Studies show effectiveness compared to some
antidepressants (Hausenblas et al, 2013)

 Let’s do an exercise. Please look at your worksheets.

- Write down whether each item in Part 1 is an herb or a supplement.
- Part 2 asks you to match the herb or supplement with the ailment it can be
used to treat.
- We will grade each other’s at the end. This exercise just helps you to commit
some of this information to memory.

 Thanks for coming today! Join me next week. The topic will be yoga! 
 Lecture Notes for Day 3- Yoga

 Welcome to the final lesson of this course!

 Go over objectives for the day
 Handouts
- Yoga pose infographic
- List of yoga studios around town to try out

 Brief history of yoga

- Originated in India
o Referenced in the Rig Veda: sacred texts
o Most renowned scriptures are in Bhagavad Gita 500 BCE
- Yoga is designed to integrate mind, body, spirit
o Combination of poses and meditations
o Focus on breath & movement
o Refer to one of the handouts to view some yoga poses

 Why yoga to treat mental health?

- Reduces anxiety (Hutchinson, 2019)
o Remember meditation?
o Mindfulness can decrease rumination that causes anxiety
o Focus on breath is self-soothing
o Movement increases good neurotransmitters
- Treating PTSD (Lake, 2019)
o Control over intrusive thoughts & memories
o Present-focused problem solving

 Types of yoga (Gaiam, 2020)

- Vinyasa
o “To place in a special way” – flow through poses
o Fluid and movement-intensive
o Matching breath to pose
o Medium-high intensity
- Ashtanga
o Specific sequence in same order every time
o Similar to vinyasa
o High intensity
- Bikram
o Series of 26 poses
o Artificially heated room for practice
o Specific sequences in same order every time (different poses than
ashtanga)
 o Modifiable for different levels of intensity
- Hatha
o Gentle introduction to yoga
o General type of yoga
o Good for beginners
- Restorative/yin
o Use of props for passive poses
Blankets, bolsters, blocks
o Less pressure on joints
o Good for people with injuries

 Discussion: Have you ever tried yoga? Would you?

- Refer to handout with list of places around town

 Thanks so much for taking CAM and Mental Health! I wish you all the best in your future
endeavors! 
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