concentration / focus / PUBLIC EDUCATION and Tai Chi & qigong
SCROLL DOWN FOR YOGA, MEDITATION, MINDFULNESS

CONCENTRATION / QIGONG & TAI CHI USES IN EDUCATION.
Although researchers in this study in Xinjiang China admit limitations in their research, they find encouraging signs that QiGong exercises could greatly enhance the educational experience for primary school children and beyond.  Scroll down to learn why Berkeley.edu advocates Yoga in Public Education


Why meditation should be taught in schools ...
New research in the fields of psychology, education and neuroscience shows teaching meditation in schools is having positive effects on students’ well-being, social skills and academic skills.
-- THE CONVERSATION


Teaching Tai Chi with mindfulness-based stress reduction to middle school children in the inner city: a review of the literature and approaches ...
Abstract
Tai Chi (TC) is the focus of a growing body of literature both qualitative and empirical. Yet there is a paucity of literature on teaching TC to either adolescents or children ages 10-13 presumably because of the level of attention and concentration TC requires. In the pediatric setting, TC appears best combined with other practice activities like mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) that complement the practice of TC, sustain interest and synergistically enhance the benefits TC has been shown to produce in older populations. The literature on the effects of (MBSR) practices with children and teens are also limited. However, the corpus of TC studies suggests significant benefits could be transgenerational if presented in novel ways and taught in developmentally appropriate approaches to children.
-- NIH (National Institutes of Health)


Tai Chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction in a Boston Public Middle School
This article provides a description of a clinical project that used combined Tai Chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction as an educational program ...
The 5-week program demonstrated that sustained interest in this material in middle school–aged boys and girls is possible. Statements the boys and girls made in the process suggested that they experienced well-being, calmness, relaxation, improved sleep, less reactivity, increased self-care, self-awareness, and a sense of interconnection or interdependence with nature. The curriculum is described in detail for nurses, teachers, and counselors who want to replicate this type of instruction for adolescent children. This project infers that Tai Chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction may be transformational tools that can be used in educational programs appropriate for middle school–aged children. Recommendations are made for further study in schools and other pediatric settings.
-- SCIENCE DIRECT, click to read article


A sharper mind: tai chi can improve cognitive function ...
These changes can improve cognitive function—and various forms of exercise, including tai chi, can help. In a meta-analysis of 20 studies on tai chi and cognition, tai chi appears to improve executive function—the ability to multitask, manage time, and make decisions—in people without any cognitive decline.
-- HARVARD HEALTH PUBLISHING


Tai Chi, Brain Health and Ability to Learn
Let’s first visit the idea that Tai Chi is “movement meditation.” As an internal martial art, Tai Chi relies on all the movement to be directed by consciousness and not by external, muscular force. It also focuses on single point concentration so you must be “in the moment” as you do the form. The meditative effect of this conscious concentration, along with the breathing control that is emphasized in the form has been proven to be similar to more traditional, non-movement forms of meditation ...

Another brain benefit that occurs when practicing Tai Chi results from the many movements in the form that require one to cross the midline of the body ... creator of the Action Based Learning Lab and neurokinesiologist, Jean Blaydes Madigan, ... says, “Crossing the midline integrates brain hemispheres to enable the brain to organize itself. When students perform cross-lateral activities, blood flow is increased in all parts of the brain, making it more alert and energized for stronger, more cohesive learning. Movements that cross the midline unify the cognitive and motor regions of the brain.” ...

In the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, they reported on a study in Shanghai that showed actual increases in brain volume in subjects that participated in Tai Chi 3 times a week for 8 months. (see the article) The control subjects who were not doing Tai Chi showed normal, age-related shrinkage in brain tissue.
-- FUNCTIONAL AGING INSTITUTE


Acute Effects of Tai Chi Training on Cognitive and Cardiovascular Responses in Late Middle-Aged Adults: A Pilot Study ...
This study explored the immediate effects of Tai Chi (TC) training on attention and meditation, perceived stress level, heart rate, oxygen saturation level in blood, and palmar skin temperature in late middle-aged adults ...
while TC could be a potential mind-body exercise to improve attention and reduce stress among late middle-aged adults, repeated practice may be needed to sustain the beneficial effects.
-- HINDAWI, Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine



Tai Chi (also called Tai Chi Chuan or Taiji) is an ancient Chinese martial art consisting of a series of slow but continuous movements of many parts of the body. Tai Chi movements incorporate elements of strengthening, balance, postural alignment and concentration ...
-- AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY


3 Ways Tai Chi Trains the Brain
Tai Chi makes your brain bigger, literally. Researchers at the University of South Florida and Fudan University in China found ...
the mental concentration required for Tai Chi exercises the brain. The martial art form trains your brain to help you retain more information, stay focused on the task at hand, and make quicker decisions (not snap decisions). A small study from Massachusetts General Hospital found ...
the moving mediation, Tai Chi. A regular meditation practice, as well as learning anything new, improves neuroplasticity, which is the process by which our experiences help reorganize neural pathways in the brain. In simpler terms, the brain is rewiring itself in response to your experiences. These connections help shore up emotional stability so you can cope with stressors in a more controlled fashion. What's more, research from the University of Wisconsin has shown ...
-- HUFFPOST



Clinical Evidence on Qigong
An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Qigong exercise in helping people reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and improve psychological well-being. The effect of Qigong has been found to be comparable with that of cognitive-behavioral therapy in significantly reducing depressive symptoms among outpatients with clinical depression ... depressive symptoms ...

the Qigong group had significant reduction in depressive symptoms among older adults with depression and a chronic medical illness ... some studies have demonstrated favorable effects of Qigong on reducing depressive symptoms among persons with chronic fatigue syndrome-like illnesses (66, 67), type 2 diabetes mellitus (68), subhealth problems (69), and Parkinson’s disease (70) ...

Meditation's Effects on Epigenetics
Epigenetics often refers to changes in a chromosome that affect gene activity and expression ...
Bhasin et al. (58) studied the genomic changes during one session of relaxation response (meditation) practice among healthy practitioners with years of experience and in novices before and after eight weeks of relaxation response training ... Relaxation response practice enhanced expression of genes associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance and reduced expression of genes linked to inflammatory response and stress-related pathways. The researchers posited that relaxation response practice promotes mitochondrial resiliency and may be important at the cellular level for the downstream health benefits associated with reducing psychosocial stress ...

overall findings suggested that Tai-Chi exercise had significant depression-reduction effects compared with various control groups (88). In the same review, a meta-analysis based on two RCTs and six nonrandomized comparison studies, including healthy adults, patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis, older adults with cardiovascular disease risk factors, adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and individuals with fibromyalgia, reported that Tai-Chi was associated with a significant reduction in anxiety (88).
-- PSYCHIATRY ONLINE

 


FIND MUCH MORE RESEARCH AT THE "QIGONG INSTITUTE DATABASE"/strong>
Since 1984, collecting breaking medical/science research on Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Mind-Body Education
Click here  for Qigong Institute Database...



YOGA and CONCENTRATION / EDUCATION
Seven Ways That Yoga Is Good for Schools
Teaching yoga at school might help students feel better and improve their grades, new research suggests ...
1. Emotion regulation
2. Academic performance
3. Reduced anxiety and tension
4. Resilience to stress
5. Fewer problem behaviors
6. Physical well-being
7. Teacher well-being and classroom climate
-- GREATER GOOD / BERKELY.EDU


Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature
CONCLUSION
This review of literature reveals promising early evidence that yoga practice can positively impact brain health. Studies suggest that yoga practice may have an effect on the functional connectivity of the DMN, the activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while engaged in cognitive tasks, and the structure of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex- all regions known to show significant age-related changes [65, 66]. Therefore, behavioral interventions like yoga may hold promise to mitigate age-related and neurodegenerative declines ...
-- NIH (National Institutes of Health)


Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia are among the most common reasons for individuals to seek treatment with complementary therapies such as yoga.[18] Yoga encourages one to relax, slow the breath and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system and the flight-or-fight response to the parasympathetic system and the relaxation response.[5] The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rate, decreases blood pressure, lowers cortisol levels, and increases blood flow to the intestines and vital organs.

Yoga's ability to increase relaxation and induce a balanced mental state was studied to evaluate its effect on sleep quality and improving insomnia. Regular practice of yoga resulted in a significant decrease in the time taken to fall asleep, an increase in the total number of hours slept, and in the feeling of being rested in the morning.[30]

Yoga and meditation practices exert positive influence on addictive behaviors. Through the practice of yoga, addicts shift from self-inflicted harm and disrespect toward their bodies to more respectful, caring, and loving behaviors. Eating disorders are a specific type of addiction and yoga appears to be beneficial in improving body image disturbances and useful in the recovery from eating disorders.[34] One study found that female yoga practitioners attribute their positive feelings and sense of well-being to yoga practice and report less self-objectification, greater satisfaction with physical appearance and fewer disordered eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners.[35]
-- NIH (National Institutes of Health)


Effect of mindfulness and yoga on quality of life for elementary school students and teachers: results of a randomized controlled school-based study ...
Conclusion
The intervention was associated with a significant improvement in emotional and psychosocial quality of life in the intervention group when compared to the control group, suggesting that yoga/mindfulness interventions may improve symptoms of anxiety among students. Yoga/mindfulness activities may facilitate stress management among elementary school students and may be added as a complement to social and emotional learning activities.
-- NIH (National Institutes of Health)



MINDFULNESS / MEDITATION and CONCENTRATION / EDUCATION
Meditation's Effects on Epigenetics
Epigenetics often refers to changes in a chromosome that affect gene activity and expression ...
Bhasin et al. (58) studied the genomic changes during one session of relaxation response (meditation) practice among healthy practitioners with years of experience and in novices before and after eight weeks of relaxation response training ... Relaxation response practice enhanced expression of genes associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance and reduced expression of genes linked to inflammatory response and stress-related pathways. The researchers posited that relaxation response practice promotes mitochondrial resiliency and may be important at the cellular level for the downstream health benefits associated with reducing psychosocial stress ...
-- PSYCHIATRY ONLINE





* NOTE: World Tai Chi & Qigong Day advises consulting your physician before beginning any new exercise, herbal, diet, or health program. The research listed here is meant to stimulate a discussion between you and your physician, health insurance carrier, etc., not as medical advise. Research and comments provided here are hoped to stimulate a more robust discussion of powerful natural mind/body health tools. Popular media, health media, and government must increase attention to stunning emerging research, including the UCLA study indicating Tai Chi participants enjoyed a 50% increase in immune system resistance to viral infection.