 |
Would you like to receive notices about
new products and upcoming events?
Subscribe to our mailing list!
|
|
Come join the Ann Arbor Kirtan Group for an informal evening of yogic and Sanskrit chanting. Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) is a five hundred year-old yoga tradition that has most recently been popularized by such notable people as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, and Ragani. Kirtan uses a method of call and response that allows the audience to fully participate in the chant, experiencing the great depth and beauty of mantra, voice, and musical instruments.
For dates and times please visit kirtanannarbor.org
Meditation and Breathing Instruction/Counseling
• Small Group Sessions
• Individual Sessions
Dennis K. Chernin, MD, MPH
2345 S. Huron Parkway
Ann Arbor, Mi 48104
734-973-3030
dennischernin@gmail.com or dennischernin@hotmail.com
www.dennischernin.com
Dennis K. Chernin, MD, MPH offers patients and students individualized
instruction on meditation, visualization, and breathing techniques. He
teaches these approaches as an important part of treatment for various
physical illnesses such as asthma, digestive disorders, headaches, and
hypertension. They are also a vital adjunct in treating mental and emotional
health concerns related to attention deficit disorder, anxiety, depression,
obsessive thoughts, and phobias. Dr. Chernin uses these techniques to
improve concentration and memory. He also helps people to begin a meditation
program or to refine an already existing practice.
In these small group sessions, we will be discussing obstacles to developing
a steady meditation practice, how to use meditation and breathing techniques
for specific health concerns, studying various books and spiritual texts,
and learning beginning and more advanced techniques of mantra and chakra
based practices.
Dr. Chernin has actively practiced and taught meditation and breathing
techniques for 30 years. His teachers were trained in the Himalayan Mountains
of India, Nepal, and Tibet. He graduated with honors from Northwestern
University, received his both his MD and MPH from the University of Michigan
and is board certified in preventive medicine. His publications include
the book and CDs How to Meditate Using Chakras, Mantras, and Breath and
a book with an accompanying interactive CD ROM called The Complete Homeopathic
Resource for Common Illnesses.
Meditation and Visualization
Meditation and visualization techniques help to quiet the mind and
bring greater clarity to the thinking process. By training the mind to
concentrate on a single object such as the breath, an inspiring idea or
visual image, energy center (chakra), sound (mantra), the normally scattered
mind can become more efficient and focused. These techniques can help
a person observe and experience emotions arising from the unconscious
while at the same time they learn to let go of disturbing aspects of these
feelings. A person learns to be fully present with their thoughts and
emotions and to observe him or herself without judgment. This has the
effect of decreasing fear, anxiety, and obsessive thinking. Meditation
can help a person live in the here and now, to enjoy life more fully,
and to stop dwelling on past experiences or on future worries. These techniques
and practices can also help a person have the courage to face the losses,
illness, and pain that occur during their lifetime.
Meditation and visualization techniques can help a person experience the inner connections of humans to other people, to their environment, and to the universe around them. This often results in greater feelings of compassion, unity and oneness. Meditation also helps an individual to develop intuition and to get in touch with their inner creative potential.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are useful to help treat many physical illnesses such
as asthma, digestive disorders, and thyroid problems. Learning to control
the breath is also a key to controlling and balancing body, emotions and
mind. This is because there are direct nerve connections from the nose
and lungs to the brain with important relays to the nervous and endocrine
(hormone) systems. Breath is also considered to be the link between the
conscious and unconscious mind. Breathing is the only physiologic function
that can be either voluntarily controlled by the mind or can be involuntarily
and automatically run by the body. In the conscious act of doing certain
types of breathing exercises, a person gains greater awareness and control
of involuntary physical functions and the unconscious mind.
Disruptions in concentration are often associated with pauses and hesitations
in respiration. Practicing simple techniques to regulate breathing rhythms
there brings about greater clarity and continuity of thought. Emotional
states are often accompanied by altered breathing patterns. Examples of
such alterations are the sobbing of grief, the sighs of disappointment,
and the trembling breath of anger. Breathing exercises can help regulate
these altered patterns of breathing, which has the effect of bringing
about greater calm and control of emotions. Another very important function
of breathing exercises is to quiet and focus the mind to deepen visualization
techniques and meditation.
Examples of breathing exercises and their benefits are:
(1) The Complete Yoga Breath - helps asthma, recurrent bronchial conditions,
and digestion (2) Alternative Nostril Breathing - helps anxiety, obsessive
thought problems, and depression
(3) Diaphragmatic Breathing - helps high blood Pressure and depression
(4) Bee Breath - helps thyroid conditions and sinus problems
(5) Bellows Breath - helps both allergic problems as well as constipation
(6) Hissing Breath - helps to cool the body.
SESSIONS:
75 minutes (group) - Th, F
$40/person
45 minutes (individual or couple) - M, W, F
$130/person or couple
