Meditation As Medicine for Body and Mind
Free Online Workshop Forms Basis for Research into Pain-Relieving Effects of Meditation
From July 9–31, 2016, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and GlideWing Productions will offer a free three-week online workshop on Healing From the Source: Meditation as Medicine for Body and Mind. In connection with the free workshop, a team of researchers will conduct a study into the effects of workshop participation on easing physical and emotional pain.
We tend to view emotional and physical pain as the enemy. The Healing From the Source online workshop with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche reveals why we shouldn’t – and shows us how meditation practice can transform our own pain and sickness through the healing warmth of loving-kindness. Based on ancient teachings of dzogchen from the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition, this online workshop helps one discover the “great healer within.”
Normally, a registration fee would be charged for attending this Healing From the Source workshop. However, Tenzin Rinpoche and GlideWing are committing to offer the July workshop free of charge in order to accommodate as many participants as possible in the associated study.
Call for Volunteers
As a study volunteer, you are invited to bring to this workshop any form of pain you wish to heal, anything from mild physical, mental or emotional discomfort to severe or deeply rooted pain. The online workshop will provide three weeks of video-based instruction in meditation practices designed to help ease that pain. Throughout, Rinpoche will make himself available to answer questions and offer personal support.
Because many participants will be busy with their normal daily routines throughout the three weeks, it may be a challenge for some to keep up with the recommended practice schedule. However, all participants are encouraged to commit wholeheartedly to themselves by engaging as fully as possible in viewing the instructional videos, practicing the meditations and completing the study-related surveys.
The recommended level of participation includes:
- View all instructional videos on a timely basis. The workshop is divided into six teaching sessions, with a new session introduced each Saturday and Tuesday of the workshop. There are no set class times, and videos can be viewed on your own schedule.
- Engage in two sessions per day of formal meditation practice, for a minimum of 20 minutes a session.
- Bring the practice informally into your life at least five times a day.
- Complete a two-minute “practice tracker” survey via computer or smartphone each evening during the workshop.
- Complete a pre- and post-workshop survey, as well as a follow-up survey three months after the workshop ends.
Participation in the study is completely voluntary, and all information collected will be confidential and anonymous. Learn more about the research goals and methods below.
Register for the workshop here
About the Workshop
A series of instructional videos are introduced in progression throughout the three weeks. Every few days a new teaching session is revealed to course participants, allowing them to view and practice on their own schedule. Each teaching session concludes with a guided meditation, along with an MP3 audio version that can be downloaded and kept for ongoing practice. Tenzin Rinpoche answers questions in a special "Ask a Question" forum, and encourages free use of a discussion forum with participants from around the world.
About the Research
Goals. In this study, researchers are examining whether meditation can be used as medicine for the body and the mind focusing on loving-kindness as a means for healing both physical and emotional pain.
Methods. This course presents a series of instructional videos and guided meditations, introduced in progression throughout its three-week duration. Participants complete surveys before and after the course. The surveys log previous practice experience and assess physical and emotional pain and self-compassion. Participants also use a practice tracker every day to log the teachings used and the types and the amount of practice. The practice tracker also logs physical and emotional pain.
The research team. The three researchers involved in this study – Barbara Stefik, Ph.D., Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D. and Claire Clark, Ph.D. –seek to understand the benefits of meditation on healing and transformation. Currently they are also conducting a longitudinal study on the two and one-half-year 3 Doors Academy meditation program, and other meditation programs that support people in the healing profession, people in business and other professionals.
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Tenzin Rinpoche is an acclaimed author and a respected teacher of students worldwide. As the founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, he has established numerous centers and institutes of learning in the United States, Mexico, South America, Europe and India. Fluent in English, Rinpoche regularly offers online teachings in the form of live webcasts, online workshops and YouTube videos. He is renowned for his depth of wisdom; his clear, engaging teaching style; and his dedication to making the ancient Tibetan teachings highly accessible and relevant to the lives of Westerners.
