Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Mind-Body Community Day

Check-in and continential breakfast begins at 8:00am. Mind-Body Community Day features experts from Harvard Medical School, Vanderbilt University, and Northwestern University in the field of mind-body medicine. Spend the morning hearing the latest science, and the afternoon experiencing mind-body practices you can incorporate into your daily life. After a healthy lunch, participants can choose from a series of experiential sessions on tai chi, meditation and guided imagery, yoga breathwork, and hands-on drawing and journaling. Some of the highlights of the morning presentations include: Peter Wayne, PhD will deliver the keynote, “What is Tai Chi and How Does it Work?” Peter Wayne is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the founder and director of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, and Interim Director and Director of Research of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A nationally recognized practitioner and teacher with more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Wayne particularly enjoys drawing on the principles of Western Science to help elucidate the ancient principles of traditional Oriental healing arts. David Vago, PhD will share insights into the underlying neuroscience during his talk, “Mapping the Meditative Mind.” Dr. Vago is Research Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and Contemplative Neuroscience and Integrative Medicine Laboratory at Vanderbilt University. A Cognitive Neuroscientist by training, Dr. Vago has decades of experience with mindfulness practice and teaching, and conducting research on the mechanisms and therapeutic relevance of contemplative practices. Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD will dive into the importance of the breath in yoga in her talk “Beyond the Postures: The True Practice of Yoga.” Dr. Kumar-Singh is a physician who, after medical training in emergency medicine, received advanced training in a variety of health traditions and modalities including Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. Dr. Kumar-Singh's work is centered on teaching people how to heal themselves by unleashing their innate healing power and educating students and practitioners how to support such self-healing using meditation, yoga, and breath. Please visit our website for the full agenda and more information about this event. Validated parking is available in the Erie Ontario Garage or Huron Superior Garage. Please select the parking option at check-out.