01-08-2015 Lunchtime Monthly Meditation & Wellness Series – Meditation for mental clarity and focus; balancing our left and right hemispheres of the brain

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

Speaker: Lois Leonhardi

Chair: David Bradley, CFA 

Are you stressed out? Try Meditation.

This lunchtime meditation series is for beginners and anyone looking to de-stress, refocus and energize. Seated in chairs, you will be guided through 20-minutes of easy breathing and concentration exercises to bring your mind into a zone of tranquility and focus. At the end of the class, your mind will feel refreshed and energized. No prior experience or special attire is required. Meditation will be followed by a companion topic and Q&A. A light lunch will be served at 1 p.m.

Meditation practices have been around for thousands of years, originally practiced by monastics, yogis and anyone seeking to journey into the realms of serenity or enhancing intuition. Today, leading business owners are rediscovering these ancient holistic practices for improving health, productivity and mental focus so they can consistently perform at peak levels. Visionaries and high achievers like Bill Gross (Pimco), Ray Dalio (Bridgwater Associates), Peter Ng (Government of Singapore Investment Fund), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Steve Jobs (Apple) and David Lynch (Film Director) are notable businessmen who practice regularly and are vocal promoters of the benefits of meditation.

Scientific studies have verified the benefits of meditation for right brain activity (the area linked to intuition and “big picture” thinking)1 and for reducing stress/anxiety2. A few minutes of meditation will calm your mind, reducing stress and promote clear, sharp thinking. If practiced consistently, meditation will help with many imbalances such as: insomnia, impatience, anger, irritability, fear, digestive issues, anxiety, lethargy, depression, chronic pain, etc.

Meditation will help you stay ahead of the competition. Come check it out and feel the difference!

January 8th Meditation for mental clarity and focus; balancing our left and right hemispheres of the brain

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation: Nadi shodhana breathing practice; then mindful meditation

Lecture: We will learn an ancient breathing technique to balance the left (solar, heating, masculine, type-A) and right (lunar, cooling, feminine, nurturing) hemispheres of the brain. Keeping these energies in balance will promote good health, mental stability and happiness.

 

CLASS SYLLABUS - *click here for monthly topics

1. Brief introduction (12:00pm)

a. Why should people meditate? Mind-body connection – The mind and body are one interconnected, cohesive entity. The mind can be thought as a channel of energy flowing throughout the body via the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. By viewing our mind as a flow of thought, we can change our thoughts to “change” or calm the mind. And since the mind energy flows through the body, every change in our mental state is instantaneously reflected in the chemistry and functioning of the body. By meditating, we are training the mind to live in the present moment – which is pure awareness and bliss – and thus results in a happier, healthier life.

b. Why should people in finance meditate? Financial professionals should meditate to clear
their mind, sharpen their focus, reduce stress and thereby improve their physical and mental health.

2. Begin Meditation (12:10pm)

3. *Monthly Topic: (12:30pm)

4. Q&A (12:40 pm)

5. How to incorporate meditation into your daily lives – start slow 3-5 minutes in the morning and evening.

6. Lunch (1 pm)

1 Meditation Training Program Shows Brain Effects Even Outside a Meditative State. Desbordes G, Negi LT, Pace TWW, et al. Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. November 1, 2012. Epub ahead of print. http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/110112

2 Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, March 2014. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357-368. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018.

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1809754
 


Lois Leonhardi
 is a certified ayurveda wellness practitioner and author of “Eat Well, Be Well: Ayurveda Cooking for Healthy Living”. She trained under Dr. Lad at the prestigious Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico and in Pune, India. She has over 20 years of training in holistic studies including ayurveda, yoga and Buddhism.

A retired CFA and owner of an investment advisory firm, she understands firsthand the challenges of maintaining balance (physically, emotionally and spiritually) and an ayurvedic lifestyle. This makes her uniquely qualified to create a realistic, accessible plan for her clients that they can seamlessly integrate into their life. She demystifies the core ayurvedic principles, showing how this practice can be embraced by a wider audience interested in healing and better health. Her approach is flexible and inviting. By including non-vegetarian options and expanding the recipe repertoire to include dishes beyond the continent of India, she appeals to a mainstream audience seeking healthy change. Sufferers of chronic illnesses such as cancer, IBS, Crohn’s, auto-immune disorders, etc., benefit from her knowledge by gaining an understanding of how to use food as medicine to augment their medical care. 

In India, yoga and ayurveda were traditionally studied together; ayurvedic diet and lifestyle recommendations supported good health for the yogic journey. Seeing the benefits of getting this information beyond the yoga community, Leonhardi bridges the gap with her broad interpretation and application of the ancient principles. By encouraging a slow, flexible and realistic approach to incorporating healthy changes, she has made an ayurvedic lifestyle accessible to the masses. Whether it be for weight loss, chronic illness or general wellness, ayurveda can benefit all when interpreted in this manner. By following the ancient practice of integrating yoga with ayurveda, she helps her clients achieve balance in their modern life.

www.yogawithlois.com

Registration Links:
Members: $10
Non-members: $20

Time: Thursday, January 8th, 12:00pm to 1:30pm, Meditation and Lunch

Location:  Biltmore Court
                   520 S. Grand Avenue, Ste. 370
                   Los Angeles, CA  90071

Parking:  Self-Parking at Pershing Square (located directly across the street on Olive St.): $10.00. 

Central Library Parking: For information on discount parking rates at the library, please click here.  Library validation required.

Payment Information:

Methods of payment accepted: Visa/Mastercard, American Express and Discover. If you prefer to pay by check please register online and select "purchase order" as your payment option and enter your last name as the purchase order number. Mail check to: CFA Society of Los Angeles, 520 S. Grand Ave, Suite 370, Los Angeles CA 90071.

*Credit card payments will only be accepted through the secure online registration, and not by phone or email.

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellations must be received in writing by 9:00 am the day prior to the event. No phone cancellations are accepted. Please fax to the CFALA office at (213) 613-1233 or e-mail info@cfala.org. Member “no-shows” will be billed the non-member fee ($50) for the event which is posted on the CFALA website.

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