Exploring meditation & mindfulness as it relates to community well-being
and families living with Autism
Clifford Saron, Ph.D., is known internationally for his research on the effect of meditation on attention, emotional regulation, brain function and physical health. In the 1990s, he pioneered the study of Tibetan Buddhist monks’ meditation. His research inspires us to seize the rich opportunities present in everyday moments to enhance well-being and understand and deepen our relationships.
Dr. Saron, is an Associate Research Scientist at the University of California Davis Center for Mind and Brain, and Principal Investigator of Shamatha Project, the most comprehensive study to date investigating the effects of long-term intensive meditation practice on physiological and psychological processes central to well-being, attention, emotion regulation and health.
Dr. Saron’s other research area focuses on uni- and multisensory processing in children with autism. In his latest work, in collaboration with colleagues at UCSF, Dr. Saron is combining his research strands and exploring how mindfulness-based interventions can ease the chronic stress of mothers of children living with autism.
Friday Evening Program
Training the Mind, Opening the Heart: A Public Lecture
Findings and Lessons from the Scientific Study of Meditation
Friday, February 5th, 2016
6:30 p.m. Community Reception – light refreshments
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Coast Capri Hotel, Kelowna
By donation $1.00 – $25.00
This talk will describe attentional, emotional and physiological processes modified over the course of three months of full-time training in meditative quiescence (Shamatha) and beneficial aspirations (loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity). The study is known as “The Shamatha Project.” The talk will emphasize the methodological issues confronting research on contemplative practice, the need for an interdisciplinary, phenomenological perspective, and a critical sense when interpreting the burgeoning body of scientific evidence surrounding mindfulness and meditation.
Saturday Program
Community Meditation
With David Greenshields
Open to all levels of practice including beginners
Saturday, February 6th, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Coast Capri Hotel, Kelowna
Investment $5.00
Compassion and Suffering
Talk and Community Discussion with Dr. Clifford Saron
Saturday, February 6th, 2016
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Coast Capri Hotel, Kelowna
Investment $40.00
Cultivating a meditation practice, building sustained attention and learning to respond effectively with people in our lives. Through exploration of the four immeasurables: loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, we increase our ability to engage with the suffering of ourselves and others as it arises.
Making The World Whole
Sensory Processing in Children with Autism
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Capri Hotel, Kelowna
Investment $50.00
* Includes a reception with displays and presentations by youth with autism from
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Dr. Saron’s talk from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Clinicians and researchers have consistently noted that deficits in sensory processing are part of autism. Accordingly, DSM-V criteria for autism now include hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment. Dr. Saron’s study was designed to examine possible deficits in uni- and multi-sensory processing. The studies use electrophysiological and behavioral methods to better understand individual differences in how these children experience their everyday sensory environments. This session will benefit researchers, clinicians and parents who want to better understand how people with autism process sensory input.
Sunday Program
A Morning for Mothers of Children living with Autism
with Dr. Clifford Saron
Sunday, February 7th 2016
9:00 a.m. registration with morning tea, coffee and fruit
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. – light lunch
COSA 4220 Hobson Road, Kelowna
Investment $85.00
Dr. Saron combines his research in mindfulness with practical knowledge gained from his personal experience raising a child with autism. His current work focuses on how mindfulness-based interventions can ease the chronic stress of mothers of children with autism in ways that may be beneficial for the whole family system and can contribute to a lessening of difficulties for the affected children. Guaranteed to be an engaging, experiential and enriching session with Dr. Saron. Please wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to participate in gentle activities.
Register on EventBrite: http://bit.do/drsaron
No person shall be turned away for lack of funds.
All sessions qualify for reimbursement from the Autism Funding Unit