Relaxation Resources

Internal

  • Mind Body Clinical Research center: Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Program (631) 632-8657)
    • The Stony Brook Mind-Body Clinical Research Center aims to integrate physical and mental health care with the goal of improving the physical and mental health and overall wellness of individuals and communities.
  • Mindfulness meditation at Stony Brook University for students: CAPS: Counseling and Psychological Services: Susan Byrnes 
    • CAPS provides inclusive access to psychology and psychiatric services to help students grow and flourish by hearing them as they wish to be understood. Services include crisis intervention, brief counslling for individuals, couples, and groups; consultation to students, faculty, staff, friends, and parents; medication management; and assistance with referrals to community resources.
       
  • Daily Mindfulness Meditation is available on Microsoft Teams at 8am and 12 noon for **employees and staff only**
     
  • Resilience at the Brook Room
    • Offers Stony Brook Medicine employees and physicians a place just for them to rest and re-energize. In addition to the relaxation matierals and massage chairs available in the room, there are daily meditations, pet therapy, yoga, wellbeing walks and more. The calendar is attached here and can also be found on ThePulse.
    • Calendar: Resilience Room Calendar For October[3].pdf
       
  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course at Stony Brook University
    • For Employee Assistance Program only

Local: 

  • Avalon Nature Preserve
    • Mindfulness meditation: sitting walking, and yoga
    • Avalon provides a perfect place for the practice of mindfulness meditation. It provides a space away from the busy daily life to be present in the moment. Currently classes are being conducted via zoom with pre-registration at the website provided above
       
  • The Bates House
    • The Bates House offers various classes on meditation, yoga, and writing as listed on the website. They sometimes have Tai Chi and Qigong as well. They are located in Setauket.
       
  • Mindfulness meditation at Unitarian Universal Buddhist Fellowship Sangha (UUBF): Thich Nhat Hanh based Saturdays at 9 am. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook 380 Nicolls Rd., Setauket, NY, 11733 Contact: Rev. Linda Anderson; Revlin23@gmail.com
    • Currently offered virtually over Zoom.
       
  • Kadampa Meditation Center. Huntington 692-9594, Pt. Jefferson 403-4333 
    •  Kadampa Meditation Center Long Island (KMC-LI) is a peaceful place of refuge and spiritual encouragement in the heart of Huntington. They offer guided meditation classes to hlep with the challenges of daily life.
       
  • Long Island Buddhist meditation
    •  Located in Port Jefferson, the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center is there to enhance spiritual values and provide opportunities for others with parallel aims and leanings. They have diverse meditation programs desired to help people of all traditions discover their inherent clarity, gentleness, and humour.
       
  • 8 weeks Mindfulness-based stress reduction courses:
  • Native American Meditation
    • The focus of the group is to learn ancient healing practices which are being used in society today. Drumming, breathing, and meditation will open the doorways to this ancient body of knowledge. We spend 4 weeks in each direction of this path
       
  • Huntington Meditation and Imagery
    • Huntington Meditation and IMagery brings transpersonal resources of peace, wisdom, purpose, and oneness by offering individual consultations and workshops in clinical meditation and imagery as well as transpersonal development
       
  • Association for Mental Health and Wellness : The Association for Mental Health and Wellness offers a variety of programs for those facing serious mental illness and people in our community who are facing mental health issues. We offer support for their families and caregivers and ensure that residents of Suffolk County have the support they require to gain and maintain mental wellness.
     
  • Don't Mess with Stress!(TM)
    • Jill R. Baron, MD, family physician and integrative and functional medicine specialist provides a roadmap for navigating today's challenging environment provides inspiring examples of successful coping strategies taken from her own experiences and those of others
       
  • Christian based meditation: Center for Spiritual Imagination
    • The Center for Spiritual Imagination is a ministry of the Community of the Incarnation, a new monastic community which emobdies and teaches engaged contemplative spirituality. There are various projects available to get involved with, including the intersection of spirituality and justice, family, community, ecology, and the arts.

Virtual: 

  • Mindful.org: How to Meditate: A free website that goes into what meditation is, why it's important, how to meditate, and the science behind it. It also includes a variety of styles in meditation, and free guided audio practices.
     
  • Virtual 8 week MBSR courses
  • The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Stress Relaxation Response/Mindfulness based stress reduction programs.
     
  • Cory Muscara: Teacher, Speaker, Coach
     
  • TED Talks & Articles | Behavior Patterns, Habit, & Mindfulness | Dr. Jud: includes several mindfulness exercises
     
  • The Institute of HeartMath®, heart based wellness resource to support a healthy lifestyle.
    • Biofeedback apps such as the EMWAVE to help use your heart rate variability information to create a more coherent relaxed state.
       
  • University of Minnesota website that has excellent mind-body resources including practical tools for creating and following a healthy lifestyle and navigating a healthcare system.
     
  • The Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota
    • The Center provides many workshops and webinars designed to help you take charge of your health and wellbeing to attend throughout the week. The webinars are free but require registration, and the workshops have pay what you can pricing.
       
  • Mental Health: Excellent website for patients and practitioners with information on mental illness.
     
  • Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
    • Dr. Kabat-Zinn is the author of the famous mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) courses that have been offered to professionals and hospitals throughout the country. These courses are meant to help people with stress, pain, and chronic illness.
       
  • Stress Remedy
    • A free audio relaxation exercise by Jay Winner, the author of the book “Take the Stress out of Your Life”.
       
  • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • A global community of mindfulness practice centers offering retreats and teachings on engaged Buddhism and the art of mindful  living founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
       
  • Self-compassion meditation
    • Guided practices and exercises for self-compassion meditation by Dr. Kristin Neff
    • Noticing your own suffering and feeling compassion towards yourself will open your heart and is a different experience than constantly fighting against the conditions that are causing you suffering. Self-compassion meditation will only enhance your feelings of compassion for yourself and your fellow humans. This is useful for people who are highly critical of themselves.
       
  • Center for Mind-Body Medicine The Transformation Self Care Resources - The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
     
  • Fingerprint for Succeess - 9 Mindfulness Exercises To Help You Manage COVID Stress
     
  • Health Journeys A site with a lot of beautiful guided imagery tapes that help people deal with surgery, stress, insomnia, pain, trauma etc. We suggest the following exercises by Belleruth Napartesk "preparation for surgery" “healthful sleep”, “relieve stress”, “ease pain”, "healing trauma". There is also a 15-min free guided imagery exercise.
     
  • The Healing Mind
    Interactive guided imagery by Dr. Marty Rossman
     
  • One Moment Meditation
    • The One Moment approach takes you just one minute or less each day to practice mindfulness techniques in order to reduce stress and anxiety, focus better, calm family dramas, get more productive, and be ready for anything.
       
  • Video: One-Moment Meditation
     
  • Christian based meditation
  • Tara Brach's website
  • Mindful Eating
    • Psychologist’s website who discusses mindful eating, has books on mindful eating and offers consultations on mindful eating
  • The Center for Mindful Eating
    • "Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical senations related to eating, reconnecting us with our innate inner wisdom about hunger and satiety." The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME) is a member-supported, nonprofit international organization whose mission is to help people acheive a balanced, respectful, healthy, and joyful relationship with food and eating.
  • Self-help for anxiety and depression:
    • E-Couch is for anxiety, depression, relationship and bereavement ($27/year)
    • Site for self-help, offering free of charge cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression
    • Moodgym is for anxiety and depression and stress ($27/year)
    • My Compass is for anxiety and depression (free)

 

  • Apps:
    • Insight timer app available for download on iTunes or android (free) (offers instructions in multiple languages, including Spanish):
      • 100,000 free guided meditations with playlists, polyphonic bells for peaceful meditation on a timer, courses to help master lifelong skills for dealing with stress and managing anxiety levels with the help of experts, and group meditation and a daily check-in to build a history of your journey.
        • Suggested authors on insight timer:
        • Jack Kornfield
        • Eckhart Tolle
        • Andy Hobson
        • Tara Brach
        • Steven Pendleton
        • Elisha Goldstein
        • Centering Meditation (Christian based)
    • Calm app
      • An app for Sleep, Meditation, and Relaxation. Includes sleep stories, exclusive music to help you focus, relax, sleep, video lessons on mindful movement and gentle stretching, and nature scenes and sounds to enjoy while relaxing, sleeping, working, or studying.
      • $69.99 billed annually or $399.99 billed once for lifetime
    • Headspace app
      • Find more joy, less stress, and the best leep ever. It includes guided meditations, animations, articles, and videos to improve the health and happiness of the world
      • $5.83 a month Annual plan billed at $69.99/year
      • $12.99 a month Monthly plan
    • Plum village app (free)
      • A free app with guided meditations, deep relaxations, and other practices including mindful movement and Qi Gong offered by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community. This app offers an opportunity to experience a range of teachings directly from an Apple or Android smartphone.
    • Mindfulness app
      • The creators believe in bringing an all-embracing peace to the world. To help the world become a more thoughtful place, they help as many people on their individual journey by creating a digital tool accessible by everyone to meditate and practice mindfulness. The app offers an extensive number of meditations with world-renowned teachers, customizable settings, and daily encouragement.
      • One month free trial with a premium subscription for $9.99/month or $59.99/year
    • Breathe by Dr. Jud app (free)
      • A simple but effective one minute breathing exercise to relax
    • Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Jud app
      • Provides step-by-step guidance with video lessons and exercises specifically designed for individuals, a weekly call with Dr. Jud to address specific challenges on live video calls, and an expert-moderated community to receive support, guidance, and inspiration in a safe place.
      • 1 month plan is $29.99
      • 6 months plan is $139.99
      • 1 year plan is $209.99
      • There is a 30 day money back guarantee on all three plans
    • Shine app
      • Shine app offers daily meditation and guided journaling personalized for each person, along with community support from mental health experts.
      • A free app offering daily meditations, daily article, and a gratitude log in. Personalization and other benefits come with the premium subscription for $64.99/year
    • Peloton app
      • The Peloton exercise app also offers meditation
    • Balance from Elevate Labs
      • Personalized meditation app catering towards needs such as focus and anxiety
  • Selected articles
    1. Dealing with feelings of anger
    2. A nice article describing 10 simple ways you can practice mindfulness each day Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital
    3. University Minnesota Article
  • Other Meditation Resources

Podcasts

  • The Way Out is In
    • This podcast series is aimed at "helping us to transcend our fear and anger so that we can be more engaged in the world in a way that develops love and compassion."
  • 10% Happier
    • 10 percent happier is an invitation to  “Journey with us and learn how to train your mind to be happier over time alongside the most qualified people on the planet—including the Dalai Lama.”
Last Updated
06/26/2022