Adventure used to mean conquest. Not anymore.

In this episode of Calm With Me, Dr. Meredith Calvert traces a shift happening across diving, surfing, and rock climbing: the fastest-growing group of participants isn't chasing adrenaline, but a quieter, deeper connection with themselves. Drawing on her forthcoming Scuba Diving Industry magazine article, Meredith explores the neuroscience behind why the wild calms us, including Blue Mind, soft fascination, and the default mode network, and how these effortless attention states let our overstimulated brains finally quiet down.

Featuring insights from Bethany Hamilton, Kelly Slater, Lynn Hill, and dive shop owner Brent Webb, this episode asks what happens when fear becomes the doorway to growth rather than the obstacle to it. Meredith also unpacks a stubborn gap: participation among women is surging in these sports, yet leadership and instruction remain overwhelmingly male.

Plus: the 2027 WildCalm Retreats waitlist is now open - sign up using the link below.

Calm With Me is hosted by Dr. Meredith Calvert: neuroscientist, yogi, Master Scuba Diver, and devoted student of the wild mind.

Mentioned in this episode:

The WildCalm retreats waitlist for 2027 is now open. All WildCalm retreats are small by design, and I expect them to fill quickly. If any of these is calling to you, joining now means you'll hear from me first.
[Join the private waitlist]
No commitment or payment yet, just your place in line. 

Immersive experiences designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and nature.

• Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

01:10 - How self-development and wellness travel is changing dive tourism

01:50 - Soccer moms on scuba

02:50 - How adventure changes us

03:35 - E.E. Cummings and finding ourselves in the sea

03:50 - Blue Mind

04:15 - Soft fascination

04:50 - Evolution of sensory awareness

05:35 - Why being outside helps stop overthinking

05:50 - Scuba diving for personal growth

06:35 - Changes in the surfing industry

07:10 - Bethany Hamilton and passion bigger than fear

07:50 - Kelly Slater and surfing as religion

08:25 - Lynn Hill and climbing as moving meditation

08:50 - We don't come to conquer

09:15 - Changes in the climbing gym

09:30 - Yoga for rock climbing

10:10 - Female participation in rock climbing

10:30 - Women still missing in leadership roles - climbing

11:05 - Women still missing in leadership roles - diving

11:40 - What links climbing, surfing and diving?

12:10 - Adventure sports are good for our brains

13:05 - Philosophy of WildCalm retreats

13:50 - WildCalm retreats 2027 waitlist now open

References:

The Rise of the Wellness Diver: A Changing Audience. Scuba Diving Industry Magazine, July 2026.

Calvert, M. (2026). Why Yoga Makes You a Better Scuba Diver. DiveNewsWire, May 2026.

Nichols, W. J. (2014). Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do.

Murrin, E., Taylor, N., et al., (2023). Does physical activity mediate the associations between blue space and mental health? A cross-sectional study in Australia. BMC Public Health, 23.

Basu, A., Duvall, J., & Kaplan, R. (2019). Attention Restoration Theory: Exploring the role of soft fascination and Mental Bandwidth. Environment and Behavior, 51(8), 956-981.

McDonnell, A.S., Strayer, D.L., (2024). Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention. Sci Rep 14, 1845. 

Shifting Tides: Dive Industry Assessment & Strategies to Serve Today’s Scuba Divers. Business of Diving Institute. https://www.businessofdiving.com/scuba-analysis-strategy-planning

https://www.businessofdiving.com/scuba-diver-socio-demographic-profile

You're mid-route. Your foot slips. Before your rational brain catches up, something ancient takes over and your heart is hammering, your breath has gone short and shallow and your hands are gripping harder than they should.

Fear in the outdoors is fast, physical, and deeply intelligent. And if you know how to work with it, it's one of the most powerful entry points to presence you'll ever find.

In this episode, neuroscientist, diver and yoga teacher Dr. Meredith Calvert breaks down the three F's of outdoor performance: fear, focus, and flow. She explains what's actually happening in your brain on a crux, why panicking makes you breathe in exactly the wrong way, and how natural environments both challenge us and restore the cognitive resources that modern life burns through.

The science is real. The tools are portable.

Calm With Me is hosted by Dr. Meredith Calvert — neuroscientist, yogi, Master Scuba Diver, and devoted student of the wild mind.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Come with me to find your own Wild Mind? 

I built my WildCalm retreats around exactly this. Immersive experiences designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and nature.

Next adventure? SeaCalm Yoga & Scuba Diving in Roatán, Honduras, this Labor Day (2026). No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

01:20 - Calm is a super power

01:40 - Three brain structures involved with fear

01:50 - The amygdala- your alarm center

02:15 - The prefrontal cortex - your logic center

02:50 - The hippocampus - your memory vault

03:20 - Inhibitory learning

03:40 - Introduction to box breathing

04:00 - Practice: Box breathing

04:30 - Panic and your breath

04:55 - The Bohr effect

05:20 - The CO2 spike or hypercapnia

06:00 - Auto-occlusion

07:15 - Introduction to reflexive breathing

07:30 - Practice: Reflexive breathing

08:00 - Focus and attention restoration theory

08:30 - Directed attention

08:55 - Involuntary attention

09:30 - Soft fascination

10:25 - Finding flow

10:55 - Flow and the vagus nerve

11:30 - Heart rate variability

11:50 - Anchor practice for flow: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

13:00 - Fear is not a design flaw

Scientific references:

• Kaplan, S. The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework, J. Env. Psych. 1995. 15(3):169-182

• Pham TP & Sanocki T. Human Attention Restoration, Flow, and Creativity: A Conceptual Integration. J Imaging. 2024 Mar 29;10(4):83

• McDonnell, A.S., Strayer, D.L. Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention. Sci Rep 14, 1845 (2024)

• Williams, KJH, Lee, KE, Hartig, T., et al. Conceptualising creativity benefits of nature experience: Attention restoration and mind wandering as complementary processes, J. Exp. Psych. 2018 (59), 36-45,

• Colzato, LS., Szapora A, Hommel, B. Meditate to Create: The Impact of Focused-Attention and Open-Monitoring Training on Convergent and Divergent Thinking. Front. Psych. 2012, 3.

• Lippelt DP, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Focused attention, open monitoring a n d loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity - A review. Front Psychol. 2014 S e p 23;5:1083.

Last episode, we explored Blue Mind — what water does to your brain from the outside. Today we go deeper. Literally.

In this episode, Dr. Meredith Calvert unpacks the neuroscience of what happens when you actually go underwater: the ancient mammalian dive reflex that slows your heart without asking permission, the breath-buoyancy feedback loop that makes scuba diving one of the most intimate nervous system practices on the planet, and why the underwater environment produces a quality of presence that's hard to find anywhere else.

We'll also do a short box breathing practice together — so you can feel the shift, not just understand it.

If you've ever surfaced from a dive feeling clearer, calmer, and more yourself — this episode is the science behind that feeling.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Want to experience Blue Mind for yourself? 

I built the SeaCalm retreat around exactly this. My yoga & scuba diving retreat in is an immersive week-long experience designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and the ocean. Not just a yoga retreat, not just a dive trip. It’s a restorative prescription for Blue Mind: a full week of soft fascination, feel-good neurotransmitters, and turquoise water as far as the eye can see.

No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

Find out more: ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠⁠

• Shrines of Science blog - ⁠Blue Mind: How the Ocean Heals⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠⁠

• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

01:30 - Blue mind recap

01:55 - Mammalian dive reflex

02:45 - Meditation, yoga and the switch from sympathetic to parasympathic nervous system dominance

03:20 - Scuba diving is a breath practice

03:27 - Scuba diving rule number one

03:40 - Dirga pranayama - three-part breath

04:10 - Breath and positional feedback in diving

04:40 - Proprioreception

05:00 - Underwater presence

05:15 - Practice: Dirga Pranayama - three-part breath

06:15 - Meredith's first dive

06:40 - Eagle rays and the wild within us

07:10 - Diving and directed attention restoration

07:40 - Default mode network

08:20 - Introduction to SeaCalm Yoga & Scuba retreat

09:05 - Next episode: Awe and wonder as medicine

Season two of Calm With Me begins at the water’s edge. In this episode, neuroscientist, yoga teacher, and scuba diver Dr. Meredith Calvert explores the science behind “Blue Mind,” the deeply restorative state our brains enter around water. From childhood memories of England’s rugged coastline to the neuroscience of soft fascination, dopamine, serotonin, and nervous system regulation, this episode dives into why the ocean has such a profound ability to quiet the mind and bring us back to ourselves.

You’ll learn how blue spaces influence stress, attention, and emotional well-being, and why calm may be less about forcing relaxation and more about giving your nervous system the right environment to settle naturally. A grounding, science-informed invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and practice meeting the wild.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Want to experience Blue Mind for yourself? 

I built the SeaCalm retreat around exactly this. My yoga & scuba diving retreat in is an immersive week-long experience designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and the ocean. Not just a yoga retreat, not just a dive trip. It’s a restorative prescription for Blue Mind: a full week of soft fascination, feel-good neurotransmitters, and turquoise water as far as the eye can see.

No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

Find out more: ⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠

• Shrines of Science blog - Blue Mind: How the Ocean Heals

• ⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠

• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

00:00 — The shift near the ocean

01:20 — A seaside childhood

01:50 — 'Just a little bit of fear'

02:15 — Wallace J. Nichols and Blue Mind

02:30 — The neurochemistry of Blue Mind

03:10 — Soft fascination

03:40 — The dose response of time spent near water

04:10 — Moving water

04:25 — Change your environment, change your nervous system

04:50 — 'Immerse yourself in soft fascination'

Scientific references:

1. Britton, E., Kindermann, et al., (2018). Blue care: a systematic review of blue space interventions for health and wellbeing. Health Promotion International, 35, 50 - 69.

2. McDougall, C., Hanley, et al. (2021). Neighbourhood blue space and mental health: A nationwide ecological study of antidepressant medication prescribed to older adults. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, 104132.

3. McDougall, C., Hanley, N., et al. (2022). Blue space exposure, health and well-being: Does freshwater type matter? Landscape and Urban Planning, 224,104446.

4. Murrin, E., Taylor, N., et al., (2023). Does physical activity mediate the associations between blue space and mental health? A cross-sectional study in Australia. BMC Public Health, 23.

5. Pasanen, T., White, M., et al., (2019). Neighbourhood blue space, health and wellbeing: The mediating role of different types of physical activity.. Environment international, 131, 105016.

6. Pearson, A., Shortridge, A., et al. (2019). Effects of freshwater blue spaces may be beneficial for mental health: A first, ecological study in the North American Great Lakes region. PLoS ONE, 14.

7. Tang, H., Lee, A., & Hung, S., (2024). Does built environment and natural leisure settings with bodies of water improve human psychological and physiological health?. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 20, 547 - 558.

8. Wright, K., Eden, S., et al., (2024). A qualitative exploration of the contribution of blue space to well‐being in the lives of people with severe mental illness. People and Nature, 6 (2), 849-864.

9. Yin, J., Ramanpong, J., et al. (2023). Effects of blue space exposure in urban and natural environments on psychological and physiological responses: A within-subject experiment. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 87, 128066.

In this episode of Calm With Me, Meredith returns to the topic of the perimenopausal brain, exploring not just the physical symptoms but the deeper shift in identity that many women experience during this transition.

Perimenopause often begins gradually, with mood changes, sleep disruption, anxiety, and physical symptoms appearing years before menstrual cycles noticeably change. Without clear information, these changes can slowly erode confidence and leave many women feeling like strangers in their own bodies. Neuroscience shows that these experiences are rooted in real biological changes as the brain adapts to declining estrogen, reorganizing systems involved in memory, emotion, and self-perception.

Rather than viewing this as decline, Meredith introduces a more empowering perspective drawn from both neuroscience and traditional healing systems, which describe menopause as a “Second Spring,” a time of integration and wisdom.

She offers a simple framework for navigating the transition using the acronym AIR: Acknowledge cultural narratives around aging, Integrate the qualities that define one’s true self, and Reframe the experience as a process of becoming rather than loss.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Come with me on retreat: SeaCalm Yoga + Scuba Diving Retreat (Aug/Sep 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast ⁠⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026
• ⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠

• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

00:00 — A shifting sense of self

01:00 — Recasting perimenopause as a time of becoming

03:30 — A Zen story: The nun and the river

04:00 — Early symptoms of perimenopause

07:00 — Reorganization of the perimenopausal brain

08:40 — The Second Spring: An Eastern view of the menopausal transition

09:50 — The first step: Acknowledge

10:40 — Rejecting society's narrative for aging women

11:40 — The second step: Integrate

12:40 — Reclaiming a sense of adventure

13:15 — Yoga and scuba diving retreat

13:50 — Caring for others through volunteering

15:15 — The third step: Reframe

17:00 — Reframing insomnia

17:45 — Reframing anxiety

20:00 — The neuroscience behind reframing

20:30 — Bridge thoughts

22:00 — Positive social mirrors

22:55 — Reviewing the three steps

Scientific references:

• Mosconi, L. et al. Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid-beta deposition. Sci Rep 11, 10867 (2021).

  Coslov, N., Richardson, M. K. & Woods, N. F. “Not feeling like myself” in perimenopause: Observations from the Women Living Better survey. Menopause 31(5), 486–493 (2024).

  Woods, N. F., Coslov, N. & Mitchell, E. S. Effects of bothersome symptoms during the late reproductive stage and menopausal transition. Menopause 30(5), 559–567 (2023).

  Elavsky, S. & McAuley, E. Physical activity, symptoms, esteem, and life satisfaction during menopause. Maturitas 52(3–4), 374–385 (2005).

  Ceylan, B. & Özerdoğan, N. The relationship between menopausal symptoms, attitudes toward menopause and body image. Alexandria Journal of Medicine 53(4), 327–333 (2017).

  Sokołowska-Pawłowska, K. et al. Perceptions and attitudes toward menopause and perceived satisfaction with life. Menopause Review 23(1), 9–16 (2024).

In this episode, Meredith dives into the neuroscience of perimenopause, reframing this midlife shift not as decline but as a profound, fiery transformation. She explains how fluctuating estrogen reshapes neural circuits, why brain fog and mood swings appear, and how the brain ultimately recalibrates through neuroplasticity. Rather than fragile butterflies, Meredith invites listeners to embody the volcanic power of Pele—creative, potent, and unapologetically alive.

She explores the science behind sleep disruption, from progesterone dips to circadian shifts, and shares practical tools such as breath counting, progressive relaxation, Raja yoga meditation, and yoga nidra, all shown to ease menopausal insomnia. Meredith also challenges the outdated cultural narrative that aging women become invisible, encouraging listeners to claim this stage as one of wisdom, spaciousness, and renewed purpose. She closes with an invitation to her upcoming workshop, a reminder of community, and an affirmation that the menopausal brain is not fading — it’s refocusing.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Get more peace: Micromoments of Peace (free guide): 10 simple ways to create calm and presence in your day ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/micromoments⁠⁠
• Free Yoga Nidra Audio Practice
• Come with me on retreat: SacredCalm Yoga + Hiking Retreat (May 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/sacredcalm_2026⁠⁠
• WildCalm Retreats
• Becoming Her Again Workshop
• SIS Circle (collaborative workshop partners)
• Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

00:00 — Why the menopausal brain is rewiring, not breaking
01:00 — Recasting perimenopause as a time of becoming
02:10 — The butterfly metaphor vs. the volcanic energy of Pele
04:00 — Brain fog, estrogen shifts, and neuroplastic adaptation
06:15 — Mindfulness as a buffer for attention, memory, and stress
08:10 — Sleep disruption: hormones, circadian rhythm, and anxiety loops
10:00 — Breath counting + progressive relaxation for returning to sleep
12:00 — Meditation research: Raja yoga and insomnia relief
13:30 — Yoga nidra as a nighttime reset
15:00 — Rewriting the cultural narrative of aging and claiming midlife power
17:00 — Invitation to the Becoming Her Again workshop & closing reflections

Scientific references:

• Mosconi, L. et al. Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism. Sci Rep 11, 10867 (2021).

• Epperson CN, et al., Menopause effects on verbal memory: findings from a longitudinal community cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 98(9):3829-38 (2013) .

• Streeter CC, et al., Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Med Hypotheses, 78(5):571-9 (2012) .

• Portella, C.S.,et al. Meditation as an approach to lessen menopausal symptoms and insomnia in working women undergoing the menopausal transition period: A randomized controlled trial. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 8 (4), 278-284 (2021) .

In this special Halloween episode of Calm With Me, Dr. Meredith explores the metaphor of the “hungry ghost” — that restless inner part of us that’s always grasping for more… more achievement, more validation, more stuff. Blending neuroscience and yogic wisdom, she unpacks why the brain is wired to chase, how our nervous systems get caught in loops of craving, and what it takes to shift from perpetual hunger to genuine nourishment.

Meredith guides you through simple practices to calm the craving brain, soften self-pressure, and reconnect with the quieter truth underneath all the wanting.

The episode then takes a dive into the neurobiology of fear, both to understand how to tame fear and panic in the moment, but also the science behind why we sometimes find fear to be so fun (think Halloween, haunted houses and horror movies!).

At the heart of all this — craving, not-enoughness, and even the strange thrill of fear — is a simple truth: our brains are built for survival, not serenity. Yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness help us to retrain the system, strengthening the pathways that regulate fear and easing the urgency to grasp for more. This episode offers a gentle, compassionate path through the fear and back to yourself — one breath at a time.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Get more peace: Micromoments of Peace (free guide): 10 simple ways to create calm and presence in your day ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/micromoments⁠⁠

• Come with me on retreat: SacredCalm Yoga + Hiking Retreat (May 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/sacredcalm_2026⁠⁠

  Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠

  
  

Time stamps:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Halloween, Samhain and the thinning veil

03:10 Hungry Ghost Month

05:20 Craving and lack

06:30 The fifth Yama: Aparigraha

07:10 Dopamine hits and the neuroscience of craving

09:00 Your brain on gratitude

10:00 Gratitude practice

09:10 Analogy: Power vinyasa vs. restorative yoga

10:00 Pranayama- 5th limb of yoga

11:20 Breathwork or pranayama practice: One breath is enough

12:30 Introduction to fear

13:10 Your brain on fear

14:20 Why fear can be fun: Haunted houses and horror movies

17:30 How yoga, meditation and breathwork teach us to sit with fear and craving

20:05 Breathwork or pranayama practice: Settling breath

20:55 Wrap up and Micromoments of Peace freebie offer

Scientific references:

- Sutherland, M. (2023). Why fear feels good: The neuroscience of haunted houses and horror movies. Florida International University News.

- Schultz, W. (2015). Neuronal reward and decision signals: from theories to data. Physiological Reviews, 95(3), 853–951.

- Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Fowler, J. S., & Tomasi, D. (2012).
Addiction circuitry in the human brain. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 52, 321–336.

- Campbell, J. I. D., et al. (2023). Eating ultraprocessed foods increases dopamine responses in the human brain. Nature Neuroscience, 26, 971–980.

- Kini, P., Wong, J., McInnis, S., Gabana, N., & Brown, J. W. (2016). The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1–14.

- Fox, K. C. R., et al. (2016). Functional brain plasticity associated with meditation and mindfulness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 65, 313–334.

- LeDoux, J. E. (2000). Emotion circuits in the brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 23, 155–184.

- Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422.

- Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing... Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566–571.

- Sutherland, M. R., et al. (2021). The thrill of fear: Individual differences in fear reactivity and enjoyment across contexts. Psychophysiology, 58(9).

- Mobbs, D., et al. (2015).
The ecology of human fear: survival optimization and the nervous system. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9, 55.

When you step into the wild, whether its hiking a ridgeline, exploring coral reefs, or simply looking up at the sky, something profound happens inside your brain. Your focus softens, your nervous system steadies, and your awareness expands. Psychologists call this state soft fascination—a calm, alert attention that restores mental clarity and opens the doorway to awe.

In this episode, Dr. Meredith Calvert explores the neuroscience of soft fascination, how it differs from mindfulness meditation, and why both are essential for a balanced, resilient mind.

Drawing from yoga philosophy, Attention Restoration Theory, and her own experiences teaching underwater and on mountaintops, Meredith reveals how nature helps us rewire the brain for presence, creativity, and joy.

You’ll also learn a simple breathwork practice to deepen your connection with the natural world—no matter where you are—and how to cultivate that same wild calm in daily life.

If your brain runs faster than your breath, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Get more peace: Micromoments of Peace (free guide): 10 simple ways to create calm and presence in your day ⁠https://meriyoga.org/micromoments⁠

• • Come with me on retreat: SacredCalm Yoga + Hiking Retreat (May 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast ⁠https://meriyoga.org/sacredcalm_2026⁠
  • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠@meriyogasf ⁠

Time stamps:

00:00 intro

02:10 Soft fascination

04:20 Dhyana- 7th limb of yoga

04:50 Default Mode Network (DMN)

05:10 Attention Restoration Theory

06:20 Mindfulness meditation

07:00 Dharana- 6th limb of yoga

08:10 Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

09:10 Analogy: Power vinyasa vs. restorative yoga

10:00 Pranayama- 5th limb of yoga

10:30 Breathwork or pranayama practice: Ujjayi breathing or ocean breath

12:30 Neuroscience of breathwork and the parasympathetic nervous system activation

12:40 Respiratory vagal nerve stimulation and the vagus nerve

13:50 Stargazing

14:40 Summary

15:10 Wrap up and SacredCalm invitation

Scientific references:

• Pham TP & Sanocki T. Human Attention Restoration, Flow, a n d Creativity: A Conceptual Integration. J Imaging. 2024 Mar 29;10(4):83

• McDonnell, A.S., Strayer, D.L. Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention. Sci Rep 14, 1845 (2024)

• Williams, KJH, Lee, KE, Hartig, T., et al. Conceptualising creativity benefits of nature experience: Attention restoration and mind wandering as complementary processes, J. Exp. Psych. 2018 (59), 36-45,

• Garrison KA, Zeffiro TA, Scheinost D, et al., Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2015 Sep;15(3):712-20.

• Niazi AK, Niazi SK. Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a non-pharmacological approach for chronic illnesses. N Am J Med Sci. 2011 Jan;3(1):20-3.

• Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH. Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Oct 9;12:397.

• Colzato, LS., Szapora A, Hommel, B. Meditate to Create: The Impact of Focused-Attention and Open-Monitoring Training on Convergent and Divergent Thinking. Front. Psych. 2012, 3.

• Lippelt DP, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Focused attention, open monitoring a n d loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity - A review. Front Psychol. 2014 S e p 23;5:1083.

Why does time seem to race by as we get older, yet stretch endlessly when we’re on vacation, in awe, or in love? In this episode of Calm With Me, Meredith explores the fascinating intersection of yogic philosophy and modern neuroscience to uncover how we can actually, intentionally, slow down our experience of time.

From the ancient wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman’s research on perception, we’ll explore how novelty, nature, presence, and breath reshape our sense of time itself.

You’ll learn:
• How your brain’s chemistry warps time, and why new experiences feel longer
• Why flow states and meditation expand your perception of the present moment
• Four science-backed ways to stretch and savor time in daily life
• A guided 4-7-8 breathwork practice to step outside time, right now

Meredith also shares reflections from her recent travels and invites you to pause, breathe, and rediscover the beauty of now.

Take a deep breath, press play, and remember—this moment is enough.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Get more peace: Micromoments of Peace (free guide): 10 simple ways to create calm and presence in your day https://meriyoga.org/micromoments

Time stamps:

00:00 intro

02:50 Rome & why vacations go too fast

04:00 The shape of time

05:00 Yoga sutras on time & ksanas

06:10 Neuroscience & time perception

07:45 Meditation & time

09:20 How to slow down time

11:10 Micromoments of peace

12:00 Breathwork practice 4-7-8

13:10 Wrap up and SacredCalm invitation

Scientific references:

1. Brain, Volume 135, Issue 3, March 2012, Pages 656–677, ⁠https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awr210⁠

2. Anderson, L., and Shimamura, A. P. (2005). Influences of emotion on context memory while viewing film clips. Am. J. Psychol. 118, 323–337

3. Stetson C, Fiesta MP, Eagleman DM (2007) Does Time Really Slow Down during a Frightening Event? PLoS ONE 2(12): e1295. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0001295

4. Khan, Azizuddin & Dixit, Shikha. (2006). Effect of Cognitive Load and Paradigm on Time Perception. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology. 32. 37–42

5. Mullen, G., & Davidenko, N. (2021). Time Compression in Virtual Reality, Timing & Time Perception, 9(4), 377–392. doi: ⁠https://doi.org/10.1163/22134468-bja10034⁠

6. Davydenko, M., & Peetz, J. (2017). Time grows on trees: The effect of nature settings on time perception. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 54, 20–26. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.09.003

7. Mitchell JM, Weinstein D, Vega T, Kayser AS. Dopamine, time perception, and future time perspective. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2018;235(10):2783–2793. doi:10.1007/s00213–018–4971-z

8. Palmiter RD. Dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum is essential for motivated behaviors: lessons from dopamine-deficient mice. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008;1129:35–46. doi:10.1196/annals.1417.003

In this seventh episode of Calm With Me, host Meredith Calvert how stress affects our ability to parent effectively, as well as the positive impacts of mindfulness practices on both kids and parents. She shares some specific practices, such as 'safe words' and belly breathing to help manage parental stress and build deeper connections with our kids. Listeners are guided through various breathing practices designed to reduce stress and promote relaxation. The episode emphasizes the importance of integrating these practices into daily life for improved mental health and resilience.

Link to SacredCalm Yoga, Breathwork & Hiking Retreat:

https://www.meriyoga.org/sacredcalmretreat

**email [email protected] and mention the 'Calm With Me' Podcast to receive $100 off this incredible retreat!

References discussed in episode:

Eric Barker books:

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong

Xiaoqin , Diya & Thanos. Editorial: Parental influence on child social and emotional functioning. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol 5 (2024) ⁠https://doi.org/0.3389/fpsyg.2024.1392772

Hosokawa, R., Tomozawa, R. & Katsura, T. Associations between Family Routines, Family Relationships, and Children’s Behavior. J Child Fam Stud 32, 3988–3998 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02687-w

Kerr, Ratliff, et al. Parental influences on neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation, Trends in Neuroscience and Education, Vol 16 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2019.100118.

Cindy Hovington references:

https://epcaquebec.org/how-can-parents-support-their-childs-mental-health-through-emotional-learning/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://americanspcc.org/5-ways-neuroscience-has-changed-how-i-parent/