Interview with Dr. Taylor
Dr. Susan Taylor is the Founder for the Center for Meditation Science and the Director of Educational Programs. An accomplished expert in the fields of nutritoinal biochemistry and meditaiton, Dr. Taylor's work brings forth an entirely new understanding of our health and individual healing processes.
A true pioneer in the field of mind body medicine with over 25 years of experience and research, she founded the Center for Meditation Science in 1985 to advance our traditional knowledge of meditation. Her work across the nation is devoted to transforming our understanding of health and healing. Dr. Taylor helps both ehalth care professionals and individuals to fully comprehend the indivisible link between our own psychology and physical condition. She brings a radical new awareness to the mind body paradigm. Her approach to healing integrates the best scientific medicine with healing traditions used for centuries.
CNNAR: So your goal is to bring meditaiton into the current medical model. How is the reception?
Dr. Taylor: The program has been met with optimism and openness which tells me that the current model recognizes the need for a shift in patient care.
CNNAR: What are you teaching health care providers?
Dr. Taylor: I am teaching stress reduction through focused awareness. The Certification program provides the science behind relaxation and meditation while providing a framework for health care providers to support their personal health care as well as their patients, clients and students.
CNNAR: What do you think are the most significant health benefits of your focused awareness meditation program.
Dr. Taylor: Stress reduction is the number one followed by better sleep, weight reduction, lower blood pressure, improved cardiac function and enhanced immunity.
CNNAR: I have heard you mention easing fatigue. Can meditation help with this?
Dr. Taylor: Meditation gives the practioner the ability to stay centered and balanced in the midst of a crisis. Through this you expend less energy and find yourself accomplishing more.
CNNAR: Do you think that meditation can help with aging?
Dr. Taylor: Yes. Just by quieting the mind, the body becomes more relaxed and a persons innate health mechanisms get turned up. In fact, research has shown that the healthier your genetic machinery -DNA-, is at healing itself, the longer you live. In that sense, it influences biological age.
CNNAR: Yoga is really popular now. Where do you see meditation fitting in?
Dr. Taylor: Yoga as we experience it here teaches postures with little aspect of spirituality when in fact the postures called asanas are really to assist in meditation. What is happening is those that have been practicing yoga are now ready to take their practice to the next level. And, that is where meditation comes in. It will add another dimension to ones yoga practice.
CNNAR: Where do you see the health care industry going?
Dr. Taylor: I see health care providing tools for everyone to become their own best healer. Meditation is one of those tools to become that.
