Sharing, Not Selling
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| [Body Mind Spirit Expo Tampa June 2019] |
The first time I attended the BMSE, I left feeling frustrated. I thought there should be more people at the event talking about things that will link the body with the mind that don't involve buying anything.
I found a lot of market vendors selling products which were not backed by any semblance of scientific research. The majority of the vendors are selling products which can be described as pseudoscientific at best and dangerous quackery at worst. The exceptions are the booths selling honey, rocks and medical grade ionizer air purifiers.
The second time I attended the BMSE, it was to do reconnaissance on the space, the size of the booths, the general layout of the venue, and to see if anything had changed since the first time I attended. Nope, same vendors, same snake oil.
You must be the change you wish to see, so I plunked down $295 to buy a 6x8 booth in the cheapest section of the expo center (where the psychics and tarot card readers typically are). The purchase of the booth granted me an hour long speaking slot and I chose the topic of "The Science Behind Yoga and Meditation". I gathered up scientific research papers on the documented health benefits of meditation and yoga, as observed in clinical environments and put my slide deck together.
The Science Behind Yoga and Meditation
Slide deck on Slideshare.net http://bit.ly/BMSE_slides
Reference cases:
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation – Psychosomatic Medicine 65:564-570 (2003)
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective – Association For Psychological Science (2011)
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Multitasking in a High Stress Informative Environment. - Graphics Interface (2012)
- Harvard 8 Week Meditation Study at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Pranayam: Yoga Breathing Practices Modulate the Mind-Body Connection - Freund Publishing House
- Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss
- Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life
My presentation, uploaded to YouTube:
It was an interesting experiment to be able to look people in the eye, shake their hand and tell them I had nothing to sell them. I spoke to people about where I teach yoga, where I practice yoga, yoga studios that were close to where they live that I'd recommend (shout out to Warrior One Dunedin, Inside Out Yoga Winter Haven and Lotus Pond), the stack of books I'm excited about, and a few people even took me up on my offer to get on my BMAT Strong and feel the difference between it and the mat you buy from Target. I told people about Baptiste Yoga, why I love it and what it has done for me. I told people about Tribe Seminole Heights, the Community Meditation class I hold there, and the impact they're having in the neighborhood. I also brought my second-hand copy of The Baron Baptiste Yoga Bootcamp Box Set to show to people who had a home practice and were wanting more guidance. I told some other people who hadn't yet developed a home practice that they should check out Yoga With Adriene on YouTube.
I told everyone who was yoga curious about Brené Brown and her Netflix special "The Call To Courage" that they should check out!
Books I recommended:
Perfectly Imperfect - Baron Baptiste
40 Days To A Personal Revolution - Baron Baptiste
Being of Power - Baron Baptiste
Journey To The Heart - Melodie Beattie
Braving The Wilderness - Brené Brown
Nonviolent Communication - Marshall Rosenberg
Exploring Positive Psychology - Erik M. Gregory and Pamela B. Rutledge
Flourish - Martin E.P. Seligman
I gave away a bunch of magnetic cable organizers, You Are Beautiful stickers, stainless steel water bottles (thanks Cisco!), laptop webcam covers and ♥ several ♥ hugs ♥.
My dear friend Laryssa (Journey Into Bliss Yoga) joined me in the booth both days and she shared her love of Ecstatic Dance and handed out flyers for her next Ecstatic Dance date at Factory114!
I met a lot of great people and gave away a lot of information that I'm passionate about and hopefully made a difference by bringing my authentic self to the expo space.
