Parkinson’s Foundation offers mindfulness session for better sleep and relaxation

A 30-minute Parkinson’s Foundation Mindfulness Mondays session ran on June 29 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and registration was required. The free Zoom event put sleep, relaxation and a practical evening routine at the center of the program.

The mindfulness practice for the session was recorded in advance. Crista Ellis, an E-RYT, yoga and meditation teacher, life coach and founder of Rising Rose Yoga, served as the speaker.

The session was open to people with Parkinson’s disease, family members, friends and the broader community. The program explored mindfulness techniques that promote relaxation and rest, along with practical strategies for building a calming nighttime routine that may support better sleep.

Many people with Parkinson’s have difficulty getting restful sleep, and sleep problems can begin before movement symptoms appear and the disease is diagnosed. A 2025 analysis of Fox Insight data involving 38,588 Parkinson’s patients found that about 84% reported difficulty falling or staying asleep, while the World Health Organization lists sleep disorders among the non-motor complications of Parkinson’s disease.

The June 29 session was part of the Parkinson’s Foundation’s broader PD Health @ Home lineup, a year-round virtual education and wellness program that includes Mindfulness Mondays, Wellness Wednesdays and Fitness Fridays. PD Health @ Home is presented by the Light of Day Foundation, and Mindfulness Mondays sessions continue on July 27, 2026 and August 3, 2026.

Ellis has worked in the Parkinson’s community for nearly a decade, and the mindfulness program grew out of her clinical research background and her own meditation and yoga practice.