ignis 2016 - mindfulness, it's not what you think! part 1 051216

John Mitchell, Clark Collegejmitchell@clark.edu

May 2016 – IGNIS series

Mindfulness

It’s not what you think!

Mindfulness: It's not what you think! by John Mitchell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Welcome!

OutcomesDevelop an experiential understanding of mindfulnessApply mindfulness to daily lifeIdentify how mindfulness can sustain and enhance your college community

Mindfulness is…A quality of engagement with the present momentA practiceA habit or trait A field of study

A simple definition

“Awareness of the present moment, with acceptance”

Christopher Germer

Sunset over calm water

San Juan IslandsJohn Mitchell, 2015

AwarenessSights

SoundsSensation

s

Tastes

Smells

FeelingsThoughtsWhere is Awareness?

A brief reflection

What proportion of the time is your awareness on the present moment?

Present Moment

NOW FuturePastRehashing “I should have”

Rehearsing“I have to”

AcceptanceWillingnessCuriosityOpenness

“Awareness of the present moment, with acceptance”

Sunset over Calm Water Again

San Juan IslandsJohn Mitchell, 2015

DirectPracticeMeditation

Bring MindfulnessTo Activities

Showering

Driving

Yoga

Noticing Mindless

“Hot Spots”

Phone

Internet

Running

Meetings

Dishes

Cultivating Mindfulness

Mindfulness: Mind training for mental well-being

Mindfulness contributes toFocus and AttentionStress reductionResilienceCompassionEmpathy and connectionChildhood development

The Evidence for MindfulnessExperiential EvidenceResearch StudiesNeurobiological Evidence

Reflections

How can mindfulness help students?

How can mindfulness help us better serve students?

Mindfulness in EducationMindful SchoolsMindfulness in SchoolsKoruAssociation of Contemplative Mind in Higher Education (ACMHE)

SuggestionsDevelop your own practice – see additional resourcesTake a course (e.g. MBSR, Koru)Join a communityCreate a community

Suggestions - continuedTune in next week for part 2!