Participants explore the foundations of mindful awareness through research-based practices that develop their ability to pause and restore balance, with the further intention of consciously choosing responses rather than falling into automatic or habitual patterns. Basic research of the brain and our stress response is explored, setting the context for why mindful practices can be transformative. 

Imagine what it would be like to take moments throughout your day to step back from the constant stream of demands and responsibilities. What would it feel like to create space to reset and feel more grounded, move forward with greater focus and have more clarity? Sounds kind of great, doesn’t it? In this ninety-minute session, we introduce concepts to understand the basics of calming the mind while creating a common language for your team. Additionally, each strategy will help to cultivate compassion for yourself, improve intentional behaviors, and enhance trusting relationships, 

Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a bag of chips and wondered where they all went? Join us in bringing a fresh perspective to something you do every day – eating. This hour-long session is a combination of fun and insight. Explore the role of being present in daily tasks often done on autopilot. Experience how to interrupt daily habits that do not serve you well and learn to repattern your actions for ones that do. This interactive session is filled with exploration, conversation, reflection, and best of all – food! 

Do you ever find yourself reacting in ways you later regret? Perhaps answering emails in haste, jumping into workplace gossip, becoming defensive in meetings, or shutting down in the midst of conflict or tension. 

Healthy sleep has more to do with the quality of rest than the quantity. When we settle the mind, we settle the body and that restfulness makes it easier to wind down and drift off. In addition to basic strategies such as avoiding screens or caffeine, mindfulness meditation for sleep is a specific guided practice that helps to let go of the day’s experiences and emotions so the mind and body can rest. Please join us and experience how to give your sleep patterns a make-over in 10 minutes a day. 

Rumination is the common, but unhealthy pattern of thinking about something continuously, to the point of seeing negative effects on your health and well-being. Too much time in the mind can feel taxing and even depleting. To counteract this pattern, you can learn to pause and step back from these thoughts to ground yourself in your body. Please join us to learn this concrete practice and interrupt those looping thought patterns. 

Does listening to others all day tire you out? In this session you will practice listening in in a way where your primary role is to help your student, colleague, or family member feel cared for and understood. No fixing or doing. Listening with an open heart increases feelings of connection and empathy while helping to minimize conflict and misunderstandings. 

Most of us take great care of others, offering compassion when met with challenges. Do you afford yourself the same tender care when struggling? Learn to enhance your abilities to move forward under stress by tending to yourself rather than waiting for others to know what you need. Developing this skill will help you bounce back more easily when met with life’s frustrations.