The Mindfulness Matters faculty group is marking Mindfulness Matters Week Oct. 14–18. Today, the group is sharing recordings of some Mindfulness Matters events from past years, research on mindfulness activities in the classroom, some of the university’s mindfulness resources and a short mindfulness activity.
Past events
Review previous Mindfulness Matters Week speakers and meditations, including “Meditation and the Brain” with Sara Lazar, “Basics of Mindfulness for Self-Care and Stress Management” with Marvin Belzer and “How Mindfulness Can Support Authenticity and Connection in Daily Life” with Suzanne Rusnak.
Mindfulness research
Read the “Mindfulness matters in the classroom: A pilot study of a university-wide classroom-based brief mindfulness program” paper published in the Journal of American College Health. Jesse Honsky, Marji Edguer, Elizabeth Click, Suzanne Rusnak, Barbara Burgess Van Aken, Matthew Salerno and Kristen Berg were authors on this article.
The authors also have a forthcoming paper titled “Mindfulness matters: The experience of mindfulness activity facilitation by faculty” to be published in Building Healthy Academic Communities Journal.
CWRU resources
Take a look at guided imagery and relaxation exercises recordings, which range in length from five to 20 minutes.
The Wellness Program also will offer a four-week introductory meditation class in 2025.
Brief mindfulness activity
Box Breathing is imagining that you are breathing a box with four equal sides: breathing in for a count of four, holding it for a count of four, breathing out for a count of four, and holding that for a count of four, before starting again, breathing in for a count of four and continuing to draw the even sides of a box with your breath. Repeat the steps at least three to four times, or until you feel calm and centered. You can focus on the rise and fall of the belly or chest along with counting to four, or just focus on counting. This activity can be done anywhere.