MINDFULNESS, SELF-CARE, & COMMUNITY-BUILDING
Faculty and staff finished our second year of exploring the nature of mindfulness practice, self-care, and community-building along with the relationship of these to teaching. Read more about our first year experiences here and activities here.
In Fall 2016, I chose to focus on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques, after my summer 2016 experience at the Omega Institute in NY. This experience was funded through a Penn State York Professional Development Grant and gave me in-depth knowledge of mindfulness practices which I was then able to share weekly with participants in the program. Mindfulness is the act of paying attention in the present moment without judgment (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Research in neuroscience, psychology, and education all point to the benefits that a daily mindfulness practice can have on wellness (physical and mental) and academics (ability to focus and increased creativity). Here’s a collection of resources including a bibliography and links to research centers if you are interested in more information.
Spring 2017 expanded the range of experiences and opened the door for others to present. Kerry Magni started us off with a mindful Yoga session in January, followed by Jennifer Nesbitt’s session on mindfully managing our work load. Throughout the semester, the group explored Tai Chi, storytelling, and various traditional mindfulness practices meant to build awareness of mind, body, and emotions. Later in the semester, Barb Eshbach led a session on Zentangles and Chris Rodkey shared his book series combining mindfulness and coloring using Bible stories. Finally, Stephanie Winklejohn-Black led a session on managing anxiety in the classroom. We finished the exciting and engaging year with a send-off party for our members who were retiring! What will we do without your energy and interest – Kerry, Mike, Jane, and Annie – we wish you the utmost happiness in this next phase of life!
I wholeheartedly thank all the participants who came to the sessions throughout the last two years. It has been an experience I will never forget.
Here is the roll call of attendees/presenters during the last two years – pretty nice!!
Kerry Magni, Mike Jarrett, Stepanka Magstadt, Annie Haines, Cecilia Heydl-Cortinez, Harry Payne, Jennifer Nesbitt, Marcy Nicholas, Barb Eshbach, Amber Seidel, Sukhdeep Gill, Jane Emery, Noel Sloboda, Chris Rodkey, Joel Burkholder, Scott Simonds, Stephanie Winklejohn-Black, Deirdre Folkers, Fred Haag, Andrew Caldwell, Christina Lee, Francine Baker
SUMMER READING: PURSUING THE GOOD LIFE: 100 REFLECTIONS ON POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
This summer, faculty and staff gathered to read and discuss Christopher Peterson’s book, Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology (2013). This was a really uplifting book and generated lots of good discussions! Each session, we touched on different sections of the text. Participants chose one of the essays of interest to discuss at the session, giving an overview and reflection to start the conversation. This made for an interesting and enjoyable format in which we discussed essays entitled, There are no Saints, Tears and Testosterone, “Strong” Accents Define America, What Good are Fathers, and Positive Psychology and Assholes. These and others gave us a range of topics to discuss over the summer that we all enjoyed!
Thanks a bunch to those participants who came over the summer and after retirement for multiple sessions! Anne Vardo-Zalik, Joy Giguere, Kerry Magni, Barb Eshbach, Andrew Caldwell, and Noel Sloboda
Also, I still have two copies of the book up for grabs if anyone is interested! Email me.
