Mindfulness Matters in 2025
Are you interested in learning more about using mindfulness in the classroom with students? If yes, please consider attending the Mindfulness Matters in the Classroom sessions early next semester to learn more. The Mindfulness Matters Team will be hosting a series of 4 workshops, led by Suzanne Rusnak, so faculty can learn more about offering brief mindfulness activities with students, based on that the team conducted at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.
These experiential sessions will prepare faculty to better support student learning in the classroom. Suzanne Rusnak will train participants in the Mindfulness Matters model on Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb 13, and March 6 from 12-1 pm on each date. Sessions will be recorded and will be sent to all registrants.
Registrants will find that there is a Zoom link for each session
Mindfulness Matters Week returned during Fall 2022
Faculty, staff and students had opportunities to learn about and practice mindfulness with three presentations by mindfulness experts from across the United States. All presentations were recorded on Zoom and are available below..
Meditation and the Brain with Sara Lazar, PhD
Tuesday, October 18th 1-2 pm
Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In this talk, Dr. Lazar will present data about how the structure and function of the brain changes as the result of mindfulness meditation practice. These brain changes in turn lead to reduced stress and improved emotion regulation and cognition. IN the first half of the talk, she will discuss how mindfulness practice helps with stress, pain, and fear. In the second half, she will present data on memory, attention and executive functioning, including data from a two-year follow-up study.
Basics of Mindfulness for Self-Care and Stress Management with Marvin Belzer, PhD
Wednesday, October 19th 12:45-1:45 pm
Marvin G. Belzer, PhD has taught mindfulness meditation for 25 years. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. His workshop will include (a) an overview of what mindfulness is and how we practice mindfulness in meditation, (b) a brief guided meditation, (c) discussion of how mindfulness can be used to deal with difficulty physical and mental states, and (d) how to teach this material in an undergraduate course.
How Mindfulness Can Support Authenticity and Connection in Daily Life with Suzanne Rusnak, MEd, MSSA, LSW
Thursday, October 20th 12-1 pm
Suzanne Rusnak is an independent mindfulness teacher, as well as the Coordinator of Mindfulness Programming for University Hospitals' Connor Integrative Health network. Her presentation will focus on how mindfulness helps build connections between people.
Resources for Mindful Teaching and Learning
Books
- Jon Kabat Zinn, Mindfulness for Beginners
- Jack Kornfield, Meditation for Beginners
- David Gelles, Mindful Work
- Chade Meng Tan, Search Inside Yourself
- Arthur Zajonc, Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry
- Rep. Tim Ryan, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit
- Holly Rogers, The Mindful Twenty-Something
- George Mumford, The Mindful Athlete
- Jerome T. Murphy (former dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education), Dancing in the Rain: Leading with Compassion, Vitality, and Mindfulness in Education
CD’s and downloads:
- Jon Kabat Zinn, Guided Mindfulness Meditations
- Tara Brach, Mindfulness Meditation: Nine Guided Practices to Awaken Presence and Open Your Heart
On-Line Training:
Websites: