Mindfulness
What is Mindfulness?
The awareness that unfolds as we pay attention, on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally. - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness-based interventions
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is considered the gold standard of mindfulness-based interventions. Mindfulness and MBSR are supported by over four decades of scientific evidence.
You may also be familiar with several therapies that are based on MBSR, such as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Other mindfulness interventions include Koru, mindfulness-based Art Therapy (including, coloring), and apps like Calm, Headspace, Smiling Mind, and Healthy Minds.
Mindfulness can be experienced through an 8-week MBSR course or a 5-minute breathing practice. It can be a formal practice like a body scan meditation or informal like standing and stretching. There are many different ways to develop mindfulness based on your personal goals (there are many free resources!).
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Take a minute to watch our helpful mindfulness videos:
Explore free short guided mindfulness practices such as Walking, Sitting, and Mountain Meditations, as well as the STOP practice.
Sophie R. Kaufman, DPS, MBA, is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher, trained at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University School of Public Health, and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (CFM).
Dr. Kaufman is passionate about helping people bring mindfulness into their daily lives to enhance their capacity for joy, kindness, and wisdom, and to develop greater resilience in the face of life’s stressors.
A course on mindfulness is also available to students. It is listed as the following:
CHP 190 – Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (CRN 72904) – Fall 2022 (late start course – online/synchronous)
The MBSR course is designed to introduce mindfulness meditation practice as a way of reducing stress and developing greater balance, control, and fuller participation in your life. Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life including the challenges of stress, pain, illness, and everyday demands. The MBSR course is highly experiential and participatory. Classes include instruction in a variety of mindfulness meditation practices, gentle stretching, mindful yoga, and guided individual and group inquiry.
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What are the benefits of Mindfulness techniques?
Mindfulness techniques have been empirically (or in other words, scientifically) shown to decrease stress, depression, and anxiety in college students. Mindfulness helps create focus, balance, and a sense of peace of mind and connectedness to others and to nature.
How do I start on my path to mindfulness?
There are many different mindfulness tools available depending upon the amount of time you have and your budget (much of this is available at no cost!).
- MBSR Courses and related resources: This is the gold standard of Mindfulness Based Interventions
(online and in person, fee-based options, some offering sliding scale or reduced fees for students) - MBCT Courses & related resources: This is a mindfulness-based therapy that integrates cognitive therapy with MBSR. MBCT has been shown to help with anxiety and depression (online, fee-based options, some offering slide scale or reduced fees for students)
- ACT: This is a type of psychotherapy that emphasizes acceptance as a way to deal with negative thoughts, feelings, symptoms, or circumstances
- Koru Meditation: Koru Mindfulness is an evidence-based curriculum specifically designed for teaching mindfulness, meditation, and stress management to college students and other young adults.
- MBSR Courses and related resources: This is the gold standard of Mindfulness Based Interventions
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Click on the links below for some great 8-week program options.
Some other MSBR-related tools include:
- Mindfulness Standard
- On Demand online workshop: The Mindful College Student
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- The Happiness Trap an online Fee-based Program
- Book for purchase
- iCOACH App (free)
- Stress Management Group Counseling Sessions from the NYC Pace Counseling Center
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- Free Online Koru Meditations
- Free Online Koru Breathing Techniques
- Koru Mindfulness Center: Fee based online courses
- Mindfulness for the Next Generation: Book for purchase
- The Mindful Twenty-Something: Book for purchase
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- Healthy Minds (free)
- Smiling Mind (free)
- iCOACH App (free)
- Calm (fee-based with a free trial)
- Headspace (fee-based with a free trial)
- WellTrack (free for all Pace students. Download the app and use your Pace email address.)
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Under 10 minutes
- Mindfulness Moment (1 Min.)
- Loving Kindness Meditation - Grand Central Station (1:47)
- Loving Kindness Meditation - Standing in Line (1:47)
- Loving Kindness Meditation -Stuck in Traffic (1:49)
- Short Body Scan Meditation (3 Mins.)
- Mindful Moment (5 Mins.)
- Body Awareness (5 Mins.)
15 minutes or Less
30 minutes or Less