Embodied Mindfulness

Description: We all face difficult experiences, guaranteed as part of being alive. In response, human beings have created a range of methods to deal with crises and negative life events. Recent research spanning disciplines as diverse as bio-behavioral medicine, the cognitive and affective neurosciences, physics and psychology have investigated the benefits of the practice of "mindfulness". All with considerable research implicating mindfulness as vital in stress reduction, impacting emotional suffering, and even effecting our immune system. Mindfulness and the intelligence of the body/mind are also being understood as important factors in the development of greater mental health. In this class on embodied mindfulness, we will examine what mindfulness is and what sensory awareness is. Together they are essentially an integration of whole being awareness. In this class, we will learn various practices of mindfulness and sensory awareness and to question how and whether they influence the development of empathy, health and well-being. Our methods will include an experiential approach using practices from both disciplines of mindfulness and sensory awareness. We will examine stress reduction from a personal approach.