Post by Admin on Nov 4, 2017 17:45:21 GMT -5
Dr. James Walsh, Sam Beard's coordinator for the GIFT project in Delaware published a report on the First Mindfulness Summit held October 28, 2017 at Delaware Technical Community College. It was a great day and an auspicious beginning as we move forward in spreading mindfulness practice. Here is Jim's report:
DelTech Mindfulness Summit Attracts 108 Participants:
The First Annual DelTech Mindfulness Summit was a rousing success, with over 100 attendees! Johnny Gillespie of Empowered Yoga started us off with a wonderful exploration of movement from developmental, genetic, learned, traumatic, and aging perspectives. Dr. Diane Reibel of Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia delivered the morning keynote address, which helped us to have a clear conceptualization of what mindfulness is and is not, and reminded us of the many benefits of a mindfulness practice. The panel of Mindfulness-based clinicians that followed gave valuable information about helping specific populations, including veterans, children, psychiatrically impaired adults, and college students. The morning session closed with three guided mindfulness meditations that aroused (Karen Barwick’s “1 - 2 - 3” Exercise), enlivened (Dr. Holly Rogers’ dynamic breathing), and soothed (Dr. Jenna Tedesco’s lovingkindness meditation).
Our own GIFT founder and leader, Sam Beard, was the lunchtime keynote speaker and and helped us to “connect:” to our bodies, our minds, each other, and to the universe. Sam’s presentation reminded us that mindfulness practice has a strong spiritual component, and ultimately leads us back over and over to a transcendent point of view. After lunch the focus shifted to Mindfulness in the workplace, and featured Michael Carrol, whose book “Awake at Work” has inspired many businesses to become mindful corporate cultures. The afternoon panel discussed the nuts and bolts of cultivating a mindful culture in schools, hospitals, clinical mental health practices, and addiction treatment facilities, with many important “lessons learned” for what works and what doesn’t.
The day was closed out with a fine presentation from Dr. Holly Rogers, the founder of the Center for Koru Mindfulness, a teacher training facility in North Carolina(Duke University). Dr. Rogers presented evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness training for “emerging adults,” a category that includes people between the ages of 18 and 29. Most significantly, even brief mindfulness interventions have shown great efficacy in reducing human suffering.
GIFT used all available resources to help this Summit, and we are proud to be partnered with DelTech as they provide more and more opportunities for their staff, faculty, and students to cultivate mindfulness practices. Our hope is that our work together will truly help make Delaware “The First Mindful State.”
DelTech Mindfulness Summit Attracts 108 Participants:
The First Annual DelTech Mindfulness Summit was a rousing success, with over 100 attendees! Johnny Gillespie of Empowered Yoga started us off with a wonderful exploration of movement from developmental, genetic, learned, traumatic, and aging perspectives. Dr. Diane Reibel of Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia delivered the morning keynote address, which helped us to have a clear conceptualization of what mindfulness is and is not, and reminded us of the many benefits of a mindfulness practice. The panel of Mindfulness-based clinicians that followed gave valuable information about helping specific populations, including veterans, children, psychiatrically impaired adults, and college students. The morning session closed with three guided mindfulness meditations that aroused (Karen Barwick’s “1 - 2 - 3” Exercise), enlivened (Dr. Holly Rogers’ dynamic breathing), and soothed (Dr. Jenna Tedesco’s lovingkindness meditation).
Our own GIFT founder and leader, Sam Beard, was the lunchtime keynote speaker and and helped us to “connect:” to our bodies, our minds, each other, and to the universe. Sam’s presentation reminded us that mindfulness practice has a strong spiritual component, and ultimately leads us back over and over to a transcendent point of view. After lunch the focus shifted to Mindfulness in the workplace, and featured Michael Carrol, whose book “Awake at Work” has inspired many businesses to become mindful corporate cultures. The afternoon panel discussed the nuts and bolts of cultivating a mindful culture in schools, hospitals, clinical mental health practices, and addiction treatment facilities, with many important “lessons learned” for what works and what doesn’t.
The day was closed out with a fine presentation from Dr. Holly Rogers, the founder of the Center for Koru Mindfulness, a teacher training facility in North Carolina(Duke University). Dr. Rogers presented evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness training for “emerging adults,” a category that includes people between the ages of 18 and 29. Most significantly, even brief mindfulness interventions have shown great efficacy in reducing human suffering.
GIFT used all available resources to help this Summit, and we are proud to be partnered with DelTech as they provide more and more opportunities for their staff, faculty, and students to cultivate mindfulness practices. Our hope is that our work together will truly help make Delaware “The First Mindful State.”