This fall, explore practical skills to cultivate attentional steadiness and balance even in times of challenge through mindfulness.
In the midst of challenge and stress, attention can often be hijacked, leading to a felt sense of overwhelm and being out of balance. Attention affects how we think and feel, as well as how we relate with each other, but we can train our attention to better support ourselves and those around us.
In this 4-week interactive program, we’ll explore accessible, practical ways to cultivate attentional steadiness and balance through mindfulness. Informed by the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) framework, this short program offers an introduction to science-based mindfulness practices.
Details
Who: Open to Danforth Campus faculty (tenured/tenure-track faculty and teaching, research, and practice faculty)
Timing & Dates:
4-Week Program offered every Monday for 90 minutes (6 hours total)
Program limited to 20 participants, though two programs will be offered:
- September Program: 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30 (noon to 1:30 p.m.)
- October/November Program: 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4 (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Location: DUC 248
Snacks and beverages provided
We will explore practices to:
- Hold steady in the face of challenge by cultivating attentional stability
- Increase the capacity to respond rather than automatically react to stressors throughout the day and create the space for more choices and possibilities
- Slow down to see with more clarity what is happening in any given moment, rather than automatically reacting from assumptions that may or may not be true
- Explore a brief introduction to mindful communication across difference through mindful speaking and generous listening
- Develop practical skills that you can put into practice right after each session when they really matter – in your everyday personal and professional life
This program is offered in collaboration with WashU Mindfulness Science & Practice, part of the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures.
Resources
- Access to guided mindfulness meditation recordings
- Mindfulness Toolkit with helpful resources to support and sustain your practice
Facilitator Bio
Shirley Ashauer is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher qualified through Brown University and has a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology. She is a member of Mindfulness Science and Practice at Washington University, an associate professor of psychology at Maryville University and an adjunct instructor for Psychological & Brain Sciences in CAPS at Washington University. Shirley’s research interests focus on learning (adaptation) processes and interventions that support individual and collective flourishing in organizations. She teaches courses on the Science of Mindfulness, Health Psychology, Psychology of Social Conflict, and Organizational Psychology.