Wondering how you'll practice mindfulness, given concerns about COVID-19? U-M resources are now providing remote mindfulness practice, and recordings are also available!
Do you ever feel like your thoughts are racing a hundred miles a minute? Or that there’s just too much going on and you can’t find time to breathe? Feeling anxious and overwhelmed may even be affecting your schoolwork and grades. If this sounds familiar, mindfulness-based practices may be for you.
Mindfulness meditation is the practice of being present and deliberately aware of our inner thoughts, feelings and surroundings. It originates from Buddhism but is secular in nature. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep, and improve cognitive functioning.
Variations of mindfulness meditation include:
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an adaptation of the practice of mindfulness meditation to health contexts in order to alleviate stress, to foster awareness and relaxation, and to improve quality of life.
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy classes combine traditional cognitive therapy techniques and mindfulness practices to address depression and anxiety.
U-M and the greater Ann Arbor community provide great mindfulness resources, listed below.
U-M Resources
If you're interested in starting a sitting group yourself and would like to consult with others who have done this, please email Dmitry Berenson and Frank Anderson <berenson@eecs.umich.edu; fwja@med.umich.edu>
For all mindfulness opportunities on campus, see Well-being Events on the Happening@Michigan calendar.
Wolverine Wellness at UHS provides:
- Wellness Coaching is a free 1:1 conversation for undergrads and graduate students to learn more about how to incorporate mindful strategies into your life.
- Only have a minute? Incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routine using these One-Minute Stress Strategies.
North Campus Mindfulness (currently online) offers weekly guided meditation drop-in sessons on Mondays noon-12:30 PM. Free and open to all. Contact dmitryb@umich.edu to be added to the mailing list.
The School of Music, Theater, and Dance offers virtual sessions. See their calendar.
Ann Arbor Resources
Please check directly with these resources for any remote options.
Ann Arbor Open Meditation offers drop-in mindfulness meditation sessions, open to all. Sessions are appropriate for both beginning and experienced meditators.
Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness offers classes in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for a fee.
Transcendental Meditation offers a discount for full-time students to learn.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction classes are offered by the following practitioners:
- Libby Robinson, PhD, MSW, (734) 476-3070, libbyrobinson7@gmail.com
- Paulette Grotrian, MA, (734) 276-7707, grotrian@wcc.net
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Search the Community Providers Database using "mindfulness" as a search term.
The following Buddhist groups have classes and/or drop-in meditation sessions:
Still Mountain Meditation: This new sangha offers weekly Sunday meditation sitting at U-M Turner Senior Resource Center (2401 Plymouth Rd. Suite C) at 10 am, open to everyone. It is walking distance from North Campus, so if any students who live there are looking for a place to sit on a regular basis, this is rather convenient.They also have Buddhist meditation classes for free, with donation.
Michigan Buddhist provides locations of mindfulness sessions in Ann Arbor as well as resources on Buddhism.
Insight Meditation Ann Arbor offers meditation classes for all levels, donation recommended.
Deep Springs offers introductory meditation classes for a fee.
The Zen Buddhist Temple offers meditation courses at all levels for a fee.
Jewel Heart Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center offers mindfulness meditation classes. The free introductory class teaches mindfulness meditation from a secular perspective. All are welcome, and participation in the class does not assume or imply that one is Buddhist. It is led by two senior meditation instructors (John Madison, MA and Robin Olson, RN, MS, NP).
JissoJi Zen Ann Arbor is a Zen meditation group in the tradition of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
Recordings:
You can try guided meditation with these recorded sessions.
See also:
Resources for Stress and Mental Health
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