7/29/2019
By Teresa Miller What’s true about the nature of mindfulness? How does it resemble the summer season? Like the fireflies of June whose lights flicker on and off in random, moving patterns, steady unceasing mindfulness is elusive. We may be meditating with attention on the breath, only to realize that suddenly we’re miles away from our bodies, lost in a movie trailer about our life – as it was 15 minutes ago or 15 years ago. Like the fireworks of July whose sounds, colors and shapes entertain and distract us, mindful concentration may be punctuated by sudden strident thoughts or emotions that sidetrack us.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
6/26/2019
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a practice-based, interactive learning program. Research shows MBSR to be an effective complement to a wide variety of medical and psychological conditions. These include…
Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions Can Improve Health Related Outcomes
6/26/2019
Researchers from the UK reviewed 85 randomized controlled trials of brief mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and found that 79 of them positively impacted at least one health related outcome. Most of…
Dorrie Fontaine, Dean of the School of Nursing, to Retire on July 31
6/26/2019
Dorrie Fontaine, who has been Dean of the School of Nursing since 2008, is retiring on July 31. She has been a strong proponent of mindfulness, compassion and promoting healthy…
6/26/2019
Summer is the time many of us take vacations, often with our extended families or friends. While these events can be very enjoyable and rewarding, they can also be challenging- and they often provide great opportunities to practice mindfulness. When things don’t go the way we had hoped they would, or someone pushes our buttons, it’s easy to get caught up in wishing things were different than they are. Before we know it, we can be caught up in judging other people or our situation, and wanting other people to act differently or the circumstances to be more to our liking.
Local Meditation Retreat Opportunity
5/30/2019
This four day retreat is being held from October 10-13 at Serenity Ridge in Nelson County. Participants will engage with a variety of mindfulness practices (sitting, walking, mindful movement, inquiry, chanting, mindful speaking and listening) to reveal the stillness that is already present.
Dealing Mindfully with Difficult Emotions Using RAINS.
5/23/2019
We all have to deal with our own difficult emotions from time to time. There is a process for working mindfully with difficult emotions that was initially called RAIN. This stood for Recognizing the emotion, Allowing the emotion to be present, Investigating physical sensations associated with the emotion, and Non-identification with the emotion. However, because self-compassion is key to any mindful work with difficult emotions, we at the UVA Mindfulness Center use the acronym RAINS instead of RAIN, in which the “S” stands for Self-compassion.
The First Be Wise Mindfulness for Health System Employees Course Finished in April
5/23/2019
The first Be Wise Mindfulness for Health System Employees course finished on April 9. The class met on Tuesday nights for two hours for eight weeks, plus a Saturday silent retreat. A total of 23 team members completed the class. Participants came from many different settings, and included those with both clinical and non-clinical roles. Overall, the class was very highly rated with most participants grading it as “excellent” and indicating that they had learned new knowledge or skills that improved their lives “a lot”. The next class, free for all Health System employees, will begin on Wednesday, June 12, and will meet weekly for 8 weeks through July 31.
Mindfulness for Educators Retreat in upstate New York to be taught by Susanna Williams
5/23/2019
Set in the idyllic environment of the Eileen Rockefeller House lakeside retreat in the Adirondacks, this weeklong journey explores teaching for the 21st century. Participants will learn mindfulness practices, meditation, the…
2/26/2019
Dealing with mistakes can be challenging. Many of us tend to respond to things not going the way we planned by blaming ourselves and wishing we could change the past. Often we can learn from mistakes we have made, so taking time to evaluate the choices we have made and how we might wish to deal with similar circumstances in the future can be helpful, but this is different than beating ourselves up over these choices and continuing to ruminate about what has happened in the past.