Mindfulness Moments | Limited Series
Summer/Fall (July – September 2024)
Mindfulness Moments Schedule
We are facing many instances of social injustice that demand our attention and action. What if mindfulness can be used as a powerful tool to address these issues by supporting individuals and communities in developing greater awareness, empathy, and compassion towards themselves and others?
What to Expect
Starting in July, we will offer two mindfulness series. The first series will focus on the basics of mindfulness. The second series will integrate social justice topics into a mindfulness practice. Each of the sessions will include a short talk, meditation, and Q&A. No prior experience is necessary.
These sessions are intended for the community at large. After registering for any of the sessions above you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including an option to add the invitation to your calendar. None of these sessions will be recorded.
Mindfulness Moments | Introduction to Mindfulness Series
What is Mindfulness?
There are many different ways to define mindfulness. At its most basic, mindfulness can be described as awareness, or presence, in a given moment. The practice, or cultivation, of mindfulness involves pairing awareness with the intention to maintain it over time. This brief introduction will cover core concepts and address the benefits of regular practice with particular attention to the application of mindfulness to daily life.
Facilitator: Daniel McClure, PhD, MS (he, him, his) | Master’s Level Clinical Mental Health Counselor | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, July 26th | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.
Mindfulness of Body
Modern science and traditional knowledge each confirm the numerous ways that our physical and mental health are intertwined and the importance of integration for optimal health and wellness. In contrast, our modern life and work habits often yield imbalance, disconnection and the devaluing of our bodies. Grounding oneself in the body and striving to embody the practice of mindfulness can facilitate balance and allow us to draw from multiple forms of intelligence (i.e. non-cognitive).
Facilitator: Daniel McClure, PhD, MS (he, him, his) | Master’s Level Clinical Mental Health Counselor | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, August 2nd | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.
Mindfulness of Emotions
Every day each of us undergoes a continual stream of sensory experiences that contribute to our emotional states, behaviors and thoughts. Our responses to external stimuli often produce unconscious and conditioned responses that we can observe, identify and strive to disentangle ourselves from. This session will explore the ways our emotions arise, the ways they impact us, and how we can strive to work with them more skillfully. We will focus on learning how to work with, rather than against, our emotions.
Facilitator: Daniel McClure, PhD, MS (he, him, his) | Master’s Level Clinical Mental Health Counselor | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, August 9th | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.
Mindfulness of Thoughts
Research suggests that we have anywhere between 6,000 and 60,000+ thoughts per day. Whatever the number may be, many of those thoughts are conditioned, automatic and reactive phenomena that contribute to our state of being in any given moment. This session will explore the ways our thoughts arise, drive our behaviors and shape our perceptions of ourselves and everything we interact with. We will consider the notion that ‘thoughts are real, but not true’ and explore its implications for our daily lives.
Facilitator: Daniel McClure, PhD, MS (he, him, his) | Master’s Level Clinical Mental Health Counselor | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, August 16th | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.
Mindfulness Moments | Mindfulness for Social Justice Series
Compassion for your Socialized Self
All of us are shaped, both positively and negatively, by the cultures in which we live. Join us in a guided meditation as we bring the three components of self-compassion to the wounded parts of our ‘socialized selves’ (what we believe and do in order to fit into the dominant culture).
Facilitator: Leona Hess, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers) | Co-Director, Institute for Equity and Justice in Health Sciences Education; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, August 23rd EST | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Loving-kindness for the ‘You’ the World Sees
You can tell what groups people belong to from their languages, accents, clothing, symbols, habits, and ways of carrying themselves. Yet stereotypes and bias are often barriers to being fully seen. Join us in a guided meditation that calls to mind an aspect of your outward social identity and offers appreciation, love, and kindness to that part of you.
Facilitator: Leona Hess, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers) | Co-Director, Institute for Equity and Justice in Health Sciences Education; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, August 30th EST | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Loving-kindness for Others
Societal changes are leading to growing social distrust, polarization, and alienation. Can feelings of social connection and positivity toward others be increased? Is it possible to self-generate these feelings? Join us in a guided meditation to extend loving-kindness to a person or a group of people who you may feel some tension with around the work of social justice.
Facilitator: Leona Hess, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers) | Co-Director, Institute for Equity and Justice in Health Sciences Education; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, September 6th | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.
Embodied Social Justice ‘Work’
Mindfulness offers a unique embodied pathway to social justice by deepening our awareness and increasing our capacity to notice our inner world of thoughts. Join us in a guided meditation to “sit with” the emotions and bodily sensations that may arise as we explore matters of social injustice.
Facilitator: Leona Hess, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers) | Co-Director, Institute for Equity and Justice in Health Sciences Education; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher-in-Training
Friday, September 13th | 12-1 pm EST | Join us on Zoom.