mhhehub chat on 7 May

[Jill Anderson]

Seven people joined this lively chat.  A number of initiatives were flagged up:

• Findhorn Foundation
• UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers: Good practice guidelines...
• Monthly day of Mindfulness for Educators (HK)
• The Miracle of Mindfulness - Thich Nhat Nanh
• Quote by William James: '. . the faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will. No one is compos sui if he have it not. An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence. But it is easier to define this ideal than to give practical directions for bringing it about'.  See here for source.
• Mindfulness for Students
• mhhehub links on bundlr
• Article by Elliot Cohen on the psychologisation of buddhism

Please add others to this thread. 

[Jill Anderson]

Some issues raised in the discussion: 

Mindfulness seems to be everywhere at the moment. Is that a good, or can it be a less good, thing? Eliot Cohen has interesting things to say about how mindfulness is getting divorced from spiritual values. It is being 'prescribed' in MH services. Implications of that? (+ links with CBT).

People are interested in how it is being used in HE. At the University of the West of Scotland they are delivering a 4 week mindfulness stress reduction programme to SW students. Others are trying to deliver full eight week programmes. National guidelines on mindfulness (see links on mhhehub group page) suggest you should have been on at least an 8 week programme and have a regular mindfulness practice.

At the University of Worcester regular one hour a week sessions are oriented to U/G students (4-6 attend) and there are occasional staff devt workshops (12 or so people caome to those). The staff workshops are non religious. The chaplaincy organise the ones for students (run by a buddhist froom counselling dept + the christian chaplain). A monthly day of mindfulness is organised for lecturers in HK (link on mhhehub group page).

Mindfulness sessions (70 mins a week) offered to Oxford U/Gs.

A couple of educators in this discussion got in to using it to control their own anxiety (one as someone new to teaching and on the margins of a dept as a temporary lecturer therefore given no training). Q: Are mindfulness approaches being integrated anywhere in to training for new lecturers. Jill to attempt to find out.

Students can laugh (ie feel embarassed by it) or fall asleep! Discussion re how best to engage students. Works for some and not for others.

Mindfulness and learning: Being curious about ones thoughts, a good alternative to worry. William James quote re learning - on mhhehub group page. 'An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence. But it is easier to define this ideal than to give practical directions for bringing it about'.

Agreed to set up a group on the mhheub and share links there. Agreed to continue conversations.