10月24日, 2023 — The pressures of academic performance, 社会生活, 向成年过渡, and even world events can weigh heavily on students’ minds. 事实上，超过60%的美国人.S. college students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety within the past year, according to the American College Health Association.

In response to that growing need, the practice of mindfulness is sweeping the Marist campus as students, 教师, and staff work to incorporate the powerful practice as a tool for success and stress relief. Mindfulness means living in the present and being more aware and fully engaged in what is happening in one's surroundings – with acceptance and without judgment.

The new "Train your Brain" course, 由艾伦·蒂贝茨领导, a monk and registered nurse for 卫生服务, is a four-week workshop dedicated to teaching guided mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises to students. Held at the Counseling Center in Midrise, the experience promotes mindfulness as a versatile tool to help manage stress, 提高浓度, 减少焦虑, and enhance self-awareness for a more balanced life.

Train Your Brain student participants with Allan Tibbetts (center). Photo by Michelle Eggink/bet亚洲365欢迎投注.

First-year student Kristin Vinciguerra ’27  said the course translated into tangible results for student participants, including improved sleep quality, 在课堂上更加专注, and increased feelings of calm, 自我接纳, 和动力. 

“Learning how to adjust to college life, these practices have been a great way to slow down my busy day and take a breather before going to sleep,文奇格拉说. “Mindfulness has helped me de-stress and become more in touch with my emotions.”

课堂之外, students completed supplementary reading and downloaded Koru, a free app for all students who join the course. 在Koru应用中, students track their progress, experiment with new guided meditations, and participate in group mindfulness activities.  

在整个课程中, Tibbetts emphasized that mindfulness is a practice that demands consistent exercise, similar to strengthening a muscle. 

“Mindfulness allows us to transition out of our thinking mind into our observing mind, allowing us to be more responsive and less reactive,蒂贝茨说. “Just 10 minutes of mindfulness a day gives students mental clarity, allowing them to prioritize their responsibilities.”

Allan Tibbetts, Train Your Brain facilitator and nurse for 卫生服务. Photo by Nelson Echeverria/bet亚洲365欢迎投注.

Other departments are also prioritizing student well-being by promoting mindfulness practices in credit-bearing courses and through an on-campus mindfulness collective.

马特奥Undici, 兼职教员, instructs an applied mindfulness course that empowers students to cultivate mindfulness practices and share them with the local community. 在课程中, students get to create their own mindfulness practices through music, 视觉艺术, 日志记录, 运动, 呼吸法, and other experiential learning practices. 

“Cutting-edge research proves that mindfulness practices not only help students with increased attention span, 自我同情, 和共鸣, but also improves performance in business, 政府, 医疗保健行业,Undici说。. “Mindfulness work at Marist has been growing in interest and impact, as students are making big changes in their daily lives and in their community." 

Matteo is also a co-creator of the Marist Mindfulness Collective of Interdisciplinary 教师, who’ve been creating and facilitating specialized mindfulness workshops for First Year Seminar courses since 2021. 

Sign up for the next “Train Your Brain” mindfulness workshop 在这里. To learn more about the Mindfulness Collective, contact 马特奥Undici.