2019 Annual Conference

Health Professionals

Concurrent Session (45 minutes)

This session will provide: an overview of different types and context of meditation and mindfulness activities in adult education, and an examination of the research on its scientific effects or health and well being.  Finally, it will offer  an experiential dimension and implications for further research and practice.

The audience is for all adult educators who are interested in both the research literature (and a critique of it) on mindfulness and meditation for health and wellbeing, and those who are interested in having a brief experience of it during the session.  Further, it is for those who would like further resources for how to develop a meditation or mindfulness practice that can facilitate their own greater well being.

Learners will:
1. Come to understand the similarities and differences between mindfulness and meditation (they are not the same thing);
2. Be able to name the many contexts in which mindfulness and meditation activities are offered in adult education.
3. Understand some of the research literature on the effects of mindfulness and meditation in health and well being;
4. Learn where there are easily accessible resources for ongoing development of health and well being

The benefits of mIndfulness and meditation  have been given a lot of press in popular culture lately.  A reent article in Fortune Magazine notes that mindfulness is now a billion dollar industlry.  Until very recently however, there was an extremely limited discussion of mindfulness specifically within the field of adult education, in spite of the fact that most mindfulness and meditation activities take place in formal or nonformal adult education settings.                                                                                                   This session will examine the many contexts of mindfulness and medtiation activities, the simiilarities and differences between mindfulness and meditation,  and the research literature on their effects on health and well being efforts.  Next it will provide an experience of mindfulness meditation, and will provide participants with resources for developing such a practice.  The session will end with a discussion for how participants can use it in their practice, and a consideration of further implications for research and practice.  

I will begin by having participants read snippets of mindfulness and meditation activities based on a book chapter I authored on the subject, and to write down their own definition of the two terms.

Next will be a 20 minute presentation on the similiarties and fifferences on midnfulness and meditation, and the research studies that have been conducted related to health and well being.  Further resources and websites will be provided

Finally, we will do a 10 minute mindfulness activity, followed by discussion of their experience, and how they can potentially use it in their adult education practice