University of Michigan Mindfulness Teachers' Podcast

Guided meditation by Marcia A. Valenstein, M.D., M.S, professor emerita in the University of Michigan department of Psychiatry. This is a 20 minute podcast with a brief introduction and 17 minute guided meditation on the breath. In this time of limited movement and social interactions, cultivate patience by focusing on the breath. Focusing on the breath helps us quiet down and regulate our attention. We can also learn to be patient with ourselves--accepting our mind's wandering during meditation, patiently bringing the mind back to the breath again and again. This can serve as a model for being patient with difficult life circumstances and difficult emotions that often accompany these circumstances.

In this episode, Frank Anderson from the School of Medicine and Ed Sarath from the School of Music discuss how and why developing a consciousness lens is important in higher education.  Through mindful awareness and other techniques, the bulk of the conversation explores how we may catalyze fundamentally new kinds of thinking, conversation, collaboration, and curricular and research innovation.  Consciousness, a relative newcomer to the academy, and it's transformative possibilities by grounding all endeavor in the innermost dimensions of awareness has to potential to tranform the experience of students.

In this episode, Frank Anderson from the College of Medicine provides a guided meditation. This was originally recorded as a seminar for medical school faculty, but is applicable to all during covid 19 pandemic.

In this episode, Dmitry Berenson from the College of Engineering provides a guided body scan meditation. 

In this episode, listen to a beautiful piece by University of Michigan School of Music professor Ed Sarath, department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation (more here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W--75FIKlc and Director of the Program for Creativity and  Consciousness Studies. See more on the program here https://smtd.umich.edu/current-students-3/pccs/. More of his music can he found at his webpage https://edsarath.com/music/

In this recording, Nicole LaBrie, a clinical social worker at the MARI Psychological Clinic discusses how to respond effectively to difficulties in meditation practice. Nicole leads a trauma-sensitive body scan inviting the listener to use the resources discussed to care for themselves during the practice.

Frank Anderson MD MPH from the College of Medicine and Dmitry Berenson Ph.D from the College of Engineering discuss the University of Michigan Mindfulness teachers group, the purpose of the podcast,  how mindfulness practices are integrated into life and culture, and how a sense of mindfulness across campus may provide a richer experience for the community.