The UBC community offers a number of opportunities to learn mindfulness and practice meditation, including on-campus meditation groups, and webinars.
Ways to learn more about mindfulness
Introduction to Mindfulness
If you would like to get started with meditation, why not try our Introduction to Meditation course on the Workplace Learning Ecosystem?
The purpose of this course is to introduce the concept of mindfulness and to provide opportunities and options to try out different mindful practices. We hope it serves as an entry point to a mindful practice that is right for you.
Benefits of mindfulness
Mindfulness has been shown to help manage our attention and focus our minds with intention. Mindfulness allows us to be present and productive in the here and now. It can also enable us to be more aware of our emotions and to approach people, situations and life in a non-judgmental way. Some of the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness include:
- Improved overall health and wellbeing
- Improved sleep
- Reduced chronic pain
- Lower blood pressure
- Increased sense of joy and contentment
- Reduced and lessened symptoms of depression
- Reduced substance abuse
- Reduced stress and anxiety
Learning to be mindful has many benefits at work, including decreases in stress levels and improvements in:
- Job performance
- Problem-solving and conflict resolution
- Job satisfaction
- Work-life integration
- Focus and concentration
- Ethical decision-making
- Creativity, innovation and collaboration
Benefits of meditation
Meditation can be both spiritual and secular and typically involves dedicating time to being still and quiet. It can take many different forms and might involve breathing exercises, music, a chant or a mantra.
Meditation involves a number of the same elements as mindfulness; however, mindfulness can be practiced anywhere and anytime, meditation includes setting aside a specific time and place to focus attention and concentration inwards.
Meditation impacts the body in a way that is opposite to stress, restoring a state of calm and helping the body repair from the damage of stress.
Practicing meditation can result in increases in:
- Self-management skills
- Positive personal relationships
- Positive state of mind
- Perceived work environment atmosphere
and decreases in:
- Psychological stress
- Blood pressure
- Physiological response
- Stress response
Stay informed
To stay informed and up to date on all of the health and wellbeing offerings for UBC faculty and staff, sign up for the Healthy UBC Monthly Newsletter. If you have any questions about mindfulness at UBC, contact the Workplace Wellbeing Associate EFAP at efap.info@ubc.ca.