Building a Community of Mindfulness

A new wellness initiative at Pace is proving that mindfulness matters.

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Sophie Kaufman, PhD, College of Health Professions assistant dean for Grants and Strategic Initiatives, is leading the launch of a Mindfulness Community at Pace, aimed at fostering connection, collaboration, and wellbeing through mindfulness. With more than 30 “Mindfulness Champions” already on board, the initiative is set to deepen Pace’s commitment to wellness through community.

We spoke with Kaufman about the initiative and why mindfulness matters.

What is mindfulness, and why is it important to practice it?

Mindfulness is simply the awareness of the present moment as we pay attention, on purpose, and without judgment. It is a practice that is essential to our ability to live life more joyfully and to respond to stressful situations more skillfully.

What is the Mindfulness Community?

The Mindfulness Community provides opportunities to connect among individuals interested in mindfulness practice. At Pace, several people are already engaged in mindfulness practice, research, or are simply curious about learning more. I am looking to connect the dots and bring everyone together with this initiative.

Our three primary objectives are to educate the community on the broader applications of mindfulness, build a community of mindfulness practitioners, and encourage and foster interdisciplinary research on mindfulness.

Why is mindfulness as a practice beneficial for university students?

In my experience teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and offering a variety of mindfulness workshops to Pace students, mindfulness is beneficial to university students in a few different ways. The practice teaches students to recognize their anxious thoughts, their patterns of reactivity, and develop a more thoughtful response to stressors. Mindfulness helps them focus and develop more balance in their lives. Mindfulness also is about interconnectedness, and it becomes apparent to students that they are not alone, and that they, and we, all share our common humanity.

Who are the Mindfulness Champions and what do you hope they will accomplish?

The Mindfulness Champions are an amazing group of Pace faculty, staff, and students, starting with the 11 co-authors of a wellebeing mini-grant. Over the past few weeks, we have recruited an additional 20 Mindfulness Champions, altogether representing 20 different departments and all 3 campuses, and the group is growing. We have people with long-standing meditation practice, yoga teachers, mindfulness researchers, art therapists, mental health counseling students, and more—as well as faculty and staff members who have either experienced first-hand the benefits of mindfulness or want to learn more.

What is something you wish everyone at Pace knew about mindfulness?

Mindfulness takes many different forms and doesn’t require sitting on a meditation cushion for hours—it is about living life fully. At the individual level, mindfulness is essential to mental health and wellbeing, and at the societal level, it is equally essential to our ability to meet the multitude of complex challenges that we face today.

Interested? Learn more at the Mindfulness website or email Sophie at skaufman@pace.edu. For more resources like this, check out Pace’s Wellbeing Center.