Meditation and Mindfulness
The pace and demands of our high-tech, multi-tasking, work-focused society regularly activate the body’s stress response and keep us in overdrive much of the time—with and without our awareness. To combat this, Healthy You and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care offer meditation and mindfulness classes, which emphasize slowing down and uncritically focusing our attention on one thing at a time. The health benefits are many: lowered heart rate, lowered blood pressure, relaxed body, calm mind, and improved focus.
Spring 2024 Drop In Meditation Schedule
Monday and Tuesday are the morning mediation days; Wednesday and Thursday are at mid-day.
We hope you can join us. Just drop in.
Day - Time - Meditation Leader
- Monday 8:00 - 8:30 am; Michael Connolly
- Tuesday 8:30 - 8:55 am; Filippa Anzalone
- Wednesday 12:00 - 12:30 pm; Michael Connolly
- Thursday 8:00 - 8:30 pm; Michael Connolly
This is the normal, ongoing weekly schedule but changes can occur due to holiday's, etc.
Previous Mindfulness and Meditation Programs
Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness are among the best-studied and validated wellness practices in today’s world. Whether you are just becoming aware of meditation, are considering starting or restarting a personal practice, or want a refresher, this 50 minute introduction to Meditation can help you.
You will receive a brief summary of:
- What meditation is and is not
- The physical, emotional, and behavioral benefits of meditation, and
- What neuroscience shows about how meditation changes brain functioning.
Then we will practice a few simple principles and techniques that you can begin using right away
Finally, we will share tips on gently fitting meditation into your schedule, next steps to consider, and resources at Boston College that you can take advantage of.
One such resource is daily online guided meditations conducted at BC by experienced meditators.
Monday, September 12th - Mindfulness Day!
- Noon - 1:00 PM - Zoom
Tuesday, September 13th
- Noon - 1:00 PM - In Person, The Ryan Room, Theology and Ministry Library, 117 Lake St., Brighton Campus
Program Facilitators:
Michael Connolly
Cambridge Consulting
Filippa Marullo Anzalone
Professor and Associate Dean for Library & Technology Services
Boston College Law School
Weekly Fall Meditation Sessions
Meditation will begin on Wednesday, September 14th, which follows the second Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation session (see above.)
You are not required to register.
Weekly Meditation Schedule:
| Mondays | 8:00am-8:30am | Michael Connolly |
| Tuesdays | 12:00pm-12:30pm | Filippa Anzalone |
| Wednesdays | 8:00am-8:30am | Filippa Anzalone |
| Wednesdays* In person - Law Library Contemplation Room | 3:30pm-4:00pm | Filippa Anzalone |
| Thursdays | 12:00pm-12:30pm | Michael Connolly |
| Fridays | 8:00am-8:20am | Nina Farber |
*All meditation will take place via Zoom, EXCEPT as indicated above.
Program Facilitators:
Michael Connolly
Cambridge Consulting
Filippa Marullo Anzalone
Professor and Associate Dean for Library & Technology Services
Boston College Law School
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, known as MBSR, was conceptualized and created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s. MBSR is an established and well-researched form of mindfulness meditation. The practice of MBSR helps to cultivate self-awareness. It also encourages practitioners to change habitual patterns, to respond instead of reacting to stress, and to generally improve relationships with others. The MBSR training is an 8-week long program. Each class is 2.5 hours (classes 1 and 8 may be longer) and there is an all-day, silent retreat (8 hours) between weeks 6 and 7. There is a mandatory 2.5-hour Orientation one week before the start of the MBSR program. The Orientation and the 8 classes will be presented via Zoom. The all-day retreat will be in person on the Boston College campus - location TBD. Once you are accepted into the program, you will receive a Zoom link for the Orientation and the classes. If you are accepted you are expected to make every effort to attend most, if not all of the sessions to get the most out of this integrated program.
MBSR Schedule: All sessions take place on Fridays from 3:00 - 5:30 pm via Zoom except for the retreat which will be in person.
| Orientation | - | September 16 Mandatory |
| Session 1 | - | September 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Session 2 | - | September 30 |
| Session 3 | - | October 7 |
| Session 4 | - | October 14 |
| Session 5 | - | October 21 |
| Session 6 | - | October 28 |
| Session 7 | - | November 4 |
| All Day Retreat | 10:00am-5:30pm | November 5; Theology and Ministry Library, 117 Lake Street Brighton Campus, Room 112 |
| NO CLASS | - | November 11, Veteran's Day |
| Session 8 | - | November 18 |
Program Facilitators:
Filippa Marullo Anzalone
Professor and Associate Dean for Library & Technology Services
Boston College Law School
Certified MBSR Instructors, Graduated from The Mindfulness Center at Brown University, Concentrating in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Jeannine Schroder
Founder, Moment 2 Moment
Certified MBSR Instructors, Graduated from The Mindfulness Center at Brown University, Concentrating in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)