Kami Dvorakova, doctoral Compassion and Caring Fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, filmed three guided meditations at The Arboretum to help the viewer cultivate mindfulness. Credit: Bill Zimmerman / Penn State. Creative Commons
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It’s time to be here with your beautiful breath.
That’s the message of Kami Dvorakova, a doctoral Compassion and Caring Fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, in a collection of Mindful Moments guided meditations.
You don’t have to sit under a tree and meditate for hours to cultivate mindfulness. By taking brief moments throughout the day to just be, you can better connect to the present. From the tranquil Arboretum at Penn State, Kami Dvorakova, a doctoral Compassion and Caring fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, offers a Mindful Moment. Credit: C Roy Parker .
Dvorakova, who recently published the results of her research on mindfulness training’s benefits for first-year college students, has filmed four videos offering evidence-based mindfulness techniques focused on cultivating an accepting, nonjudgmental and kind attitude toward present-moment thoughts and feelings.
Mindfulness is more than awareness of our present thoughts, it’s also an acknowledgement of those outside forces that support us. When we are in the moment, we have a better capacity for appreciation. From the tranquil Arboretum at Penn State, Kami Dvorakova, a doctoral Compassion and Caring fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, offers a Mindful Moment. Credit: C Roy Parker .
Dvorakova’s research team discovered that an eight-session mindfulness training program produced significant increases in the students' life satisfaction, as well as a significant decrease in depression and anxiety, when compared to students who did not participate in the training. There was also an overall drop in alcohol use.
Can mindfulness be found in a cup of tea? Drinking and eating can be a feast for our senses that’s often unappreciated -- sometimes it’s a nearly subconscious act. From the tranquil Arboretum at Penn State, Kami Dvorakova, a doctoral Compassion and Caring fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, offers a Mindful Moment. Credit: C Roy Parker .
At Penn State, Dvorakova is highly involved with the Dharma Lions, a meditation and mindfulness community at Penn State. For more information, go to http://dharmalions.weebly.com/.