Mindfulness has been shown to positively benefit stress disorders including insomnia, anxiety and panic, enhance personal wellbeing, empathy, concentration, reaction time, motor skills and cognitive function.

As we collectively and individually navigate a global pandemic, we each face a broad set of challenges that span across our professional and personal lives. The complexity and uncertainty of the situation is leading to an increase in individual distress and burnout, which naturally extends to the communities and systems of which we are part. Therefore, it is crucial at this time to explore knowledge and skillsets that can support each of us to effectively develop and maintain resiliency and wellbeing.  

This session will be focused on experiencing practical hands-on activities that you can apply to your daily life to equip you with the tools you need to succeed in graduate school and beyond. We will explore the neuroscience research that supports the application of mindfulness, along with a range of mindfulness practices aimed at building your own mental fitness based on your personal needs and interests. 

Learning goals: 

Gain tools to build your resiliency, focus and emotional-regulation
Identify practical activities to manage burn-out, anxiety and stress
Develop skillful approaches for communicating with colleagues, family and friends
Explore the connection between neuroscience and mindfulness 

Elli Weisbaum has worked internationally facilitating mindfulness workshops and retreats within the sectors of education, healthcare and business. She is currently based at the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor (teaching stream) in the Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health program (BPMH), an instructor for the Applied Mindfulness and Meditation Certificate Program and a PhD graduand in the Faculty of Medicine. Her thesis research focused on applying mindfulness to physician wellbeing. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Mindfulness Project Team at The Hospital for Sick Children. She is currently part of a team of facilitators who are offering the Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A) program for adolescents with chronic illness at the Hospital for Sick Children. She has collaborated with UofT’s Faculty of Law, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Faculty of Engineering, Rotman School of Management, the Ontario Hospital Association and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to integrate mindfulness into ongoing programming for factly, staff and students. Since 2020, she has been teaching and developing a mindfulness curriculum for the MScPT program at the University of Toronto. She is a certified teacher in the Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program, which was developed at Google Headquarters and brings together mindfulness, emotional intelligence and neuroscience. She attended her first retreat with Zen Master and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of ten and has continued training with his international Plum Village community. Elli’s novel background in both academic research and traditional mindfulness practice provides a distinct approach to her ongoing work teaching and researching in the field. 

(Register via CSM)