Mindfulness-based teaching and learning program at UFV sets the gold standard in Canada
Statistics Canada reported that Canadian mental health has worsened considerably in the last year. Almost a quarter of participants in a 2020 Stats Canada online questionnaire reported their mental health as “poor” or “fair,” tripling the number of participants reporting “poor” mental health compared to a 2018 Canadian Community Health survey. Mindfulness-based therapies and practices can be explored as a means to improve mental health.
What is mindfulness?
The concept of “mindfulness” is derived from “sati,” an important element of Buddhist practices and traditions, and is also based on Asian meditation techniques. In essence, mindfulness is a way of paying attention to whatever is happening in the moment, in our lives, internally or externally. Being present in the moment allows connection to and awareness of behaviours, emotions, habits, and thoughts.
“Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment without judgment,” said Seonaigh MacPherson, UFV professor and the founder and coordinator of the mindfulness-based teaching and learning graduate certificate program (MBTL).
“Rumination is the constant stream of thought that is coming into our heads. Mindfulness is the shift away from thinking to the sensory experience of the present moment. It is not possible to be in your awareness and ruminate at the same time,” said MacPherson. According to MacPherson, many potential problems can arise from constant negative thinking: “If the mood is susceptible, one can be pulled into depression or relapse.”
Mindfulness practices were brought to the West in the 1980s by renowned professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts, Jon Kabat-Zinn, also the founder of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program. Zinn sought to remove the religious and traditional frameworks of mindfulness and placed the practices in the realm of the scientific.
“Mindfulness is expanding from Asian traditions, like Buddhism, and finding its way into modern secular-science settings like education, health care, and social services,” MacPherson wrote in an article about how mindfulness has grown out of traditional education practices in the East.
“We call this secular-scientific mindfulness because what’s guiding it is a scientific standard of evidence that’s not present in a traditional environment. [Mindfulness is] very accepted because of the strong research controlled studies used to demonstrate the efficacy of mindfulness in medical or clinical contexts, not to mention it is being offered in most medical schools for doctors and students,” said MacPherson.
So, how does mindfulness work?
According to Canada’s Centre for Mindfulness Studies: “Mindfulness is practised mainly through consciously focusing one’s attention on a particular object, such as the breath, body, emotions, thoughts, or sounds, or by bringing an open and receptive attention to the coming and going of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Mindfulness practice, like physical exercise, requires repetition and time to produce noticeable changes in everyday life. Over time, thanks to neuroplasticity, practising mindfulness can change the physical structure of one’s brain.”
MacPherson offers an easy exercise to demonstrate the practice of mindfulness, which is to bring your attention to the experience of your hand — your fingers, your palm, and the sensations of your hand. By placing your awareness and attention on your hand, rumination (thinking) stops. But this simple exercise is just the beginning, and some dedicated time and practice is required to learn and embody the practices of mindfulness.
Beneficial effects of mindfulness:
Decades of clinical research has shown mindfulness-based practices have many beneficial effects for people dealing with mental, emotional, and physical health conditions. But, the benefits can help anyone. Some of these benefits can include:
- Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
- Less rumination on negative thoughts
- Effective emotional control
- Better focus
- Improved working memory
- Increased sensory-motor function
With COVID-19 restrictions severely altering our lifestyles and forcing many into isolation, it is a good time to consider new normals in our mental and emotional care. The evidence is in support of mindfulness-based practices and their benefits in helping to live a better quality of life.
Access to online training is abundant, and it’s pretty clear we all have some time on our hands — or more correctly, time to bring our attention to the present. The gold-standard programs of mindfulness are MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). These programs are offered by a wide range of individuals and organizations, many without professional training and recognition, so MacPherson cautions that dabbling in mindfulness-based practices alone or without professionally trained and recognized teachers can create more harm than good if students are left unsupported or experience past memories or trauma.
Where can UFV students access mindfulness-based practices?
To achieve the beneficial effects of mindfulness, interested people should start in a structured teaching and learning environment under the guidance of trained professionals. Doctors, psychologists, and counsellors can make referrals to recognized mindfulness programs in local communities or through the provincial government.
UFV offers several options including a graduate certificate program (MBTL) and several undergrad mindfulness-based courses (ADED 421, 422, 423) through UFV’s School of Adult Education. The MBTL certificate program is Canada’s first “for-credit” course in mindfulness and one of only a few in North America. UFV’s MBTL program works in conjunction with the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, O.N., and together they are leading the way in mindfulness-based studies.
MacPherson explains the popularity of the program: “We have grown substantially with applications from all over Canada. We also have strong interest from teachers and faculty with about a third of our MBTL students being classroom teachers. So, it’s important for interested students to contact the program advisor because there may be waiting lists.”
MacPherson developed the program at UFV in 2019 and now finds many faculty members, students, and graduates of the program carrying on the tradition of mindfulness in their classrooms and in their lives. A local mindfulness community is developing around the MBTL program and the undergraduate courses taught through UFV’s adult education, allowing for weekly mindfulness-based practice sessions.
Due to COVID-19, all mindfulness practices and learning are online and offer easy access to anyone interested. Please contact the MBTL program advisor Corinne Richardson at adulted@ufc.ca for more information.
(Celina Koops/The Cascade)
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.
