Stress Relief and Mindfulness

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS:

STRESS RELIEF AND MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP

Presentation by: Dr. Cecilia Richards, Professor School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Graduate school can be stressful, competitive, and extremely demanding. Graduate students experience high rates of burnout and mental health problems from unrelenting workloads and pressure. It takes time and practice to learn to slow down, do less, and take care of yourself. Learn the basics of mindfulness and meditation training and how to realistically incorporate these practices into your daily life as a graduate student. We will be discussing mindfulness in a variety of contexts, with ample time to practice different techniques to enhance your wellbeing.

***Please wear comfortable clothes that will allow you to sit comfortably and participate in some gentle movements

All PDI events will be available to sites other than Pullman through a web link that will be emailed to you before the event. Please make sure to register on the link below and indicate at which WSU site you are located.

Please register for the event by clicking on the following link:

Dr. Richards is a faculty member in mechanical engineering.  She began meditating as a teenager and has been practicing mindfulness meditation for about 15 years.  Meditation has had such a positive impact on her life that she decided she wanted to share it with others. Dr. Richards received training for teaching mindfulness from Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach in a 2-year teacher training program. She teaches a weekly drop-in class at Aloft Yoga Studio, a weekly class at the SRC, and participates in the mindfulness symposium offered on campus each fall.  Dr. Richards is passionate about teaching more people about the benefits of mindfulness and how to integrate it into daily life. She thinks it is important to talk about things like stress and mindfulness to our graduate students because they experience high levels of stress and this is the optimal time to learn coping skills that they can take into their professional lives.