Wellness Practices
Each quarter, students in the course Meeting the Moment: Inner Resources for Hard Times collaborate on a final project in the form of an embodied or creative practice designed to help us better meet the moment. Below are the tools, resources, and strategies created by students during Fall and Winter quarters of the 2020-2021 academic year.
Writing / Reflection

Self-Reflection
Aiyana Herrera '21, Ashley Song '21, Richzeska Fandino '24, Savannah Payne '22, Adesuwa Agbonile '21
Self-reflection gives your mind perspective. By allowing yourself to imagine and label where you are on an ideal, true, and perceived self diagram, you gain insight into who you want to be, who you are, and how you're perceived by others.
Meditation

Visualisation Meditation
Rachel Lam '20, Adesuwa Agbonile '21, Tai' Carter '24, Sabrina Halper '21, Idalis Molkera Ibrahim '21, Nora Mousa '24
This project focuses on visualization meditation, which combines more passive meditative practices (like paying attention to breathing) with the active imagining of specific images in one’s mind. In visualization meditation, you focus on an image of something or someone – such as imagining sunlight, or picturing loved ones in your life. The act of visualization can help people focus, envision their goals, and improve one’s self-compassion for themselves.

Regifting Intimacy
Juju Broussard ‘23, JJ Kapur ’22, Sarah Sturm, MS student, Tita Kanjanapas '21
As a practice in self-intimacy via awareness, compassion, and connection, this is a new way to cultivate gratitude. Connect to everyday objects around you, using a simple process of reframing, gratitude, and gifting.
Singing / Music

Music, Mindfulness, and Introspection
Jerome Nowak, PhD Candidate, Ashley Phord-Toy '22, Maggie McDowell '23, Elaine Lai, PhD Candidate
Music has a higher ability to evoke emotions than language. By activating regions of the brain, music is able to trigger feelings and images that go beyond our direct memories. We can use music intentionally, as a gateway to different emotional, spiritual, and contemplative experiences.
Visual Art

Drawing the Moment
Will Ortiz '23, Melinda Hernandez '21, Kory Gaines '21
We can use drawing as a relaxing activity, leading to stress reduction. The drawing process can be a conscious pathway to difficult emotions and memories. Lastly, we can use drawing for expression, to gain insight into (unconscious) cognitive patterns; leading to better cognitive regulation.
Rituals

Shutdown Rituals
Acacia Lynch '24, Alicia Purpur '23, David Gonzalez, PhD, DeeSoul Carson '21
In a time when our work / life boundaries are more fuzzy than ever, shutdown rituals can help! A shutdown ritual is a set of tasks that you perform to signal it is time to suspend all work thoughts for the rest of the day. This presentation walks you through how to craft one for yourself.