Lecture by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Learning at a young age to touch silence and stillness within oneself, especially if it is taught in school in an open way, can be helpful in balancing out and dealing with the stimulation and outward orientation of the school day. Among other things, children can discover how to tap into their innate ability to go into deep states of concentration and use it to focus on the tasks at hand.

Jon & Myla Kabat-Zinn, Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

The Promise of Mindfulness-Enhanced Education

Thursday, January 26th, 2006
7:30 - 9:30 pm
Laurel Heights Auditorium, UCSF
Sub-level 1, 3333 California Street, San Francisco

Download or Play Talk

Mindfulness-based education is an important and exciting new development in K to 12 education. As a powerful tool to decrease stress, enhance academic performance, and promote emotional and social well-being, mindfulness is increasingly recognized as an essential support for students, teachers, school administrators, and parents.

We are fortunate to open our lecture series with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the world's foremost researcher, writer, and educator on the everyday applications of mindfulness and attention-strengthening techniques. This evening he will discuss the methods and benefits of incorporating mindfulness into K-12 education.

Dr. Kabat-Zinn makes the case that mindfulness nourishes what is deepest and best in both students and teachers and cultivates the skills needed to address the challenges of our complex and rapidly changing world.

Dr. Kabat-Zinn's work has contributed to a growing movement of bringing mindfulness into mainstream institutions in our society such as medicine, health care, hospitals, schools, corporations, prisons, and professional sports. He was the founding executive director of the Center of Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the U. of Mass. Medical School. He founded and directed U. Mass's world-renown Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic which has become the model used in hospitals throughout the country. He is the author of four bestsellers.