"Avenues to Wholeness: Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality" Webinar
February 6, 2020
What exactly is mindfulness, and how does it relate to our Christian faith? Mindfulness is an active, open state of being that allows us to be present – to live in the here and now instead of constantly worrying about the past or planning for the future. As Christian women, many of us have been socialized and conditioned to care for others to such an extent that we sometimes forget to care for ourselves. This forgetting can leave us searching for a sense of wholeness that is already present, but difficult to realize when we get out-of-balance by focusing predominantly on “doing” for others instead of on “being” with the God of Love. Mindfulness can help us regain our balance by recognizing ourselves as beloved daughters of God – worthy, whole, uniquely gifted and cherished. This webinar will focus on practical ways to calm our minds and open our hearts in ways that allow for deep listening to the call of Christ in our lives. Please join us; come with your questions, your curiosity, your enthusiasm, and your skepticism – it is all welcomed, and so are you.
Summary:
1. We are already whole and completely loved by God
2. Burn-out is not just about what we do but what we don’t do.
3. “Life Moves Pretty Fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”-Ferris Bueller
4.“You have made us for yourself O’Lord and our hearts are restless until we rest in you.”- St. Augustine
5. Mindfulness is a way of being. The human ability to be fully presence and aware of our experience as it is unfolding.
6. Mindfulness is not about escaping our thoughts; not a relaxation technique; not trying to get anywhere; not a religion
7. Benefits to health and well-being
· Sharpen focus
· Increase cognition
· Lower anxiety
· Change relationship to pain
· Improve sleep
· Enhance relationships
· Reduce stress
Guest Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth Perryman
Elizabeth Perryman, PhD is the founder of Upstream Mindfulness LLC. She teaches mindfulness to people of all ages, focusing on practical skills of applied mindfulness that balance self-compassion with compassion for others. She especially enjoys supporting Christian women as they seek to serve others without burning themselves out. Research shows that “upstream” investment in one’s own health and well-being consistently benefits the people one serves “downstream.” Having served as a Christian Educator in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and as the Director of Spiritual Life at a boarding school, Elizabeth understands the power of mindfulness in ministry: it is the oxygen mask that kept her from passing out! She is a Qualified Teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through UMASS Medical School; a Certified Teacher of Koru Mindfulness for college students and other emerging adults; and she is a Certified Teacher for children in K-12 through both Mindful Schools and The Mindfulness in Schools Project. She holds a BA from Baylor University and a PhD from the Cambridge University in the UK.
Watch On Demand