Mindfulness, Self-Care and (Re)Imagination in Higher Education: Practices, Perspectives, and Processes?

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

As we (re)imagine ourselves as academics in the contemporary higher education context we are reminded of the need to address mindful and self-care practices. Through self-study and reflective practice, this symposium disrupts current practices within higher education. Three international perspectives are shared that highlight the need for a shift in policy and practices towards an approach that is centred around psychological wellness and self-care. In this symposium we explore the way that academics understand, embrace and enact the concepts of mindfulness. The narratives presented provide a substantial contribution to the field of holistic education whereby we consider our own wellness and adoption of principles of mindfulness in academic work as an act of resistance within the neo-liberal institution.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Holistic Education

Chair

• Celeste Snowber, Simon Fraser University

Papers

• Pressures to Collaborate in Higher Education: Finding a Mindful Practice in Navigating Relationships in Higher Education - Narelle Suzanne Lemon, Swinburne University of Technology; Sharon McDonough, University of Ballarat

• Holding Space for Self and Others: Mindful Engagement Through the Arts - Marni Binder, Ryerson University

• Mindfulness in Tertiary Educational Spaces: Holistic Pedagogy in Action - Jane Elizabeth Bone, Monash University

Discussant

• Celeste Snowber, Simon Fraser University