New Students Connect with Mindfulness Practice

All new students at Middlesex participate in an Introduction to Mindfulness course.  Mindfulness can be summed up as “inner education.” Mindfulness practice helps us in understanding and training our attention, learning to relate to thoughts, emotions, and feelings in a more skillful way, becoming aware of the habits of our own mind, learning how to better connect with others, and developing more awareness of our relationship with our environment.

Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive; 95% of freshmen report that the program was a positive experience, and 80% agree or strongly agree that they “will continue to practice mindfulness in the future.” Students report that the course helped them sleep better, concentrate on schoolwork, reduce stress, focus in sports, and improve relationships with themselves and others.  Comments from students include:

“The mindfulness program taught me to become more aware of everyday emotions and how to embrace and appreciate them.”

“I loved the mindfulness program because it made me more present and aware.”

“I really enjoyed this class and will definitely use the skills I have learned in my everyday life.”

“I’m really glad I got to participate in this class. Mindfulness has helped me stay positive and become more aware of myself and my surroundings.”

Each semester Mindfulness instructor Doug Worthen MX’96 also teaches a variety of Mindfulness 2 courses for students interested in continuing to develop their mindfulness practice, as well as courses for parents, faculty, and staff.  Read more about the mindfulness program on our Mindfulness page, and watch a video about mindfulness at Middlesex: