URBANA, Ill. - Education professionals and school support staff work in a profession challenged with a historically high burnout rate. Integrating restorative, healthy practices, such as meditation, into a weekly routine can help teachers and school professionals support their mental health and well-being.
Meditation Mornings is a free, ongoing, 6-week meditation series for school staff, developed and led by Michele Crawford, University of Illinois Extension community health educator. Registered participants may attend the free, 15-minute virtual practice each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the series.
To register for the upcoming series, which runs from May 3 to June 11 and focuses on the prana vayus, visit: go.illinois.edu/PranaVayus. Previous series themes include restoration, chakras, and five elements. Watch for additional themes throughout the year.
In the yoga tradition, prana is the life force energy naturally found in all living things. The five vayus - apana, prana, samana, udana, and vyana - work together harmoniously to support optimal health of mind and body. In Crawford's upcoming Prana Vauys Meditation Morning series, participants will discover the practice of meditation and breathing techniques, develop the self-discipline and courage to become a positive force, unpack the gifts of five individual vayus, and learn how to integrate their essential qualities into everyday life.
"Meditation Mornings provides me with a way to root my thoughts and calm my body before my day begins," says a previous participant. "Teaching through this pandemic has been stressful, but the meditation series guarantees that I take time for me three mornings per week.”
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this programming, please contact program coordinator, James McCombs, at jmccomb2@illinois.edu.
SOURCE/WRITER: Michele Crawford, Community Health Educator, University of Illinois Extension
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