ZOOM ~ Mindfulness for Living Our Christian Faith in Service

In this session, we will explore a full understanding of how the tools of mindfulness might help us to personally live our faith more fully and how they enhance our presence as spiritual directors. Examining more in depth the Christian roots of mindfulness practice, we will take time to practice these in a deeper way with one another, leaving with ideas of how to continue to engage with these practices.

: by Gail Stearns, chapters 9 & 10, & ConclusionLiberating Mindfulness: From Billion-Dollar Industry to Engaged SpiritualityRequired reading

For spiritual directors only.

About the Presenter:

Gail J. Stearns is Dean Emerita of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel at Chapman University, where she served as Dean and Associate Professor of Religious and Peace Studies. An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Gail holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University and a Master's of Divinity from McCormick Theological Serminary. She received her Certificate in Teaching Mindfulness from UCLA, and is a certified teacher with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. Her most recent book is Liberating Mindfulness: From Billion-dollar Industry to Engaged Spirituality.

Gail has worked with students, community members, religious leaders, businesses and healthcare industries to understand how mindfulness may be understood and adapted. She is particularly interested in re-covering the roots of mindfulness and helping spiritual leaders utilize the very helpful tools of mindfulness within the context of faith, toward a deeper experience of dwelling in the present and the Presence of God.