Special Events
Events hosted, organized, and co-sponsored by UF Mindfulness
Global Human Flourishing @UF Symposium:
Inspiring Science, Wisdom and Compassionate Action
Date: April 4, 2024
Time: 8:15 am to 2:15 pm
Where: Room 100, Smathers Library, University of Florida
Invited suggestions for scaled registration fees:
UF Students: $1 (hardship) to $20+
UF Faculty and staff: $10 (basic) to $150 (generous)
Others / general public: $20 (supportive) to $150 (generous)
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Students will be able to register in-person for free with their Gator ID card at the registration table at the day of the event. All others please register below at the latest by April 3 (noon); or register ad-hoc on your smart phone the day of the event. Important, bring/show the registration receipt that will be emailed to you to enter the Global Human Flourishing Symposium.
We recommend you use a web-browser on a PC or laptop to register for the symposium on the form below. Unfortunately some smart phones (e.g. iPhones) distort/disrupt the registration web form. If you encounter a problem to access the registration page refresh your web browser or go to <settings> in your web browser and clear the history of cookies.
If you encounter a technical problem with the registration please do not hesitate to reach out to mindfulness@ad.ufl.edu.
8:15 - 8:30 am: Registration (rolling registration start to end of event)
8:30 - 8:50 am: Opening Remarks & Announcement of Best Paper Mindfulness Awards & Certificates (Sabine Grunwald, Director UF Mindfulness and Professor, IFAS, UF).
8:50 - 9:20 am: Mindfulness & Grounding Practice: Grounding Ourselves in Compassion (Trish Magyari, MBSR and Mindfulness Self-Compassion Teacher)
9:20 - 9:35 am: Break.
9:35 - 10:25 am: Keynote Talk: Mindfulness in Hospitality and Tourism: Applications and Research Findings. Keynote Speaker: Yao-Chin Wang, Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management.
Abstract: This presentation will showcase mindfulness-related applications in the hospitality and tourism industries. Dr. Wang will also share research findings from his hospitality and tourism studies in mindfulness.
10:25 - 10:40 am: Break.
10:40 - 11:30 am: Mindfulness & Global Human Flourishing Panel. Panel Moderator: Ana Puig, Clinical Professor and Research Director in the office of Educational Research, College of Education, UF.
Panel Participants: Liva LaMontagne, Elizabeth Washington, and Sabine Grunwald.
11:45 - 12:35 pm: Keynote Talk: Moral Virtues, Spirituality, and Flourishing: Why Does Wisdom Matter?
Keynote Speaker: Monika Ardelt, Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, UF
Abstract: Is it wise to be good or is it good to be wise? The presentation will explore whether morality and spirituality are necessary for the development of wisdom and, conversely, whether wisdom might strengthen morality and spirituality and lead to flourishing.
12:35 - 12:50 pm: Break.
12:50 - 1:20 pm: Sound Meditation Practice: Rest & Reflect. Find comfort and grounding in gentle movements. Rest in the sounds of the gong and silence (Kim Holton, Lecturer Department of Health Education & Behavior, UF College of Health & Human Performance).
1:20 -1:40 pm: Diving Deeper into Human Flourishing @ UF (Jennifer Kennymore, Assistant Director GatorWell)
1:40 - 1:50 pm: Closing Remarks (Sabine Grunwald, Director of UF Mindfulness and Professor, IFAS, UF).
1:50 - 2:15 pm: Connect & Socialize with Mindfulness Community.
Concert & Mindful Moment
Date: November 14, 2023
Time: Start at 6:30 pm
Venue: At the Historic Thomas Center
“Sous le ciel de Paris”
With Christine Alicot (flute), Alan Clark (piano)
Dale Fedele (Clarinette)
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Works by Claude Debussy, Camille Saint Saëns and Mel Boni
Mindful moment facilitated by Dr. Chuck Pickeral (UF Mindfulness)
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This event is sponsored by the University of Florida (UF) France-Florida Research Center and supported by the UF Mindfulness Program.
It is free and open to all.
Music & Mindfulness
Date: December 8, 2022
Time: Start at 5:30 pm
Venue: Music Building, Rm 100, UF campus
French Impressionism In Music & Mindfulness: A Concert
Free and open to all, this program will feature flutist Christine Alicot and pianist Carlos Beltran playing pieces by Francis Poulenc, Albert Roussel and Claude Debussy. A short mindfulness practice facilitated by Charles W. Pickeral (Ph.D.) will deepen the experience of music touching ears and mind. The 'Music & Mindfulness' event is sponsored by the France Florida Research Institute, in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, CLAS-UF in partnership with the UF Mindfulness Program (Flyer).
UF Mindfulness Day 2019
"Mindfulness and Social Change"
April 1, 2019 (8:20 am to 7:00 pm).
J. Wayne Reitz Union (Rooms 3315, 3320, and 2365) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
A whole day event with parallel sessions focused on the intersection of mindfulness and social change: Keynote talks; panel discussion; mindfulness meditation, yoga, and compassion practices; various topical talks, workshop, and love in action walk. The event is open to UF students, faculty, and staff as well as the public community.
Organized and sponsored by the interdisciplinary UF Mindfulness team. Co-Sponsors: UF Center for Spirituality and Health; Create Student Club; MOR Student Club; and GatorWell.
No pre-registration is required for the UF Mindfulness Day 2019;
UF Mindfulness Day 2017
"Mind and Culture"
Sept. 25, 2017 (8:20 am to 6:30 pm).
J. Wayne Reitz Union (Rooms 3315 and 3320) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
A whole day of mindfulness! The event is open to UF students, staff and faculty members and to the general public. All sessions are offered free of charge. The UF Mindfulness Day offers experiential sessions, presentations, conversations, workshops and more focused on mindfulness. This year’s topic is “Mind and Culture” with topical sessions that touch on mindfulness and political discourse, cultural digital paranoia and mania – mindfulness and social media, multicultural mindfulness and compassion, socially-engaged mindfulness, self-transformation, gratitude and love, how letting go sets you free, mindful parenting, awakened living, embodied meditation, and yoga.
Organized and Sponsored by the interdisciplinary UF Mindfulness team. Contributions by the UF Center for Spirituality and Health, UFHR, World Peace Buddhist-Soka Gakkai International-USA UF student club, MOR Meditation UF student club, River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, and the Gainesville Retreat Center.
No pre-registration is required for the UF Mindfulness Day 2017;
Day of Peace 2017
Greater Gainesville International Festival - UN International Day of Peace
In celebration of our common humanity, we join with citizens from all around the world on Sept. 21, 2017 (3-7 pm) for International Peace Day. The festivities will include a march and rally, food trucks, music, international flag ceremony, meditation, local and international speakers, kid-friendly activities, and more.
UF Mindfulness Day 2016
"Integrating Mindfulness in Life"
Sept. 26, 2016 (8:45 am to 6:00 pm).
UF Smathers Library Room 100, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Join any of the practice sessions focused on mindfulness and contemplation, performances and talks at the UF Mindfulness Day. They are free and open to everybody at UF and the general public. Share mindful moments with others. Enrich your learning, teaching, and research experiences through mindfulness. Bring your yoga mat, tarp, cushion/pillow; a friend; and a smile. This year’s theme features how we can bring mindfulness into our daily life and enhance well-being, learning performance, health, neural functioning and gain emotional and cognitive benefits. Mindfulness is a life skill allowing you to realize your dreams and live life to the fullest.
Organized and Sponsored by the interdisciplinary UF Mindfulness team and Co-sponsored by the UF Center for Spirituality and Health.
No pre-registration is required for the UF Mindfulness Day 2016;
Victory over Violence (VOV), Exhibition and Campaign, Sept. 2016
VOV is a movement and growing network of global citizens committed to building the culture of peace through dialogue and action. The vision is to inspire people, especially young people, to identify and counteract the root causes of violence in their lives, homes, schools, and local communities through awareness, introspection, individual empowerment and a creative commitment to dialogue and action. Specifically bullying and other forms of emotional and psychological violence in higher education and schools have debilitating effects that limit growth and professional success.
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Katsutoshi ("Toshi") Mizuta, Ph.D. student at the University of Florida, brought the VOV exhibit to campus to engage students and faculty in raising awareness of the effects of violence that may scar and traumatize people, especially students.
Day of Peace 2016
"Peaceful Mind, Peaceful World" - UN International Day of Peace
UF Mindfulness invites you to the International Peace Day celebration on Sept. 21 at the UF Plaza Americas/corridor close to Library West, UF campus. Celebrations include a flag ceremony with flags from many different countries, meditation sit for peace, and live music.
UF Mindfulness Day 2015 -
Inaugural UF Mindfulness
Sept. 28, 2015 (8:20 am to 6:00 pm).
UF Smathers Library Room 100, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Kick-start of UF Mindfulness project. Training and practicing sessions, performances and talks will offer a rich program on mindfulness. If you are a novice or long-term mindfulness practitioner come and join the sessions which are free for everybody at UF and the general public. Share mindful moments and your contemplative experiences with others. Enrich your learning, teaching, and research experiences through mindfulness.
Organized and Sponsored by the interdisciplinary UF Mindfulness team.