This coming summer, Arrowhead will offer a new course: the Mindfulness Workshop. English teacher Jennifer Passler coined the summer class.

There will be ten total sessions of this class: July 24, 26, and 31 as well as August 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, and 23. All classes will have two sessions, the first from 8:30 to 10:00 am, and the second immediately after from 10:00 to 11:30 am. If students attend all ten mindfulness sessions, they will receive a quarter credit.

The first session of the Mindfulness Workshop has hit its limit of thirty students, but admissions to the class have not closed. There are still spaces available in the second session of the Mindfulness Workshop.

Through this class, Passler says she hopes to help students improve themselves and their lives through a variety of social, physical, and psychological benefits.

The Mindfulness Workshop will help students increase their focus and awareness, improve their mental health, and find ways to get better sleep as well as a variety of other things. More information can be found on the flyers posted around school.

“By learning to quiet our minds, we can have greater control over other aspects of our daily lives, like our reactions to set backs or negative environments,” Passler says.

Studies have shown that people who practice mindfulness, even just for a few weeks, tend to be healthier and catch colds less often.

Passler also says that life can seem like it’s moving very fast, especially for teenagers, and there are events in our daily lives that can feel chaotic. Practicing mindfulness in can help students navigate through those hectic situations with greater ease.

Each session will begin with a mindfulness topic, Passler says, like using mindfulness to decrease anxiety or increase confidence. Passler will then to teach a particular practice designed with that session’s focus in mind.

“The practice will include a breathing technique, a guided meditation, and an individual reflection activity,” says Passler. “I want students to experience the benefits to mindfulness during each session.”

There will also be optional take-home activities for students interested in continuing to practice mindfulness on their own time.

Junior Martha Kobiske says she is interested in enrolling in the class, even if she is unable to attend all ten sessions.

“I think it sounds really cool, and from what I know, Arrowhead doesn’t offer any other courses like this. Our lives are so hectic, it would be nice to get a break,” Kobiske says.

If they choose, students may bring in a yoga mat or towel to lay back during meditation time. Students could also choose to remain seated. Passler recommends students bring in something to write with, as many participants find it beneficial to journal during self-reflections.

Passler says she would have taken this class when she was in high school, as it would have been very helpful.

“High school students truly juggle a lot,” Passler says.

Teenagers have the full time job of attending classes and doing homework, Passler says, and on top of that, many kids have part-time paying jobs and chores to do at home, and any clubs or sports they may be involved in.

“On top of that, include the transitional, often confusing, nature of high school where you are neither a child nor an adult, and there’s plenty of areas where students can use a strong support network,” says Passler. “In addition, everyone, students or otherwise, can benefit from opting to slow down and understand the benefits of being aware of emotions and reactions.”

Passler says mindfulness centers your focus and encourages you to make conscious decisions with your time.

“Life is not a race to be finished, a project to be completed, or an activity to check off,” Passler says. “This emphasis not only nourishes empathetic and compassionate community members, it fosters highly focused, successful individuals—both tremendous benefits for society as a whole.”

According to Kobiske, there has been some talk of the class throughout the student body. Kobiske says she is interested in learning more about the class.

“It could be a lot of fun,” says Kobiske. “I think it would be a good way to reduce some stress before I start my senior year.”