Mindful Ambassadors

 

desert landscape with a mountain

Relieve Your Stress & Help Others Do the Same

Mindful Ambassadors is a peer-to-peer service club housed within CAPS. Student ambassadors receive ongoing training in mindfulness practices, public speaking, and group facilitation skills. They are committed to providing the University of Arizona community with resources and strategies to cultivate mindful presence. Ambassadors offer brief experiential mindfulness workshops across campus and an online library of guided mindfulness practices. Past workshop venues include classrooms, residence halls, sorority and fraternity houses, campus clubs and organizations, cultural centers, and campus museums.

Be Mindful With Mindful Ambassadors: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

"Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters." - angel Kyodo williams

Mindful Ambassadors see mindfulness as a tool of collective liberation. When we are awake and aware of both the internal and external conditions of our lives, we can make choices to move towards justice, equity, and freedom. Practices of contemplation and reflection support self-awareness” a vital component of knowing when and how to act. Mindfulness offers a foundation of inner work that allows us to move skillfully in our relationships and engagement with the world around us.

Mindfulness is the simple act of paying attention to the present moment, consciously, and without judgment. Mindfulness practices are rooted in Eastern contemplative traditions that have been practiced for thousands of years. In the West, mindfulness has been widely studied over the last two decades and recent neuroscience research has given us another way of understanding the benefits of mindfulness.

As a practice, mindfulness can help us stay in the present moment and bring about a more compassionate and appreciative outlook on our lives. In this way, we can alleviate distress and find more ease in the new circumstances in which we find ourselves.  

Mindful practice strengthens our brain's prefrontal cortex. This enables us to observe our experience without becoming overwhelmed by it. This can lessen symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance use.

Mindful practice has been shown to improve sleep, physical and emotional wellbeing, resilience, academic performance, quality of relationships, and ability to take action in alignment with your values. Mindfulness offers strategies for staying grounded and connected to ourselves and each other.

We are living in a stressful and uncertain world. Every day we are making choices based on ever-changing circumstances. Mindfulness offers strategies for staying grounded and connected to ourselves and each other.  

The goal of higher education is to grow in knowledge and skills for a successful life. We know that stress gets in the way of optimal performance. Mindful practices are valuable tools for supporting stress-reduction and building resilience. Mindfulness can help you grow your inner strengths to be calmer, more directed and maximize your effectiveness to make the most of your opportunities at Arizona and beyond. 

Mindful Ambassador Programs

text reads: our guiding principles are psychoeducation, cultural roots, experiential mindfulness practice, introspection and reflection, taking practice into daily life.

Our Guiding Principles: 

  • psychoeducation
  • cultural roots
  • experiential mindfulness practice
  • introspection and reflection
  • taking practice into daily life

Programs Offered

Mindful Moments

Mindful Moments are 15-20-minute presentations designed to introduce participants to mindfulness through one or two brief mindfulness exercises. The exercises are designed to help participants release tension, clear their minds, and restore their energy.

Mindful Workshops

Mindful Workshops are 30-60-minute presentations, with three or four different exercises that give a broader sampling of possible mindful exercises for students to apply on their own.

Schedule a presentation for your group, residence hall, organization, club, or department.
 

Bring the mindful ambassadors to you. Schedule here. 

 

Become a Mindful Ambassador

Mindful Ambassadors is a group of student volunteers committed to nervous system health and wellbeing. As a Mindful Ambassador, you'll receive training in mindfulness practices and experience with public speaking and group facilitation.

The Impact of Being a Mindful Ambassador

  • Less overwhelmed with work
  • Less exhausted
  • Can think and process better
  • Greater sense of purpose
  • More empathetic
  • More patient
  • More acceptance
  • Feeling more confident in academic and social responsibilities
  • Easier to take a moment before reacting
  • Less quick to anger
  • Increased sense of community and support

What the Mindful Ambassadors Are Saying

screen shot of a virtual meeting

"I feel grateful every day to be a part of the program for my own self-care, and to be trained to share these practices with others.  It could not have come at a better time in my medical training!"  - TB, medical student

"I have gained such a sense of empowerment for my own well-being and happiness. Mindful Ambassadors has taught me how to transform many of my day-to-day experiences into a sense of long-term, sustainable peace and self-worth.  This has been even more meaningful because I know I'm becoming equipped with the skills to empower others as well."- AR, undergrad 

Interested in Becoming a Mindful Ambassador? 
 

Complete A Mindful Ambassadors Application Online

 

Practice Mindfulness Now

Videos From the Mindful Ambassadors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the Mindful Ambassadors YouTube channel for more mindfulness exercises.

Mindfulness and Recovery Resources

*Resources listed on this page are intended to provide an overview of tools and paths to deepen mindfulness practice. They are not officially endorsed by CAPS or Mindful Ambassadors. We encourage everyone to use their own discernment in finding resources that best fit their needs. 

 

Mindfulness-Based Recovery Resources

BOOKS

  • Mindfulness and the 12 Steps: Living Recovery in the Present Moment by Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart 
  • One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the 12 Steps by Kevin Griffin  
  • Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha’s Teaching to Overcome Addiction by Valerie Mason-John  

Mindfulness Resources