By Sarah Kahn
Staff Writer
South Bay Families Connected and the Beach Cities Health District partnered together and held an event on mindfulness in the Manhattan Beach Middle School’s auditorium on Oct. 15, lead by holistic educator and stress relief expert Gloria Kamler.
The workshop centered around the science of mindfulness and the positive effects it has on people. It featured practices that required people to stand, breathe deeply, and talk with those around them. The main goal of each activity was to teach how to live mindfully and in the present moment, as opposed to focusing on the past or future.
Photos: Gloria Kamler spoke about the benefits of mindfulness at the workshop.
“We talked about mindfulness, the science around mindfulness, and the research done,” Kamler said. “It’s at the infancy stage of research so far but it’s said to be very helpful. We’re basically giving people a better understanding about mindfulness. It’s an experiential workshop.”
The event also featured elementary school teacher Danielle Radl and co-founder of Manhattan Beach Middle School Families Connected Anne Marie Whitney, who both talked about the gravity of mindfulness and how it can benefit the community.
Link: Visit South Bay Family’s Connected page on the event.
“It gives kids tools to destress,” Radl said. “They can find common peace and self-regulate, which helps them gather the tools available allows them to practice it themselves in their own homes.”
Kamler talked about her past with teaching people to meditate and live mindfully. She used examples such as stories the military, doctors, and lawyers had with their experiences with living mindfully and concentrating on the present. Kamler discussed the science of mindfulness and explained how important it is to be in the present and not stress about the past or future.
Link: Find out about Gloria Kamler here.
“Being with yourself your whole life is is better than being delayed or futuristic,” Kamler said. “Feeling what you’re feeling is very important. We have to move with the flow of life.”
One of the activities done, which discussed relational mindfulness, gave attendees the opportunity to talk with someone near them and learn to listen attentively and connect with others. Several of the meditative practices were centered around breathing deeply and connecting with oneself.
“These events can be really helpful,” Whitney said. “People need to be aware of what a powerful resource these workshops are. People can all connect and share their experiences.”
Kamler expanded on the science of mindfulness and talked about how it affects neuroplasticity, the way brains adapt and adjust responses to new environments. According to Kamler, opening one’s mind to new possibilities produces a better experience.
“Life is more fulfilling when you’re mindful,” Kamler said. “When difficulty arises, it’s hard to move past that because our view gets very narrow. We have ideas about how life should be and we get caught in it. We hold it really tightly and it creates suffering.”
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