Online Social: Intro to Mindfulness

We know that improv classes aren’t just about scenes and characters and games (much though we love all those things). They are also about making friends across the rapidly-expanding global improv community.

So how about hanging out with improvisers and not doing any improv?

Our online social events are open to anyone from Manila to Manchester, London UK to London Ontario. Not just Nursery students and performers either, but anyone who cares to pop by. They are also totally free (though donations are welcome). Each month we host a different activity run by an improviser, for improvisers, followed by an opportunity to chat and hang out with a cup of tea, a beer or your choice of refreshment.

In this modern, fast-paced life, we tend to operate on “automatic pilot” a lot of the time. Our minds are often disconnected from our bodies, and rather than bringing attention to our present moment experience, we get lost in thought; thinking and worrying about things that have already happened; or planning, thinking, and worrying about what may happen later. Operating like this can lead to a lack of focus and attention, and increased stress and anxiety. Additionally, when we spend a lot of time on automatic pilot, even our emotional responses become automatic and habitual. We often do not have the presence of mind to respond thoughtfully and carefully to situations, and when we think about them later on, we may regret our instant “knee jerk” reactions.

Mindfulness means to deliberately pay attention to your experience in the present moment (your physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions) with kindness and curiosity. Mindfulness practice strengthens our ability to be more fully present in our lives, be more emotionally balanced, and to become aware of our experiences in difficult moments so that we may have a choice in how to respond to them. This 1.5hour session will provide an introduction to Mindfulness and its benefits for overall health and well being. We will take time to pause and connect with ourselves, meeting ourselves and our experiences with kindness and curiosity.