At the Y we encourage all in our community to identify self-care practices that can help enhance their mental health—and to start building these practices into their daily routine. Mental health includes how we think, feel, and act, as they are all interconnected.
Being mindful means paying attention—and keeping our attention—in the present moment, rather than allowing our attention to become distracted or carried away by thoughts and worries about the past or the future. We can press the pause button on these thoughts and rest our attention in the present, which can give us needed relief and boost our mental health and well-being. According to the Mayo Clinic, “practicing mindfulness exercises can have many possible benefits, including reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, lessening negative thinking and distraction, and improving mood”.1
Mindfulness practices provide us with tools for resilience, stress relief, and inner confidence. At the Y we provide a variety of options to assist you in this practice.
1. Mayo Clinic Health System (2020). Use Mindfulness to Improve Well-Being.
YMCA360 On-Demand Classes
Take a deep breath and start your mindful journey with this active, meditative collection of programs on YMCA360.
With YMCA360 you can enjoy live or on-demand group exercise classes with your favorite instructors, mind & body, youth enrichment, fitness options and more.
Classes include Pilates, yoga, Tai Chi, meditation and more.
Virtual One-on-One Mindfulness Sessions
Being Mindful Can Boost Your Mental Health
Mental health includes how we think, feel, and act, as they are all interconnected. At the Y, we recognize that we all have mental health, and mental health is an important part of our physical health, as well as our social and emotional well-being.
Learn simple mindfulness exercises everyone can try to pause for a few minutes—and be more mindful—throughout the day.
Take a Mindful Moment
Take a mindful moment in a virtual mindfulness group exercise class, available on Tuesdays from 6:30-7 pm. Check our group exercise class schedules for availability.
Supporting Your Wellness Goals
Mindfulness & Meditation for Wellness Workshop
Have you been hearing the buzz about “mindfulness” but aren’t too sure what it is? Would you like to learn how mindfulness and meditation can help support your wellness goals? This workshop is for you!
Join Y members from all over Houston for this virtual introductory workshop and leave with greater understanding about what mindfulness is—and what it is not. You’ll also have the opportunity to try a short mindfulness meditation practice. This workshop will be led by the Houston Y’s certified mindfulness teacher, Wendy Saunders, and will be offered on the last Wednesday of each month.
Check back for information on our next session!
Meet Wendy – Mindfulness Consultant for the YMCA of Greater Houston
Wendy Saunders is a Certified Teacher for Emory University’s CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) program and teaches mindfulness programs for the YMCA of Greater Houston. Wendy’s company, Compassionate Leader LLC, focuses on leadership development, cultural assessment and transformation, mental well-being and trauma-informed resiliency, DE&I, mindfulness, and compassion training with the leaders, staff and members in YMCAs, school districts, healthcare settings, and other companies in the U.S. and internationally. In addition, she is a certified facilitator of Emory University’s SEE Learning® program, designed to enhance mental well-being and build resiliency skills in K-12 academic and enrichment settings.
