Meditation and mindfulness may seem like a new age fad to some, or a religious practice to others. However, OLLI members across the nation have discovered they don’t need to be a hippy or practice Buddhism to benefit from these practices. The performance of meditation and mindfulness can promote physical, mental, and emotional health. In addition, it can reduce stress, increase self-awareness, and even improve sleep quality. For many OLLIs, these factors, along with the offering's popularity with members, have made meditation and mindfulness a staple offering.

Mindfulness and meditation content takes many forms. It can be singular sessions, multi-week classes, or even special interest groups. OLLI at University of California, Berkeley (UCB) offers “Meditation, Volunteering, and Positive Neuroplasticity,” bringing together academic and experiential learning. OLLI at the University of Alabama in Huntsville offers “The Heartfulness Way of Life with Heartfulness Meditation,” a practical heart-based relaxation and meditation class. And at OLLI at University of Texas El Paso, director Lynn Provenzano leads the “Meditation: Relax, Release, Revitalize” class. From Zen meditation to Yoga Nidra, there are numerous examples of these types of classes across the network.

Institute members and administrators see these types of classes as a benefit to their OLLIs. Susan Hoffman, director of the OLLI at UCB states, “mitigating stress and engaging with purpose are the two main targets in our Berkeley course which follows the wisdom of the Greater Good Science Center.” Lynn Provenzano sums it up well, “the benefits of meditation support a better quality of life that extends to every aspect of a person’s being, especially beyond what we know to be physical. Ultimately, our members seek peace of mind and kindness. Our OLLI members return again and again to our meditation classes to gain new insights and develop simple practices they can easily integrate into their lives.”

Osher Institute at University of South Florida

"Floating Classroom" Eco Tour

Course Length: One day

Course Instructor: Tampa Bay Watch: "Biologist Dakoeta, Intern Rebecca & Captain Mo"

Course Delivery: Private Chartered Boat

From a tiny Ghost shrimp to baby birds and Petunia the dolphin, the OLLI Outdoors Special Interest Group (SIG) went on a “floating classroom” Eco Tour with Tampa Bay Watch, a local non-profit dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Tampa Bay Estuary. The science-based tour packed in a diversity of species to study up close. The mission was to record marine life in Area 6, identify dolphins, and visit the birds nesting on Bird Island. Arriving at their first stop, Dakoaeta and Rebecca cast a fisheries trawl net and carefully went through the haul, identifying species from the designated spot. Members volunteered to record the species, along with conditions – temperature, salinity, and wind speed. It was Citizen Science in action! The last stop was Bird Island. Here, birds are protected by a mangrove island and can safely breed and raise their chicks. A highlight was seeing the baby birds and the just hatched Brown Pelican chicks who are white when born. While returning to dock at the St. Petersburg marina, the group was treated with an up close and personal “show and tell” talk about the local marine life of Tampa Bay.

More details and photos about this experience can be found on the USF OLLI Connects blog. 

Director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Texas Tech University

Assistant Director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Texas Tech University

Program Coordinator, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Colorado State University

Osher Educational Coordinator

University of Missouri

Osher Program Coordinator

San Diego State University

Is there a staff opening at your Osher Institute? Please send it to us at oshernrc@northwestern.edu