University of Minnesota Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing

06/23/2026

Feeling stressed? Need a quick brain break during a busy work day? Try this short tracing hand meditation, led by Susan Miles, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction facilitator at the Bakken Center. This tactile breathing meditation helps to disengage the sympathetic nervous system.

Feeling stressed? Need a quick brain break during a busy work day? ...

06/18/2026

Kindness costs nothing.

“We are living through a moment when the cost of living has been increasing and many are discussing affordability and struggling to make ends meet. In fact, in light of recent events in Minnesota and around the world, one might suggest that it’s a relief that kindness is free because we could really use as much of it as we can get these days, especially since kindness can contribute to both individual and collective wellbeing.”

Read more about kindness and wellbeing on Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing.

There is a frequently quoted mantra that I appreciate that says “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” When I mentioned to my partner that I was preparing to write an article about kindness he made a comment that stuck with me. He said he thought it was a good idea, in part because “...

06/17/2026

Ripen your cooking skills at our summer Nourishment in Every Season workshop! Join us online on July 14, 2026 12 to 1 p.m. Central to learn how to incorporate the abundance of summer vegetables into your cooking, in a way that doesn’t break the bank.

Register now for the summer workshop at https://z.umn.edu/cookingandnutrition

06/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation - CHAI’s Age-Friendly University Day! We had a great time at the event and hope you all did too!

A special thank you to representatives from the Bakken Center, Stevi Shively, who led a breakout session on ‘Navigating a World of Constant Change, With Wisdom and Equanimity’ and Molly Sturges, who led a qigong practice.

06/10/2026

Organ transplantation is at a crossroads- too many people die for lack of an organ and confidence in the U.S. transplant system has been shaken. Join three top experts to debate what comes next in this free, public Zoom webinar on "Frontier Issues in Organ Transplantation: New Approaches to Saving Lives & Securing Trust," hosted by the University of Minnesota's Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 12 - 1:30pm Central.

Register for the free webinar at https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/4117779300764/WN_cftZ9eJfSp-AwvFCeCK8Ig

06/09/2026

Chef Jenny Breen, M Ed, MPH, unpacks what food justice means in this short video. As well as teaching nutrition-based workshops, Jenny Breen teaches the ‘Food Choices: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves’ course at the Bakken Center, sharing her years of deep expertise on the subject.

06/03/2026

Discover techniques to relieve low back and hip pain using therapeutic yoga in our series this July. Through a combination of education and hands-on practice, you'll learn about the root causes of discomfort as well as effective stretching, strengthening, and relaxation techniques to transform your lifestyle routines.

Register now at z.umn.edu/yogaseries

Since 1995, the Bakken Center has been committed to advancing the health and wellbeing of individuals, organizations, and communities.

06/02/2026

While meditation apps are a great resource, you may find that you need more support to incorporate mindfulness into your life. Join a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class with us this summer, including an in-person in Eagan, Minnesota! Register now to see firsthand how fully incorporating mindfulness into your daily life can increase your self-awareness, and attentional and emotional regulation.

Learn more and register for the summer session at z.umn.edu/mbsr

06/01/2026

Exciting news! New study from the Center’s Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program in JAMA Internal Medicine today - Spinal Manipulation and Clinician-Supported Self-Management for Preventing Chronic Low Back Pain Impact.

Conducted by Dr. Gert Bronfort, Dr. Brent Leininger, Dr. Roni Evans, Dr. Linda Hanson, Dr. Craig Schulz, and colleagues, this study questioned if non-drug options provided by physical therapists or chiropractors are more effective than guideline-based medical care for preventing chronic impactful low back pain (LBP) at 1 year.

Read more: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2849746

05/27/2026

“Many of us have been taught that being an adult means living a life filled with responsibility, hard work, seriousness, and in many cases a high level of stress and/or misery. What we are not taught nearly as often is that as humans, play is an important part of our mammalian existence.”

But how do we incorporate play back into our lives as adults? Read the new article on Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing to learn how to do just that!

Many of us have been taught (either directly or indirectly) that being an adult means living a life filled with responsibility, hard work, seriousness, and in many cases a high level of stress and/or misery. What we are not taught nearly as often is that as humans, play is an important part of our m...