America Meditates: A Summit & Festival Aiming to Elevate Mental Health
If we apply the Benjamin Franklin’s axiom that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” to mental health, we would not only save billions of dollars but we could save many lives and alleviate a whole lot of suffering. There is an endless stream of scientific evidence showing the benefits of meditation for reducing stress while increasing mental and physical well-being. Naturally there is a grassroots movement emerging of inspired individuals and organizations who are bringing forth the tools and wisdom needed to empower individuals to increase their mental and emotional health across the Americas and beyond. On July 24 from 4pm-10pm MDT at Denver City Park the International Association for Human Values and the Art of Living are hosting America Meditates, an afternoon of yoga, music, and a guided meditation by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that will also be broadcast live via Youtube. Your participation (online or in person) will contribute to making this one of the largest meditation gatherings in US history while adding fuel to this growing movement!
Join thousands of people from all walks of life, religions, ages, races, genders, and political persuasions as we come together and celebrate non-violence, peace, diversity and acceptance. -America Meditates Website
The goal is to support people’s mental health and well-being so they’re equipped with skills they need to stay centered in the midst of whatever is going on outside of them. These practices also help individuals cultivate resilience and self-compassion so that they can be present with the parts of themselves that are hurting without feeling overwhelmed or depressed. A core part of what we’re facing in America and beyond is a dilemma of how to be with our strong emotions without over-identifying with them. This allows us to become a calm center within the storm… for ourselves and for others without losing ourselves in the storm. Therefore this is a skill that can benefit everyone in these tumultuous times!
There are plenty of inexpensive and highly effective educational self-development programs and tools available for those interested in preventative approaches to health and well-being but this needs to be a community effort! America Meditates combines the best parts of a local festival environment with an online educational seminar and global meditation. With yoga, music, food trucks, dance, live art, and a kids zone the event promises to be a great time for families and people of all ages. Musical performances include Milck, Yoga Rave, Liquid Bloom, MC Yogi, Majeste, B-Still and Shrikala, along with a long list of speakers (see poster below) including Marianne Williamson, Jonathon WolfWalker Starr, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Past research has shown that when even a small percentage of the population meditates simultaneously, the effect radiates out causing reduced crime and generating a culture of peace. This is why increasing numbers of people are beginning to recognize that they have the ability to make positive change in their own lives as well as their community. Experts in the field are encouraging people everywhere to become empowered with these tools to make lasting change. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a noted humanitarian who three years ago helped broker a peace deal ending Columbia’s 52 year civil war, and just this week was invited to help mediate a peaceful solution to the political crisis in Venezuela.
America Meditates is also hosting a National Summit for Mental Health & Mental FitnessJuly 23–24. There are many professional conferences where leaders discuss within their individual communities but this event promises to be different in many ways. The America Meditates National Summit brings a diverse set of voices including with leaders from education, healthcare, business, policy, parents, and veterans together thus allowing something new to surface while also engaging all aspects of local communities. The summit ends with a roll-your-sleeves up round table to combine efforts and ideas and craft a holistic mental health policy. The future is decentralized, the future is collaborative!
“It’s time we get upstream of America’s mental health crisis. We’re in reaction mode. Our nation’s health systems are mostly just focused on treating symptoms. We have to start focusing upstream or downstream will always look like this. We have to ask, what kind of shifts can we make in different industries to create new results?
Meditation is one of those simple upstream initiatives that is relevant no matter your age, race, political or religious background, etc. Everyone can meditate and benefit. We know from all the research that when people are calm and clear, their day-to-day experience and capabilities are significantly improved.
What are the barriers to entry? Why aren’t we having this in our prisons, schools, VAs, etc. ?
We hope to help Colorado become a model for the nation — that we can do something that’s never been done across all industries. Let’s see what happens if we bring meditation into all the prisons, schools, business, VAs, athletics, and policy. Let’s see what impact we can make on our nation’s mental health.” -Katherine Winter-Sellery, Chairwoman for America Meditates
-1 in 5 American adults and children aged 13–18 live with a mental health condition… Only half of them seek professional help.
-20 veterans die by suicide on a daily basis.
-70% of youth identify anxiety and depression as the top problem impacting students.
-$193 billion in earnings is lost annually due to serious mental illness in America.
These are just a few examples of the challenges our nation is facing at home, in health care, education, business, and policy. By standing on the shoulders of giants in the mental health field, we must come together and collaborate across silos to find solutions. The time is now!
International Association for Human Values fosters the daily practice of human values — a sense of connectedness and respect for all people and the natural environment, an attitude of non-violence, and an ethic of social service. Our programs enhance clarity of mind, shift attitudes and behaviors, and develop leaders and communities that are resilient, responsible, and inspired. -IAHV Website
If you are in the Boulder/Denver area, you can learn more by visiting the America Meditates website. If you are not local, you can participate by sharing this article in your social networks and joining our livecast on the day of the event by visiting here. This is a collective effort with leaders from education, healthcare, business, policy, law enforcement, and spirituality to build a mental health model that can rise to the challenges of the present and future. We can do this if we work together. We can do this if we start within and let it ripple out from there. Join us wherever you are on July 24 from 4pm-10pm MDT.