Letter From the Director

Throughout the past few years, we experienced severe drought conditions in Minnesota that caused a serious hydrologic imbalance which impacted soil moisture, groundwater supplies, lake levels, and stream flows; this in turn negatively impacted agriculture, public utilities, forestry, and tourism. Those of us who garden experienced firsthand withering plants and stunted produce. What is called for during periods of drought is careful stewardship. Summer 2024 – my how things can change quickly! With relentless rain, we are experiencing nature’s abundance. It is still only July, and plants and gardens are maturing quickly. There is lush, deep green foliage and flowing water everywhere!

As I read the story in this issue of Mandala about Dr. Amy Wheeler and our new online therapeutic yoga series, I found myself thinking about abundance, healing from within, and the importance of stewarding our inner resources. Amy reminds us that breathing has a powerful impact on soothing the mind and that you can always tune your mind and senses inward.

Kit Breshears, the Center’s communications director, and his team of writers have compiled another rich issue of the Mandala filled with stories that illuminate our work and impact. We hope that with each issue, we are able to pull back the veil of what we do at the Center so that you can get to know better our faculty, staff, and students. I was deeply inspired reading the profiles of our health coaching students and the stories featuring faculty teaching the Living on Purpose and Death and Dying courses.

Kit himself is the feature of one story as he doubles as an instructor in the Bakken Center and has developed an immensely popular undergraduate course that examines the implications of social media on mental health. As a communications professional, Kit is very aware of the necessity of social media to educate and market Center programs and services. I appreciate that in his course, he also educates students on the connection between social media use and anxiety, depression, distraction, addiction, and more. As Kit explains it, the purpose of the course is to help students become more conscious, mindful users of social technology.

I remain deeply grateful to all who invest in the Bakken Center, particularly our donors who help both fuel innovation and sustain the foundation that supports our work. Wishing you all summer abundance and all that might bring including time in nature, with family and friends, and much rest and relaxation.

Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN
Founder and Director
Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing