Yoga for Climate Anxiety and Building Inner Resiliency to Tackle Sustainability Challenges

This event aims to offer a space for learning, reflection, intention, and movement. The main themes of the workshop include mindfulness and compassion and how we can cultivate these internal capabilities to support the health of ourselves, as well as the health of our planet. 

While mindfulness and compassion do not solve the climate crisis alone, there is increasing evidence that they play an important role in developing and implementing solutions. We start with a short interactive lecture from an academic perspective on the importance of these inner capabilities in how they support psychological resilience and inner stability when dealing with challenging issues, as well as how they have been shown to increase pro-environmental behaviors, alter worldview perceptions, and support transformative capacities. 

This is followed by an integrated breathwork, yoga and meditation session. This is not a traditionally structured yoga class as we drawn on techniques from different yoga and meditation disciplines to provide you with a variety of intentional practices. This part of the workshop aims to facilitate participant reflection, mental and physical awareness, and teach techniques to strengthen mindfulness and self-compassion. We will focus particularly on the feelings that can arise from climate anxiety and how to process these in effective ways.

Please arrive on time in comfortable clothes. You do not have to have done yoga before and everyone over age fifteen is welcome. Yoga mats are available to borrow at the studio, but you are welcome to bring your own.

Note: Participants must register prior to the event to attend. 

Registration link - iiiee.lu.se

Preliminary schedule

• 15:00-15:05 Welcome and Opening
  Speakers: Niki Schönström, Emma Johnson, Gustav Osberg
• 15:05-15:35 Lecture and reflective workshop on of mindfulness and compassion and how they enable inner and outer reconnection
  Speaker: Gustav Osberg
• 15:35-16:25 Combined application of meditation, breathing, and yoga (Come in comfortable clothes!)
  Speaker: Emma Johnson
• 16:25-16:30 Closing and final reflections

This event is organized by the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University in collaboration with N Yoga Studio. 

The first ability that we should cultivate to support climate action is the ability to connect…to our own bodies, to others, to nature around us… But what emotions then come can be unpredictable, so the second ability would be to feel them without shutting down or recreating the distance.

  - Laureline Simon, Former UNFCCC Programme Officer and Founder of One Resilient Earth

About the workshop hosts:

Gustav Osberg works as a doctoral student at Lund University's IIIEE. His research delves into the multifaceted drivers of collaborative climate action within regions, examining both political dynamics and personal motivations. Prior to his doctoral studies, Gustav worked within a research program focused on the emerging field of Inner Transformations for Sustainability, which explores the role of worldviews, values, and mindsets in catalysing collective efforts towards climate resilience and sustainability.

Emma Johnson works as a doctoral student at the IIIEE and is also a 200-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT). She has been teaching yoga for the past 8 years and has taught in California, Costa Rica, and Sweden. While her research focuses on understanding the strategic pathways established companies take to catalyse the transition to sustainable and circular business models, yoga and meditation is an important daily practice for her. In her teaching, she emphasizes for students to connect and listen to their body. She understands the need for accessibility and embraces individuality and authenticity in yoga, acknowledging its many different faces.

The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) is a unique centre and node for interdisciplinary research and education within Lund University that aims to advance strategies for sustainable solutions. The Institute was established by the Swedish Parliament as a response to the urgent need for many organizations to understand, develop and implement preventive approaches to environmental problems.The IIIEE explores and advances knowledge in the design, application, and evaluation of policy and business strategies to meet global environmental challenges. Visit their webpage for more information: IIIEE webpage (iiiee.lu.se)

N Yoga Studio is a conscious community of teachers and students joined together by a love for yoga, and a drive to live healthy and sustainably. The studio was founded by Niki Schönström 6.5 years ago in Lund and has been growing a dedicated community since. It offers hatha and yin yoga and prioritizes physical and mental well-being. Visit their webpage for more information:  N Yoga's webpage (nyoga.se)

This event is part of Sustainability Week 2024, an annual event organized in collaboration between Lund University and Lund Municipality. In this year's program April 8-13, you will find lectures, workshops, guided tours, exhibitions, and more.

See full program at hallbarhet.lu.se