Mindfulness & Meditation

The start of a school year is a wonderful time to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into a self-care routine that can help sustain focus and provide stress relief. Join us at our August virtual Elk Place Health Spot for presentations and a panel conversation around mindfulness and meditation, including information on Zen Buddhism and how these practices can support young people. The webinar will be held on August 26, 2021 from noon to 1:30 pm CT, and advanced registration via the link below is required.

The event's speakers include:

• Richard Collins, Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple
• Judge Lori Jupiter
• Kendra “Kyndra Joi” Parson, LMSW of the Gracefully Mindful Wellness Institute
• Jeremy Parks, Master of Social Work candidate

This event from the Tulane University School of Social Work is co-presented by the Elk Place Health Spot and the Empowering Change Task Force.

Register Here.

This program has been approved by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners for 1.5 General continuing education credit hours for social workers through Tulane School of Social Work.

Speaker Bios:

Richard Collins, Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1952. He grew up in Southern California and earned a BA in English from the University of Oregon, and graduate degrees from the University of California, Irvine. He was a Fulbright scholar to London (1980-81) and a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Romania (1992-94). He has taught literature at several universities in California and Louisiana, as well as in Wales, Romania, and Bulgaria. In 2016, he retired from academia as Dean Emeritus from California State University, Bakersfield, where he led the School of Arts and Humanities for six years. He began Zen practice with Robert Livingston in 2001, receiving monastic ordination in 2010 and permission to teach in 2012. With Livingston Roshi’s retirement in 2016, he received shiho and became the second Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple. HIs publications include poetry, essays, and reviews. His books include John Fante: A Literary Portrait (Guernica Editions, 2000) and No Fear Zen (Hohm Press, 2015). He has also edited several books on Zen, including Deshimaru’s Mushotoku Mind: The Heart of the Heart Sutra (Hohm Press, 2012). His translation of Deshimaru’s Autobiography of a Zen Monk is due out from Hohm press in 2022.

In 2020, Judge Lori Jupiter was elected to Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans and currently resides over Domestic Division I. Lori is a graduate of Xavier University and Loyola School of Law. Lori is a 20-year member of the Louisiana Bar Association. Lori began her legal career as a practicing attorney with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in Hammond, Louisiana. In 2001 she moved to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal and spent seventeen years as a Research Attorney working under the direction of Chief Judge Charles Jones, Judge Dennis Bagneris, Judge Madeleine Landrieu, and Judge Terrell Broussard, pro temp. Lori also worked in the Clerk’s Office and as a Central Staff Attorney before accepting the position of Research Attorney for the Honorable Chief Justice Bernette Johnson at the Louisiana Supreme Court. Lori was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota after her parents relocated from New Orleans. She met her husband of twenty-five years, Jerome Jupiter, while attending Xavier University. Lori and Jerome have five children, Haley, Solomon, Ella, Jacob and Vivian. Lori is also a certified doula and a certified yoga instructor. Since 2017, Lori has served on Ochsner’s Women’s Wellness Committee. Most recently Lori volunteered her time to help families in the COVID-19 crisis, working with the Second Harvest Food Bank distributions sponsored by New Orleans City Council Members. Lori is certified in Zen Buddhist Meditation having studied under Monk Thich Thein Tri since 2017. Lori also is also a certified yoga instructor and teaches at Wild Lotus yoga studio.

Kendra “Kyndra Joi” Parson, LMSW of the Gracefully Mindful Wellness Institute has become one of the most sought-after Emcee’s that have hit the scene. Charleston Raised and New Orleans grown, Kyndra is a radio personality and Program Director of Power 504 Radio, serves the clinical director of Gracefully Mindful Wellness Institute, Founder of Light the Village, llc; is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher, Certified Herbalist, Recording Artist, Emcee and newly a Published Children’s Author. Kyndra has earned a Master of Social Work degree from Illinois State University and has over 16 years of experience in the community servicing children and families as well as entertaining the masses.
Born and raised in Charleston, SC, Kyndra is affectionately known as “Gullah Girl” in the community and actively educates and creates awareness of the Gullah culture through her new Gullah children book series and interactive workshops of language, dance and song. Kyndra now blends culture, mindfulness/meditation and the creative process to assist individuals, families and groups to have a fuller experience in living.

Jeremy Parks is a second year Master of Social Work candidate at Tulane School of Social Work, a middle school teacher, and a private tutor living and working in New Orleans. He began practicing Zen, in earnest, two years ago.