May Employee Wellness Opportunities

Thursday, May 1, 2025, 8:45am

TO: Sonoma State Employees
FR: Employee Wellness Program, Payroll and Benefits

Prioritizing mental health is essential to overall health and well-being. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), we want to remind employees of upcoming wellness opportunities. We also encourage you to reach out to your healthcare provider to explore additional no-cost wellness apps, programs, and resources to support your mind, body, and spirit.

New This Month:

  • Mindfulness and Self-Care Session with Dr. Andy Wallace – Friday, May 2, from noon to 12:30pm (Virtual)
  • Lunchtime Yoga continues, with Tuesday sessions temporarily canceled
  • Couch to 5K Training moves temporarily to the SSU Track starting May 1
  • Discount Codes for Local Events

Wellness Webinars
We are excited to share this month’s wellness webinars offered by Kaiser Permanente. These webinars are open to all employees regardless of your health plan election. Most sessions are available on-demand for six months after the live stream, with the exception of the Calm Meditation Sessions, which are only available live.

  • Hypertension in the Black Community
    In this webinar, we will explore the impacts of racism and toxic stress on health, discuss effective lifestyle changes that can lower blood pressure, learn about common herbal treatments, promote home blood pressure monitoring, and learn about effective prescription medications to augment lifestyle changes. 
    May 6, 2025 (6 - 7pm)
    Register

  • Finding Your Why
    What are the things that keep you going when things get tough? The value in finding your WHY is to wake up inspired. Understanding your WHY gives meaning and clarity to the direction we want to go in our lives.
    May 21, 2025 (Noon - 1pm)
    Register

  • Midlife and Women’s Health: Embracing Change
    Learn about midlife and menopause - symptoms and body changes, understand how lifestyle medicine can impact women’s health, discover tools and tips to aid with healthy lifestyle change, and learn to navigate the menopause transition. 
    May 22, 2025 (12:30 - 1:30pm)
    Register

Calm Meditation Sessions 
Join for 15 minutes to de-stress, reset, and renew yourself.

  • May 14, 2025 (10 - 10:15am)
    Join here at the time of event

  • May 28, 2025 (2 - 2:15pm)
    Join here at the time of event

Mindfulness and Self-Care Class
The Employee Wellness program is hosting a virtual Mindfulness and Self Care session with SSU Philosophy professor, Dr. Andy Wallace on Friday, May 2nd, from noon to 12:30pm. This session will begin with a short description of mindfulness followed by a 15-20 minute mindfulness-based exercise and conclude with a poem. Dr. Wallace will also be available following the session for further discussion.

“The benefits of mindfulness stem, I believe, from the role that it plays in the human caregiving system. Kindness, compassion, and love are the system’s core emotions, and unconditional acceptance of self and other is its raison d’etre. When we meditate mindfully we activate or elicit those emotions and learn to care authentically for ourselves in the same loving spirit as we authentically care for others.” - Dr. Andy Wallace (bio)

Employees interested in attending are asked to please register in order to receive the zoom link for the session.

Yoga and Pilates Classes
Lunchtime yoga and pilates classes are open to all experience levels and are a great opportunity to meet employees from other units, while also taking a break to stretch and have a midday reset. Please join us in Ives 80 from 12:05 to 12:55pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Yoga mats are available.

  • Mondays: Pilates with Jeanne Janae
  • Wednesdays: Meditative Yoga with Jeanne Janae - meditate, stretch and practice different yoga poses 
  • Thursdays: Meditative Yoga with Jeanne Janae - meditate, stretch and practice different yoga poses 

Couch to 5K Training!
Please join our 45-minute Couch to 5K Training class with Yavé Guzman Valdez (bio)! Training is held weekly on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:05 to 12:50pm at the SSU Track. All training levels are welcome, from beginners to intermediate as well as advanced runners looking for some extra workouts.

Suggested items to bring with you: A pair of good running shoes, comfortable clothing to run in, water, post run snack, and a yoga mat. Training takes place outdoors.

Local Opportunities to Get Moving
Get ready to lace up your sneakers as the SSU Employee Wellness Program has once again secured exclusive discount codes for two local running events featuring distances for all levels. Whether you are a seasoned runner or wanting to try something new, you are invited to join us and walk, run or even skip your way to the finish line.

Additional information regarding our SSU Employee Wellness programs can be found here: https://hr.sonoma.edu/payroll/employee-wellness.