Art of Living program brings breathing-based mental health support to Ontario campuses.
The SKY Campus Happiness Program has reached more than 2,000 students across Canada, with plans to expand into colleges
As student mental health continues to be a growing concern across Canadian campuses, one program is taking a different approach; using breathing techniques and community building to help students manage stress from the inside out.
Offered through the Art of Living Canada, is currently active at 17 campuses across Canada, including the University of Toronto, York University, the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Since launching in Canada at the end of 2021, the program has reached more than 2,000 students.
Preksha Jain, director of SKY Campus Happiness Canada, said loneliness and burnout are among the biggest challenges students face today.
“Lots of students from different backgrounds and different countries, and it’s the first time they’re stepping out of their comfort zone, or moving on the family, and a lot of students struggle with finding that sort of inclusion and belongings and feeling the true sense of community,” said Jain.
At the core of the program is breath meditation, an evidence-based practice that uses rhythmic breathing patterns to calm the nervous system. The program runs approximately 10 to 11 hours over three consecutive days, held on weekends so it does not interfere with classes.
Jain described the program as taking a four-pronged approach to student wellbeing, covering breath meditation, inclusion and belonging, leadership and service, and emotional resilience.
Research shows a significant decrease in stress and depression among participants. Jain shared the story of one University of Toronto student who came close to dropping out before joining the program.
“They shared that they have felt happy in a long time, truly feel that they can do more and feel confident about themselves,” said Jain.
The program is not meant to replace existing campus mental health services but to work alongside them.
“Our intent is to work hand in hand alongside with the existing support that students have on campus, and it’s a more preventative approach that we take,” said Jain.
The program is offered at a subsidized cost, with full scholarships available in some cases. Jain said expanding into colleges and polytechnics like George Brown is already in the works.
“Our aim is to get into every university and college across Canada, so we are slowly tapping into the colleges and universities that we’re not a part of yet.”
For more information or to register, visit skycampuscanada.org.
