LaGuardia Community College mindfulness series blends practice and discussion

The June 24 mindfulness session at LaGuardia Community College ran from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom, a compact format that looked less like a drop-in wellness perk and more like a campus support tool. Organized by The LaGuardia Mindfulness Project, the series met on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. and was open to faculty, staff and students.

That structure mattered. The listing said each session included instruction, meditation and discussion with Q&A, and it was pitched to people who already had a practice as well as those who were just curious to start one. For commuters, first-time meditators and anyone squeezing wellness between classes or shifts, the short time slot and online access made the series feel usable instead of aspirational.

LaGuardia had already been posting related mindfulness sessions throughout 2025, showing this was not a one-off experiment. Earlier listings put the program online via Zoom and, at other points, in person in the M-Building, MB-08. That mix of formats gave the college a flexible setup: a live practice when students could get to campus, and a virtual option when they could not.

The program sat inside the Women’s Center & LGBTQ+ Hub, which LaGuardia describes as open to all students and home to resources and programming around women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, equity, and gender and sexuality expression. Mindfulness appears there alongside mentoring, creativity, advocacy and volunteering, which places the meditation series inside a broader support network rather than as an isolated wellness event.

Deema Bayrakdar is the organizer tied to the sessions and the director of the Women’s Center and LGBTQIA Safe Zone Hub. LaGuardia identifies her as a trauma-trained licensed mental health counselor, certified mindfulness meditation teacher and neurodiversity coach, a background that helps explain why the series is framed as guided practice plus conversation instead of a generic relaxation class. The listing gives womencenter@lagcc.cuny.edu for more information, and Bayrakdar is also listed with a direct campus contact.

For a community college built around packed schedules and split commutes, the appeal is in the design: 30 minutes, one Zoom link, a guided practice and a chance to ask questions before logging off. It is a small format, but that is exactly what makes it workable.