Pauli Gardner still remembers the moment mindfulness found them on a chaotic first day teaching in New York City. The subway had stalled, the cab was stuck in traffic and their heart was racing by the time they arrived to face a class of 75 staring students.

Instinctively, Gardner asked everyone to close their eyes, breathe and let go.

“I just talked myself through what I needed — ‘relax your jaw, lower your shoulders, find your breath,’” they recall. “When I finally opened my eyes, you could hear a pin drop.”

That simple act would shape the 2025 Brock University Distinguished Teaching Award recipient’s teaching philosophy for years to come.

For Gardner, teaching is about “working from the inside out” and helping students tune into their thoughts, emotions and bodies as the foundation for meaningful learning and connection.

“In a world that’s moving faster than ever, and with artificial intelligence reshaping how we learn and work, I think deeply about what remains distinctly human. Connection, compassion and presence — that’s where the deepest learning happens,” they say.

The  Associate Professor of Health Sciences begins every class with a brief check-in and mindfulness meditation.

“I want my students to really engage with what they are learning,” Gardner says. “Learning isn’t just about information; it’s about attention, curiosity and showing up for yourself and others.”

At the core of Gardner’s work is contemplative pedagogy, an approach that integrates mindfulness, reflection and experiential learning to help students explore equity, empathy and social change.

Through practices like meditation, reflective writing and non-judgmental listening, students learn to focus attention, expand awareness and cultivate compassion for themselves and others.

“Our fast-paced, technology-saturated world fractures our attention and erodes meaningful connection,” they say. “By slowing down and focusing on the present moment, we learn not just the material, but also how to think critically, listen generously and engage with intention.”

Gardner’s approach to teaching inspired them to create Through Their Eyes, an intergenerational service-learning project that pairs students with older adults in Niagara’s senior residences, and the ICER Award, which immerses a graduate student in a seniors’ housing complex for a full year to lead community-engagement activities.

Mindfulness and relationship building are also central to Gardner’s work as a graduate student supervisor.

“I rely on my contemplative practices to hold space for their discomfort rather than rushing to fix it,” they say. “It helps them move forward with confidence and ownership of their work.”

Gardner has always been interested in how learning happens. Before coming to Brock in 2013, one of the many jobs they held was as an elementary school teacher.

“I came into academia with a strong foundation and knowing how to plan a class, structure lessons and truly engage students,” they say. “That experience continues to shape how I build meaningful connections and create spaces where learning feels personal and alive.”

They received Brock’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for Early Career Faculty  in 2014, the Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence in 2016 and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Teaching Excellence Award in 2018.

Gardner, who addressed graduates during Brock’s 118th Convocation in October, says they are humbled to be a part of the University’s community of passionate educators.

“There are so many amazing faculty at Brock. We each bring different strengths to our work. For me teaching is where I feel I can truly make a difference.”

Gardner will share insights into their teaching during the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation’s annual Tribute to Teaching on Thursday, Dec. 4.