As ecological and social challenges intensify, educational approaches that foster meaningful engagement with sustainability are increasingly crucial. This thesis explores how mindfulness and embodiment practices—methods engaging body and mind—can foster socio-ecological awareness through transformative learning. Situated within the framework of Work-Integrated Education (WIE), the study examines how reflective, relational, and body-based methods contribute to shifts in perception, values, and understanding of sustainability.

The research was conducted through a four-part workshop facilitated by the author, combining mindfulness, movement, and trust-based exercises. A qualitative action research approach enabled iterative workshop design, shaped by participant feedback. Data were collected through open questionnaires, observations, group reflections, and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis, guided by five dimensions of transformative awareness—cognitive, emotional, somatic, social, and environmental—was applied to explore outcomes.

Findings suggest that embodied and mindful practices support participants’ development of presence, emotional awareness, and connection to others and the natural world—key elements of socio-ecological awareness. The thesis highlights the importance of safe, participatory learning environments and openness in enabling transformative processes.

By integrating mindfulness and embodiment into a WIE context, this research contributes to sustainability education and transformative pedagogy, offering practical insights for designing embodied learning environments that cultivate grounded, relational, and meaningful engagement with sustainability in personal and professional settings. By emphasizing a holistic, body–mind approach to learning, the thesis contributes to social and environmental sustainability through practices that foster deeper relational awareness and values-based engagement.