Mindful awareness is a powerful tool for engaging with what’s happening right now without getting overwhelmed by it – or by numbing ourselves to it. It’s a skill that anyone can learn – and because it’s a skill, you can learn, practice, and improve this practice in your daily life. I enjoy helping people learn how to do this, and I’d love to talk with you or your organization about it.
Mindfulness is often followed by the term meditation. This does not necessarily imply a religious connotation; rather, meditation can simply refer to focusing your attention on something specific for a period of time. Even though mindfulness is often associated with Buddhism, I teach from a purely secular perspective. While I happen to identify as a secular Buddhist in the Theravada tradition, I do not have any particular training as a Buddhist teacher. Rather, I focus on what I know well: Teaching mindful awareness with a solid backing in scientific research and evidence, with respect for each individual’s needs. I do not believe that mindfulness meditation is the right answer for everything, and in certain circumstances it can even be detrimental. It’s important to have an instructor who is aware of these nuances.
Since 2014, I have facilitated a weekly drop-in meditation group, and in 2015 I became a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. This year-long training program emphasized an understanding of teaching mindfulness from a research-based perspective, and has deeply informed my practice and teaching ever since. I am a member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association, and have completed 60 days of silent retreat practice, both in the US and internationally.
I am also trained in facilitating Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) groups, including a week-long residential training with one of the creators of MBCT, Dr. Zindel Segal.
Facilitation in the Los Angeles Area:
- Saturday, January 28th, 2023: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation, Aion Training, Pasadena, CA