Hello

​

This program is designed to improve focus and clarity, resilience and concentration through experiential training in mindfulness practices.   Mindfulness involves cultivating the art of paying attention in a particular way to one's experience from moment to moment, with both curiosity and openness, and in the process, letting go of attachment to unhealthy mind, body and emotional states. This learning lends one to develop the ability to

• improve attention and concentration.

• recognize stressful events and develop the capacity to choose a response in the face of challenging and unpredictable situations.

• increase resilience and recover more quickly

• enable a greater capacity to live with more compassion for yourself and others

• improve overall well-being

Program includes:

• 1 hour of instruction each week for six weeks

• Format: a mix of Experience - introduction of formal and informal mindfulness practices in class and for practice at home

• Explanation – what mindfulness is, how it works and its benefits

• Exploring - through dialogue and group discussions of participants’ experiences and applications for daily life

• Mindfulness Manual

• Downloadable Audio training guides

• Weekly email follow-up

• Resources, including apps, to enhance practices

Your Commitment:

 Six weeks, plus 15 – 30 minutes of daily practice at home.

Option to have Weeks 1 and 6 run for 90 minutes, and Weeks 2 – 5 run for 60 minutes each.

Minimum of eight participants, maximum is 15.

Participants will complete a pre-assessment form and sign an informed consent.

WHEN: Tuesdays,  January 20th – February 24th, 2026

TIME: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Pricing: $380. 

Early Bird pricing 20% discount. Register by December 30, 2025 - $300.

Refund Policy: Full refund will be issued, minus $50 processing fee, for cancellation made up to two weeks before the 2026 start date of the course. 50% refund will be issued for cancellation in the period two weeks before the start of the course. No refund is available if cancellation is within 2 working days before the start of the course. 

 

Curriculum Overview

 

Module 1 – Foundations of Mindfulness

• What is mindfulness?

• Origins of mindfulness

• Why bother?  How stressed are you? (Questionnaire)

• It starts with Attention – learning how to focus attention and create space to see more clearly

• Three-minute awareness of breath     practice

• Awareness –mindful eating

 

Module 2 – Clarity

• Cultivating the space to see

• Mindful check-in

• Mindful movement

• Body Scan

• Perceptions – self-awareness of patterns

• Curiosity and openness to experience

• Mindful daily activity

Module 3 – Connecting Mind – Body

• Cultivating the space to explore

• Awareness of thoughts, sensations, emotions

• Body as stress detector

• Pleasant/Unpleasant events – habitual

• Exploring limits

• Acknowledging without trying to change

• Tolerance for ambiguity

• Mindful Walking

Module 4 – Choices

• Cultivating the space to choose

• Experience of stress, patterns

• Reaction vs. Response

• Recognizing triggers

• Understanding the brain’s alarm system

• STOP

Module 5 – Compassion

• Cultivating space for oneself

• Befriending the Inner Critic

• Strategies for coping – self care

• Chart Activities - Nourishing vs. Energy Depleting

Module 6 – Courage to Continue

• Cultivating the space to practice

• Ways to support each other in a corporate setting

• Apps to enhance practice

• Letter

• Resources to sustain and support patterns

 

              Mindfulness for Beginners FAQs

Are there any prerequisites to signing up for this program? 

NO

Do I need any special equipment or clothing?

None.  No special equipment needed.  Clothing should be comfortable for sitting and simple stretching exercises. Training materials, including audio files, will be provided to you.

 

Do I have to attend all six classes?

Participating in all six classes will provide the most benefit from this training program.  The training is experiential so being present for each class will enable skill development as opposed to just reading about mindfulness.  That said, the unexpected happens so you will not be penalized if you must miss a class.   

 

Does this training involve any kind of therapy or religious teaching?

Absolutely not.  This program is based on the secular Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., at UMass. Medical School 45 years ago, adapted and customized for small groups.  It is not a form of any kind of therapy but rather an educational program. Mindfulness is a practice of present moment awareness. Mindfulness increases ability to see things as they arise clearly without judgment. Mindfulness facilitates both focusing and widening our attention as we become aware of ourselves and the world around us. The “goal” is to be more fully present in our lives.  These focused awareness practices may have their roots in the contemplative traditions of many religions, but are presented in a purely secular framework, unaffiliated with any religion.

 

Are there any restrictions for participation in this program?

Generally speaking, NO.  However, if you are under the care of a physician or mental health professional and have any specific health concerns, we would want to address those with you prior to your acceptance. 

 

Do I need to be athletic or flexible in order to participate in this program?

NO.  This program is open to individuals with a wide variety of abilities.  The mindful movement exercises are designed to be gentle, with the focus more on giving attention to the movement (even if imagined) than to the particular posture. Participants are encouraged to let the instructor know if they have any physical challenges. This will allow the instructor to fully support the participants as they engage in the mindfulness practices, and to modify the practices to fit the individual. There will always be the encouragement to take care of yourself in the best way possible.

 

Remember, mindfulness is not a panacea.  It will not remove stressful events from your life, but it can improve your relationship to those stressful events.  Its effectiveness depends on your participation, in class and outside of class. Although mindfulness is taught for stress reduction you may not always feel calm or relaxed.  But you will gain a better understanding of how your mind works and better equip you to ride the waves of difficult moments at the same time as enjoying the pleasant ones.

 

There are a lot of apps and resources available online,   Why should I take these classes? Online apps and other resources can be a helpful supplement to one’s practice.  However, without the additional guidance of an experienced instructor, many people give up after only a few attempts. The “mechanics” of mindful meditation are relatively simple, but they are not easy to learn on one’s own.  Sharing one’s experience each week, with other beginners, offers an opportunity for instructional feedback, as well as the reassurance of seeing “I’m not the only one” when describing challenges.  Mindfulness is a practice that one cultivates over time, and includes changing neural pathways in the brain.