Class Offerings.
(Note: The following can take form as day-long workshops, weekly or monthly classes, or ongoing programs.)
Mellow 101
A foundational, how-to course, dispelling any misnomers or preconceptions about meditation. This program answers, "What's in it for me?" and showcases the myriad ways that the practice can be a benefit right away. This course combines neuroscience, humor, theory, and direct experience, while also answering common questions and providing the necessary tools and perspectives for participants to begin or re-ignite a daily practice.
"Between the Ears:"
Athlete Mental Skills Training
While athletes have often been told to “get their heads in the game,” the training of the mind has often lagged behind the training the body. However, more and more athletes and organizations at the highest levels of sports are espousing the benefits of "Mental Skills Training," which lead to flow states and the very highest levels of physical performance. Based on the work of George Mumford, W. Timothy Gallwey, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and others, this program shows athletes how to train their minds, stay present, and reach their highest potential on and off the field of play.
The Warriors Code:
Meditation for First Responders
Unfortunately, those on the frontlines are not always given the tools to recover from the stressful, demanding, and dangerous nature of their jobs, which is evidenced by the fact that first responders are suffer from depression, addiction, insomnia, PTSD, and other mental health issues at significantly higher than average rates. The good news, however, is that these trends do not have to be the end of the story, as there are proven and effective techniques supported by an explosion of research and neuroscience that can counteract the potential pitfalls first responders face: through breathing, mindfulness, and meditation, humans can positively alter their stress responses, change the tones of the central nervous system, re-train the neural pathways of the brain, and find new levels of happiness, job satisfaction, and overall well-being – all of which are ways those sworn to protect and serve others can first protect and serve themselves.
Freedom Behind Bars
Famously, Thich Nhat Hanh said you can "be free where you are" -- even within the walls of a prison. Utilizing education, philosophy, meditation, mindfulness, and breath work, incarcerated populations will be exposed to wellness practices that help them navigate the difficulty of life within prison, cultivate a sense of internal freedom, discover a growing sense of gratitude, and develop skills that can be employed when re-integrating to society. I often say that "Meditation works here because meditation works everywhere," and having had the privilege to work with incarcerated populations over the last year-and-a-half, I believe this to be more true now than ever before.
Self-Care for Schools
The old saying goes that "an empty cup has nothing to offer a thirty person," which rings especially true for those in education, who often extend themselves beyond the normal parameters of the job to meet the increasing social-emotional needs of their students (which have only become more severe post-COVID). Delivered by a teacher with a decade-and-a-half of experience, this program addresses the pitfalls of many educators face and offers the the restorative, regenerative practices of meditation and mindfulness to help remedy these challenges. A two-part workshop, the first session addresses the need for educators to care for themselves, while the second provides ways to integrate meditation and mindfulness into the classroom for the benefit of the student population.
Meditation in the Workplace
With the pace of life and work in the modern world continuously speeding up -- and with technology making it ever more difficult to "clock out" -- the need to de-stress the workplace is more important than ever before. Stressful professional environments have been shown to have negative impacts on productivity, company growth, and employee retention, while increasing inter-office tension, absenteeism, health care costs, and employee burnout. Using practical, easy-to-implement meditation techniques, this workshop will help companies find a greater sense of balance and give employees at all levels the tools to increase their day-to-day happiness and job satisfaction.
