My Journey Into Mindfulness
My journey into mindfulness began in 2014, while sitting at my first meditation class. I touched into a quiet, deep within me, that I had not felt since I was a little girl sitting under evergreen trees in the stillness of a snow fall. I had a solid yoga practice at the time, but had never felt this kind of stillness while practicing. It was an eye opening moment for me and one that would change my life forever.
I was working at the time as the Learning Center Coordinator for the Chambers Center for Well Being, an integrative medicine center at Morristown Hospital. I was also a Certified Holistic Health Coach and knew how to properly nourish my body, but I had never explored the idea of nourishing my mind. It was a demanding time in my life, as a single, full-time working mom and daughter of an ailing parent. On most days I felt like I was in "survival mode". Something shifted within me on that meditation cushion that day, and I felt like I struck gold, discovering a quiet deep within that I thought was no longer accessible. My curiosity was peaked and my mindfulness journey began.
In 2015, I became the Managing Director of the Krame Center for Mindful Living at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Over the next four years, I deepened my practice through the great work we were doing and the amazing people I was meeting. Through each mindfulness teacher, workshop, retreat, course and book I read, my practice deepened, the quiet within became more accessible, and my relationship to myself and my life experiences softened. I found a deep happiness within and ended my journey of looking for happiness outside of myself.
Today, I am focusing my journey through mindfulness, meditation, Buddhism and Mindful Self-Compassion. I lead meditations at Ramapo College, am one of four Peer Leaders who lead monthly meditations and provide Dharma readings for the NY Insight NJ Sangha, and I teach the research-based 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course. My life continues to be a rollercoaster of self-exploration. Some parts of the path are more difficult than others, but all of it makes up who I am today, and has led me to what fulfills me most in this life.
Mindfulness has taught be to live in the present moment, not worry about the future or regret the past. Buddhism has changed my relationship with suffering, allowing me to embrace every experience as impermanent and a part of my path. Mindful Self-Compassion has enabled me to love myself exactly as I am, in each moment, and to treat myself as my best friend.
Being able to touch into that sensual quiet, whenever I need to, is the most precious gift. I love sharing this journey with others and hope you will join me so we can practice together. Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you soon.
Most warmly,
