Connecting Mindfulness & Compassion Professionals across Canada & Beyond
Welcome to the Mindfulness Toronto Professional Community!
Mindfulness Toronto is a vibrant community of professionals dedicated to the science, principles and practice of mindfulness and compassion in all sectors of society.
Public Website
Please visit our public website at www.mindfulnesstoronto.net for more information on how to join us.
Upcoming and Past Community Meetings
Thursday November 21st, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
In the session, Sara will share a brief overview of the exciting new compassion for couples program. Specifically, Sara will discuss how intentionally bringing compassion into intimate partner relationships can help create a sense of safety and security, necessary conditions for relationships to thrive. She’ll also lead us in a compassion practice and explore how partners can create the conditions to engage in more fruitful conversations, identify opportunities for connection, and address cycles of conflict.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore how mindfulness and compassion can be helpful, both to ourselves and to our partners, in navigating relational patterns and distress
- Directly experience two exercises from the CfC program (if you have a partner, please feel free to invite them to join)
- Learn about the upcoming, (and only) Canadian offering of the CfC program, how to refer / join, and eligibility criteria
Sara Marlowe, MSW, RSW is a clinical social worker, children’s author, musician and mindfulness practitioner and teacher. She currently works in private practice as an individual, couples and group therapist, as well as public speaker and workshop facilitator. She is a certified mindful self-compassion teacher and has had teacher training in MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy), MARS-A (mindful awareness and resilience skills for adolescents) and MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction). She will be starting to offer the brand new, Compassion for Couples program, developed by Michelle Becker (senior MSC faculty) in 2025. She is also trained in EFFT (emotion-focused family therapy) and has completed Level 2 in PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples therapy), Level 3 in Gottman method couple’s therapy, and is certified in DARe (dynamic attachment repatterning experience).
Sara is the author of four children’s books: No Ordinary Apple: A Story about Eating Mindfully, My New Best Friend, which introduces self-compassion, The Inside Flashlight, which playfully teaches emotion regulation skills to children and No Ordinary Pizza: A Story about Interconnection. Sara is the co-creator of Mindful Monkey Magazine: Connecting Families Through Practice & Play. Sara can be found online at www.wecanrelate.ca.
Tuesday October 29th, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
What “Being on the Brink of Everything” Can Teach Us About Living Mindfully in Education with Amanda Baric, MA
In this session, Amanda will share how her journey to becoming a yoga therapist specializing in cancer recovery support led her to researching the intersection between teaching and cancer, a phenomenon in education that is equally overlooked as it is common. She will also lead us through a short therapeutic yoga practice and share how a regular, ongoing practice can help to relieve suffering and restore balance.
Amanda Baric, MA is a Professional Learning Facilitator, Educator, Researcher and Certified Yoga Therapist. She recently completed her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Pedagogy, with an emphasis in Wellbeing in Education and Indigenous Education and Decolonization at OISE, University of Toronto. Amanda has developed and delivered trauma-sensitive group wellness and mindfulness workshops and communities of practice for pre-service teachers, and works closely with her local cancer support communities, offering therapeutic yoga and one-on-one yoga therapy. She is passionate about advocating for and modelling mindful, holistic and culturally responsive approaches to teaching and learning that help foster balance, equanimity, connection, and inclusion.
September 11th, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Sound Bath for Wellbeing of Body and Mind with Deb Taylor
Sound Bath for Wellbeing of Body and Mind with Deb Taylor
Join us to enjoy soft, healing tones as we stretch, breathe, and connect. This relaxing hour will settle your body, mind, spirit for clarity, strength, and positivity. It is a great time to set good intentions for our upcoming days, weeks and months. You can relax to beautiful singing bowls and other sacred instruments, all played by Deb Taylor @debtaylorlife. These tones will help you release tension from the body and mind. You will connect with yourself and our community!
What is a Sacred Sound Bath?
Many cultures work with crystal and brass singing bowls, drums, rain stick, rain drum, chimes, and more to create streams of healing sounds that are especially useful for deep relaxation. This time spent in contemplation, relaxation, and focused awareness can help you reset, heal, and manifest Divine abundance, love, and light.
September feels like a time of new beginnings, back to routines, and organized intentions for greater peace of mind and peace in our heart. As we let go of the tensions we no longer need to carry and ground in self-acceptance, our calm creativity will flow.
Deb Taylor's mission is to shine a light on best practices for healthy, more energized living to feel more regulated and empowered. As a wellness specialist and mindfulness facilitator, Deb infuses her MYndful Movement offerings with guidance in breath work, movement, sound healing, Hatha yoga, intention-setting, and more. Deb has created The MYndful Movement Program which is now being implemented in the corporate world and throughout the education system. Her knowledge and understanding has come from more than 20-years of education in Yoga (YTT200hrs), mindfulness (MBSR), music (BA, BEd), and mind-body wellness. Deb will guide and support you in bringing more acceptance, compassion, and peace into your work-life and your home-life.
July 25th, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Asleep and Aware: Experiencing Yoga Nidra through iRest® (Integrative Restoration) with Jen Baradi, M.Ed, MAET, OCT
Do you enjoy resting in a yoga nidra practice, that deep release in the body and of the nervous system?
Then come and be nourished by this accessible meditative protocol called iRest® Yoga Nidra. iRest® feels integrative and unifying as we are supported in meeting anything unfolding, anything unresolved or any residue, during or beyond the practice. Also, iRest® feels restorative as we learn to tap into True Nature, unchanging Awareness, wholeness of Being.
Let's discuss and experience iRest® Yoga Nidra Meditation together. Feel free to prepare a cozy spot and any other supports, such as cushions / blankets / eye pillow. Also, perhaps have something to write on for any insights / reflections that may arise, so the experience might be integrated into everyday life.
Jen Baradi, iRest® Certified Meditation Teacher; Registered Yoga Teacher, 400 RYT; Level 2 Reiki Practitioner; M.Ed, MAET, OCT.
As an educator, Jen taught internationally for 20 years and first developed an interest in combining yoga and education while completing postgraduate research on the effects of yoga on academic achievement. After repatriating back to Toronto, she took time for wellbeing and for deepening her yoga practice by completing two yoga teaching certifications and discovering the healing benefits of iRest® (Integrative Restoration®). She has awakened to a path of integrating wellbeing, awareness, and education. To discover more for yourself, connect with her through www.jenbyogi.com
May 30th, 2024, 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Back to Basics - Mindfulness and the Collaborative Learning Network with Alisha E. Athanasiou, Juris Doctor
It is easy to be swept up in the busy-ness of life in an urban city. In this session, we will get back to the basics of mindfulness. Let’s slow down, connect with our breath and body, and sit in community. Alisha’s approach to mindfulness combines yoga and meditation to cultivate a synergy between the mind, body, and spirit.
Together we will explore:
- Movements to engage areas of the body prone to tension
- Meditation techniques to focus the mind and help you unwind
- Key take aways and practices that can be easily incorporated into your day
Alisha has nearly 20 years of experience with the practice of yoga and meditation. She is a lawyer and is licensed to practice law in Ontario and Alberta. Alisha has been taught an array of mindfulness techniques from teachers across North America and in northern Thailand. She is also the founder of the Collaborative Learning Network (“CLN”), an initiative intended to offer mindfulness tools to lawyers. The aim of this network is to help lawyers manage work and life with a view to developing sustainable legal careers.
Alisha has a certificate in Foundations of Applied Mindfulness from the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies, completed Compassion Cultivation Training© with the Compassion Institute, Mindfulness Without Borders facilitator training, and yoga teacher training with her long-time teacher and friend Marco Racco of Olive Tree Yoga and Pilates. Having firsthand experience with the benefits of yoga and meditation, Alisha is incredibly passionate about sharing what she has learned. She tailors her workshops to the needs of students, professionals, athletes, and anyone else that is interested in exploring a holistic approach to health and well being.
Discover more about Alisha's work here: https://aealaw.ca/mindfulness-consulting/ and here: https://jamandyoga.com/
Thursday April 25th, 2024, 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Understanding and Exploring Compassion
Using the Framework of Compassion-Focused Therapy with Greg Samuelson RN, RP
Compassion-Focused Therapy is a Mindfulness-Based Therapy. Paul Gilbert, the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy defines it as: a science based, integrative (consilient), evolution informed biopsychosocial approach to the human mind, promoting caring connections to self and others, hence pro-sociality and well-being.
This session will include exercises, exploration, and dialogue. We will explore the idea of Compassion and how Compassionate Mind Training and Compassion Focused Therapy define the concept of compassion and where it is placed in the framework of motivations, emotions, competencies, and behaviours. We will also talk about the flows of compassion and engage in experiential exercises designed to activate the brain systems that help us to act in compassionate ways and to understand the facilitators and inhibitors to accessing compassion.
Greg Samuelson RN, RP is a Trainer and Supervisor for The Compassionate Mind Foundation. He is a Registered Nurse and a Registered Psychotherapist with over 30 years experience in the mental health field working in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Greg has training in CFT, CBT, DBT, IPT, CPT, and Mindfulness based therapies. His current practice focuses on the use of Compassion Focused Therapy in individual psychotherapy. Greg was a founding member of the Canadian Network - Compassion Focused Therapy - Réseau Canadien. He provides supervision and consultation for therapists interested in learning to use the model of Compassion Focused Therapy with their clients.
Thursday March 28th, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Applying Mindfulness to Support LGBTQ+ Youth with Esther Persaud, RN
Esther Persaud, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) and is a Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified Mindfulness Teacher (CMT), has been dedicatedly serving as a Public Health Nurse at Toronto Public Health since March of 1999. Her specialized knowledge encompasses parenting, Early Years, and advanced facilitation skills, lending her expertise as an educator in these domains. Esther also has experience working as a coach within the STOMP (Sick Kid Team for Obesity Management Program) at Hospital for Sick Children and is currently working with HeLTI Canada as a coach to women and their partners working to optimize their health in their childbearing years.
Esther is also a certified Incredible Years Group leader and a Nobody’s Perfect Mentor and
Group Leader. In her extensive career, Esther has assumed the role of a mentor, imparting her knowledge and skillset to fellow staff, students, and community members in the areas of parenting, facilitation, physical literacy, and inclusivity. Currently, she holds the position of School Liaison Public Health Nurse, where her work primarily concentrates on Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction.
As a certified Mindfulness Teacher and Trainer, Esther not only practices mindfulness but also teaches and mentors others in both her professional capacity and personal life. She is driven by a keen aspiration to become a Nurse Psychotherapist, intending to incorporate mindfulness with Cognitive Behavior Therapy and enhance her role as a mindfulness role model and educator.
Esther is zealous in her pursuit of aiding youth and families to achieve maximum health and mental well-being, with a particular focus on supporting the LGBTQ2S community. Her personal commitment to social justice is evident in her leadership in training programs for Positive Space initiatives and fostering ambassadorship for the same. Her passion for social equality and personal development reflects her dedication to impacting lives both within her professional field and the larger community.
Tuesday Feb 27th, 2024 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Building the 5 C's of Community Partnerships with Dr. Jackie Sanderlin
In this session, participants will learn how to build community, collaboration, capacity, connection and compassion to increase mindfulness and be empowered leaders.
Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin has over 30 years of K-adult education. She holds a B.A. in Communications, M.A. in Special Education and an Ed.D. in Education, Leadership, Administration and Policy. More specifically, she has served as a special education teacher, curriculum specialist, assistant principal, principal, district administrator, SEL/Wellness coordinator, college professor, and executive director of school-community engagement. She is an Executive Board Member for the Goldie Hawn Foundation (Mind Up) and Steering Committee member for SEL4CA (Social Emotional Learning Alliance for California). Her passion has led to cultivating more than 350 community partnerships and dramatic school improvements around the world. These efforts afforded Dr. Sanderlin an opportunity to become the consulting producer of the NBC reality show, School Pride. She is a sought-after international speaker, author of the book, The Why Not Challenge: Say Yes to Success with School-Community Partnerships. Currently, she is the National Education Leadership Executive Manager at Apple, Inc.
Tuesday November 21st, 2023
7:00pm - 8:00pm Live Online
Applying Mindfulness in Dental Practice
It is no secret that dental professionals work in a field that can be highly stressful. Dental education does not teach us about mental health, self care, compassion or how to cope with the stressors that are unique for us dentists. In this session, Sally will share how she integrates mindfulness in her own practice, engage us in practice and share how mindfulness techniques can help both the dental professional and their patients.
Dr. Sally Safa is a board-certified Periodontist. An alumna of the University of Toronto, she is an associate at the Faculty of Dentistry where she lectures to graduate students. She also works in private practice in North York where she enjoys all aspects of periodontal and implant-related patient care. She is a passionate advocate of wellness for dentists and dental students. Dr. Safa’s Master's research was in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology, understanding the effects of stress on the body. This background combined with her education in the field of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction has allowed her to share the science behind both stress and mindfulness and how it can help reduce stress in our day to day lives at home and the office. She has provided lectures and workshops to dental professionals nationally and internationally.
Tuesday October 24th, 2023 12:00pm - 1:00pm
LIVE ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Having spent the last 15 years with one foot grounded in Healthcare Leadership and the other in Mindfulness and Yoga practice, Hazim aims to share how mindfulness may manifest in the leadership role, sharing insights and practices that may support established and developing leaders. This session will be a combination of sharing, engaging, and practice with the ultimate goal of understanding the leadership role and how to better engage with it. This is a session that is open to all, as we all face moments where we have to take on a leadership role. Hazim will share the importance of approaching leadership with kindness, curiosity, presence and wisdom.
Bio: Hazim Hassan is a lifelong meditation practitioner, a passionate healthcare leader, and a budding Public Health Scientist. His journey started with almost a decade of Yoga practice, culminating with a Teaching certificate through the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. In the last 5 years he has dedicated his practice to meditation, studying with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach as part of the Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program. Seeing the incredible insight and value that practice brings, Hazim has dedicated the last few years to combining his yoga and meditation knowledge into his professional career. Hazim has worked over 10 years as a Senior Healthcare Executive, and is currently the Vice President of Business Planning and Strategy at the Ontario Hospital Association. His contemplative practice has been a source of nourishment, authenticity, and clarity in moments of success and challenges over the course of his career. With an MBA from McMaster University, Hazim is currently completing his Doctoral of Public Health at the University of Toronto, with a focus on mindfulness in the healthcare setting.
Tuesday September 26th, 2023
7:00pm - 8:00pm LIVE Online
Amee Le
Founder & Director of Mindful OT
Certified HeartMath Practitioner
Women in Business - A Mindful Approach
Amee Le's presentation, "Women in Business - A Mindful Approach," shares her inspiring journey as an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Founding Mindful OT, a clinic for children and families with Autism and Developmental Challenges, she navigated challenges like pivoting to a physical clinic space and scaling her business. Her passion-driven approach inspires women in business, highlighting the power of mindfulness in building success and creating a compassionate, inclusive world.
Amee Le, M.Sc., OT Reg. (Ont.), OTR, is a passionate and highly experienced occupational therapist and founder of Mindful OT, a leading children’s treatment clinic in Newmarket, Ontario. With over 15 years of experience, Amee’s mission is to see each child for who they truly are and to show adults and families the way forward through occupational therapy. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her contributions to the field, including the Platinum Jubilee Pin in 2022 for building strong and inclusive communities. Amee holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Queen’s University and an Honours Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Child Studies from the University of Guelph. She also holds certification as an Occupational Therapist in Canada and the USA.
Wednesday July 12th, 2023
7:00pm - 8:15pm Online
Kate Kitchen
Why Poetry?
Exploring why we include poetry in mindfulness practice
Paying attention, purposefully, in the only time you have to live, the present moment ~ Kabat-Zinn
From the first moment I began to explore MBSR and MBCT I found the inclusion of poetry fascinating. My first thought was that Jon Kabat-Zinn must simply love poetry. I never had that confirmed but it still seems true to me.
My other thought was that prose is like problem-solving. It has a subject and an action, the verb, where the subject is going. Prose is very useful, practical. What would we do without all that carefulplanning that goes into a sentence, a paragraph, an article in the newspaper?
But, there is a problem, or maybe a dilemma, since problem seems a bit too judgemental. Prose has a kind of closed-in quality, a figuring things out to come up with an answer. What poetry gives us is opening, observation, non-judgemental, mindful observation. It often has an “awe” quality.
Okay, I have made some snap judgements here. It isn’t that one is good and the other bad. It is that we use prose the most. Like mindfulness, poetry gives us another way into our minds, into experience – an exploration without the goal of there being one answer. So, exploring the connections between mindfulness and poetry is a gift. We don’t have to come up with one answer but take it as an opportunity for being present with the exploration. As Rumi reminds us it is a “Guesthouse” full of arrivals.
Please feel free to share your poems and thoughts about poetry and mindfulness. We can share our wisdom.
Events
January 10
Friday
January 12
Sunday
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Compassion for Couples
January 12, 2025 at 1pm to March 9, 2025 at 3pm – online
January 15
Wednesday
January 18
Saturday
February 22
Saturday
Forum
Invitation to Webinar
Started by Piyush Gaur Feb 4.
Mindfulness-based activities for your classroom and creative CBT sessions
Started by Deb Jan 26, 2020.
5 Day MBCT Facilitator with Zindel Segal at Sick Kids - a few spots available
Started by Sara Marlowe Dec 20, 2018.
Blog Posts
Life is Interrelated
Posted by Mindfulness Toronto Admin on September 11, 2024 at 9:00am
Omega Women’s Well-being Collective - Cohort of 20 Women Beginning Oct 2024
Posted by Mindfulness Toronto Admin on August 20, 2024 at 8:30am
Research and Publications
Mindfulness Research Guide is a comprehensive electronic resource that provides information to researchers, practitioners, and the general public on the scientific study of mindfulness.
Mindfulness Research Monthly bulletin for the purpose of keeping researchers and practitioners informed of current advances in mindfulness research.
Mindful.org is a website where you will find the best feature stories, news, instructions, and commentary—in writing, images, audio, and video—that we can find about mindfulness, awareness, kindness, and compassion.
Videos
A vibrant community of professionals dedicated to the science, principles and practice of mindfulness in all sectors of society.
Membership Renewals
PayPal Subscription
To renew your membership the preferred method of payment is PayPal Subscription. This service creates an automatically renewing subscription payment from your PayPal account. You can pay with credit card, from a bank account linked to PayPal, or from funds in your PayPal account. Please note that if you choose not to renew your membership in the future, you would need to update your PayPal account to cancel the subscription. PayPal will not send you a reminder on the renewal date. To use this method of payment you will need a PayPal account, and will be prompted to set one up if you do not have one.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
Interac Email Transfer
You can make an Interac email transfer from your bank's online banking service to: mindfulnesstoronto@gmail.com
Please note the steering committee has decided to no longer accept personal cheques or cash.
Your payment will extend your membership for 1 year from the date of payment.
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