Why Mindfulness?
Part of the extraordinary package of living
is stress and we can't stop that. But we can learn to manage our response to stressors, cultivating a sense of control and calm, expanding our personal choices, and building connections to a greater sense of inner balance, resilience and joy. (Trust in ourselves is a part of this picture, like allowing an elephant to give us a hug! )
Growing our capacity for mindfulness supports
both personal and professional goals for developing concentration, focus and steadiness
in the face of challenge. Community Classes, Corporate Workshops and Private Coaching Sessions are all available, depending on your needs. Contact me for further information.
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WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
MINDFULNESS, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn,
is "paying attention on purpose,
moment-by-moment, and non-judgmentally."
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Why would we choose to live our lives mindfully?
In order to experience the truth of each moment, strengthening our ability to tap into the opportunities
of where we are now, responding to what we encounter both internally and externally with the full understanding
of the present moment, the present circumstances, the present options. In other words, we make decisions
based on the whole of what is real and what is possible.
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Mindfulness--awareness in the present--is an innate capacity, one available to all of us. We need only to
cultivate and then practice, diligently practice, the awareness of the present moment, rather than accepting the limitations of minds and hearts
preoccupied and distracted by worries of the past and anxieties of what the future might bring.
WHAT IS MBSR?
MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION is an evidence-based program initially developed as an adjunct to medical treatment to reduce stress and address issues of chronic pain. Decades of research have identified a range of other potential benefits, including a decrease in anxiety, depression, and blood pressure, as well as an improvement in sleep, concentration, immune system function and an overall sense of well-being.
MBSR was developed and introduced by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, at the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. A long-time Zen practitioner, his intention to bring the benefits of mindful awareness and meditation to a broader community, and to do so in a non-spiritual, secular way, one that anyone, of any belief or non-belief, could readily access. His program continues to thrive, having spread around the world and been adopted and practiced by countless people.
MBSR PROGRAM
MBSR is an 8-week experiential program where you will learn and practice various formal meditations and informal mindfulness methods, cultivating your own inner resources to reduce stress and develop resilience for the challenges and joys of daily life.
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Upcoming
MBSR Classes
- MBSR online series
- Free Intro Class
- MBSR in-person series
MBSR 6-week series - In-Person Course
Explore the world of mindfulness, a practice that builds capacity to manage both day-to-day stress and overwhelm, as well as the more entrenched struggles with anxiety and depression. This is an opportunity to begin learning how to take each day as it comes, building resilience, finding a sense of groundedness in embodiment, strengthening your relationship to yourself and your own innate wisdom as well as your relationship to those around you. Classes will include a discussion of how mindfulness works, group discussions, guided meditations, and the techniques for building a life that taps into the being present in the moment, on purpose, nonjudgmentally.
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Thursdays, 10:00 - Noon
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January 30th - March 6th, 2025
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Unitarian Church, 107 W. Barcelona, Santa Fe
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Price: $240
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MBSR 8-week series - Online Course - Santa Fe Community College​
MBSR is a deep dive into cultivating the skills to address life's challenges. An evidence-based program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, and with years of study behind it, we will explore managing stress, anxiety, and overwhelm in a way that supports your own well-being, sense of balance and clarity. Together we will discuss the theory and techniques of mindfulness, learn various meditations, do a little gentle movement to help ground you in your body, and share support as you work towards a place of feeling centered, calm, and better able to field challenges in a way that is empowering. This course is equally valuable for anyone who simply wants to build their capacity to live nonjudgmentally in the present moment. (A certificate of completion is recognized by other MBSR schools of study and will allow you to take further advanced classes.)
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Tuesdays, 9:30 - Noon
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January 14 - March 4th, 2025
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Includes Silent Retreat March 1st, 9:00 - 3:30pm​​
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Sign up available soon through Continuing Education, listed under Personal Enrichment, Class #5406
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Payments: Checks or cash on the first class are welcome. Payments can also by made in installments. Discounts available if this is a low-income time. Venmo or Paypal Payment link.
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To request information on
COMMUNITY CLASSES, CORPORATE WORKSHOPS,
or PRIVATE SESSIONS
please complete the Contact Form below or email me at: MehaffyMeditation@gmail.com
Meditations
KITA MEHAFFY
I have had the good fortune to explore the world, visiting over 30 countries and living in a number of them. Through my travels I've built a love of the earth and the many peoples and cultures that make our planet so extraordinary. My first career was in health care where, among other things, I taught meditation for stress relief to patients and retreat clients before I knew what MBSR was. After many years of meditating using various methods, a period of my own stress led to the decision to take several series of MBSR classes. The program included very specific meditations along with the cultivation of mindfulness in a way that addressed re-visioning our relationships with ourselves and the world around us. It changed my life in many ways. To have the opportunity to teach others how to take control of their own stress, find their own place of resilience through presence of mind, is a gift.
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The information I have to share is both simple and profound.
With gratitude, I look forward to helping you enhance your own well-being.
Kita studied MBSR at the University of California San Diego in their Professional Training Institute's MBSR certification program.