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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​​The Mindfulness Path to Peace​​​
Each of us has our own path, but to follow that path, we all need to cultivate the presence of mind – the mindfulness – to see the way. We need to address the anxiety and fear-based patterning that stops us from moving with intention, wisdom and clarity, building our resilience and ability to abide in a place of grounded wholeness, a place of empowered calm and peace, no matter what is going on in our lives.
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Building on the tenets of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction), an evidence-based program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and with decades of study behind it, we will explore managing stress, anxiety, and overwhelm in a way that cultivates your ability to be present in the moment. Befriending ourselves and clearing the path to our own truths is the basis for calming our nervous system, cultivating a sense of peace in heart, mind and body. Together we will discuss the theory and techniques of mindfulness, learn various meditations, 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.
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Six consecutive Tuesdays, from 2:30 - 4:30 pm
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May 26th - June 30th, 2026​​
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Classes held at SFCC
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Sign up through SFCC's Continuing Education, class #7767​
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Price is discounted at $129
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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
Upcoming
Class
6-week in-person Course
Mindfulness series
at the Santa Fe Community College
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 mindfulness was. After many years of meditating using various methods, a period of my own stress led to the decision to take several series of mindfulness-based stress reduction 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.