mindful

In this session, Irene Smith shares the hand-heart connection through guided meditation and self-comforting touch techniques to return compassion and tenderness to oneself. This session ran on July 22nd, 2020.

In this session, Mary Doane introduces the use of healthy emotional boundaries and shares how to use mindfulness to maintain healthy boundaries and increase feelings of safety and empowerment in these uncertain times. This session ran on July 8th, 2020.

In this session, Alistair Shanks guides you through meditations that will help you reconnect to the values that matter most and introduce you to daily practices that will support a deeper connection to the world around you. This session ran on June 26th, 2020.

In this session for professional caregivers, Roy Remer introduces techniques for reconnecting to the values that led you to caregiving and guided you in the work. Learn how to reconnect with your values, build resiliency, and rediscover your compassion for self and others. This session ran on June 16th, 2020.

In this session, Alistair Shanks shares mindfulness techniques and approaches that can help us navigate times of transition and cope with uncertainty. This session ran on June 11th, 2020.

In this session, Irene Smith presents mindful practices of self-touch to nurture and support you in times of difficulty and uncertainty. Mindful Touching as a self comforting tool can be grounding, centering and nurturing as well as easily integrated into any daily routine.

In this session for professional caregivers, Roy Remer provides the opportunity to reflect on ways we cope with change and how mindfulness and compassion practices can be used to navigate change and reduce the anxiety that it can bring. This session was run on May 28, 2020.

In this session, Mary Doane discusses how to use mindfulness to explore and process our experience of grief, allowing us to accept more and suffer less. This session was run on May 19, 2020.

We are pleased to support your caregiving with a variety of guided meditations led by our Mindful Caregiving Education instructors. You will find three-minute, five-minute, and ten-minute long meditations on our Resource page.

Resource/guided meditations

Mindfulness and meditation don’t have to be complicated. Our advice: start small, with a few moments daily where you mindfully follow your breath and grow from there. Below are some resources to support you on your journey.

Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World

Created by meditation teacher Dr. Danny Penman, and Clinical Psychology Professor Mark Williams, this website gives a simple overview of mindfulness and provides resources and apps for those who want to explore further.

Science of Mindfulness

A website that explores the latest scientific research into mindfulness and meditation, and how they can be used in our daily lives. The site also shares interviews with leading researchers in the field of mindfulness, meditation, and compassion.

Full Catastrophe Living

Written by Jon Kabat-Zinn, this book offers a step-by-step introduction to the practice of mindfulness and how to cultivate mindfulness in the face of stress, pain, and illness. You can find videos of Kabat-Zinn’s meditation teachings on his website. 

Non-violent Communications 

With Nonviolent Communication (NVC) we learn to hear our own deeper needs and those of others. Through its emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—NVC helps us discover the depth of our own compassion. This language reveals the awareness that all human beings are only trying to honor universal values and needs, every minute, every day.

NVC can be seen as both a spiritual practice that helps us see our common humanity, using our power in a way that honors everyone’s needs and a concrete set of skills that help us create life-serving families and communities. The form is simple, yet powerfully transformative.https://www.cnvc.org/

Insight Timer

This free app has guided meditations, a timer, and the option to show who else across the globe is meditating at the same time as you are.

Headspace App

This meditation app offers a free 10-day beginner’s course that guides you through the essentials of meditation and mindfulness.

SF Zen Center

The SF Zen Center has in-person beginner’s introductions to meditation while also sharing videos of talks and teachings online.

Upaya Zen Center

Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico offers daily Zen meditation, weekly dharma talks, and programs on Buddhist teachings, art, neuroscience, and social engagement. The center also provides professional training for end-of-life-care and Buddhist chaplaincy.