Mindfulness Everyday is committed to the health and well-being of our community.
In response to the evolving and rapidly changing COVID-19 situation,
Mindfulness Everyday will be transitioning to online courses
and offering selected resources to support practices in your own home.
We will be exploring options for connecting in meaningful ways.
Stay tuned….
We wish everyone near and far, well-being at this challenging time.
Cultivating Equanimity in Times of Uncertainty
Notifications of cancellations and closures keep rolling in: events that enrich our lives, events that we learn from, events that support connection and community. A great opportunity to reflect on impermanence, watching the structure of our lives dissolve quickly, seeing so clearly the ever-changing nature of reality. The seriousness of the present situation with COVID-19 is not to be underestimated, and yet, how to maintain a sense of calm, a sense of resolve, to be with this situation wisely, and not get overwhelmed by fear and panic. How much toilet paper does one really need?
How can we help protect and support each other from the winds of change? Mindfulness is about connection – connection to oneself, to those around us near and far, and to the planet. This illness transcends borders; it affects us all and calls on us to recognize our inter-connection and act with responsibility. The call for social distancing is a challenge. The tendency is to gather to support one another, and we are now asked to connect in other more creative ways.
The cancellations and closures will affect each of us differently. For some, it is an opportunity to have more time, a respite from the normal busyness of our lives and to meet the time with awareness. For others, who have to still maintain jobs, and starting next week, take care of children at home, more responsibility. We will be providing resources that can be used with children and teens who are at home, to help cultivate mindfulness and resilience so that we can hold onto the intention of meeting the situation with equanimity and clarity. For me, equanimity is the ability to see the big picture, to hold everything in the space of awareness, without getting caught up with judgments that do not serve us. Everyone can have the opportunity to meet this time with mindfulness, with awareness, and be available for what is happening both inside and around them. It is a chance to reflect on what is most important to us: family, friends, community, health, creativity and to see how we can attend to them. We all have a choice in how we respond.
Wishing you, and all those dearest to you, both near and afar all the well-being in these uncertain times,
Heidi Bornstein and Steve Chadwick
Founders, Mindfulness Everyday
Who we are
Toronto-based Mindfulness Everyday, a registered charitable organization, has assembled a dedicated team of professionals, experienced in conducting mindfulness programs. We are committed to improving the health and well-being of community members and the networks that support children and youth, by providing tailored mindfulness programs for students, parents, educators and helping professionals in educational and community settings since 2009. Read more.
What is mindfulness?
How much time do you spend remembering things that have happened in the past or thinking about things that are going to happen in the future? What is happening now – the present moment?
Mindfulness is seeing things more clearly, and paying attention moment to moment to moment. When you are mindful, you notice what is happening—as it is happens. Mindfulness creates a space, a pause in which you can respond considerately to situations, rather than react. Creative possibilities open up; new ways of being with life’s challenges can present themselves.
Today, there is a growing interest in mindfulness. The new breakthroughs in neuroscience show that by practicing mindfulness, the brain can be shaped for greater happiness, love, wisdom and greater emotional balance in turbulent times, as well as healthier relationships, more effective actions, and greater peace of mind.
Mindfulness Everyday programs are based on the principles of the MBSR workshop, an 8-week program created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.
Mindfulness is the awareness that arises
when paying attention to the present moment,
with non-judgment.
Mindfulness Everyday programs
Education: Educators, Children and Youth
- smartEDUCATION™: Stress Management and Relaxation Training for Educators—an eight-week teacher renewal program, is designed specifically for (K-12) educators and professional support staff;
- SMART Facilitator Training Program—Training Pathway to become a SMART facilitator with Mindfulness everyday;
- Mindfulness Professional Development Workshops for Educators—practice, skills and resources for those involved with youth;
- Mindful Yoga Teacher Training—Certification Program in Mindful Yoga, suitable for implementation in education and community settings;
- The Mindful Edge®—Stress Reduction and Life Strategies for Teens delivered in secondary schools as part of the leadership and/or life skills curriculum;
- SHSM - Specialist High Skills Major—programs that offers a variety of options as per the Ministry requirements of electives in the SHSM Health and Wellness, Business, Not for Profit and Arts and Culture Program Sectors.
- Mindfulness Workshops K-12—The innovative workshops include engaging activities that explore mindfulness, movement, creativity, and healthy living skills to create programming that benefits students K-12 socially, emotionally, physically and academically.
Community and Parents
- MBSR Workshops—Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction offered to the general public in community settings;
- MSC Workshops—Mindful Self-Compassion teach core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care and understanding;
- All-Day Retreats—a day of silence for those who have taken an MBSR / MBCT / SMART workshop;
- Mindful Parenting: Stress Management and Relaxation Training for Parents and Care-givers —customized workshops designed specifically to support parents and caregivers; fortifying the health and wellness of parent-child relationships.