After graduating from law school, I spent over 15 years practicing as a litigation lawyer, with a focus on personal injury and employment law, primarily acting for insurance companies and large corporations. In 2006, I was a partner in a downtown law firm and enjoying an active family and social life. I thought I had it all.
That summer, on the last night of a trip I took with my husband to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, I was involved in a near-fatal motor vehicle accident, an event that completely changed my life. Trying almost every type of western medical treatment, nothing seemed to make a significant difference to the physical, psychological and cognitive difficulties I faced. Determined to return to my old life, giving up was not an option.
After four or five years, I happened upon a meditation and mindfulness program. I tried the practices and after some time started to notice a significant change in the way I approached my physical and mental pain. My overall function started to improve and I became more engaged in life. I moved from skepticism to curiosity and the more I learned and practiced, the more I came to clearly understand myself. Having received instruction from renowned teachers in Canada and the United States, my life was in transformation. Pain no longer controlled my every movement, compassion and my enjoyment for life grew strong. I stopped getting in my own way and realized there was tremendous potential right in front of me.
I am qualified as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from the Centre for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the world’s longest-running, academic-based training and research organization. Acceptance into the program requires an ongoing daily meditation practice, regular attendance at teacher-led meditation retreats (silent retreats), body centered awareness practices as well as ongoing professional education and training.
Letting go of my former profession as a lawyer was a difficult and lengthy process. On the other hand, despite my continuous problems I now believe the accident was a gift. My daily mindfulness practice has opened my eyes and my heart to living in the moment, which is all we really ever have. It also gave me the opportunity to found Mindful Life, a non-profit organization, to share what I have learned so that others may also benefit, and see for themselves that we have more influence over our physical and mental health than we ever imagined possible. Mindful Life is dedicated to supporting the personal development of all individuals, with compassion and resilience.
In depth training on retreat with: Seminars and other training opportunities with: Randy Baker Ayya Medhanandi Sharon Salzsberg Ayya Ahimsa Jim Bedard Judson Brewer Norman Feldman Winnie Nazarko Florence Meleo-Myer Dr. Jackie Gardner-Nix Darryl Lynn Ross Dr. Bill Knight Saki Santorelli Narayan Liebenson Michael Stone Michelle Macdonald Molly Swan Jon Kabat-Zinn
Specialized professional training courses offered by the Centre for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School: - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mind Body & Medicine - Practicum & Mindfulness Tools - Teacher Development Intensive