This online Mindfulness program, led by Family Leader Protibha Gupta runs every Monday evening from Monday June 7th to Monday July 26th, 7pm-8pm. Sessions on week 4 and week 8 will also offer a half hour Tea n' Chat discussion session led by Family Leaders. The Tea n' Chats will be offered from 8pm-8:30pm following sessions on June 28th and July 26th.

This program is geared to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities who would like to learn meditation, mindfulness and other practices geared toward enhancing resiliency and well-being. No prior meditation practice experience necessary. Each hour-long session will include short talks, guided meditations, small group discussions and Q&A.Attendees will learn:

- How to meditate through guided meditations

- The foundations of mindfulness of breath/body, feelings and thoughts

- How to cultivate self-compassion, lovingkindness and gratitude

- How the practices can help build resiliency and well-being

- Daily mini-mindfulness tips

See below for Frequently Asked Questions about Mindfulness!

More about Mindfulness Teacher Protibha Gupta:

Protibha was certified as a mindfulness meditation teacher after an intensive two-year training program created and taught by Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield and the Greater Good Science Centre (UC Berkley). She is the proud mother of 3, including a very special young man with autism who is a former client of Holland Bloorview (HB). She has been a Family Leader at HB since 2018. Protibha is excited to have the opportunity to share her lived experience as both a parent and as a certified mindfulness teacher with HB families.

If you have any questions or require any special accommodations, please contact Family Support Specialist Steph Moynagh at smoynagh@hollandbloorview.ca or at 416-425-6220 ext. 6146

Once you have registered for this program, you will receive a Zoom link that you can access every Monday evening for the duration of the 8-week program.

*****

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Isn’t mindfulness just ‘paying attention’?

That’s partially correct. Mindfulness is paying attention to or being aware of whatever is being experienced in the present moment, without judgment.

2. My mind is always busy. Does mindfulness meditation involve having no thoughts?

The function of the human mind is to think! The main goal of mindfulness meditation does not involve being able to stop thinking, although with practice, the mind may become quieter.

3. Do I have to sit in a full lotus position on a meditation cushion?

One can meditate sitting, standing, walking and lying down. Sitting in a chair is fine. What’s important is to be comfortable and alert.

4. Is mindfulness meditation a religious practice?

Mindfulness is part of a rich spiritual tradition that developed 2600 years ago in South Asia but it is not a religious practice in itself. In the West, it is used in many settings to help people with stress, chronic pain, trauma and many other challenges. Just as you don’t have to be Hindu to practice yoga, you don’t have to be Buddhist to practice mindfulness.

5. What is resilience?

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from life’s adverse events and hardships. It is within each of us but may be more developed in some than others. It is a capacity that can be improved or enhanced through mindfulness practices.