When I began practicing mindfulness meditation formally 4 years ago, it was on a whim. A classmate of mine, who led meditation at the UVM Mindfulness Practice Center, invited me to join him during their drop-in hours. I began to attend regularly and also took a few mindfulness-based courses that contributed to my psychology degree. The positive effects mindfulness can bring to our minds and spirits quickly fascinated me.

I currently work in...

I watched change happen for seven silent days. A lot happened. That is the short-form version of my experience on a recent mindfulness meditation retreat. Change is beautiful and interesting. However, that perspective is not always the relationship we may have towards change. I have often heard and experienced that change is hard, but we can rely that it is always happening, in fact change must happen. My retreat experience opened my eyes further...

I came across an article today in the New York Times that explored the seemingly increased interest in meditation - only, especially among many New York yoga studios. Yoga, which can invite us to be exposed to meditation and to our internal selves if we allow it, seems to be inviting many yoga students to practice meditation soley. As a meditation instructor and intern here at VTCYT I have noticed an increased demand for...

I am excited to offer a Meditation and Mindfulness workshop at VTCYT, which starts next Tuesday, Sept. 13. There are many concrete, measurable benefits from meditation -- decreased anxiety, enhanced immune system, better focus and concentration, improved relationships, and more -- but meditation at its best is not about fixing or improving anything. What becomes increasingly clear through sustained and regular practice is the paradox that what produces all these benefits is allowing everything to...