Why Mindfulness?

The Short Version

I'm a mindfulness meditation teacher. I teach classes and workshops, work with individuals, and offer guided meditations on apps like Insight Timer. I've been practicing for over 25 years and started training to teach in 2016. 

But that's not all of the story.

The Long(ish) Version

I started practicing meditation at the turn of the century. 

I was taking yoga classes to stay in shape and help with everyday stress. My teacher always included guided meditations at the end of his classes. It was a great way to relax and cool down after a challenging class. That was what I thought meditation was all about.

Then things went a little sideways.

I was a few decades into a technology career and owned a neighborhood yoga studio in Massachusetts. But the biggest shift happened when I became a father and found out that my father had cancer. He died a few months later.

The truth is that I didn't have a close relationship with my father, but in the months leading up to his death, I realized he was just a person trying to do his best.

As a new dad, I feared that if I wasn't careful, I would repeat this pattern with my new son. I didn't want to have the same relationship with my son that I had with my father.

I started exploring the personal development space and went in deep. 

I've done everything from cold plunges to walking on fire and broken glass. I've been to all of the retreats. I've taken all the classes. I've sat in countless groups.

I did it all, And it didn't help. 

In fact, I felt more confused, sad, and generally worse after a few years of "inner work". 

So, I stopped 🛑

Instead, I started a daily mindfulness meditation practice. 

Almost all of the programs I went through suggested starting a meditation practice, but I thought I knew what that was all about because I'd been "doing meditations" for 20 years. 

Boy, was I wrong.

I read a bit and learned the basics of the practice, and a month later, I noticed these subtle shifts in how I was feeling.

I was practicing in a new way—it wasn't about relaxing after a difficult yoga class. Instead, I focused on the present moment, deepening my connection to my body and intuition, being kind to myself, and being curious about what I was observing without judgment. 

Within a month, I noticed, 

🔥 I was more present with my kids and others
🔥 I had more patience
🔥 I noticed some of the stories I was telling myself and some of the patterns I was stuck in.
🔥 I started sleeping better
🔥 I was way more focused 

It was amazing. 

The short daily practices I did in my car while waiting to pick up my kids from preschool gave me what I was missing in all those other programs. 

I wanted to learn more and enrolled in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course - it was the most profound experience for me and I knew I had to train to teach the program to others.

And now, I practice and teach. It's awesome. I hope you’ll join me on the journey.