Mindfulness is pure awareness. It is the practice of simply being present in the here and now without passing judgements or participating in any inner dialogues. We observe our moment-to-moment experiences with curiosity, openness, acceptance, and compassion. Research suggests that mindfulness reduces stress, improves our ability to cope, and therefore, builds our capacity for resilience. We learn how to respond with awareness versus react with distress.  We pay attention to reality in a way that opens up space for insight. 

Participants in our mindfulness workshops practice self-observation and loving kindness through yoga, art, visualization, and deep breathing techniques. The skills cultivated from practicing mindfulness enable us to neurologically dissociate the habitual pathways shaped by prior learning and allow for present-moment input to be integrated in a new approach. For vulnerable youth growing up in remote villages or behind poverty's thick curtain, mindfulness changes old thought patterns for young people to see their innate goodness and potential versus feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy. Kids foster healthy, positive relationships - starting with themselves, their communities, and the environment.