When it comes to mindfulness, every one of us is a student. Whether you began practicing yesterday or decades ago, we’re all here in this life, learning to shed what no longer serves us and wake up to the freshness of this moment. To support each of us and all of us in a life of wakeful presence, we offer this series of practice opportunities. We’d love to have you join us for any and all that fit your life.
Each of these events will convene using the Zoom™ video conference platform. Join via a computer or laptop that has both audio and video capability, with a reliable high-speed internet connection. Please, no phones, iPads, or tablets for these events.
with Margaret Fletcher
This retreat is limited to 25 participants.
In this daylong silent retreat, we will cultivate the intention and capacity for being present, aware and attuned to life as it is continually unfolding. You will be invited to give yourself time, space, and curiosity about the practice of sustained silence. A commitment to welcome all of who you are, while holding to a high standard of formal practice, will create the container for group practice. Together, we’ll explore the experience of participating in a guided silent retreat.
The day will conclude with time to reflect on the potential for further time in sustained practice, and to speak together about the value and challenges of time on retreat. Designed for graduates of the MBSR or MBCT course (or for those who have an established formal mindfulness practice), this silent retreat is for anyone who is wondering about the role of extended retreat time in their overall mindfulness practice.
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $200
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $170
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $140
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Registration for this retreat is closed, as the event has passed.
Margaret has a love for contemplative practice in community. She has been meditating for over 15 years, and has been teaching meditation for almost that long. In 2007 she was invited by Norman Scrimshaw to share the dharma in the form of “satsang” which translates as home of the heart. She has led silent retreats for White Mountain Sangha, for the Unitarian Universalist Church, and for MBSR and mindfulness practitioners. She has spent time on extended retreats with Zen, Vipassana and Insight Dialogue practice communities.
with Rebecca Eldridge and Carol Bowman
Slowing down and turning toward ourselves with kindness isn’t easy: we live in a world where being overextended and ignoring or downplaying our own pain and stress can seem normal, maybe even admirable. The Kindness Retreat is an opportunity to pause and offer your precious mind, wise body, and tender heart what is most helpful and kind—and to support others who want to do the same. Separated by time zones, we will come together in a timeless zone—a virtual heart space in which this weekend retreat will unfold.
Designed for graduates of the MBSR, MBCT or Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) courses (or for those who have an established formal mindfulness practice), this silent online retreat is for anyone who wants to step away from their usual goings-on to see more clearly what is actually called for. From there, you will be invited to give to yourself whatever that may be, and to hold the space for others to extend care and kindness to themselves. A commitment to nurture all of who you are, while holding to a high standard of practice, will form the container for group practice.
Note: Participating in this retreat satisfies the requirement of attending a 3-day, silent, teacher-led retreat before entering the East Coast Mindfulness MBSR Teacher Training Pathway.
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $550
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $450
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $375
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Register (and find out more about this retreat) by clicking on the button below.
Rebecca Eldridge is an MBSR teacher and teacher trainer who was hired in 2016 by the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School to train them to deliver their first online MBSR course in a way that is effective, interactive, and fun. She holds degrees in Education, Literature, and Creative Writing. Rebecca co-founded East Coast Mindfulness in 2019.
Carol Bowman, Ed. D., is an Associate Professor of Education at Ramapo College, is Program Coordinator for Mindfulness at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Director of Yoga Studies Programs at Ramapo College. During her teen years, she made the acquaintance of Thich Nhat Hanh when he came to stay in her community. Becoming more interested in mindfulness, she reconnected with his teachings in a deep way and continued her practice at Blue Cliff Monastery, eventually training at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, which she teaches at Ramapo College.
with Eric Garland, PhD
Research on mindfulness has exploded over the past two decades, making it extremely difficult to stay abreast of the latest discoveries in this burgeoning field of science. In this workshop, Dr. Eric Garland, one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of mindfulness and the world’s most prolific author of research papers on mindfulness, will help sift through the data to distill what has been learned about the impact of mindfulness on the brain, body, and behavior – with a specific focus on mindfulness as a treatment for clinical conditions including addiction, affective dysregulation, and chronic pain. To that end, Dr. Garland will detail biobehavioral findings from the past 10 years of his own clinical research on Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement as a treatment for opioid misuse and addiction.
In addition to reviewing key discoveries in the neuroscience and clinical science of mindfulness, Dr. Garland will present several prominent theoretical frameworks to help explain how mindfulness enhances cognitive function, amplifies psychological well-being, and promotes the sense of meaning in life.
Finally, Dr. Garland will address the concepts of self-transcendence and nondual awareness as the final common pathway of mindfulness-based interventions.
Can't make it to the live event? No problem. Register anyway, and we’ll send you the recording to access afterwards for 4 weeks.
During this workshop you will—
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $200
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $150
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $100
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Register (and find out more about this workshop) by clicking on the button below.
Dr. Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW is Distinguished Endowed Chair in Research, Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Utah College of Social Work, and Director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND). Dr. Garland is the developer of an innovative mindfulness-based therapy founded on insights derived from cognitive, affective, and neurobiological science, called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE).
As Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator, Dr. Garland has over 170 scientific publications and has received more than $50 million in research grants from the NIH, DOD, and PCORI to conduct translational research on biopsychosocial mechanisms implicated in addiction, emotion dysregulation, and chronic pain, including randomized controlled trials of MORE other mindfulness-based interventions as treatments for opioid misuse and addiction.
To complement his expertise in clinical research, Dr. Garland is a licensed psychotherapist with more than 15 years of clinical experience providing mind-body therapies for persons suffering from addictive behaviors, psychological disorders, and chronic pain. In 2019, he was appointed by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to the NIH HEAL Multi-disciplinary Working Group comprised of national experts on pain and addiction research to help guide the $1.1 billion HEAL initiative aimed at using science to halt the opioid crisis.
with Margaret Fletcher
This course is limited to 20 participants.
Join us for this gentle introduction to mindfulness for accessing the deep wisdom, well-being, and wholeness that reside within each of us. The course consists of 3 classes and covers 3 meditation practices: sitting, walking, and body scanning.
Benefits of practicing mindfulness can range from the physical, such as reduction in pain levels and/or an enhanced ability to cope with chronic pain, to the emotional, such as increased confidence and joy.
A body scan audio is provided to each participant for continued practice beyond the course.
The cost for this 3-session online course is $110.
Register (and find out more about this course) by clicking on the button below.
Margaret has a love for contemplative practice in community. She has been meditating for over 15 years, and has been teaching meditation for almost that long. In 2007 she was invited by Norman Scrimshaw to share the dharma in the form of “satsang” which translates as home of the heart. She has led silent retreats for White Mountain Sangha, for the Unitarian Universalist Church, and for MBSR and mindfulness practitioners. She has spent time on extended retreats with Zen, Vipassana and Insight Dialogue practice communities.
with Caryn McHose
This workshop is limited to 25 participants.
In this workshop, Caryn will lead three 90-minute classes in body movement inquiry, a chance to explore how the instinctive body lives in the “where,” in contrast to the “what” and “when” of thought and psychological time.
Movement begins in sensory perception, to how orienting to weight/ground and space underlies sensory perception. Weight, ground and space are elements our bodies depend on to function and elements with which we learn to consciously participate in our lives. As we learn to attend to these elements, what is true in this moment can reveal itself.
This workshop will offer the opportunity to move in nourishing and inspiring ways that are available to everyone.
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $240
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $180
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $140
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Register by paying the workshop fee.
Once you have paid, your slot is reserved. After registration, you will receive an e-mail message containing a link to complete a brief registration form.
You will be asked to provide your phone number and e-mail address during the payment process—this is so that we can contact you should there be any changes to the course schedule, etc. The link to the registration form will be sent to the e-mail address you specify during the payment process.
You do not need a PayPal account in order to use your credit card to make your payment (you may need to select the "Checkout as Guest" option to use a credit card).
If you receive the "Item Sold Out" message during registration, it means that the class is full. You may request to be placed on a waiting list by sending an email to info@eastcoastmindfulness.com (please include your name and phone number). You will be contacted if an opening becomes available and can register at that time.
Caryn McHose has taught perceptual approaches to movement education for over 50 years. Caryn is a Certified Advanced Rolfer™ and Rolf Movement® Practitioner, as well as a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner and Certified Biodynamic Cranial Practitioner. She is the collaborator for Bodystories, A Guide to Experiential Anatomy and The Place of Dance, by Andrea Olsen, and is the co-author (with Kevin Frank) of How Life Moves, Explorations in Meaning and Body Awareness.
with various East Coast Mindfulness instructors
Note: this is a FREE offering; there is no fee for attending this retreat.
As part of our regular MBSR and MBCT seasons, we offer the 7.5 hour Retreat Class between Week 6 and Week 7. This retreat is an integral part of the standard MBSR curriculum. Many MBSR students find this to be a powerful day of practice, discovery and development together.
Graduates of past MBSR and MBCT 8-week programs are always welcome to join the Retreat Class, to support the current students and to strengthen their own practice over time. Whether you’re an East Coast Mindfulness graduate, or graduated through another organization, you’re welcome to join us!
This is a FREE retreat for graduates of the MBSR or MBCT courses; there is no fee for attending this retreat.
To learn more about our offerings for graduates, including joining our upcoming ONLINE retreat classes, click the button below; you'll be able to sign up to join our email list specifically for graduates.
with Rebecca Eldridge and Margaret Fletcher
For mindfulness practitioners who have experience with group retreats, it can be valuable, powerful and challenging to undertake the practice of self-directed silence. Extended silent practice can provide a level of direct knowing, and seeing clearly, beyond spoken guidance and teacher messaging that may have been very helpful in earlier retreats. In this online retreat, we will dedicate time and space for silent practice together as a group, while each committing to independence of practice for ourselves. Teachers will be present and available prior to and throughout the retreat, for guidance and support.
The Dedication Retreat is open to mindfulness practitioners, students and teachers who have completed at least one previous multi-day silent retreat with a group.
Note: Participating in this 5-day retreat satisfies the requirement of attending a minimum 3-day, silent, teacher-led retreat before entering the East Coast Mindfulness MBSR Teacher Training Pathway OR attending a 5-day silent, teacher-led retreat prior to engaging in Mentorship Cycle Three.
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $850
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $750
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $675
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Register (and find out more about this retreat) by clicking on the button below.
Rebecca and Margaret love exploring and growing with others in online mindfulness teaching. As co-founders of East Coast Mindfulness, they pioneered teaching MBSR Live Online at the UMass Center for Mindfulness, and now through ECM, in a way that invites students from all over the world to interact fully, in real time, with each other and the teacher in the space of their own home; now they offer the first and only training program resulting in certification in teaching MBSR online: Train to Teach MBSR Live Online.
with Judy Ringer
This workshop is limited to 25 participants.
The martial art Aikido is a lively option for bringing an embodied awareness to conflict and communication, in our mindfulness practice and with our day-to-day interactions. In this workshop, you will learn principles and techniques from Aikido to help you maintain presence under pressure, transform conflict, and communicate with purpose. You’ll gain an understanding of Aikido principles and learn simple techniques to increase awareness of habitual reactions to conflict, communicate more clearly, and strengthen relationships.
Important logistics:
In the comfort of your own space, you will engage both body and mind using kinesthetic activities from Aikido ("The Way of Harmony"). You are free to invite a partner you are comfortable practicing with to join you in your space; this person would serve as class participant and practice partner for 2 short periods during the training. Equally, you may choose to participate solo. Either way it will be helpful to wear comfortable clothes and to choose a physical space that allows you to move freely in front of your camera—approximately the size of two or three yoga mats.
During this workshop you will:
Generosity policy applies—to cover costs for our small business, to ensure adequate compensation for the instructors, and so that people with fewer financial resources can be accommodated, please pay at the highest level available to you.
TIER 1 (Supporting Others): $190
TIER 2 (Our Cost): $145
TIER 3 (Subsidized Rate): $110
Your payment for courses and trainings at East Coast Mindfulness supports—
If Tier 3 is still financially prohibitive for you, please email us so we can find a way for you to participate.
Register by paying the workshop fee.
Once you have paid, your slot is reserved. After registration, you will receive an e-mail message containing a link to complete a brief registration form.
You will be asked to provide your phone number and e-mail address during the payment process—this is so that we can contact you should there be any changes to the course schedule, etc. The link to the registration form will be sent to the e-mail address you specify during the payment process.
You do not need a PayPal account in order to use your credit card to make your payment (you may need to select the "Checkout as Guest" option to use a credit card).
If you receive the "Item Sold Out" message during registration, it means that the class is full. You may request to be placed on a waiting list by sending an email to info@eastcoastmindfulness.com (please include your name and phone number). You will be contacted if an opening becomes available and can register at that time.
Judy holds a third-degree black belt in the martial art Aikido. She provides conflict and communication training internationally with workshops based on mind/body principles from Aikido.
Employing best practice communication models, Judy brings to life key concepts such as self-management under pressure and appreciation of other viewpoints. Her programs are interactive, experiential and energetic.
Judy has an extensive list of clients within the health, governmental, educational and business communities. She is the author of Turn Enemies Into Allies: The Art of Peace in the Workplace and Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict.
with Rebecca Eldridge and Margaret Fletcher
Note: this is a FREE offering; there is no fee for attending this weekly gathering.
We gladly offer this weekly opportunity for our community to gather, be together, learn, share and support one another.
Often led by Rebecca or Margaret, and occasional guest teachers who bring their unique voices to what it means to practice.
To learn more about Worldwide Online Sit, click the button below; you'll be able to register to join the weekly session.
What technology you will need:
REFUND POLICY: Please refer to the refund policy for each event.
Questions? Please email us at info@eastcoastmindfulness.com
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