Mindfulness for Caregivers 8 week virtual workshop series Oct-Dec

An 8-week virtual mindfulness course for parent/caregivers of children with disabilities. Thursdays 12pm-1pm
About this Event

Parent Support Network and Family Leader Protibha Gupta present - Updated Mindfulness in Uncertain Times: Navigating the Waters of Change - an 8-week virtual mindfulness course for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

This virtual program will run Thursdays from 12pm-1pm from Thursday, October 24th 2024 to Thursday, December 19th 2024.
NOTE: NOVEMBER 28TH we will not have a session

This course is geared to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities who would like to learn meditation, mindfulness and mindful approaches to living in uncertain times. Those who have joined Protibha's previous mindfulness courses for parent/caregivers are welcome to continue learning and practicing here. New learners are welcome as well :)

Alongside a short but complete discussion and practice of the foundations of mindfulness, we will learn to cultivate ways to deal mindfully with difficult habit patterns, emotions and beliefs, areas of experience where we often find ourselves stuck, and practices geared towards enhancing self-compassion.

No prior meditation practice experience is necessary but the course is also geared to those with meditation experience. 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

- Daily mini-mindfulness and self-compassion practices

- How to gain insight into and soften long-standing habit patterns, difficult emotions and beliefs.

*Please see below for Frequently Asked Questions about Mindfulness*

More about Mindfulness Meditation 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 Specialists at [email protected] or at 416-425-6220 ext. 6524

Once you have registered for this program, you will receive a Zoom link that you can access every Thursday from 12pm-1pm for the duration of the 8-week program.

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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 and with kindness.

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.

6. What is self-compassion?

Many of us are able to feel for others’ pain and to have a desire for their pain to be lessened yet when it comes to our own pain, difficulties and challenges, we are often less generous, supportive and kind. The capacity to cultivate compassion for ourselves leads to increased resilience, well-being, clarity and capacity to see new options for coping.