2024 marks the ninth year I’m offering this January daily meditation email. I imagine most people who have signed up for the emails will be people who know me from local activities, but in case we haven’t met, hi! Here’s a bit about me.
I first got into mindfulness and meditation at the beginning of 2014, when I took a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from Jeanne Corrigal. At the end of the eight-week session, Jeanne suggested several ways to support our fledgling practice, including coming to the Wednesday evening sessions. hosted by the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community (SIMC). I’ve been a regular participant with the SIMC ever since. Since the fall of 2015 until the pandemic shut down things in 2020, I was also part of the collaborative group of leaders for the Sunday Morning Insight Meditation Study Group.
I’ve attended several retreats with various teachers including Jeanne Corrigal, Susie Harrington, Adrianne Ross, Pascal Auclair, Anushka Fernandopulle, Bob Stahl, Howie Cohn, Mark Coleman, and Sharda Rogell.
I was part of SIMC’s Living the Dharma Program, which was co-offered by Susie Harrington and Jeanne Corrigal. It was really great to be able to deepen my practice with the support of a local community of peers. For two years, I also participated in the SIMC’s Unwinding Whiteness offerings.
I’ve also taken several on-line programs.
- I’m currently part of the year-long LEAP program at Spirit Rock, with guiding teachers Sally Armstrong, Susie Harrington, and Dawn Scott.
- I completed the Mindfulness Training Institute’s Certified Mindfulness Teacher Training with Mark Coleman and Martin Aylward in July 2021.
- Since 2020, I have been engaging in Social Meditation Facilitation Training with the Buddhist Geeks Sangha with Vince Fakhoury Horn.
- I’m currently part of BCIMS‘s 10-month program studying the Paramis, with Rachel Lewis and Adrianne Ross and others. In 2021-2022, I took a 9-month program studying the Eightfold Path, along with several other online courses they have offered since 2020.
- I’m currently part of the Living the Dharma in Community program through SIMC.
- Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) in the fall of 2021.
- From the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Mindfulness of Breathing (8-week program in 2022), Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation (9-week program in 2019), Entering the Path (12-week iteration in 2017 and a year-long graduates’ iteration in 2018 and again in 2019), A Practical Understanding of Attachment to Perception (in 2018), and Self, Not Self (in 2017).
- From the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, the 10-month Intensive Practice Program (in 2018) and several Mindful Awareness Practices online classes (2017-2018).
- From Wisdom Academy, Guy Armstrong’s Emptiness course (2017).
- From Spirit Rock offerings of: Essential Buddhist Teachings (1-4) with Mark Coleman (2015-2016), and Everyday Life as Mindfulness Practice with Sylvia Boorstein (2016).
I love reading, and I’ve found inspiration from many books, including those by Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Oren Jay Sofer, Sebene Selassie, Ven. Analayo, Mark Coleman, Tara Brach, Sylvia Boorstein, Pema Chodron, Kristin Neff, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, and many others. I also follow several news feeds and podcasts and enjoy reading and hearing about the practice.
In the fall of 2016, I attended a two-day Search Inside Yourself course, which is based on Chade-Meng Tan’s book by the same name. This work, along with Sharon Salzberg’s Real Happiness at Work, and Michael Carroll’s The Mindful Leader, and other related resources have inspired my interest in bringing mindfulness practices to work and to daily life.
Off the cushion and away from the bookcase, I practice mindfulness in many contexts:
- I work in IT, developing and supporting business applications at a fertilizer company in Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
- I enjoy being active, including walking, cycling, and qigong, and even a bit of jogging and kayaking.
- I enjoy spending time in nature. It’s a source of inspiration!
- I love animals. I currently live with Pixie, a rescue dog who came to live with me in November 2022.
- I’m also really shy and private, and I’ve already over-shared on this page. 🙂
I look forward to practicing with you.
With warmest wishes,
Andrea