Meditation for Health is a Toronto clinic that’s been devoted to mindfulness-based programs since 1997. For over 22 years, more than 6000 patients participated in our clinic’s medical programs of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — group programs to treat stress-related symptoms and chronic illness.
In 2020, our MBSR programs were ended by the COVID pandemic. Public health precautions required that we stop all in-person teaching at Meditation for Health. In this way, our longstanding medical programs came to a sudden end.
But that didn’t stop our mindfulness teaching!
Since 2020, Meditation for Health has shifted its focus online. We now bring mindfulness to the new field of lifestyle coaching.
Our special interest is sleep and mindfulness. Through public education and our programs of personal coaching, we help people get back their natural capacity for deep restorative sleep.
We combine our mindfulness training with effective strategies from sleep science, psychology, and integrative medicine.
***
In particular, we’ve developed mindfulness-based programs for Women 50+.
Mindful Women 50+ is an MBSR program for women in the second half of life. Authentic MBSR, adapted to online Zoom format.
A 10-session program, extending over 5 weeks.
Joyful After 50 is our clinic’s special outreach to Women 50+. Participants receive weekly science-based newsletters, and invitations to mindfulness-based events for women.
Free sign-up to Joyful After 50 comes with our self-care guide:
HAPPY SLEEP SECRETS: 7 Ways Women Sleep Best After 50
***
Best Sleep Now — private sleep coaching for women 50+
Individualized programs for women who want the privacy and certainty of one-to-one sleep coaching. A proven effective program, offers personal support & guidance, with reliable strategies to resolve longstanding or recurrent sleep issues.
for Private Consultation , free of charge.
***
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a basic type of awareness practice — a particular way to be aware of the present moment.
When you’re mindful, you pay attention to what you’re experiencing right now. You’re simply aware of your experience — not needing to judge or change anything.
To practice mindfulness, we often focus attention to things we most usually ignore, for example:
Noticing the sounds you’re hearing right now…
or feeling your eyes moving… blinking…
Experiencing yourself sitting here in this chair…
feeling your legs… your feet…
Do you notice your next breath beginning?…
Here you are… sitting… breathing…
Aware of being here, now…
This is mindfulness.
What is MBSR?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program of mindful meditation, mindful movement, and other simple exercises that develop a person’s capacity for mindfulness.
Research studies show that many people who suffer from chronic pain, sleep disturbance, anxious feelings, fatigue, and other stress-related problems have been helped by the daily practice of MBSR.
The MBSR method is described by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in his book: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (revised edition).
Taught by:
Lucinda Sykes, M.D. has taught programs of MBSR since 1997. She participated in more than 20 training and educational events sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts — beginning with 2 residential training programs under the direction of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Lucinda has personally practiced meditation and hatha yoga for over 35 years. She established Meditation for Health clinic in 1997.
Lucinda retired from medical practice in 2021, but she continues her special interest in lifestyle coaching with mindfulness & MBSR through Meditation for Health.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time…
***
Sleep is the best meditation.