Tom discovered the world of meditation after struggling with his mental health in his 20s. At the time, Tom was living at 100 miles an hour and his body was begging for a break. It was only when he allowed his mind to rest through meditation that he realized this. He started using various Mindfulness Meditation apps such as Head Space and Waking up. The relief he experienced from doing a short meditation every morning was substantial and within a few weeks, he could clearly see the benefits becoming engrained in his everyday experience. Eager to get to the root of the practice, he signed up for a silent Insight Meditation retreat. He found this incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. The health benefits he experienced afterwards were too great to ignore and within a handful of months, Tom found myself on another silent retreat. These retreats became part of his yearly schedule and after every one, he became increasingly convinced that meditation is a powerful healing practice for physical and mental well-being.
Tom discovered Jon Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course when speaking to a friend about meditation and health care. At the time, he was only vaguely aware of Mindfulness Meditation being used to treat patients in the healthcare system. After investigating more about the 8-week MBSR course, he was keen to sign up for one. The course took Mindfulness Meditation and crafted it into a structured, accessible program that was relatable for many. His experiences with mindfulness meditation, and specifically the MBSR course, lead Tom to pursue and obtain certification from Mindfulness UK to teach the 8-Week MBSR course. Teaching the MBSR course in the UK has been incredibly rewarding for him, as is sharing Mindfulness Meditation with others. Tom is looking forward to continuing teaching in Nova Scotia, helping people realize that whatever they are dealing with, their situation has the potential to be transformed into something bearable, workable and perhaps even surprisingly positive.