Rebecca has spent a year and a half of her life on various retreats, in deep study and practice of meditation. Her personal practice is guided by her teacher, Pema Chödrön, and she is featured giving meditation instruction in two courses taught by Pema Chödrön: Making Friends with Yourself and How to Live with Compassion and Courage. She trained to teach MBSR through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, where she served as an MBSR Teacher and MBSR Teacher Trainer, creating and training the teaching faculty at the Center for Mindfulness at UMass to deliver their first MBSR course online in 2016. She also trained with senior trainers at Bangor and Oxford Universities in assessing teacher competency using the MBI-TAC tool and is certified as a “calibrated MBI-TAC rater” in assessing MBSR teaching, and is a member of an international group of teacher trainers, the International Mindfulness Integrity Network, exploring ethics and standards of mindfulness training programs. Beyond teaching MBSR and training MBSR teachers, Rebecca works with organizations to develop and deliver mindfulness programs for living with more authenticity, resilience, and joy; and meditation guidance for promoting restorative rest and sleep. She also loves growing things—from fruits, vegetables, and flowers; to a personal meditation practice that doesn’t fizzle out; to communities that welcome and encourage people as they are.
Margaret trained and is certified to teach MBSR through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, where she also served as an MBSR Teacher and MBSR Teacher Trainer. She trained with senior trainers at Bangor and Oxford Universities in assessing teacher competency using the MBI-TAC tool and is certified as a “calibrated MBI-TAC rater” in assessing MBSR teaching. Margaret is on the Eco-Advisory Committee of the Bess Family Foundation, whose focus is on addressing the climate crisis using the tools of mindfulness and meditation. Margaret is a founding member, featured teacher and advisor to the Anticancer Lifestyle Foundation, where she offers evidence-based mindfulness practices to help cancer survivors protect themselves from recurrences and flourish in their lives. Margaret brings over two decades of experience in teaching meditation and mindfulness in corporate, small business, non-profit, church and community settings. Her personal practice began with her teacher, Norman Scrimshaw, with whom she co-founded and led a NH non-dual meditation community, White Mountain Sangha. Margaret’s loves include the Earth, her family, her neighborhood, her gardens, all things fabric- and fiber-related, and helping people come alive.
Laura trained with and is certified to teach in-person and online MBSR through East Coast Mindfulness. Prior to teaching MBSR, Laura was a veterinarian and veterinary practice owner with an interest in incorporating mindfulness into veterinary work. She continues to work with the veterinary community as a mindfulness teacher and is a regular guest on The Cairn Veterinary Podcast. Her interests include stress physiology, mindful communication, and the role that kindness and compassion practices can play in reducing empathic fatigue and burnout for veterinary workers. As an RYT-200 certified yoga teacher and a lifelong dancer, she is also interested in the ways that movement can be utilized to cultivate a deeper connection to embodied wisdom. In addition to teaching for East Coast Mindfulness, Laura is also a teacher with Atlanta Mindfulness, where she teaches MBSR and leads a weekly meditation community. Laura’s volunteer roles include serving as chair of the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association Wellness Committee, as president of the Atlanta Insight Meditation Community Board, and as a member of the Georgia Professional Health Program Board. Laura's loves include the natural world, her family, preparing delicious food, and helping people connect with inner wisdom and joy.
Javier has over 30 years in high-technology fields, working in organizations ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. He has held positions in aerospace research and engineering, software development, medical device development, product management, technical training, technical sales, and marketing. His personal meditation practice is influenced by Pema Chödrön, Norman Fischer, Andrew Holecek and Parker Palmer, among others. You can often find Javier windsurfing, teaching windsurfing, paddle boarding, editing video, and enjoying traditional Spanish and Filipino dishes.