Felicity Bennett

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
Unified Mindfulness L2 Coach
Acupuncturist, Clinical Somatic Exercise Coach, Remedial Massage Therapist

I grew up in a beautiful coastal town in Australia called Byron Bay which during the ’80s had plenty of alternative therapies and colorful groups of people. By the time I was a teenager I was completely drawn to Eastern philosophy and its strong connection to nature.

Traveling in India for a year in my early 20’s I had the wonderful experience of dabbling in a few different schools of meditation and by my later 20’s participating in 10day silent retreats. They were positive life-changing experiences but the curious thing was that I didn’t, couldn’t, and had no idea how to, maintain a daily practice away from the meditation centers.

In my mid 30’s after being an acupuncturist for nearly a decade, I realized that I could not rely solely on treating the body for tension, pain, discomfort, suffering, and other problems – including in my own, so I started to explore deeper into ‘modern’ mindfulness. Its different perspectives on meditation completely broadened my understanding of meditation and I was re-engaged! Finally, I learned how to maintain a daily practice nearly 15 years after having my earliest mindfulness experiences. In 2017 I discovered ‘The Science of Enlightenment”. My immediate thoughts were I need to learn more from this teacher Shinzen! I did the Foundations course almost immediately and I haven’t stopped learning since then.

Learning from Shinzen and his Unified Mindfulness system has radically changed how I use my senses and perceive the world. It felt like a big piece of the jigsaw that I had been waiting to piece in my puzzle. It has deepened my own practice of mindfulness, and I believe has made me a more patient, sensitive, caring, happy, relaxed, and balanced person. I am able to listen better, understand better, feel better, respond better, and this makes me a better practitioner to all.

I currently work in two multidisciplinary teams, one directed by a Rehabilitation Specialist dealing with physical injuries and trauma, and another at a residential Drug, Alcohol, and Trauma Clinic. Mindfulness and somatic awareness are very much a prominent part of my treatment programs.