I found my way to meditation through suffering, as many people do, in addition to an interest about the workings of the mind. I endured a mental health crisis in the fall of 2015 which taught me that deep pain is more than just a concept. Then, I worked through an inpatient and outpatient psychiatric program. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was part of the start of my recovery. Moving forward, I was able to generate real-life positive feedback from my daily mindfulness practice and continued to recognize the impact of sitting on my relationships and rewiring my brain.
My consistency and steady recognition of the benefits of mindfulness meditation in various life settings and activities – eating, skiing, dancing, humor, watching and playing sports, listening, etc. – led me to sign up for a Mindfulness in Education course, which aligned with my experience as an educator. In that class, one of Shinzen’s students came in for a guest lecture and recommended that students who feel ready go on a retreat. So, I did!
The fall of 2017 I went on my first retreat with Shinzen which profoundly changed the projection of mindfulness in my life. From that moment on, I knew deeply that I was going to be on this path for the rest of my life. At this point, an aspect of psycho-spiritual growth includes sharing and teaching practice with others. That’s why I became a coach! Also, and don’t tell anyone this, because I wanted to hold myself accountable for my practice by being accountable to others. Covid-19 gave me the opportunity to teach livestream through a local yoga studio here in Burlington, VT called Sangha Studio (link to sign up for classes below). I actually founded the meditation program there! We now have daily classes and a strong community, and thanks to Unified Mindfulness, a system within which to practice and communicate effectively. It’s also been rewarding to introduce UM to close friends in a professional relationship.
The minutes add up to hours, which add up to days, which add up to weeks, which add up to months, which add up to…..you get the idea. You got one life to live, so you may as well spend it mindfully and in service to others!
Julianna received her BA in psychology from Duke University. As founder, president, and head trainer of Unified Mindfulness, she is dedicated to disseminating Shinzen Young’s comprehensive mindfulness meditation system through the creation and presentation of educational programs and teacher-training certification programs.
Dr. Hunter serves as associate professor of practice and is the founding director of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University. He also serves as visiting professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he developed and co-teaches the Leading Mindfully executive education program..
Dr. Eisendrath serves as chief psychologist and president of the Institute for Dialogue Therapy, P.C., where, as a Jungian analyst, she offers psychotherapy with individuals and couples, psychoanalysis, supervision, and training.
Dr. Vago serves as the research director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the director of the Contemplative Neuroscience and Integrative Medicine (CNIM) Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Psychiatry.
Stella is a psychologist, professor, and Zen practitioner. She became a formal student in 2008 in the Soto Zen tradition. She teaches courses in mindfulness based psychotherapies and the psychology of compassion at the Union Institute & University. She also co-facilitates a family program and young adult program at Shao Shan Temple, in Woodbury Vermont.
Dr. Creswell serves as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the director of the Health & Human Performance Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. McCormick currently serves as director of education at Unified Mindfulness. In 1975, he received a B.A. in psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz, where he was part of Dr. Elliot Aronson’s research team that examined cooperative approaches to reducing interracial conflict and academic performance problems in newly integrated school, and made Honors in Psychology, College Honors, and Thesis Honors.
UnifiedMindfulness.com is the official teacher training platform for Shinzen and the Unified Mindfulness System.
Created over 50 years of research and testing by Shinzen Young, Unified Mindfulness is a system of meditation that’s easily researchable by science, with clear terminology and rigorous precision around concepts and procedures.
The Unified Mindfulness system is a comprehensive, robust and refined support structure that any individual at any stage of meditation practice can rely on to go deeper in their insight and their ability to share it with others. It is also a secular form of meditation, which means it’s not religious in any way so anyone, of any faith, can do it.