with Mitch Schaefer and Max McHarris

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Sunday, January 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Mitch Schaefer joined the FCM community in 2016 where he has become an active member- regularly participating in retreats, intensives and selfless service work. Over the past 10 years Mitch has successfully utilized mindfulness and meditation practices to support his healing from a significant spinal cord injury that resulted in multiple surgeries and lingering chronic pain. In 2023 he was ordained into the Order of Interbeing (OI).

Max McHarris began his mindfulness practice while attending college at New York University in 2017. In 2019 he became a formal student of Dharma Teacher Fred Eppsteiner after realizing he needed the support of a teacher and a community if he really wanted to transform his suffering and be of benefit to others. In 2022 he completed a nine month residency program at the Florida Community of Mindfulness and now works as a teacher for Hillsborough County Public Schools. He has assisted in facilitating mindfulness programs for teens and unhomed youth and currently helps to facilitate FCM's family program as well as WakeUp Tampa Bay, a mindfulness and meditation group for those in their 20's and 30's.