According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally.”

In the Art of Living Mindfully courses, we define mindfulness as the practice of being fully present with whatever is, right here and right now, with acceptance and without judgment.

Meditation is formal mindfulness. It is a practice of focusing and quieting the mind. Put simply, it is a tool and a skill of seeing one’s being and how best to relate and react to one’s mind and body.

CBT is a form of psychotherapy which focuses upon how a person thinks and how a person behaves as a large determinant in how a person feels about their moments, their experiences, their relationships and their life. CBT invites each of us to be mindful of our repetitive thoughts and actions, and the beliefs we hold. This allows us to create change where these cognitive behavioural patterns no longer serve us. We touch on cognitive behavioural strategies in class as they compliment mindfulness practices.

The Art of Living Mindfully (ALM) class is a BC physician facilitated group medical visit that focuses on mindfulness based stress management.

Since 2013, specially trained ALM facilitators have provided instruction, practice, discussion and exercises on mindfulness, meditation  and cognitive behavioral strategies to thousands of individuals. 

The classes range in time from 90-120 minutes once a week for 8 or 12 weeks with home exercises each week and provide participants practical tools to help them discover a sense of ease, joy and mindfulness in their lives.

Electronic reference manuals are provided to participants, who also have unlimited access to our audio tracks.

Residents of BC who have a Primary Care Provider** (Physician, Nurse Practitioner) can be referred to ALM.

Referrals will be accepted from the list of professionals below AS LONG AS there is a Primary Care Provider also indicated, including clinic name and all contact information. Incomplete or illegible referrals will be returned to the referring office for correction or completion.

• Physician Assistant
• MD Resident or Nurse Practitioner Student
• Registered Nurse (Certified, Psychiatric or General)
• Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor
• Social Worker (RSW, RCSW)
• Counsellor (CCC, RCC)
• Clinical Psychologist (PhD)
• Registered Midwife
• Occupational Therapist

Referrals are required and are available for  download here. 

** Primary Care Providers information and referral support are required to provide clinical and historical knowledgeable about the patient in the event of individual or crisis-related needs arising while they are in our programs. 

Once a completed referral has been received, your patient’s name will go onto our waitlist.

Classes are available for registrations on an ongoing basis and those details with self-registration information will be emailed to them regularly. 

Individuals can look over the class dates and times and self-register into any class where they can make the commitment to attend all classes. 

Being referred allows us to bill the cost for each class attended to BC Medical Services Plan. 

Upon registration, participants are responsible for submitting a $100 registration fee which covers all the classes. $40 of this fee is an attendance deposit which will be refunded upon full attendance. 

We will never allow fees to be a barrier to participation and upon individuals reaching out to us, can discuss with them a fee reduction or waiver on a case by case basis.

We are a small not-for-profit organization with no other funding or financial sponsorship, and as such we must ensure our classes do not run in revenue deficit.

Our current few structure helps us in covering class overhead and we would not be able to continue to offer our valuable and trusted classes without.

Since 2013, ALM has shown to be supportive to individuals with:

• • Emotional dysregulation
  • Anxiety, depression, insomnia
  • Chronic pain and burnout
  • Somatic symptoms
  • Stress-exacerbated conditions (e.g., HTN, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions)

People suffering with active psychosis, PTSD, mania, suicidality or current substance misuse would not be good candidates for ALM classes and should seek further support and alternative therapies from the primary care provider or other agencies.  

Many of our groups are presented during daytime hours and thus may conflict with work responsibilities.

The classes are funded through MSP and are classified group medical visits with a physician facilitator.

Consistent attendance in the class is required and will allow individuals to bring the skills practiced throughout the weeks into their life more fully, improving their ability to manage your stress and reduce suffering.

Classes are being offered in-person and virtually so be sure to read the class information carefully for these details.

Virtual attendees MUST be within Canada to attend.