Cultivating Mindfulness for Health and Wellbeing
The Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness (AACFM) cultivates and supports mindfulness to promote health and well-being in communities by offering classes, retreats, presentations, events, and financial scholarships and mentorships for aspiring mindfulness teachers. For more information on scholarship opportunities click here.
UPCOMING CLASSES AND RETREATS
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Healing Professionals
MBSR, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, has been found helpful in coping with stress, pain, depression, anxiety, and chronic human unhappiness. Read more about the course.
This class will be limited to individuals who are healing professionals. The intention is to provide useful tools for understanding and supporting oneself and others in an environment free of potential patients/clients by providing a deep foundation in mindfulness practices. Cultivating that foundation is essential to using mindfulness to benefit ourselves and our clients/patients. Links to research relevant to both self-care and care of particular issues encountered in your work will be provided, but the curriculum itself will be the basic MBSR class, focusing on learning and practicing mindfulness, including developing an ongoing personal practice. The class emphasizes confidentiality and a sense of safety to allow us to learn, share, and foster mindfulness.
Meeting weekly for 2.5 hours for 8 weeks, participants learn through guided meditations, discussions, daily mindfulness practices (20-30 min/day), and a half-day retreat. The course fee is $400 (fee negotiable with multiple enrollments or financial stressors) and includes recordings of guided meditations, handouts, and the retreat. Support for obtaining CEs will be provided; do discuss with Libby what documentation you need to get CE credits from your professional organization.
Schedule: Free Introductory Session: Saturday, September 20, 2:00 – 4:30 PM ET
MBSR course: Saturdays, September 27 to November 22, 2:00 – 4:30 pm ET
Retreat: Saturday, November 8, noon to 4 pmTeacher: Libby Robinson, Ph.D., MSW, MPH. Certified MBSR teacher, have taught over 60 MBSR classes, and practiced Vipassana (Buddhist mindfulness) since 1979. Member: Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness & Open Mindfulness Meditation (OMM).
Classes and retreat will be virtual. For more information or to register, contact Libby at libbyrobinson7@gmail.com or visit her website at https://www.libbyrobinsonmindfulness.com.
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8-Week Class
MBSR, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, has been found helpful in coping with stress, pain, depression, anxiety, and chronic human unhappiness. Read more about the course.
A complimentary Introduction to Mindfulness and MBSR is offered prior to the 8-week course, which includes concepts, principles, and some basic practices. It is required before the MBSR 8-Week course; exceptions are possible with prior experience and/or the teacher’s approval.
Schedule: Complimentary Orientation, Wednesday, September 17, 6:30 – 8:00 pm ET
MBSR 8-Week Classes: Wednesdays, September 24 – November 12, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm ET
All-Day Class: Sunday, October 26, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm ETTeacher: Brenda Lindsay, CPC, PRP, CPA. MBSR teacher trained through Brown University, Certified Mindfulness Instructor from AIHCP, Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT-200), Board Member of the Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness.
All classes and the retreat will be online. For more information or to register, contact Brenda at Brenda@mindtransformationsllc.com or visit www.mindtransformationsllc.com/upcoming-classes.
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Mindfulness-based Aging with Wisdom and Compassion
For older adults (age 60 plus).
Tuesdays, September 30 – November 18, 2025, 1:15 – 3:15 pm ET
Anchored in the cultivation of mindfulness and self-compassion, the group will explore life and death, loneliness and solitude, forgiveness, connection, and gratitude. Each session is enriched by specific meditations, poems and quotes to help us transform our understanding from the head to heart.
Teacher: Mariko Foulk, LMSW. Mariko is a psychotherapist working with older adults over 30 years. Mariko was trained in MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) and has offered the group for the last 15 years. Mariko has also offered Mindfulness-based Chronic Pain and Forgiveness Groups for those 60 plus of age in the community.
Call Mariko at (734) 763-4965 or email her (mfoulk@umich.edu) for information and to schedule an assessment/orientation interview. This is a therapy group offered through Michigan Medicine Geriatrics Center, and the cost is covered by most insurance.