After reading numerous articles and books about mindfulness, Deah attended (many!) workshops and classes, but something just wasn’t clicking. It wasn’t until Deah completed a 10 day silent retreat where she received intensive meditation instruction and 10+ hours per day of practice that everything fell into place. Over the next several years, she continued to take classes and certifications to deepen her practice and understanding of meditation and mindfulness principles. In spring 2019, Deah was granted an extended sabbatical from work to begin a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Training Program with prominent mindfulness teachers Jack Kornfield Ph.D. and Tara Brach, Ph.D. Deah started attending practice groups and classes at MAM during her sabbatical and is thrilled to be a teacher in a community where she practices. Mindfulness now permeates every area of Deah’s life. She utilizes mindfulness based strategies in her counseling work and integrates contemplative pedagogy methods into the classroom. She also facilitates a weekly mindfulness group for faculty and staff at MCC-Longview. Mindfulness has had a transformational effect on Deah’s life and she enjoys sharing the gift of mindfulness with the MAM community.