I started my Mindfulness Journey by enrolling in Meli O’Brien’s Mindfulness Summit. Meli offered daily interviews with people full of Mindfulness wisdom for the month of October 2015. This was free if accessed via streaming video at the time or recorded audio for 24 hours. For a small fee you could have unlimited access to the video’s, transcripts and extra gifts.

Excerpt – “The Mindfulness Summit is a not-for-profit project with a mission to make mindfulness mainstream. 100% of the donations and profits made from the summit go to these mindfulness-based charities and organisations….”- see list on web site https://themindfulnesssummit.com

I made a pledge to myself to listen every day for the 30 days. It is possible to still access a few of these interviews for free.

I found I was drawn more to some speakers than others as well as types of practices more than others. I followed the links to their web sites, listened to Ted X talks and any other free audio such as on Sounds True. I ordered some books and was drawn to Dr Rick Hanson’s online courses and App. I enrolled for the 12 month Foundations of Wellbeing Course as it would keep me connected for 12 months. It also provided the opportunity to connect with other people doing the course. By this time I had thought of adding this amazing practice to my health coaching skills and looked at available teacher training courses. Mindfulness Based Stress Release was the program that had the most ‘evidence base’ or body of research backing it so I enrolled for a modified 6 week group course in W.A..

To enhance my skills in using Mindfulness with clients I was going to do the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ) training but decided to read the journal first and planned to do the advanced courses. I then joined the NICABM’s Next Level Practitioner membership community (The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine). Again, this is a 12-month program and it includes 6 short video postings per week of tips from expert practitioners on subjects like building resilience in clients. A large focus is Mindfulness.

Through my current work I have gained access to Dr Dan Siegel’s presentations on Mindsight and a Neuroscience Summit. These presentations were aimed at therapists and provided great information on the brain and mind. I continue to find Dan Siegel’s work intriguing and inspiring.

I think people are led to where they want to begin. I forwarded a link to a yoga site to a friend and she has found that is her path more so than Mindfulness. I love both. I find Mindfulness to be a beautiful blend of Ancient Buddhist philosophy supported and in some ways expanded by Neuroscience. Quantum physics has demonstrated the links to universal connectivity and terms like “Interbeing”, ‘mwe’ (me & we together) and mindsight are entering our vocabularies.

Along the way I also found a great meditation App called ‘Insight Timer’. Again offered free are hundreds of guided meditations and other tools for connecting with other meditators, hearing podcasts and recording your meditation activity as well as yoga etc.

There is so much information available that the biggest challenge is committing one-self to practice. I was amazed at how hard many of the people in the group I did the MBSR course with found doing the required 45 minutes plus a day practice. Finding whom you are drawn to is important. There are great differences in the focus on spirituality and Buddhist teachings right through to a secular and scientific approach.

In future posts I will write some reviews of books and courses I have experienced but for now here is the list of speakers with information taken from Meli’s Mindfulness Summit website. I hold Meli in the highest esteem and awe at the achievement she made bringing this Summit together. I wish her bucket loads of gratitude and loving kindness.

The speakers and what the presented in brief in October 2015 were:

JON KABAT-ZINN

Professor of Medicine Emeritus, mindfulness teacher, bestselling author and founder of the groundbreaking Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.

Jon will be leading a livestream mindfulness practice during the summit

RUBY WAX

Actress/comedian, mindfulness teacher, speaker and author of ‘Sane New World’

• Why we need to end the stigma around mental illness

Understanding your brain and how to live ‘sanely’ in the fast paced digital era

JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN

Senior insight meditation teacher & author of ‘Mindfulness: A Practical Guide To Awakening’

• Deeper dimensions of mindfulness
• Mindfulness, insight and breaking through obstacles

JACK KORNFIELD

Best selling author, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Spirit Rock Meditation Centre and the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts

• Jack gives us insights into overcoming common obstacles on the path of mindful living

A mindfulness meditation to ground you in the present moment

TARA BRACH

Senior meditation teacher and author of ‘True Refuge’ and ‘Radical Acceptance’

• A heartfelt and insightful presentation on mindfulness and self compassion

Taras guided meditation will reconnect you with your deepest sense of self.

DAWA TARCHIN PHILLIPS

Senior Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher, expert on Mindful Leadership

Dawa will lead a mindfulness and awakening meditation

SAM HARRIS

Author, neuroscientist, philosopher, the co-founder and chief executive of Project Reason, a non-profit organization that promotes science and secularism.

Watch Sams talk on secular spirituality and the importance of ‘waking up’ through mindfulness

HANNAH PERKINS

Mindfulness Teacher

Enjoy a short mindfulness practice led by Hannah

MARK WILLIAMS

Clinical psychologist & author of ‘Mindfulness: Finding Peace In A Frantic World’

• Mark answers the question ‘what is mindfulness’ and skilfully leads a practice. Perfect for beginners
• Learn the 3 minute ‘breathing space’

The research on why mindfulness works better than antidepressants

DR RICK HANSON PH.D

Neuro-psychologist, bestselling author and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom

• The cutting edge neuroscience of mindfulness

The insights that arise from mindfulness practice

KRISTEN RACE

Expert in child, family and school psychology. Author of Mindful Parenting and founder of the Mindful Life programs.

• Learn how to practice mindful parenting

Gain simple ideas for integrating mindfulness into your day

ANGEL KYODO WILLIAMS

Founder, Center for Transformative Change, senior mindfulness teacher, author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness and Grace

• Be guided by Angel in a short mindfulness meditation practice

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

Co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post. Author of ‘Thrive’, syndicated columnist, and occasional actress.

Redefining success and creating a life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder. Learn how integrate mindfulness into a busy life and how to thrive in this modern era.

DANIEL J. SIEGEL M.D.

Executive Director of Mindsight Institute, Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine and author of ‘The Mindful Brain’

• Practical ways to become more mindful in every day life

How mindfulness changes your brain and therefore changes your life.

PAUL GILBERT

Clinical psychologist & author of ‘Mindful Compassion’

• How our brains evolved & how to use mindfulness & compassion training to gain inner peace.
• 3 powerful practices to promote more self compassion

VIDYAMALA BURCH

Meditation teacher & co-founder of Breathworks

• How to use mindfulness for pain reduction and pain management.

How to use mindfulness to handle challenging emotions

PROFESSOR KATHERINE WEARE

Professor Emeritus, Developing & Evaluating Mindfulness in Schools

• Insightful techniques and guidance for conveying mindfulness to children, teens – and those who work and learn with them

JONO FISHER

Founder, WakeUpProject.com.au and MindfulLeadershipForum.com

• Mindful Leadership
• The Power of Kindness

Mindful Masculinity

CHODEN (SEAN MC GOVERN)

Ex-monk, renowned meditation teacher and co-author of ‘Mindful Compassion’

Experience a 20 minute mindfulness meditation guided by Choden

TAMI SIMON

Founder and publisher of ‘Sounds True’ and senior meditation teacher

• Mindfulness and it’s relationship to spiritual awakening.
• How to bring mindfulness into business and work.

A deeply nurturing ‘body awareness’ practice

CAROLINE WELCH

CEO at ‘Mind Your Brain, Inc.’

• The research on how mindfulness can radically transform your life

The best way to start a home practice

ELISHA GOLDSTEIN

Meditation teacher, author and co-founder of The Centre for Mindful Living in West Los Angeles

• How to integrate mindfulness into your every day life
• The S.T.O.P method

A rejuvenating mindfulness practice

MICHAEL CHASKALSON

Meditation teacher and author of ‘The Mindful Workplace’

• How to integrate mindfulness into your workday
• Mindful leadership

Mindfulness for peak performance

TIMOTHEA GODDARD

Psychotherapist, MBSR teacher, founder and director of Openground Mindfulness Programs, founding co-director of Mindfulness Training Institute of Australasia.

The deep insights one can expect to unfold through mindfulness.

DAN GOLEMAN

Internationally known psychologist and science journalist

• Mindfulness, emotional Intelligence and self compassion

How to be part of the Dalai Lama’s vision for compassion in action

KAIRA JEWEL LINGO

Buddhist meditation teacher and international Dharma teacher

Enjoy a meditation contemplating caring for the body and our inter-being with the earth

GUSTAVO SE CESTARI

Psychotherapist, MBSR Teacher, founder of AMAR Centre for Growth and Mindful Living.

Gustavo will be leading a mindfulness practice called ‘Inherent Naturalness’

DR SUSAN ALBERS

Clinical psychologist, mindful eating expert and bestselling author of several books on mindful eating

• How to practice mindful eating

A mindfulness practice to change the way you relate to your food

DAN HARRIS

News anchor, mindfulness advocate and bestselling author of ‘10% Happier’

• Making mindfulness mainstream
• How mindfulness can transform your life…realistically

Practical ways to be mindful for everyday people

LORI DESCHENE

Founder and director of TinyBuddha.com

• Why mindfulness is needed for living an authentic life
• Tips on mindfully using technology

How mindfulness changed Loris life from the inside out

SHAMASH ALIDINA

Bestselling author, speaker and mindfulness teacher. Author of the international bestselling “Mindfulness for Dummies” series

• How to bring more warmth and ease into your meditation
• A wonderful beginners meditation

Learn key insights to deepen your mindfulness practice

DR RUSS HARRIS

Bestselling author and world-renowned trainer of ‘Acceptance & Commitment Therapy’ (ACT)

Mindfulness, Zombies, And How To Unhook Yourself From Thoughts

MIRABAI BUSH

Author of Working with Mindfulness, co-creator of Google’s ‘Search Inside Yourself’ program, co-founder of the Centre for Contemplative Mind and Society

• How to integrate mindfulness into the workplace

Why mindfulness makes us more productive

EVA PAPADOPOULO

Psychotherapist, MBSR teacher with Openground Mindfulness Programs and mindfulness teacher trainer with Mindfulness Training Institute of Australasia

Eva will be leading a ‘metta’ or ‘loving kindness’ meditation

DR JUDSON BREWER

Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness, Psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for addictions

How mindfulness can help with addiction. The neuroscience of mindfulness. Neuroimaging of the meditating brain and we can learn from it.

SAKI SANTORELLI

Executive Director, Center for Mindfulness Director, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic Professor of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine.

Saki will be leading a long in depth mindfulness meditation

RICHARD BURNETT

School teacher, co-founder of Mindfulness in Schools Project and co-creator of .b curriculum

• Why mindfulness in schools is important and how to create a mindful school

Plus experience a popular mindfulness practice from kids in school

DR DANNY PENMAN

Meditation teacher, award-winning writer and journalist. Author of ‘Mindfulness For Creativity’

Learn how to use mindfulness to develop and enhance creativity

The host

MELLI O’BRIEN

Melli O’Brien is an internationally-accredited meditation and yoga teacher, and specializes in teaching multi day ‘immersion’ mindfulness retreats. She was selected by the Mangrove Mountain Ashram (the largest ashram in the southern hemisphere) to teach their mindfulness retreats and also blogs about mindful living at

mrsmindfulness.com