Upcoming Classes

Sunday, November 24th from 10-noon at Soulstice Studio in Aldeia de Juso

Learn the basics of mindfulness practice and develop a plan for integrating mindfulness into your daily life.

The mental, emotional, and physical benefits of mindfulness practice are now well documented in the scientific literature. But what exactly IS mindfulness, and how do we practice it?

While the word “mindfulness” has reached widespread familiarity, bringing mindfulness of one’s body, mind, thoughts, and interactions is easier said than done.

In this masterclass, you will experience a mix of teachings, gentle guided movement and sitting practices, group discussion, and personal reflection to help you connect with a sense of presence that you can carry with you every day of your life.

Our most enduring relationship is the one we have with ourselves—let’s come together and foster a deep and abiding friendship with our bodies, hearts, and minds.

You are warmly invited. All you need is an open heart and open mind. 

Come and greet your life and your heart just as you are. Suitable for all experience levels—everyone is welcome! 

Twenty percent of the proceeds will be donated to Yoga Gives Back, benefiting women and children in India.

Reserve your place here 

Mondays 8:15-9:15 at the Quinta Pool

While we might all want to "be happy," humans are prone to getting in our own way. We tend to focus on the negative, compare ourselves to an idea of how we ought to feel, and miscalculate what will truly help us feel calm, contented, easeful, and joyful. When joy and pleasure do arise, we tend to skip over them, which can prevent us from fully absorbing the goodness on offer. 

Let's practice increasing our capacity to open toward pleasant experiences and emotions in a supportive group environment.

We will start with a guided meditation that explores mindful presence and cultivates the “sublime attitudes” of the Buddhist brahmavihārā: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. 

Next, we will discuss what we notice when we turn toward our hearts and minds with love. Your whole self is welcome.

We will practice our meditation outside by the Quinta pool, inviting the sounds and sensations of nature and the aliveness of the campus. Come dressed to sit (or stand or lie down—your choice!) in the weather. You are welcome to bring mats, cushions, or blankets.

Come and greet your life and your heart just as you are. Suitable for all experience levels—everyone is invited! 

I have recently completed a year-long Intro to Buddhist Chaplaincy training through the Sati Center (California, USA), and am humbled to serve our community by offering this space for all. As a psychology master’s student in the Mindfulness-Based Approaches program at Bangor University (Wales, UK), I have learned to teach mindfulness, specifically the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, to support wellness and wholeness. My personal, professional, and academic focus is on trauma sensitivity, and nervous system regulation, which means that my goal in holding the group is to create a shared sense of safety where each participant feels in control of the depth and intensity of practice. 

You can contact me on WhatsApp at +16035311695 or read about my work here.

MBSR is the most studied evidence-based mindfulness program in the world. MBSR is taught by specially trained teachers to maximize benefits such as improving wellbeing, increasing resilience, reducing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure, managing chronic pain, and more. 

"Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an  effective, scientifically researched method for reducing physical and psychological suffering while building resilience, balance, and peace of mind." 

-Mindfulness Center at Brown University

Physiological benefits can include:

• reducing chronic pain
• lowering blood pressure
• relieving gastrointestinal distress
• improving sleep

Psychological benefits can include:

• reducing suffering
• increasing resilience
• boosting peace of mind
• and more

MBSR consists of an orientation, 8 weekly 2-2.5 hour classes and one all-day class. Instruction includes meditation, mindful stretching, and interactive group exercises. 

"Kalyana is one of the few meditation teachers that I've come across that leads practices in a way that helped me feel empowered and self-affirming while meditating. I am supremely happy that I took this course.”

-Andrea 

“I really appreciated the way Kalyana held each of us in this space and brought us to a deeper level of understanding, self-awareness and growth. I highly recommend this course to anyone wishing to deepen their mindfulness practice.”

-MBSR Participant, 2023

“I went into this course without a steady, daily practice in mindfulness. The weekly meetings really set a solid foundation for me. Each week the in-class and at-home practices naturally built upon one another. By the end, practicing mindfulness became a thing that I just do. Since completing the course, I return to it everyday.

I realize that I can approach my days mindfully, realizing that even during the struggles, I am here. Just that realization influences how I respond to the good, the bad, and everything in between.”

-Dave

“By taking the time to sit and do the work of this course week by week I feel like I have gained a friend within myself. I am more gentle with myself and have a tiny bit of space between my emotions any responses. I got to learn how my brain works and that by itself is a gift that has allowed me to be more gentle with myself.

I really appreciate that I've had the opportunity to experience this course 10/10 highly recommend. There is a commitment to sticking with it but it's worth it 100 times over.”

-MBSR Participant, 2023

“I came into this course without any expectations, really I was just hoping to learn something new but I didn’t expect it to have any big impact on me. What I ended up getting out of the experience was more than I could’ve imagined! I had never been alone with myself before and although meditating was at first intimidating and somewhat scary to me, Kalyana made it accessible and possible!! I am so grateful that I took this class, it has allowed me to begin the process of developing a relationship with myself and changed the way I view the world around me!!

-Zoey

“Kalyana is so warm and kind. She tactfully avoids turning this into a therapy experience (though it is therapeutic) and instead helps you focus on noticing what comes up and what goes away during practice. I already had a practice before the class, but what I needed was guidance in terms of creating a discipline, and I got just that. I also needed to know the ways in which others struggle with practice - this made it a lot more relatable and easier.”

-Matt

“MBSR has made me feel calmer on a day-to-day basis, more aware of getting caught up in thoughts and bringing my mind back to my anchor. I use what I have learned in my everyday life and work! Kalyana is an amazing teacher. She is passionate, gentle, and inspiring” 

-Kara

"Kalyana’s  positive, supportive manner always made our practices a pleasant experience."

-Ingrid

“What a joy to have been able to participate in the 8-week MBSR workshop offered by Kalyana. It was a new experience for me having never taken an in-depth meditation workshop before. Kalyana made us all feel welcomed and important and offered one-on-one support if any issues came up needing to be taken care of individually. 

This program can be emotionally transformative. With Kalyana’s guidance, I felt in control. 

This program is definitely one where you get out of it what you put into it. And because the guided mediations are recorded in a saved online space, I know I can tap into it in the future as I’m ready for more. It is a commitment but well worth it. When the eight weeks were over I felt sad it was ending. All of the participants had bonded and had become a community of sorts. 

I am a better person and feel I can face situations with more clarity and less anxiety.”

-JAH

Mindfulness is an inherent capacity we all have for being fully present in our lives. We can train ourselves to increase this capacity by practicing meditation and increasing awareness in everyday life. These are skills that can be cultivated by learning from instructors who are trained in research-backed techniques. For information about our training, click here.

Mindfulness practice can be thought of as having two primary dimensions: formal and informal.

Formal practices include the body scan, sitting practice, and mindful stretching (yoga). To sample some of these practices, click here.

Informal mindfulness practices involve bringing mindful awareness to all of our experiences, no matter what they are, throughout our daily lives. If this sounds like a tall order, the good news is that it can be learned like any other skill.