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 a practice of formal mindfulness. It is a practice of focusing and quieting the mind, often associated with states of of deep relaxation, peace and insight. Meditation is part of many spiritual and religious traditions and yet is also simply a tool and a skill of  seeing one’s true consciousness and how one may best relate 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 physician facilitated mindfulness based stress management program that provides instruction, practice, discussion  and exercises on mindfulness meditation  and cognitive behavioral strategies. Each class is 90+ minutes, once a week for 8 weeks. These classes help participants discover a sense of peace, joy and mindfulness in their lives.

Individuals whose lives are being affected by stress related physical or mental health challenges should see their doctor, who can determine if they qualify for MSP funding and who can then submit a referral. Referrals are only required for MSP covered attendance and the referral is available for download here. 

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

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

From there, as there are classes to fill and seats to offer (about every 6-8 weeks), that information will be emailed out with self-registration information. You can look over the class dates and times and register into any class where you can make the full 8 week commitment.

We use a mass email program called MailChimp and sometimes our emails are deemed “spam” and go in to spam, trash or other folders. Keep  a look out in alternate folders for these important emails. 

Kindly do not email us if you can not make the commitment to any offered classes. Your name will remain on the waitlist and the next class intake, you will be emailed that information and so on until you get into a class. 

British Columbia Medical Services Plan (MSP) covers the attendance costs of referred patients. The individual is responsible for an administrative fee of $55, payable at the time of self-registration.

All participants must understand that due to the popularity of the classes they will be responsible for paying a $25 fee for multiple absences from class and/or a fee of up to $50  for withdrawing.

Participants are required to attend all 8 classes for the full duration of each class. Please do not register if you knowingly will be away for one or more classes.

You are invited to discuss with your primary care provider (physician, nurse practitioner or midwife) the appropriateness of this class in your health care plan. If they agree, they will submit a referral on your behalf.

Once a completed referral form is received, your name will go on our waitlist. *Please note that we use the programs MailChimp for mass emails and PayPal for invoicing. You are requested to allow these senders in your email account and to also check your “spam” folder for communications from us*

Approximately every 7-8 weeks, as classes are created, you will receive email announcements of start dates/times of upcoming courses, the facilitator and the format (in-person or virtual) through which you can self-register.

Please read these announcements carefully so as to not register for an in-person class in Victoria when you live in Campbell River.

While we try to present evening and/or weekend classes, our physician facilitator schedules vary and may change from announcement to announcement. 

Classes can be limited and do fill quickly, so you are encouraged to self-register sooner rather than later. Kindly keep in mind that participants are required to attend all 8 classes for the full duration (90+ minutes) of each class. Please do not register if you knowingly will be away for one or more classes.

If you are unable to get into an announced class, please email and ask to be placed on “stand-by”. You will be emailed if a seat comes available. Otherwise your name will remain on the waitlist and you will continue to get emailed class announcements until such time as you get into a class.

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

In response to the current pandemic, classes have only been offered virtually through Zoom.

While we are eager to resume in-person classes, we are taking an overly cautious approach to running them again

When they are offered again classes will be held in rented venues throughout Victoria, the Comox Valley and soon to be Nanaimo.

We will also continue to offer some virtual classes once live classes begin again.

As class dates are established and confirmed, so too are locations. This information is emailed to those on the wait list, who can then self-register for one of the announced classes.

Please do not contact any announced venues with respect to our classes. Direct all questions to our administrator.

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.

For this reason we recommend consideration in asking for weekly time off from your work in order to attend these regularly scheduled “medical appointments”.

Consistent attendance in the class is required and will allow you to bring the skills practiced throughout the 8 weeks into your life more fully, improving your ability to manage your stress and reduce suffering.

Exact details of when, where and how classes will be offered will be emailed out to those referred participants on our waitlist as there are classes to be filled. 

PLEASE NOTE: Our physician facilitator availability can vary, so too then will the class schedules from intake to intake. EG) There may be evening classes one intake and not the next.