• Please make a commitment to yourself and to your buddy to connect daily for the duration of this Dharma Buddy session, February 27 – May 23. 
   
• Schedule an initial meeting with your new buddy to get to know them. This first visit may be longer than subsequent contacts, and could be in-person, on Zoom, or by phone (Facetime if possible). Share your aspirations with each other. 
  
  
• Daily method of contact should be agreed upon at your first meeting such as a short text or email. When responding to your buddy you might just send an emoji thumps up or a short comment of encouragement in addition to your intention for the day. You want to keep your responses short to keep the process flowing. 
  
  
• Set up a schedule which will work for both of you. What time of day will you typically send your intention?  Many buddies do this first thing in the morning.
  
  
• Responses may come late in the day or even the next day when unavoidable situations come into your lives. If your buddy is unable to respond due to certain situations, you will still benefit from sending your intentions daily and they can respond later.
  
  
• Reflect each evening before sleeping how your intentions watered your aspiration that day.  This helps to keep you more honest and accountable with yourself.

with David Braasch and Scott Nissensohn

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Tuesday, March 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

David Braasch has been a student of mindfulness and meditation at the Florida Community of Mindfulness since 2015. He has taught Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation, Buddhism: The Basics, and Mindfulness for Educators. David is currently Senior Faculty in the English Language Program at USF, where he regularly runs workshops, classes and training on mindfulness for students and teachers.

Scott Nissensohn has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2018. Aspiring to be of service to the community, he is on the Leadership Council overseeing Operations and is a member of Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI).

with Carol Meyer and Nina Hatton

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Tuesday, April 4, 11, 18 & 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes will be held online. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Carol Meyer met Fred Eppsteiner in 2009 when she was the Director of Southern Dharma Retreat Center in NC and Fred came to teach a 7-day silent retreat.  In June 2012 she received the Five Mindfulness Trainings, joined Florida Community of Mindfulness, and became Fred’s student.  Carol was ordained in the Order of Interbeing at Magnolia Grove in September 2017 and currently serves in the role of FCM’s OI Leader.  She has also served as a member of the Board, Board Secretary, and co-author of key FCM documents, such as FCM’s Organization Manual and Sangha Harmony Guide.  Carol currently also serves as Solitary Retreat Coordinator and is a Facilitator in the Meditation in Recovery program.  Her professional experience includes teaching as an MIT faculty member, design and development of employee training programs, and 15 years of service as a Unitarian Universalist parish minister giving sermons and leading adult religious education programs. 

Nina Hatton has been a member of FCM since January, 2017. She took refuge in the Five Mindfulness Trainings in In Plum Village in July, 2003, and was ordained in the Order of Interbeing in Plum Village’s first online OI ordination in May, 2021. Nina has participated in numerous intensive and retreats, a Spiritual Friends group, Death Cafe, an FCM listening circle on racism, and has recently facilitated an FCM book club discussion group. She is deeply appreciative of having found FCM and her teacher Fred, and is enthusiastic about being of service to others along the path.

with Fred Eppsteiner

What is behind the growing interest in Buddhism in the United States? Have you wondered why the Buddha's teachings are so relevant today, whether one considers themself a "Buddhist" or is simply curious about how the teachings of Buddhism may support and harmonize with other spiritual traditions?

On Wednesday evenings beginning April 5, and continuing through April 26, Fred Eppsteiner, founding teacher of the Florida Community of Mindfulness will offer a four-week introductory course, Buddhism: The Basics, at the FCM Center in Tampa and via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. The course is suitable for people with a general interest in Buddhism, as well as for both new and experienced practitioners who want to expand their understanding of the Buddha and his fundamental teachings.

We will begin with the actual life of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, an archetype of a human being awakening to the true meaning and purpose of life. Then we will delve systematically into the fundamental teachings of the “path of awakening” that he promulgated during the course of his nearly forty-five years of active teaching. Finally, we will examine the various practice and meditative paths that have developed within the Buddhist tradition over the past 2600 years.

Talks will be supplemented by a list of suggested readings. Cost for this six-week class is $80.

If you have any questions, please contact Angela Parrish at Dharma-Programs-Leader@floridamindfulness.org.

with Eleanor Cecil and Rosy Sharma Sedhain

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Wednesday, May 3, 10, 17 & 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Eleanor Cecil became a member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) in August of 2014. She participates in a number of FCM programs including co-leading the Meditation in Recovery Program (MIR) and overseeing Housekeeping. Eleanor is a student of Fred Eppsteiner and took refuge and the Five Mindfulness Training's in May of 2016 and was ordained in the Order of Interbeing at Magnolia Grove Monastery in August of 2019.

Rosy Sharma Sedhain is a Qualified Teacher of MBSR through the UMASS Center for Mindfulness and a certified yoga teacher. Prior to teaching mindfulness classes, Rosy attained a degree in Information Systems and an MBA, concentrating her work in the pharmaceutical industry. She teaches mindfulness to children, teens and adults and feels that teaching mindfulness gives her the greatest learning opportunity. Rosy joined FCM in 2017. She has completed three year in the Dharma Transmission Program. Rosy is married and the mother of two children, aged 11 and 16. 

with Maria Teresa Jaureguizar and Bill Mac Millen

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Sunday, July 9, 16, 23 & 30 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Maria Teresa Jaureguizar first took refuge and the Five Precepts from Gyokoko Carlson in 1999 at the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland Oregon. Upon moving to Florida with her spouse, she became a formal student of Fred Eppsteiner in 2012 and was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2019. Maria Teresa completed the three-year Dharma Transmission Program in 2018 and has taught various classes related to meditation, mindfulness, and basics of Buddhism. She finds joy in nature, in mentoring those on the meditational path and serving the community. She currently serves as the Community Care Leader. She also works for Hillsborough County Government -Healthcare Services Department.

Bill Mac Millen has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2013. Aspiring to be of service to the community, he is on the Leadership Council overseeing the area of Center Care, a member of Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI), and participated in FCM's first Dharma Transmission Program.

with Eleanor Cecil and John McHarris

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Wednesday, September 6, 13, 20 & 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Eleanor Cecil became a member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) in August of 2014. She participates in a number of FCM programs including co-leading the Meditation in Recovery Program (MIR) and overseeing Housekeeping. Eleanor is a student of Fred Eppsteiner and took refuge and the Five Mindfulness Training's in May of 2016 and was ordained in the Order of Interbeing at Magnolia Grove Monastery in August of 2019.

John McHarris has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2011. Aspiring to be of service to the community, he is on FCM's Board of Directors and is currently involved in a Residency Program in Tampa. John is also a resident here at Bermuda Greens. 

with Jacqulyn Schmitt and Bill Mac Millen

Do you live in your thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Do your emotions often cause stress and confusion? Do you get carried away by dramas.

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation is a four-week course designed to support the practice of mindfulness, helping us develop the skills and attention to be fully present to our lives in the present moment, and to touch each moment deeply. It is intended for those new to mindfulness and meditation, as well as for those who want to review the basics and establish a more consistent daily mindfulness and meditation practice. The course includes basic instruction as well as an exploration of practical ways to bring mindfulness into daily activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Systematically explore mindfulness of breathing, the body and physical sensations through sitting and walking meditation and the body scan practice.
• Establish and maintain a daily meditation practice.
• Practice mindful meditation to explore the emotions, thoughts, and overall awareness.
• Apply mindfulness to difficult emotions and thoughts to avoid getting caught up in dramas.
• Cultivate daily meditation and mindfulness practices so that mindfulness becomes an integral part of your daily life.

This four-week course will begin on Wednesday, November 1, 8, 15 & 22 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Classes will be held in-person. The cost is $75 for all four sessions. If you have questions, please contact us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Class Instructors:

Jacqulyn Schuett stepped on the Path of Dharma in 1999 when she visited Plum Village for her first retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh. The sign at the entrance, ‘You Have Arrived,’ foreshadowed the sense of home she felt in the intimate environment of this small retreat. Her study with Fred Eppsteiner, through retreats and Intensive studies, began shortly thereafter. In 2015 she was ordained into the Order of Interbeing (OI) and provides support for both the Tampa Practice Center and the St. Petersburg Friends on the Path. Jacqulyn also serves as a mentor and leader of introductory classes.

Bill Mac Millen has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2013. Aspiring to be of service to the community, he is on the Leadership Council overseeing the area of Center Care, a member of Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI), and participated in FCM's first Dharma Transmission Program.