About Us

The Florida Community of Mindfulness provides a "home" where people can come to learn and practice the art of meditation and mindful living. As a nurturing and supportive practice community taking inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh, FCM offers a variety of practice opportunities to support practitioners in their aspiration to cultivate mindfulness and compassion and lead awakened lives. Our community meets at our Practice Center in Tampa, Florida, as well as in Fort Myers, Marco Island, Naples, and St. Petersburg. Please visit our Sangha page for more information about meeting locations and times.

Our community was founded by our teacher, Fred Eppsteiner, who received Dharma Transmission (authorization to teach in an authentic lineage descended from the Buddha) from Thich Nhat Hanh after more than four decades of deep study and practice with Buddhist masters in multiple lineages.

FCM's activities include the teaching and practice of mindfulness, meditation and the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) through weekly group meditation sessions (sanghas) and Dharma talks, classes on mind-body awareness and relaxation, monthly days of mindfulness, multi-day retreats; home-study intensives lasting three to six months, workshops offered by FCM’s Mindfulness Institute on the application of mindfulness principles to our everyday lives, and a variety of indoor and outdoor social events for the FCM community. In all of our gatherings and activities, we practice deep listening and loving, mindful speech.