Ross

Providing effective stress reduction training.

CREDENTIALS:

His mindfulness training is well received in businesses, educational & health care sectors.

CLIENTS:




G Ross Clark
Phone- 519-648-2985
Email- themindfulcoach@gmail.com

Certified Life Coach

Certified Coaches Federation

 

 

 

 

Member of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Canadian Mental Health Association

April 28, 2014

To Whom It May Concern:

In 2003, after completing a 30-day silent meditation retreat at the Forest Refuge (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts with Joseph Goldstein. I first learned about the MBSR teachers program.

I was drawn to the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program, because of its proven method to reduce stress and improve the quality of our daily lives. I was impressed with the curriculum content and I found the course material was well laid out, effective and not religious.

Most importantly, after doing yoga for 18 years and teaching meditation for 16 years, I have found my voice in teaching mindfulness and stress reduction.

I have found that the M.B.S.R. program offers simple and effective tools that can be used to help ourselves and others. A comment that I often hear from participants of the M.B.S.R. training is “It has changed my life”

In addition to my qualifications, I bring my own personal experience of managing ageing, medical challenges and life issues through mindfulness.

My personal meditation practice includes:

Morning: Yoga, Body Scanning and Heartmath/Mindfulness

Evening: Mindfulness of- Body Sensations, Mental Formations and Yoga Nidra

Bedtime: Appreciation & Forgiveness

Weekly: Guelph Meditation Group, have met for meditation and discussion since 1990.

Monthly: Connect with my meditation teacher for practice or attend a day of mindfulness.

 

Mindfulness Training & Retreat History:

Year Teacher Location Days
1999, Jun. Mary Jo Meadows Guelph, ON 5
1999, Sep. Shinzen Young Guelph, ON 5
2000, Aug. Amata Gavesi Kandy, Sri Lanka 28
2001, Aug. Ajahn Viradhammo Hockley Valley, ON 10
2002, Aug. Ajahn Viradhammo Hockley Valley, ON 10
2003, Feb. Joseph Goldstein Barre, MA 8
2003, Jun. Joseph Goldstein Barre, MA 30
2004, Jun. Joseph Goldstein Barre, MA 30
2005, Mar. Ajahn Viradhammo Ottawa, ON 10
2005, Jul. Tara Brach Richmond, VA 7
2006, Mar. Ajahn Viradhammo Ottawa, ON 10
2007, Feb. Tara Brach Barre, MA 8
2007, Jun. M.B.S.R. Teacher Training University of Massachusetts 10
2009, Jan. M.B.C.T. Teacher Training University of Toronto 8
2010, Jan. Tara Brach Barre, MA 1 wk
2012, Apr. Certified Life Coach Toronto, ON 1 wk
2013, Feb. Centering Prayer Niskayuna, NY 1 wk
2013, Sep. Cert. Master Life Coach On-line 10 wks

 

Plus, several 3-7 day silent retreats  2014- 2017

*In addition, please find an attached appendices of approx. 31, mindfulness meditation retreats attended from 1999 to 2007. (link to retreat history)

The following is a description and brief history of my personal psychological and spiritual development.In 1975, I started taking psychology courses e.g. Family of Origin through the University of Waterloo. For the next 20 years I drew on works of Virginia M. Satir, Carl G. Young, Robert A. Johnson etc. I attended Dream, Creative Drawing, Intensive Journaling, and Male Spirituality workshops and retreats.

However, the stress in my life reached an all time high when in 1990 my wife was diagnosed with cancer. For the next 5 years I struggled with increased job workloads and responsibilities, back injury, many lengthy family illnesses of both our parents, while raising teenagers. In 1995 on the advice of my doctor, I resigned from an enjoyable 25-year career.

Sensing that there were better ways to manage these stressors, I began doing yoga to help heal the body. In 1998 the Yoga teacher introduced mindfulness meditation. After attending a weekend vipassana meditation retreat and experiencing my energy being restored I knew that mindfulness meditation was going to be very helpful in managing my stress. Later, I traveled to Sri Lanka for deeper meditation teachings.

After practicing meditation there for sometime, I was trained by a Theravadan nun to be a meditation teacher. Initially, I freely offered support to those who were interested in developing meditation skills. I have found the blending of western science, yoga, meditation and community have been most helpful. I have built a community website www.caringawareness.com that offers Stress Reduction Resources, Stress Management, Community form, 170 audio and meditation talks. All of which are free.

In 2007, I started my own company. Stress Reduction Training. The mindfulness stress management offerings are well received in the business, educational & health care communities such as the, Rotman School of Management, University of Waterloo, York University,  City of Kitchener, St Joseph Health Care, Complementary Healing Arts Clinic  and also private businesses.

Most recently the company focus is on:

We have also built three new mindfulness websites www.themindfulcoach.com, http://www.mbsrtraining.com and www.mindfulnessforseniors.com for mindfulness training.

The following is a brief description and history of my yoga and other bodywork training and practice.

Since 1996 I have had a personal yoga practice to help bring healing back to the body. I started with Patricia Walden’s yoga tapes and later took training from a Vanda Scaravelli inspired teacher @ Esther Meyers Yoga Studio in Toronto, who emphasizes the importance of the breath, being grounded and awareness of the body. I practice yoga and meditation when I get up in the morning and later throughout the day as required.

Yoga is also used in all the Inner Stress Management and Mindfulness Training workshops that I teach.

My credentials as follows:

Memberships:

Canadian Mental Health Association.

Mindfulness Toronto: A group of mindfulness-based professionals in the Greater Toronto Area

Summary

I find it most rewarding when people report back the difference mindfulness has made in their lives. I am very thankful to all the teachers who have helped me along the way and now I would like to help others.

My goal for teaching mindfulness is:

“To provide practical & enjoyable training.”

Sincerely,

G. Ross Clark

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