"Stress is everywhere.
Mindfulness can help you cope and thrive."
Mindfulness Expert
Dr. Garfin is an avid practitioner of yoga, meditation, Pilates, and other mind-body practices. She has Ph.D. in Psychology and has completed teacher training in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and offers courses in MBSR and other related practices.
Let's be real: Life is challenging.
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Every day, we are faced with balancing the often competing demands of work, family, and relationships. Moreover, almost 95% of Americans report experiencing a stressful or traumatic event such as divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, or illness. Add that to the ongoing stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, and life can often feel overwhelming.
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I was drawn to mindfulness practices as a way to manage my stress and anxiety. I always seemed to have an overactive mind that seemed to never be at rest. While this was great for being a professor, that mind state is not as helpful for finding peace, calm, and balance in a world that is already filled with difficulties.
My journey with mindfulness practices began with exploring yoga and meditation as a way to calm my overactive mind when I was in college at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After college, I studied yoga in Rishikesh (India) and meditation at the Tushita Meditation Center in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala (India). Over the years, I continued to explore these practices and was introduced to the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, developed by Dr. John Kabaat Zin at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. MBSR frames mindfulness practices in a scientific context and has been found to be efficacious at helping a variety of problems including chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and stress responses more generally. I am currently Principal Investigator of a clinical trial that examines the benefit of MBSR in reducing PTSD and physiological markers of the stress response system.
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Mindfulness practices will not necessarily change the external conditions of our lives. However, they can provide us with internal resources to more effectively navigate the internal and external challenges of life. Mindfulness has enabled me to increase my capacity to deal with the inevitable difficulties in life with greater strength, compassion, discipline, peace, joy, and hope.
I am an avid practitioner of yoga, meditation, Pilates, and other mind-body practices. I completed teacher training in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. I teach Mindfulness and Stress Management at the Wholistic Abode in Newport Beach, CA. You can also find me on the teaching schedule at Pilates Plus OC.
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I do not provide clinical counseling and recommend that my offerings be used as a complement to any traditional psychotherapy one might require.
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I look forward to guiding you on your journey!