“A surfer makes surfing waves look effortless yet inside tremendous focus is being maintained. The relationship between surfer and wave is precise and intimate and each wave the surfer catches is a new, unfolding journey. Now imagine the wave is anywhere you turn your attention. Imagine the ocean is your life and in surfing this one wave skillfully you can affect the whole ocean, enhancing all your experiences, decreasing stress and improving your overall concentration. That’s the power of Unified Mindfulness!

Since I started my own meditation practice over 20 years go, I’ve found that while many people have tremendous interest in and curiosity about the style of meditation called mindfulness and about meditation in general, most have not been exposed to truly useful information. Some have tried a form of meditation that didn’t suit them and abandoned the practice, assuming they were the problem. Others may have a vague idea about what meditation is but no strong sense of what value it could have for them or which kind of practice they would find genuinely interesting and helpful. A few have had profound experiences but no context to put them in and no idea they can cultivate an environment for those rich and meaningful moments to occur more frequently and with greater depth in their life.”

– Julianna Raye

Here are some common misconceptions:

Q. Isn’t meditation about getting rid of  your thoughts? My mind is too active. I’ve tried and I’m not good at it.
A. Mindfulness meditation is about working with circumstances exactly as they are. You can even focus on your busy mind to enhance your skills. UM gives you a way to practice while your mind is engaged in any activity. UM helps you get the most out of any experience and teach you a useful skill for the rest of your life.

Q. Doesn’t meditation require you to be still for long periods of time? I’m a really active person and that doesn’t appeal to me.
A. UM aims to help you solve this issue. Learning to meditate in action helps you develop your skills while on the go and see, through direct experience, the link between meditation and life. Also, a lot of  agitation from sitting meditation actually stems from confusion about how to practice and not having been trained how to work skillfully with the discomfort coming up. UM addresses these common problems.

Q. Isn’t meditation just about learning how to relax ?
A. Relaxation techniques form the basis of one set of practice techniques. UM meditation is also an excellent way to tap into your creative resources, energy and insight as well as improving your focus and productivity.

Q. I know it would be good for me but I have too many pressing concerns.
A. 10 to 15 minutes a day is all it takes to develop a practice. Working with a trainer, practicing in a group and/or going on retreats will reinforce and deepen the process.

Q. Doesn’t meditation make you even-keeled (as in the pop culture idea of being “Zen”)? I don’t want to lose my personality or the ups and downs that make life exciting and meaningful.
A. Meditation works to dissolve whatever impedes you from experiencing life fully. Over time, this results in a richer, more dynamic inner experience and frees up your energy to participate more actively and wholeheartedly in your life.

Looking for more hands on training?

In mindfulness, the greatest benefit comes from first hand knowledge. Just as a physical trainer improves your workout, working with the right mindfulness meditation trainer deepens your process and provides the necessary support.

Julianna’s purpose as a mindfulness expert is to address your needs and interests one-on-one, working together to create a practice tailor-made for you. You will clarify what mindfulness can offer and address what you specifically hope to achieve. You’ll explore your interests and predispositions to come up with a form of practice that suits you best. Sessions rotate in their approach. Sometimes they involve guided practice based on an approach tailor made for you, to optimize and accelerate your practice. In other sessions you will collaboratively strategize ways to effectively bring mindfulness into the activities of your day and to address specific challenges. Finally, you will discuss what you are learning through practice and it’s direct affect on your life. Adjustments will be made as needed and as your practice evolves. These sessions develop collaboratively over time as you become more familiar with the options and strategies and Julianna becomes clear about your life circumstances. Unlike psychotherapy, personal issues need not be analyzed, yet mindfulness will provide an excellent complement to any other self-healing work you may be doing. In fact, your mindfulness practice will enhance all the activities of your life.

“Working with a mindfulness trainer virtually guarantees that anyone can be successful with it. Julianna’s profound commitment, depth and clarity of practice make her extraordinarily effective as a personal trainer.” Shinzen Young