About Mindfulness & Testimonials

What is Mindfulness: 

Mindfulness is an attitude of openness, curiosity, acceptance, and non-judgment to experiences in the present moment.  It is a skill based approach to priming the mind to respond skillfully when difficulties arise.  Mindfulness practices train the mind to pay attention or grow awareness to experiences without reacting to them.  Non evaluation of a situation, occurrence or person makes us fully present to actually experience the situation, occurrence or person as it or he/she is.  

How it works:

Our mind constantly interprets or evaluates what’s happening from moment to moment.  And even though our body is stuck in the present, the mind is always travelling into the past or into the future.  Mindfulness trains us to jump out of the thought stream by paying attention to what’s actually happening in the moment through breath awareness, scanning, sensations of experiences, which put us back in our body.  When body and mind are united in the moment, we are deeply present and thus grow clarity and wisdom. Mindfulness is about learning to observe ourselves: our thoughts, feelings and impulses and then making mindful choices in life.

Mindfulness strategies are to be used anywhere and anytime – while walking, eating, driving, shopping, working etc. and not only on the meditation cushion. Practising these strategies in real life situations empowers us to notice more of what's occurring in our life, which prepares us to better deal with life's difficulties.

Being mindful and accepting doesn’t mean you become passive and non active.  It simply means that instead of reacting, we first learn to clearly see what’s happening, notice the choices available to us, understand what we contribute, and then decide to act or remain neutral.    

Mindfulness meditation is NOT about altering consciousness or feeling bliss.  Even though you’ll grow calm and relaxed by meditating this is not the point of the meditation.  Mindfulness is about learning to clearly see life and ourselves separate from our mind’s conditioning.  Ultimately it is growing self-understanding and wisdom about the nature of life.

Benefits of Mindfulness: 

• Your brain structure will change
• You  will cope with stress better
• You will become less judgmental of yourself and others
• Your concentration and focus will increase
• Your reactivity will decrease
• You will be able to see things in life more clearly
• More of your thoughts, feelings and impulses will become clearer to you
• You will grow more open, flexible and accepting
• You will feel more unified in your mind, body, spirit
• You will  discover your own inner strength, courage, and wisdom

Techniques of Mindfulness are training the mind to increase concentration, exercises to grow tolerance and flexibility, skills to be deeply present and aware of what’s happening in each moment. 

Acceptance Practices are becoming aware of and skillfully working with thoughts, feelings and sensations occurring in the mind and body.  Writing as a reflective practice is helpful with externalising and understanding our experiences.

Small Groups/Workshops:  I teach Mindfulness Strategies in  private and small group settings.  Please email acceptancehealing@gmail.com for more information. 

Feedback and comments from participants in the “Mindfulness: Practises to Grow Self Knowledge” course. When I decided to take this class I was looking for something that will help me reduce stress and enjoy life and Family.  I found help not only for the stress but for other aspects of my life. I learned incredible things about my own self.   I'm very happy with all the things that we learned because now I try to see life and everything around me in a different way.  Casey is an excellent teacher who makes you feel very comfortable and supported as she guides you through all the exercises. Thank you. Walter V,  San Jose, CA.   I realized that accepting is giving me a change to be free from my negativity and judgments, which only tire me and make me unhappy.  I feel stronger knowing I have tools to make me a more courageous person by facing myself.  I am excited to begin to know and accept myself.  I will keep on working on this meditation for myself and for a better life, and therefore giving others a better part of me when I’m around them. Leticia M, San Jose, CA Noticing things showed me how to return to my breathing to calm myself and clear my thinking.  I learned to become a better listener. K.L.  San Jose, CA I decided to take this class hoping to learn how to reduce stress, anxiety and at the same time to enrich my spiritual practice.  This workshop did both things for me. Now, I pay attention to my breath more often in my everyday life, and I am aware of the sensations and emotions the body brings out when it is under stress and I am able to calm it down through proper breathing. The 2 most impactful things I experienced during the workshop were: 1.      The use of my breath to get rid of a stomach pain due to anxiety. 2.      During Body Scan Meditation a two-days-migraine headache went away– that was amazing! Marta F, San Jose, CA I’ve become more aware of issues in my life, which gives me an opportunity to deal with them consciously.  I’ve begun to live more consciously. Bill C, San Jose, CA This class helped me find peace and a method to calm the brain in the middle of the night to help me sleep.  I’m having a better relationship with my family.  Being mindful of myself before I talk and understand the other person better.  Kellie A, San Jose, CA I became more aware of my feelings and sensations.  I’m more open to talk to my family about the way I feel.   Karla F, San Martin, CA I’m more motivated to confront things in life that are scary.  I’m more willing to solve problems instead of avoiding them or resenting them.  I’m a little more open to change. The most impactful things for me was having moments where I could understand what I was doing was not helpful, and realizing that there are people around me who are going through the same things as me. Alicia B, San Jose, CA I learned several powerful tools by which to practice mindfulness. I’m growing my awareness of my body, mind and the emotional connections.  And awareness of my resistance to mindfulness (change/growth). Some powerful experiences of the power of mindfulness that give me hope and motivation to maintain a spiritual practice. [Grown my] awareness of sensing my serene, aware, compassionate and radiant self. Rita G, San Jose, CA Being in the moment has made me a calmer person which has resulted in a higher awareness of situations which cause me stress in my life. [I learned] tools of meditation to bring calmness into my life.  And bringing calmness into day to day activities. Lola H, Los Gatos, CA It taught me to be more gentle with myself.  And the importance of taking/making time for my meditation so that I’m able to deal with life and others in a better way. The thought labelling meditation helped me identify my predominant thoughts.  Now that I’ve identified them, I can address them instead of letting them consume me.  Loving Kindness meditation brought me closer to each person and made me realize how important they are to me.  It’s helped me see life from their perspective and how fragile and strong each of them is. Lynne H, Los Gatos, CA More awareness and reinforcement of benefits of a well-grounded meditation practice.  Two most impactful things for me were noticing my thoughts and my connectedness to the world and universe. Don G, San Jose, CA I feel more peace in my life.  I learned different ways and times (during activities) that one can meditate.  Helping me manage my emotions. Barbara G, San Jose, CA I’m more aware.  I especially found the eating meditation useful to be aware of and to choose to change bad habits.  The body scan really helped a lot with my back ache.  I’m getting better at staying in the present moment and am not letting my mind wander as much, which is a challenge with ADD. Sarah P D, San Jose, CA It helped me with noticing and observing my feelings.  With awareness I was able to catch my feelings after my body sent me the signs.  I was able to observe my feelings and just let them be so they calmed down or changed after a while. Being more conscious, aware and present in the moment, I got the taste again of how beneficial meditation is, and it helps calm my thoughts down. Thank you. Kata L, San Jose, CA  I was able to learn meditations that I can use throughout my life.  I learned meditations that I didn’t know existed but that were helpful and insightful.  The Loving Kindness and Thought Labelling meditations were helpful and eye opening.  I realized I’m uncomfortable with being good to myself during the Loving Kindness meditation.  During the Thought Labelling meditation it was helpful because I had more a place to put my thoughts when my mind became full of them.  Alicia B, San Jose, CA I caught myself reacting to criticisms from others by later trying to find something wrong with the other person. I realized this is not healthy for me or for the relationship.  I realized my discomfort in situations where I might have to reveal feelings and inner emotions with complete strangers, however nice. I learned that I really need to analyze my reactions to situations if I hope to sleep better and feel less anxious. GA, San Jose, CA I became more aware of how I feel, my surroundings, and my reactions to stimuli.  I’m more mindful and in meditating I’m realizing what I need to work on. Latonya  M, San Jose, CA I got too many benefits to fit into this small space (the number of lines on the feedback sheet).  Mostly, I feel less stressed, and more calm; I know that there’s something I can do and practice that helps me feel better.  I’m not a slave to my reactions and emotions as much. I was able to feel a sense of calm and peace that I’ve not felt in a long time.  I have hope for the future with less stress and better relationships. Heidi B, Los Gatos, CA I’m more aware.  Feeling more at ease with myself and with being around others.  I’m also thinking about internal things. I’ve more understanding for myself. Laurie K, San Jose, CA I got life skills, knowledge and awareness.  Learned how to meditate so I can be more aware and mindful.  I can check in with my emotions now.  Learned to put my fear aside and get things accomplished. Kay R, San Jose, CA I increased my awareness of everything around me and to be more mindful of my reactions to them.  I was able to become a better listener, and to eat more slowly and mindfully.  And meditation helps me fall asleep easier. Nannette H, Los Gatos, CA I learned tools to help my mind from spinning and the importance of staying present.  I proved to myself that I can sit still! I experienced a deeper meditation that I had not before. Kay L, Saratoga, CA I’m learning to accept what I’m feeling and thinking and stopping the internal dialog.  I got the chance to stop and reflect on what was happening in me.  We had enough time to practice the different meditations and share our experiences. Lynne H, Saratoga, CA I’m much more aware of how I impulsively react to things and how helpful it is just to notice and be in the moment. I liked finally learning how to meditate and all the practice we got in. [The activities] made me much more aware of what was going on in my body. Roberta L, Santa Clara, CA It has helped me become aware of the thoughts and experiences that go through my mind, but also to accept them and not be so reactive to them.  Being part of a group and sharing were helpful to me.  I tend to make up my mind, judgments about others and their judgments of me.  The sharing helped me with trust. Gail M, Santa Clara, CA This was my first introduction [to meditation].  I liked how the information was presented and the practices. I have only recently started journaling and I like putting thoughts, feelings down in writing. I liked the group sharing and hearing other’s stories. I was able to practice what I learned outside of class. I liked the idea of a buddy...it made me feel accountable. Marge R,  Los Gatos, CA I pay attention to the present.  It was slow and easy.  It gave me new information which I could use. Charlotte R, San Jose, CA [This course] taught me to honor my time and self.  My first time taking a course on Mindfulness and I really enjoyed it. Gloria A, San Jose, CA [This course] was a step towards full relaxation.  It allowed my brain to open up to opportunities because I learned to be aware of, but not distracted by, the world around me as I was in a state of meditation.  The different types of mindful[ness] meditations, the focus on gentleness and kindness to yourself and others, the mindfulness in eating was enlightening.  I combined my mindfulness journaling with my creative writing journaling.  Both classes have helped me strengthen and develop my creativity muscle.  Dyann D, Mountain View, CA It’s amazing I walked in this morning and I wasn’t feel[ing]good at all and how completely different I feel now. I was really going this way.  Going out in nature [walking meditation] is amazing.  Thank you. Mary K, Saratoga, CA It helped a lot to say I’m going to try it [mindfulness meditation] and “allupa”.  I really enjoyed it and none of it took as long as I thought. It was always pleasantly “oh, like I can do this”. Mary K, Saratoga, CA I noticed several times, when I’d get in the car, I was quiet and my eyes open.  I think you can meditate anywhere. Different times I was really stressed with impending surgery and I was just a mess.  I would notice that and I would notice the physiological effects and I would notice that and I would calm myself down. I was able to purposely calm myself down and it was really nice to be able to do that and it came in handy Latonya M   , San Jose, CA I just need it [mindfulness meditation] for myself and the proof is for me.  If it works for me that’s all I need; it really does make you aware of the moment. Heidi B, Los Gatos, CA Walking and being aware of things when I walk. Washing dishes was easy for me.  Easy for me to be mindful because it’s an activity.  Good time for me because doesn’t take a lot of framework and give me opportunity to...and paying attention to what I’m doing. Laurie K, San Jose, CA I meditated all over the place. Went into backyard; sometimes have trouble doing what I’m supposed to be doing; have to do it my way.  Hearing the freeway, bird and everything.  Calming hearing everything. Sitting quietly and then the cat got onto my lap and first impulse was to get her off me but she just sat there quietly.  Amazing and I developed feeling of love, and it was pleasant because I thought it was going to be distracting. Kay R, San Jose, CA We are learning not to be so hard on ourselves.  We are all learning and can’t expect to reach that point but maybe to reach and work on things.  I have clutter in the house and it bothers me but not enough to do anything about it.  Normally I tense up and I keep walking...around the house. So I was doing walking meditation “this is really helping”. Kay R, San Jose, CA I like things to be like this and this [just so] and it’s based on previous experience.  But now I’ve been noticing it [this habit] whereas before I never really noticed it.  Heidi B, Los Gatos, CA I had like a major breakthrough.  I think all this has given me the confidence to address my fears.  I think it’s all this stagnant thoughts that it can’t be done.  Well, I went and bought a new printer and car yesterday.  I kept thinking “they are going to charge me too much and I can’t do this by myself and...I tell myself I can’t do things.  I made a list of all the things I wanted to do and started doing them.  Meditation I don’t know but for some reason I thank you because whatever it is I’m going to be grateful because it got me going rolling...So I’m very happy.  Kay R, San Jose, CA I found myself meditating for shorter times and it worked well for me.  Just a min or two and just to slow down and focus. Nanette,    Los Gatos, CA I’m continuing to look for work and Monday I met with a woman at what I thought was a great interview...Later in the week I was checking in, well, she’s interviewing 3 more people. And I went from here [happy] to here [sad] in nothing flat.  I reminded myself, let’s just notice what happened here and why?  Just because I heard there’s 3 more people, I automatically think “oh, I don’t have a shot and I’m not good enough”...I find this is helping me to get out of that rat hole of thinking and spinning. Kay L, Los Gatos, CA I made breakfast and said “sit calmly and taste your food”. I’m used to eating so fast and then going to do something. I’d go “stop”, and I did stop.  It was interesting.  I was thinking about eating meditation a lot.  We went out to dinner, and I felt like I tasted my food and it was good food but it tasted better. Heidi B, Los Gatos, CA I was at Tevana and I was making this noise and sound as I sipped my tea. I didn’t realize I was making that noise but I was enjoying that tea. Latonya M,  San Jose, CA

Casey’s Mindfulness Workshop was simply amazing!  It reaffirmed a lot of self-taught practices I had been doing for years without putting a “mindfulness” label on it. I didn't realize others were doing this as well.

As a class, we worked out where mindfulness would be meaningful throughout one’s life: in the workplace, under pressure, on holiday, with compassion for yourself and others.

For me, the first breakthrough came at the end of day one. Here, we tried to focus on our thoughts and… wow! I had an epiphany! So much fun! I let my thoughts wander and had fun watching them from a distance. Indeed, it is difficult to explain that one.

She leads you through skillful, timely, and calming narration during your meditation. It was quite fun and revealing about how your brain and thoughts can take you on some wild rides that trip your emotions. She also incorporates scientific studies and meditation practices that are quite interesting.

Day two, was deeper still. I really enjoyed it and felt really in the moment in a variety of everyday exercises. Who knew that even eating can be a deep, mindful experience? I hope to take a refresher in the Mindfulness Workshop and Pranic Healing sessions from Casey again in the future. But, I’ll plan for that once I’m out of the now. Thanks, Casey!

Victor R, Palo Alto, CA