Why mindfulness? Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation teaches you how to be here in this moment. Not stressing out about tomorrow, not ruminating over the past. If you stop for a moment, you begin to notice that your mind is always somewhere else. Mindfulness teaches you how to come back to the now, so that you don't miss a single moment of this very precious life.

About Me

Hi! My name is Jiana and I am a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. I received my training from the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program developed by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and offered by the Awareness Training Institute and Sounds True.

I grew up in sunny California and met my partner Wayne in 1995 and moved to Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. While raising our blended family of 4 daughters, Wayne built cottages and homes in Muskoka and I went work at the YWCA Muskoka, a local non-profit whose mission is to see all women and girls thriving.

After attending a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program that was being offered by Dr. Bill Knight in Huntsville and seeing the impact it had on me and the people who have been part of the Muskoka Mindfulness Community, I decided to become a mindfulness teacher. Mindfulness has taught mer to truly accept who I am - messiness and all - and see clearly the circumstances of this life and then to move forward with wisdom and compassion - the two wings of mindfulness - for myself and for others. I now teach an Intro to Mindfulness program and host a weekly meditation group and am a sangha leader for the Muskoka Mindfulness Community, which was an offshoot of the MBSR program, and has been running for over 15 years.

In 2019 I co-founded the non-profit organization, The Centre for Mindfulness in Muskoka, which hopes to bring more mindfulness opportunities to the Muskoka area and support people on their journeys to peace and acceptance, wherever along the path they find themselves.

I love talking about mindfulness - reach out anytime!

Mindfulness for Well-Being 1 & 2.0

Finding steadiness in difficult times

Two six-week programs offering gentle support for navigating difficult times, caregiving, or simply strengthening your well-being.

Build or deepen a mindfulness practice, feel more grounded, work more skillfully with difficult thoughts and emotions, and explore self-compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, grace, and equanimity.

Funded by Enliven Cancer Care and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Contact Enliven to register!

Save the Date!

Starts Jan. 22 for 8 weeks.

Meditation, It's Not What You Think

When you hear the word meditation, what comes to mind?

Sitting cross-legged with a perfectly quiet mind? Trying not to think? Feeling calm and peaceful all the time?

Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts or achieving a particular state. As Jon Kabat-Zinn reminds us, meditation is a way of being—an opportunity to become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, body and experience, and to learn how we relate to them.

Join me for an ONLINE 8-week Intro to Mindfulness program where we’ll explore mindfulness through meditation, reflection, experiential practices and group discussion.

Over the eight weeks, you will be supported in developing or strengthening a mindfulness meditation practice and learning practical skills to help you notice when you are caught in difficult thoughts, emotions or patterns—and discover how to return more gently to the present moment.

No previous meditation experience is required. Whether you're completely new to mindfulness or looking to deepen an existing practice, you are welcome.

“Meditation is not a technique. It is a way of being.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

Other Offerings

These are a few of the programs that I offer through The Centre for Mindfulness in Muskoka or elsewhere throughout the year.

This Being Human is Messy
Coming in 2027

This program is all about learning that even when we mess up or life gets too crazy, we are okay and we are enough! To start paying attention to the messages we send ourselves and knowing that, honestly, even on the "bad" days we may be able to find some joy.

Intro to Mindfulness
ONLINE January 2027

Okay, so we keep hearing that mindfulness is great and that anyone can do it? YES, it's true. But what they don't tell you is that mindfulness meditation takes practice - lots of it - but the difference it makes is not something anyone can show you - you have to see it for yourself. So that is what I do, I teach you to sit, stand, walk, be, all the while with mindfulness and to be patient and kind to yourself while doing it.

A Mindful Journey Home
New date coming soon!

Jiana and Dale Sutton will help you create a pathway for the next stages of your life, wherever you find yourself today. This inquiry will invite you to come home to the core of who you are and highlight the purpose for this next phase of your life all the while stopping to appreciate the journey itself.

Mindfulness for Well-Being
Next one in January 2027 - Bracebridge

Sustaining well-being in difficult times.

This program is an intro (or refresher for past meditators) to mindfulness meditation. The focus is on mindfulness of breath, body, thoughts, emotions using a lens of compassion for self and others during difficult life experiences and working mindfully with emotional and physical pain.

Find out about these programs and more here

A little about my teachers

Bill Knight

My current and OG teacher is Dr. Bill Knight. I am grateful for his teachings which began in 2016 and continues to this day. Bill is a retired physician and psychotherapist. He was a co-founder and the Medical Director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto and from 1995 until 2016 he taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Huntsville to many Muskokans and also co-founded the Muskoka Mindfulness Community Sangha which is still held in Huntsville on Wednesday nights.

Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield

In 2019 I began my teacher training with MMTCP - Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, offered by Sounds True and developed by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Although I did not receive in person teaching from these two masters I am extremely grateful for their wisdom and humour when they created this program and their adaptations of the program during Covid and listening to the students as we moved along the course. It was two of the best years of my life and I learned so much and met friends and teaching partners who continue to guide me along this path of mindfulness and to my mentor group and our mentor Augusta Hopkins who helped guide us through some difficult conversations and many discussions which enlightened and educated us about diversity and inclusion.

Intro to Mindfulness Attendee

"This was my first time attending a teaching of meditation, and I was really pleased both by the teacher and also by the dynamic of the group.

Jiana is very kind, respectful, and encouraging.

Even though a good part of the group were regular meditators with many years of practice, I completely felt at ease and included."

Testimonials

This Being Human is Messy Participant

"The teachings were very relevant to my practice. As a being who was raised and has lived predominantly in Western culture, any prompts that remind me to be kind to myself are welcome and necessary medicine for becoming fully human!"

Intro to Mindfulness Participant

"The ability to create a new habit at just the right time has been the best gift. I am so excited that this is the right time for me 🙏"

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