Mindfulness Paradigm

05/06/2025

I am really looking forward to be teaching again the 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at Singapore Management University Campus, on Tuesday evenings, starting in July.

It has been more than 6 years since I first stepped into an MBSR class, integrated mindfulness meditation as part of my daily life, and subsequently trained to become a mindfulness teacher myself.

Why I love teaching MBSR:

☑️ Participants from various age groups and backgrounds – who would probably not have connected in ‘normal’ life – gather in the same community space for 8 consecutive weeks, supporting each other on their exploratory journey (a deep dive within their own experience).

☑️ They get to relate authentically to themselves and one another, sharing their experience (if they choose to) and learning in the process that they all have more in common than they may have initially thought.

☑️ My own role is more to guide and facilitate the reflective process than to teach, being part of the community too, and privileged to witness the participants’ insights and transformation over the course of the 8-week.

☑️ I am always left feeling inspired and touched by the discoveries shared by the participants, and reassured that there is a lot of wisdom and resilience within humanity. As a result, I am continuously learning and growing too.


But the practice of mindfulness does not end after the MBSR program, it grows from there.

🔷 Week by week, and in a structure way, the course introduces the participants to various forms of mindfulness practices to help them discover the benefits of meditation, train their attentional muscles, and develop their own practice (which includes learning how to overcome common obstacles) – giving them solid foundations to continue the journey on their own.

🔷 The MBSR program was the first secular mindfulness course brought into the health setting. Developed in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, it was originally designed to support patients suffering from chronic pain and illnesses, and has expanded to multiple settings – including universities and workplaces – to support all individuals in dealing more efficiently with stressors.

🔷 But more than purely teaching about stress management, this experiential program touches on many aspects of daily life – including the role of perception, emotional regulation and communication – which has the power to transform the way we relate to our own experience, the many challenging situations we have to deal with, ourselves, as well as the people we interact with.

Ultimately, it can help us reach a higher sense of well-being by developing our capacity to focus our attention on what truly matters to us, and be fully present for the people we care about.

If you are keen to explore, there are still a few slots available for the upcoming intake at SMU: https://business.smu.edu.sg/mindfulness/courses/mbsr

~Feel free to contact me to find out more about the program.~

Leïla Parmentier - Qualified MBSR Teacher, RYT200 & Founder of Mindfulness Paradigm

15/05/2025

After loads of reflection, I decided to break the silence and share about my personal experience as someone living with a chronic condition and chronic pain for more than 5 years.

This is not a topic I previously felt comfortable talking openly about, not even in the Mindfulness classes I taught – mainly because I had to go through my own acceptance journey first.

However, I came to realize that my Mindfulness practice has helped me tremendously in dealing with the physical and emotional stress caused by living with a chronic condition.

Fun fact is, the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program that I teach was initially developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in a hospital setting, to support people suffering from chronic pain by helping them improve their quality of life despite their condition. Although, when I initially enrolled in the MBSR teacher training in 2019, I did not know that I had a chronic condition and will have to undergo multiple surgeries as a result of it in the years that followed.

Chronic illnesses and chronic pain affect many people. Living with a chronic condition and chronic pain is not only physically tiring, it is also mentally draining and can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness and inadequacy.

In this talk organized with Singapore Management University, I will share about the mechanisms in which Mindfulness can help alleviate physical and emotional suffering, based on science and using personal examples, and lead the community into a short meditation practice.

Whether you live with a chronic condition or chronic pain yourself - or know someone who is - I hope this session will inspire you and give you hope that life can still be fulfilling, despite having to deal with chronic pain and/or a chronic illness.

~I hope you will join me for this 60 min of honest exploration!~

Registration are Free with SMU: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7lQoWrqiTSnbQ0e4IYBP47-0I3wx2ZkSMfAVvWk689Gzq9g/viewform

07/02/2025

A few months ago, my friend and mentor Carmen Teo (Mindfulness & Compassion Teacher, Certified MBSR Teacher Mentor/Supervisor) invited me for an openhearted conversation to explore my journey as a MBSR Teacher.

In this interview, I was moved by Carmen’s genuine curiosity and warmth, and truly happy to answer her questions and share some of the highlights (the joys and the challenges) of my experience as a MBSR Teacher.

If interested, you can read the transcript or listen to the full audio recording here—where I am also guiding a 10min landing practice at the beginning: https://www.transformheartminds.org/blog/heart-to-teach-leila

This conversation was held in the context of the upcoming MBSR Teacher Training Intensive (led by Carmen Teo and Noriko Morito Hart from the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness) that will take place in Bali in April 2025.

More information on the TTI available here: https://www.transformheartminds.org/events/mbsr-teachers-training-intensive-apr2025

In the run up to the MBSR Teacher Training Intensive in April 2025 , I have invited MBSR teachers that I respect and have worked with to share about their experience of teaching mindfulness. In this first conversation, I have an open and honest conversation with Leïla Parmentier about her

19/11/2024

Carmen Teo and I were approached by Channel News Asia to participate in the Talking Point Series “Am I lonely”, exploring how the practice of Mindfulness can help alleviate the sense of loneliness that many young adults encounter in modern times.

The CNA crew came in to film the last session of the 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program we were teaching together at Singapore Management University (SMU) in July 2024.

The interest from CNA was kindled by an article from UCLA, where researchers reported that the MBSR program could reduce feelings of loneliness in older adults.

Among some of the key points brought forward in this series, Mindfulness can help us feel more ‘at home’ with our own experience—more comfortable within our own skin, more aware of our emotional needs—including the need to reach out to friends or family when feeling lonely, and challenge our own perception of the feeling of loneliness (Why am I feeling lonely?).

The MBSR program also includes reflection and practice on interpersonal mindfulness, which supports communication skills and can help strengthen relationships—especially with our close ones.

Additionally, the sense of community that is fostered in an 8-week Mindfulness-based program such as MBSR contributes to a feeling of connection between the participants. By listening to each others’ experiences throughout the program (through small and big group discussions), participants get to realize that they are probably not alone in feeling what they are feeling.

As we were teaching an 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at Singapore Management University, my co-teacher, Carmen Teo, and I were approached by Channel News Asia (CNA) to participate in the Talking Point Series “Am I lonely” , exploring how the practice of Mindfulness ca