Claire Gravel and Diane Zepf met while working in a mental health program for incarcerated women. They bonded over shoes, the field of Occupational Therapy, but mostly during the development of their new behavioral treatment program based in mindfulness. After 10 years of teaching inmates how to cope with illness using mindfulness and behavioral therapies, they became victims of the recession and were consequently laid off.

This “blessing in disguise” has allowed them to strengthen their own mindfulness practice – attending retreats, seminars and workshops. Tranquility Workshops is inspired by the union of Buddhist mindfulness practices and behavior techniques to address the stress conditions of “non-inmates” without costing an arm and a leg. With their experience as Occupational Therapists, Claire and Diane are able to tailor their workshops to the needs of their new clients.

Tranquility Workshops will introduce people to mindfulness, teaching specific techniques to bring present moment awareness into daily life to calm the mind and body. Our aspiration is to “de-mystify” the concepts of Mindfulness Meditation as some religious practice that only monks and gurus do, sitting in silence for long periods of time. Our goal is to help make mindfulness simple, understandable and “mainstream” in today’s culture.