Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh liked to say “Happy Continuation Day” instead of “Happy Birthday.” This greeting was a recognition that a birthday is simply a moment of change and transformation, like seeds sprouting to become a flower. For the Centre for Mindfulness, beautiful seeds of mindfulness and compassion were planted in our hospital’s “garden” years ago, by pioneers such as Dr. Jane Garland and Dr. Jake Locke.  Drs Garland and Locke had the vision and conviction that mindfulness could play a powerful role in healing, and they created a beautiful “garden bed” starting in the 1990’s and 2000’s.

In 2018, the BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness sprouted from this healthy soil. By the 2010’s, a small group of people in the hospital began to bring mindfulness to work with children, youth, families, and health professionals. By 2018, the Centre was able to become a reality, thanks to the vision and support of our hospital community and donors through the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. Since then, the Centre has grown steadily and beautifully – not as a physical building, but as a community of practice, to support our mindful work together to cultivate a “more mindful hospital.”

On June 13, we were delighted to celebrate our fifth continuation day with our “beloved community” at the Sauder Family Healing Garden, Teck Acute Care Centre 5th floor roof deck. Darci Rosalie from Indigenous Health led us in a land acknowledgment and opening meditation. Sabrina Gill from Psychological Health and Safety led us in a walking meditation, and Philip Crowell from Spiritual Health led us in a closing reflection.

Looking forward, we are excited to continue to work together on projects big and small. We look forward to sharing with you the fruits of our “more mindful hospital environment” project, which will enhance existing spaces on our campus to invite moments of awareness and compassion in our busy and often stressful days. We invite you to:

• Visit these spaces in the coming months, enjoy their transformation and spread the word. These spaces will include:
  • Sauder Family Healing Garden, Teck Acute Care Centre - 5th floor roof deck
  • Mindful Library, Family Resource Library, Ambulatory Care Building - 2nd floor
  • Mindful Connector, Hallway between Shaughnessy and Healthy Minds buildings.
• If you have not already please sign up for our e-newsletter list at https://centreformindfulness.kelty.link/
• Please join us for Thankful Thursday, our drop-in virtual mindfulness community, every Thursday from 12:35 – 12:55pm