During the winter of 2019, Dr Anita Chakravarti and I attended a Mindful Practice in Medicine Program gathering in Chapin Mill Zen Center in Rochester New York. Along with other Mindful Practice Faculty from around the world, Anita and I were excited to come together to practice mindfulness as a community. It was in snowy Chapin Mill, where Anita and I brainstormed about our wish to connect and support our Canadian colleagues, who had an interest/training in Mindful Practice, moving forward. Dr Michael Krasner and Dr Ronald Epstein, founders of the Mindful Practice Program, supported this vision and the network, “Mindful Practice Canada,” was formed.
Shortly after the gathering in Chapin Mill, the COVID-19 pandemic was upon us. Everything changed for everyone. Anita and I decided we would launch Mindful Practice Canada immediately, by offering weekly drop-in mindfulness sessions over zoom to health professionals across Canada. BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness quickly became a partner in this initiative, and these sessions became the genesis of the program we collectively named, “Wake up Wednesday.” The program quickly became a place to share personal stories and where colleagues could provide mutual support.
Wake up Wednesday was an opportunity for health professionals across Canada to connect, practice together, and for sustainable support. There was time for mindfulness practice, as well as some time for sharing and community building as mindful health professionals. There was a rotating roster of facilitators, with each facilitator bringing their own message and theme for practice for the community. The facilitator could pose a question or theme for inquiry, or have more general sharing, allowing time for all who attended to feel welcome and able to share. If anyone had any questions of one another on the mindfulness front, this space provided such an opportunity.
The Wake up Wednesday program was paused in the summer of 2023, around the time that the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared over.
The BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness is now pleased to announce the launch of Wake Up Wednesday 2.0, which we have renamed, “Wakeful Wednesday.” Wakeful Wednesday offers a renewed focus on our friends and colleagues in BC, and beyond. Mindfulness health care professionals are invited to join us on the third Wednesday of every month 5:15- 6:00 PM Pacific Time, for online drop-in mindfulness sessions. Bringing moments of mindfulness to our workdays as a way of supporting individual and collective nourishment and healing, as we move forward.
To sign up for the upcoming session click below and register to be on our mailing list.
Gratitude to Dr Anita Chakravarti, Dr Ronald Epstein, Dr Michael Krasner, Doctors of BC, and the BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness team