What is Mindfulness?
Cultivating mindful attention will deepen your ability to be present, help you manage difficult experiences, and create space for wise choices in all areas of your life. Mindfulness can help people learn new healthy ways of managing several common conditions, including: anxiety and depression, chronic pain, high blood pressure, heart disease, and demanding work and life situations.
Supported by over 40 years of research, mindfulness has been shown to be an effective complementary treatment to many different areas of physical, mental and emotional health, as well as to promote an overall sense of well-being.
Mindfulness Resources
Below are several resources to help you to learn more about mindfulness and the ways it can be incorporated into your life. If you sign up for our newsletter, we’ll send you our free e-book that includes many additional resources. The handbooks provided in our courses and workshops also include a list of related publications, websites, and more.
We encourage you to review these resources and contact us with any questions that may not be answered on our website.
Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor,
Co-Founder – GR Center for Mindfulness
Carol has been teaching the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course since 2008 and has led hundreds of students through the program. Carol is a certified yoga instructor and has completed extensive training through The Center for Mindfulness at the UMass Medical School, the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, and the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. Before her mindfulness career, Carol spent 20 years in business, with her last position as co-owner and vice president of a West Michigan wholesale clothing company.
Carol Hendershot, E-RYT 500
Leadership & Mindfulness Coach
Certified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator
Tonya Wilholt is a Leadership and Resilience Coach focused on practical ways to help people bring mindfulness into everyday life. She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation and a Certified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator through Mindful Leader. After experiencing several bouts of burnout during her 25-year career in IT management, Tonya turned to mindfulness as a path toward greater balance and well-being. She is completing her certification through the Sean Fargo Mindfulness Training Program.
Tonya Wilholt, ACC, PMP
About GRCFM
Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness was founded in 2011 to bring the healing power of mindfulness and yoga to the community in West Michigan.
Our programs are primarily based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.
Over the years, we’ve incorporated teachings from other wisdom traditions, psychology, and personal growth. We’ve led programs focused on mindful eating, parenting, and effective habit change,
Supported by over 40 years of research, mindfulness has been used successfully as a complementary treatment for many physical, mental, and emotional health concerns.
Today, Carol continues to teach these transformational programs at GRCFM, focusing on supporting coaches in the recovery community, people with Parkinson’s disease, and healthcare professionals.