Hannah is a writer and mindfulness teacher. Her MFA in nonfiction writing is from Columbia University, where she had the privilege to be a teaching fellow with eager Columbia undergraduates. Since 2016, she’s facilitated the evidence-based Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with healthcare professionals, educators, and the wider community. In 2018, drawing on her MBSR training and her experiences as a writer and meditator, she developed Mindfulness & Creativity. The success of this series of classes, along with her passion and curiosity to explore the conditions of human flourishing, led her to found The Art of Being Here. 

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Hannah has a lifelong interest in meditation and contemplative practices. As a child, she learned yoga from her mother, who used the living room carpet for her daily yoga practice. As a teenager, Hannah began her own daily practice and started to explore meditation. She studied and practiced with Zen Buddhists (2005) and stayed with Premonstratensian monks in Tarascon, France, where she first experienced the power and refuge of communal noble silence (2007).

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In 2010, as a communications specialist, she helped launch the Mindfulness Institute.ca under the leadership of Dr. Catherine Phillips. Continuing in that role, she helped organize mindfulness events, including the International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth (2011). This collaborative work with Dr. Phillips and the international community was transformative, furthering her understanding of mindfulness, and inspiring her to pursue teacher training.

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Hannah is a Certified MBSR Facilitator. She completed MBSR in Mind-Body Medicine with Saki Santorelli and Florence Meleo-Meyer at the Oasis Institute (2015), mentorship with the Mindfulness Institute.ca (2016-20), and MBSR certification through the Centre for Mindfulness Studies (2020-22). Her MBSR mentors include Priscilla Koop, Blakie Sahay, and Dr. Patricia Rockman. She also completed Mentorship Training with Brea Johnson at Heart and Bones Yoga (2017), and has sat silent retreats with inspiring teachers, including Kristina Baré, Howard Cohn, Heather Martin, and Ajahn Pavaro. Most recently, she completed teacher training with Dr. Mark Williams for the 8-week Deeper Mindfulness program (2023). She’s grateful to all her teachers – including her participants, who have taught her so much! – and she's excited to continue her learning.

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Hannah has led mindfulness classes with the general public and specialized groups, such as healthcare professionals, first responder spouses, and artists. Most recently, she co-developed Mindfulness for Men - a four-week, self-guided course - offered freely at HeadsUpGuys; she and Dr. Andrea Grabovac developed the course in collaboration with the HeadsUpGuys team. 

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Hannah is honoured and delighted to share mindfulness practice with our community. She teaches from a foundation of trauma-sensitive practice and mindful self-compassion. She’s known for her grounded presence, calming voice, and an approach that's playful, curious, kind, and accessible. Learn more about what her participants say here.

 

Hannah lives in Edmonton, Canada, in a 110-year-old house that she's slowly restoring with her husband. Currently, she's working on a memoir about mothers and daughters and healing intergenerational trauma. For creative fun, she writes songs and poetry, dances, and photographs the strange and beautiful things she sees.

 

You can contact her at hannah@beinghere.ca