Maura Smotrich, Facilitator
Experiencing the natural world has been an ever-present facet of my life. As a child, my family and I spent most vacations camping and my father played an important role with nurturing my love of the outdoors through hiking and skiing.
Professionally, I started my career path by becoming a licensed architect. Drawn to the beauty and importance of outdoor spaces and the power of biophilic design, I went on to pursue a second master’s degree in urban planning. As a planner, I became focused on open space preservation and restoration, and the associated health benefits for the people using them. How to harness the healing power of the outdoors in the service of improvements to public health and personal wellbeing became an obsession for me.
As this fascination grew, I visited the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA where I participated in a week-long workshop in Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction Meditation. The workshop transformed my life. The healing combination of the natural beauty of the Esalen Institute landscape and the practice of mindfulness segued into becoming certified as a Forest and Nature Therapy Guide with the Association of Forest and Nature Therapy. I love that this intrinsic wellness practice, holistic in all its forms, can be shaped to fit the needs and schedule of any participant. The opportunity to be a mindfulness facilitator with the Community Mindfulness Project feels like a natural next step in my personal evolution.
Join us for a free mindfulness session!
Community Mindfulness Project is a nonprofit on a mission of delivering accessible mindfulness programs for a healthier Fairfield County. Despite the proven benefits of mindfulness, local under-resourced neighborhoods face barriers to these tools. We're breaking those down those barriers with free in-person and virtual meditation sessions.