Mindfulness Teachers

Looking for the truth and peace, Manijeh communed with nature since she was three years old. She started practicing yoga in 1994 and came to Mindfulness in an undergrad class in 2004. Being overjoyed by finally finding a formal practice and teaching that she had all her life sought and intuitively applied, she delved deeply into the experiential Mindfulness practices and other Buddhist teachings that support Mindfulness.

Dr. Motaghy published the COMANDS: Seven Skills/Traits of Effective Leadership, a mindfulness-based leadership model to help leaders shape their skills in an organic way that is realistic, effective and considerate of what their followers need and respond to.

Developed: The Mindful Employees (ME) Program, an employee wellness and performance and engagement enhancement training for organizations……and designed numerous other curricula such as DOUBLE-AIM for adults with ADHD and other curricula for cancer patients and their families. She has trained and taught Mindfulness to hundreds of individuals, executives and staff at corporations such as Health Net, and Motion Picture Fund & Television Hospital.

Dr. Motaghy is a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator by the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Board of Behavioral Sciences and an Authorized MAPS Teacher by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.

Her corporate clients include: Disney, Kaiser, Health Net, Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital, Dignity Health Hospital, etc. She has provided mindfulness workshops, presentation and training for academic sectors such as the Chapman School of Law, LAUSD and private schools such as Campbell Hall, state-wide professional conferences such as Promising Practices at California State University of Northridge and Girls Scouts of America, local mental health centers such as SFV Community Mental Health Center, and JAS for Social Workers, as well as other health-support organizations such as Leeza’s Place and The Laurel Foundation (AIDS support), Child Development Institute, Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation and WeSpark Cancer Support Center where she has conducted weekly sessions for the past 3 years. She has organized and lead over 45 day-long retreats including Work-Life Balance and continues to lead weekly Mindfulness study groups in Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas and, West Hills. Manijeh is committed to her own personal daily practice and development of Mindfulness.

RELATED TRAINING & EXPERIENCE: Dr. Motaghy continues to study and practice Mindfulness and other Buddhist teachings with teachers at the Abhayagiri Monastery as well as other secular groups. As a dedicated practitioner and teacher, she infuses mindfulness in all her training, consulting and speaking engagements to optimize success and well-being for all involved.

Training Received and in Progress:

Every year after till present moment she has attended 10 day silent retreats, stayed at various monasteries around the world, ie. Thailand, Japan, New Zealand.

2014,15 7 Days Dharma & meditation at Abhayagiri

2014 Studied for a year with Trudy Goodman, the Guiding Teacher at InsightLA, DPG

2014 Day-long Retreat with Venerable Panavati

2014 Authorized UCLA MAPS course teacher

2013 10 Day Silent Dharma and meditation at Angeles Center

2013 7 Day Dharma and meditation at the Abhayagiri

2013 Mindfulness Facilitation Certification from UCLA, Mindful Awareness Center

2012 Day-long Retreat with Rumi Rooms, Palos Verdes, CA

2012 2 day retreat with Will Kabat Zinn, Insight LA

2011 6 months CORE Advanced Buddhist Teachings Class, Daniel Davis, West Hills

2011 Day-long retreat by Thannissaro Bhikkhu, Los Angeles, CA

2010 Day-long Sunlun Retreat

2010 One Year Advance Buddhist Teachings Class, Daniel Davis, West Hills, CA

2009-12 14 Day mindfulness & Dharma practice at the Abhayagiri Monastery

2007-2012 18 Basics of Mindfulness Course – Mindful Valley

2008 10-Day Silent Monastic Retreat – Angela Center, CA

2007 One Day Mindfulness Retreat – Insight LA

2007-2013 Mentored by Daniel Davis on Buddhist teachings

1994-present Yoga, Mindful Living

Training Provided as A Mindfulness Teacher:

2013-current MAPS I & 3 different MAPS II subjects for UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center CA

2012 Facilitates Weekly Meditation Community, West Hills, CA

2012 Designed and Co-Facilitated Work-Life Balance Retreat: Integrating Mindfulness into Accountability, Palos Verdes, CA

2012 Mindfulness workshop, Staff/ Interns, San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Clinic Van Nuys CA

2012 Presented Mindfulness workshop for Mental Health professionals at Cal State Univ Northridge, CA

2012 Co-presented Mindfulness for teachers, staff and health care providers at LAUSD, District 1

2012 Presented Mindfulness for Mental Health professionals at The Whole Child, Whittier, CA

2012 Presented Mindful Communication for Toastmaster Learning Institute, Glendale College, CA

2011 Provided Mindfulness of Strengths training for four different departments at Health Net Inc., CA.

2011-present Provide Mindfulness Training for WeSpark Cancer Support Center – Encino, CA

2011 Presented Mindful Communication for the Academy of Bio Science, Peperdine University, CA

2011 Provided Mindfulness Workshops for JAS Recreational Therapists, Malibu, CA

2011 Provided Mindful Time Management Workshop for Girls Scouts of America, Los Angeles, CA

2010 Provided Mindfulness Based Strategic Planning – American Society of Training & Development

2010 Co-presented Mindfulness Meditation – Motion Picture & Television Fund

2010 Co-designed CEU course curriculum for the Board Behavioral Sciences Certification process

2010 Created Mindful Valley’s Advisory Board

2010 Designed and co-taught “Effective Management, Mindfulness Tools & Workshops – Meetup

2010 Coordinated Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course – Mindful Valley

2009-present Coordinated &Co-facilitated over 30 monthly day-long retreats – Mindful Valley

2009 Designed curriculum and taught mindfulness based professional development class “Be The Master of Your Own Livelihood” – Mindful Valley

2008-present Coordinates weekly Sitting Group – Mindful Valley

EDUCATION:

2014 – Authorized UCLA MAPS course teacher

2013 – Certification of Mindfulness Facilitation from UCLA, Mindful Awareness Center

2008 – PsyD. in Organization Management Consulting – Phillips Graduate Institute

2005 – BA in Psychology – Cal State Channel Islands

Daniel Davis (Mindfulness Teacher)

Joel McNenny (Mindfulness Teacher)

Joel McNenny is a mental health therapist specializing in mindfulness-based therapy and a school counselor who began a K-4 mindfulness program. He holds two Masters degrees (Kent State; Malone University) one in teaching and one in counseling.

Mr. McNenny has taught mindfulness to children as young as 4 and adults as old as 84. He wrote and implemented a year-long mindfulness curriculum for a public school system. He has taught mindfulness at teacher seminars, senior citizen centers, churches and elsewhere, as well as writing on mindfulness for several publications and being quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

Using a variety of methods and visual aids, he illustrates the techniques of mindfulness and its psychological and physical benefits. A devoted practitioner of mindfulness, Mr. McNenny seeks to teach the practice to help create a more compassionate and aware society.

Rick Sweeny (Mindfulness Teacher)

Rick is a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is also certified to teach youth via MindfulSchools.org curriculum. Rick is an Affiliate MAPS I teacher for UCLA MARC and is a member of the International Mindfulness Teacher Association.
He started Mindfulness Meditation practice in 2006 to reduce stress and improve his health. Rick quickly discovered positive changes from his practice and wanted to share it with others. He has shared Mindfulness with adults and high school students and has a long history of giving back to others, including being a fundraiser and volunteer high school and elementary school teacher for two charitable organizations. Forever a student of life, Rick has 2 Bachelor degrees; one in Economics and the other in Political Science. He is also the proud father of 3 children.

Started Teacher training for Non Profit called Junior Achievement.

1994 and 1995- La Reina High School.Private Catholic All Girls School in Thousand Oaks.

1996 to 2016 continued working as a volunteer teacher for Junior Achievement, a non Profit. Worked at Simi Public High School in Mid 1990s and at Calabasas Public High School in the same period. I also worked for Grace Brethren High school , a private Christian High School for quite a number of years for Jr Achievement starting in the year 2000 up to and beyond 2005. in the Mid 2000’s also taught at Simi High School again. I also taught at Conejo Public Continuation High School in mid 2000’s

Mindfulness Practice Summarized:

I first began sitting in 2006/2007 using a book and CD. In 2007, started sitting with Insight LA in Chatsworth, California with Daniel Davis. Took MBSR with Trudy Goodman and Christiana Wolf in fall 2008. Have taken a total of approximately 13 Mindfulness classes including three classes that were one year or longer in the length. Completed 2-year Mindfulness class Called Dharma Wisdom in December 2015 . I completed a 6 week Mindful Self Compassion class in July 2016. I also completed a 6 week class called Mindful Educators Essentials (mindfulschools.org) in August 2016. I am presently enrolled in a MAPS 111 class at the Marc @ UCLA that deals with Relational Mindfulness. In 2017 I took and completed 7 MAPS Classes while completing my TMF program.

Initiated and led two sitting groups. I am trying to start a third. In 2011, started a peer study/sitting group that continued after the class called Deepening Joy under the guidance of Christiana Wolf, the instructor. After threading the bureaucracy of my employer I initiated another sitting group. It started in November 2011 during lunch hour at State Farm with Christiana Wolf as advisor. It continued until my retirement in June 2012. I am attempting to initiate a third sitting group. This latest attempt will allow class members to continue their practice of MSC following their attendance in a Mindful Self Compassion class we attended this summer.

Education:

California State University Northridge. Earned 2 Bachelor of Arts degrees: 1) political science and 2) economics. Graduated Magna cum laude with a 3.67 grade point average. Started college at age 21 and graduated at age 26.

Mindfulness Practice History:

Late 2006/early 2007 I read then book “Full Catastrophe Living” and started Insight       Meditation by listening to CD’s from the book. In late 2007 started attending

sitting group in Chatsworth, Calif. with Daniel Davis

Retreats Attended:               

Name/Type of Retreat	Date or Year	Length of retreat	Teachers
Various Names. 1 to 2 day nonresidential.	2007 to present	1 to 2 days Total days estimated at 13-15	Daniel Davis,Trudy Goodman, Noah Levine, Diana Winston, Sharon Salzburg, Phillip Moffit and others I cannot remember
Joshua Tree	2012	9 days	same as directly below except for Spring Washiam
Joshua Tree	2013	9 days	Jack Korfield,Noah Levine, Wes Nisker, Lyla Kate-Wheeler, Matthew Brensilver, Larry Yang, Trudy Goodman, Spring Washiam
Spirit Rock	Feb 2014	28 days	Guy Armstrong, James Baraz, Andrea Fell And others including visiting teachers I cannot remember
Lucerne Valley	Sept 2016	3.5 days	Christiana Wolf, Trudy Goodman