In March 2019, Helene Williams wanted to find a way for people to connect and help them find a way to ease the stress of the pandemic, so she began offering weekly, 30-minute online mindfulness meditations Sunday evenings from 7 to 7:30 p.m. EDT via Zoom to her students and clients. Slowly, many others began joining by word of mouth from all over the country. The group continues to grow steadily, and more are always welcome.

She says, “Practicing mindfulness changes how we relate to ourselves, others and the world. A dedicated meditation practice cultivates compassion, inclining us to treat ourselves and others with greater kindness. Mindfulness also helps us to be more resilient and support overall well-being.”

Williams is a student of The UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center Mindfulness Meditation teacher certification training, taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, and has been practicing meditation for the last 15 years.