20th Anniversary Day of Mindfulness
20th Anniversary
Day of Mindfulness
For 20 years, UCLA has been a home for mindfulness education, research, and practice. Join us in celebrating this journey—from the founding of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) to the growth of UCLA Mindful and its reach across Los Angeles and around the world.
To commemorate this milestone, we invite you to participate in a Day of Mindfulness, co-sponsored by the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, on October 24 from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM.
This special anniversary celebration will bring together longtime members of the UCLA Mindful community, educators, practitioners, students, and friends for a day of meaningful practice, reflection, connection, and learning.
Two Ways to Participate — One Meaningful Celebration
The Day of Mindfulness will be offered in a hybrid format, with opportunities to participate both in person at UCLA and online. While both formats are part of the same celebration, the experiences are intentionally designed to be different.
Live-Online & In-Person in the Main Hall
The online experience will offer its own thoughtfully curated program, with access to the day's featured speakers and shared moments of practice and reflection from the main hall. There will be guided meditations throughout the day.
The main hall will be livestreamed all day, allowing our broader community to come together in celebration from wherever they are.
A highlight of the celebration will be a gathering of past and present leaders who have helped shape UCLA Mindful over the past two decades.
Featured speakers will include:
- Diana Winston, Current Director, UCLA Mindful
- Sue Smalley, Founder & Founding Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
- Dan Siegel, Founding Co-Director of MARC
- Marvin G. Belzer, Former Associate Director of MARC
Additional Teachers include:
Dr. Allyson Pimentel, Mitra Manesh, Gloria Kamler, and Dr. Ali Mossaver-Rahmani
In-Person Only
The in-person experience will invite participants into the UCLA campus and Mathias Botanical Garden for a full day of embodied and relational practice, including breakout sessions, movement practices, and mindful garden experiences. These sessions will take place in the main hall and throughout the garden and will offer opportunities to connect with the natural environment and with one another in ways that can only happen in person. The in-person program will feature a rich variety of breakout sessions, with topics including:
- Relational mindfulness
- Movement and embodied practices
- Mindful garden tours
- Forest Bathing
- Mindful Photography
- And other opportunities to explore mindfulness through different perspectives and practices
Garden-based breakout sessions will not be recorded or livestreamed, allowing these intimate experiences to remain grounded in the garden and in the presence of those participating on site.
Together, we will reflect on the history of mindfulness at UCLA, celebrate the people and practices that have shaped the program, and look toward the future of mindfulness in our community and beyond.
Whether you join us on campus or from home, we invite you to be part of this milestone celebration.
Join Us:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
10:00–5:00 pm, PT
UCLA Campus + Online
Registration:
The event is free to attend. Donations are warmly appreciated and help support the continued work of UCLA Mindful.
| Time | Event | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-11:15 | Opening Gathering- Founders Roundtable | Dr. Elizabeth Ko- Moderator |
| 11:30-12:15 | Sitting Practice- "Sharing Joy" | Allyson Pimentel |
| 12:30-1:15 | Sitting Practice- "Slow Time" | Dr. Ali |
| 1:15- 2:15 | Lunch | |
| 2:15-2:45 | Mid-Day Gathering- Practice & Connection | Diana Winston |
| 3:00-3:45 | Sitting Practice- "Where Is Your Attention Right Now? From Noise to Choice" | Mitra Manesh |
| 4:00-5:00 | End of Day Gathering- Visioning & Sound Bath with Michael Perricone | Diana Winston |
Event at a Glance
| Time | Event | Details | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30-10:00 | Registration | Check-In, Coffee & Tea | NRB |
| 10:00-11:15 | Opening Gathering | Founders Roundtable | NRB |
| 11:30-12:15 | Session 1 | See Session 1 Options | NRB & Garden Locations |
| 12:30-1:15 | Session 2 | See Session 2 Options | NRB & Garden Locations |
| 1:15-2:15 | Lunch | Bring Lunch or Purchase on Campus | Enjoy in Garden or on Campus |
| 2:15-2:45 | Mid-Day Gathering | Practice & Connection | NRB |
| 3:00-3:45 | Session 3 | See Session 3 Options | NRB & Garden Locations |
| 4:00-5:00 | End of Day Gathering | Visioning and Sound Bath | NRB |
Session 1 Options
| Event | Facilitator | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting Practice- "Sharing Joy" | Allyson Pimentel | NRB |
| Mindfulness in Motion: Qi Gong | Kathy Yep | La Kretz Garden 100 |
| Mindfulness & Creativity: Journaling & Art Making | Tina Carlson | La Kretz Garden 101 |
| Mindful Garden Tour | Garden Staff | Herbert Plaza/ The Garden |
| Walking Meditation | Deborah Winkle Slaby | Herbert Plaza |
| Mindful Movement | Gloria Kamler | The Nest/Outdoor Amphitheater |
Session 2 Options
| Event | Facilitator | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting Practice- "Slow Time" | Dr. Ali | NRB |
| Relational Midnfulness Kaleidoscope | Marvin G. Belzer | La Kretz Garden 100 |
| Mindful Photography | Julie Kosey | La Kretz Garden 101 |
| Mindful Garden Tour | Garden Staff | Herbert Plaza/ The Garden |
| Walking Meditation | Chris Carmena | Herbert Plaza |
| Natural Awareness | Diana Winston | The Nest/Outdoor Amphitheater |
Session 3 Options
| Event | Facilitator | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting Practice "Where Is Your Attention Right Now? From Noise to Choice" | Mitra Manesh | NRB |
| Kindness Meditation Rooted in Relational Practices | Marvin G. Belzer | La Kretz Garden 100 |
| Mindfulness in Tea Ceremony | Jing Jing Zhu | La Kretz Garden 101 |
| Mindful Garden Tour | Garden Staff | Herbert Plaza/ The Garden |
| Walking Meditation | Pam Schaller | Herbert Plaza |
| Introduction to Forest Bathing | Madelyne Schermer | The Nest/Outdoor Amphitheater |