May 15, 2017

Meet Gena Bean of Mindful Boston in Cambridge

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gena Bean.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started a search for addressing my pain when I was a teenager in Boston during the 1980s. When I looked around in the world, the misery I saw was overwhelming. The misery I continue to see in the world is still overwhelming. And now, after 30 years of study, I have found some tools for addressing these miseries. I use these tools myself, and I am building an entire organization around teaching the tools of meditation and mindfulness to others.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are many types of meditation practices available, and the students who come to my classes can be confused about what they are even there to learn. The media has not done a good job of describing what meditation is, and how it can be different or the same as mindfulness. There has been such a feeding frenzy around mindfulness and trying to make money off of mindfulness that the core authentic practices are in danger of being watered down and/or misrepresented. It’s gotten so bad the term “McMindfulness” has come into being to describe the proliferation of inauthentic teaching.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Mindful Boston is a community of people who are interested in becoming skillful in meditation practices. We provide meditation classes live and in-person to the Greater Boston area and beyond as we continue to grow.

Our organizational structure is similar to a martial arts studio or a small adult-ed art school. New students attend our classes, and over time, if they get more deeply involved, they follow the training pathway towards becoming senior students. Senior students then are coached in how to teach the newer folks during our free Community Meditation Night classes.

Our core program is the MBSR intensive course (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) that was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
In addition, we have beginner-level courses. And we have a training pathway for those who want to eventually teach meditation skills.

Mindful Boston emphasizes the mindfulness meditation formats that have been scientifically studied in medical institutions. Our mission is: teaching sensible tools for navigating life’s stress.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been philosophical and interested in the underpinnings of human happiness.

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