About The CMA’s Founder, Amy Bloom Connolly
Amy Bloom Connolly, M.S. is the Founder and Director of the Center for Mindful AwarenessSM. She has engaged in more than forty years of personal mindfulness practice and formal training in teaching mindfulness to others. Throughout her professional career, she has conducted over 2,000 lively, informative, and interactive workshops.
As a highly-respected member of the Baltimore-DC mindfulness community, she graduated from the two-year Meditation Teacher Training Institute (MTTI) of Washington, D.C. This Institute was taught by Senior Insight Meditation teachers Tara Brach, Jonathan Foust, Hugh Byrne, and Pat Coffey.
Amy is a senior mentor at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, and has recently completed the Mindful Mentoring Training through Banyan (formerly Cloud Sangha) with Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach and a host of other wonderful teachers.
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Amy has trained extensively in the principles of and practices of mindfulness through the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society. Through their Oasis Programs, she completed the Professional Training in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), led by Dr. Jon-Kabat Zinn, founder of MBSR, and Dr. Saki Santorelli, retired Director of the Center for Mindfulness. She also completed the University of Massachusetts MBSR Advanced Teacher Practicum, led by senior teachers at the Center.
“Amy’s work speaks for itself. Her gentle demeanor, the clarity of her teachings, and her commitment to bring mindfulness to marginalized people in ways that are practical, accessible and playful is an inspiration. She is comfortable teaching people from all walks of life, and shares her wisdom with ease and grace.”
– Tara Brach, Founder and Senior Teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, author of “Radical Acceptance” and “True Refuge”.
Along with her constant personal practice and study, Amy’s training also includes:
● UCLA: Mindful Awareness Research Center’s Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS)
● Mindful Schools: Fundamentals of Mindfulness Program and K-5 Curriculum Training
● Mindfulness in Education’s (MiEN) biennial conferences
● Association for Mindfulness in Education (AME) conferences
● Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society’s annual scientific conferences
● Mind and Life Institute, whose mission is building a scientific understanding of the mind to reduce suffering and promote well-being.
● .b for Teens certification training course
● Mindful Life Schools
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
● University of Maryland Family Connections
● Wide Angle Youth Media
● City Neighbors High School
● Izabelle and Zanvyl Krieger Fund Trauma Interest Group
● Maryland New Directions
● The Baltimore Station
● Baltimore Outreach Services
● Health Care Access Maryland
● Project PLASE
● Julie Community Center
● Baltimore City Bureau of Maternal and Child Health
● Community-based Nurturing Ourselves Through Mindfulness (2013)
● Baltimore City Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (2013)
● Baltimore Mental Health Systems, Inc. (2013)
● University of Maryland School of Social Work Continuing Education (2013)
● Horizons for Homeless Children Conference at Harvard University (2013)
● Attach Conference in Baltimore (2012)
● Greater Baltimore Medical Center Gynecologic Oncology (2011)
● American Cancer Society (2011)
● Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (2011)
ARTICLES ABOUT HER WORK
● Baltimore’s Child: Being Mindful of Parents is Important Too
● Baltimore’s Child: Mindful Parenting: Being Present for Your Child is a Gift
● Towson Times: Teaching Others to SHINE
Amy’s lifelong work has been to bring awareness, compassion and joy to individuals, families, organizations and communities.
Each new day provides Amy with opportunities to cultivate a mindful approach to living. Most importantly, she has possibly the most wonderful grandchildren on the planet: Maximo, Milo and Izabelle. They are her best teachers in learning about and living in presence.
“I have witnessed Amy’s teaching and presence which allows people to find their calm. She has a rare ability to teach a deeply personal skill in a universal way.”
~ Sarah L. Szanton, DEAN, Johns Hopkins University School of NursinG and Patricia M. Davidson Professor for Health Equity and Social Justice