MIDDLETOWN >> Beth Rudiger with Lake County Jazzercise in Middletown and Carole McGeoch with Lake Yoga in Lakeport are hosting local mindfulness teacher and author, JoAnn Saccato, MA, for a lighthearted workshop on the science of happiness and cultivating more joy in life. The workshop is free and open to the public.
The 90-minute workshop, Growing Joy, will be offered on Tuesday, October 3, or Tuesday, October 10 at 6 p.m. at Lake County Jazzercise, 15642 Armstrong Street, Middletown or on Thursday, October 5 or Thursday, October 12 at 6 p.m. at Lake Yoga, 572 Lakeport Boulevard, Lakeport.
“Everyone I’ve met wants to be happy,” said Saccato, who recently finished teaching a course designed to help relieve stress, anxiety and emotional reactivity. “We’ve recently explored simple and engaging practices to help us stop the pain,” she continued, “and for those of us who have experienced stress and stressful, sometimes toxic, emotional pain for a long period of time — once the pain has stopped, we think that’s happiness.”
“But, really, what is happiness? And, can we do anything to create our own happiness or does it lay solely on conditions and circumstances outside us — beyond our control? It turns out,” Saccato continued, “there are many simple things we can do to create a life filled with more joy, meaning and, yes, happiness. And, the growing body of scientific research supports this.”
The 90-minute free workshop will explore the definitions of happiness, recent scientific findings, and engagement in a few of the most common mindfulness-based practices known to grow positive states of well being. This workshop is based on Saccato’s recent talks, The Science of Happiness. It’s also an introduction to the next course in her Mindful and Intentional Living series, “A Five Week Path to Personal Clarity and Growing Joy” that will be taught in Middletown at Lake County Jazzercise and in Lakeport at Lake Yoga beginning in October.
Participants are invited to wear comfortable clothing and be prepared for gentle movement and easy laughter.
For more information on the workshop, visit www.MindfulAndIntentionalLiving.com or call JoAnn at 707-350-1719.
