UCLA Mindful celebrates 20 years

"Mindfulness" is more than sitting still

UCLA Mindful (previously MARC, the Mindful Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles) is celebrating 20 years of mindfulness at UCLA.

• FREE TO RSVP:
• Disclosure Project: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE, in-person and online), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• Nature Center: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE online and in-person), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE online and in-person), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup

For 20 years, UCLA has been a home for mindfulness (Buddhist sati) education, research, and practice. New website: UCLA Mindful - Mindfulness Education Center | UCLA Health

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.

Join us on October 24, 2026, for a Day of Mindfulness featuring opportunities for practice, learning, and connection, followed by an evening 20th Anniversary Evening Reception to celebrate two decades of growth and impact and look ahead to the next 20 years.

There are two exciting celebration opportunities, the Day of Mindfulness and an Evening Reception.

• Participate in a free Day of Mindfulness in-person or live-online. Full event details now available.
• In-person and online Day of Mindfulness October 24, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (Pacific Time). All are invited to participate in a Day of Mindfulness, co-sponsored by and partially held in the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, on Oct. 24 from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. This special anniversary celebration brings together longtime members of the UCLA Mindful community, educators, practitioners, students, and friends for a day of meaningful practice, reflection, connection, and learning.
• The garden will host a variety of creative ways to practice mindfulness including movement, forest bathing, relational mindfulness, and much more.
• All are welcome to join in continuing the milestone celebration at the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden for the Evening Reception. Limited spots still available.

LIVE: online and in-person in the Main Hall

The online experience offers 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 the 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 and 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

Only the in-person experience will invite participants into the UCLA campus and the 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 joining us on campus or from home, all are invited to be part of this milestone celebration. Join ss:

• Saturday, October 24, 2026
• 10:00 am–5:00 pm (PT
• UCLA Campus: Matthias Botanical Garden
• Online registration: The event is free to attend
• Donations are warmly appreciated and help support the continued work of UCLA Mindful.
• REGISTER NOW
• 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 More

Two ways to participate — one meaningful celebration

Los Angeles leads mindfulness movement

The Day of Mindfulness will be offered in a hybrid (in-person/online) format, with opportunities to participate both in person at UCLA and online from around the world.

While both formats are part of the same celebration, the experiences are intentionally designed to be different. See website for in-person and online experience details (uclahealth.org/uclamindful). Full session details now available.

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.

• UCLA Mindful 20th Anniversary- Day of Mindfulness - UCLA Mindful | UCLA Health
• Mindfulness Day (September 12th)
• Amazon UCLA Bruins flag 3x5 (TN) | officially licensed
• Diana Winston (UCLA Health); SHEIN USA; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly