Mindfulness Was Not the Fix. And That Was the Point.

I did not come to mindfulness looking for peace. I came to it looking for a way to live with pain.
Two back surgeries and a neck surgery will do that. When the body becomes the problem, you start paying attention to it differently. That search led me to a 13-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course through Palouse Mindfulness, and something shifted. Not dramatically. Not all at once. But enough to keep going.

A Path That Was Already Underway
That was the beginning of a formal path that had actually been underway for decades. I have been a student of mindfulness for most of my adult life, sitting with secular programs, Buddhist teachers, and former monks who understood that this practice is not about feeling better, though it can help with that. It is about learning to be present with whatever is actually here.

I am currently completing my Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification, and I am doing it honestly, starting from the beginning, working through the material with fresh eyes. That process has clarified something important for me about who I want to serve and why.

Who I Want to Work With
The people I want to work with are adults navigating chronic pain or illness, stress, or the quiet sense that daily life has become something to get through rather than inhabit.

I also want to work with people who struggle with their relationship to food, whether that shows up as disordered eating, weight management, or simply eating on autopilot without any real awareness of hunger, satisfaction, or what the body is actually asking for. Mindful eating has been part of my own journey, and I know firsthand how much can shift when you bring genuine attention to something as basic and constant as how you eat.

Some will come through community classes. Some will find me through Prem Valley Mindfulness and reach out for one-on-one guidance. Some will arrive through Mindful Art, using fluid painting as an entry point into present-moment awareness.

Still in It
I still live with MdDS, vestibular migraines, and sarcoidosis. My relationship with physical difficulty is not past tense. That matters to me as a guide because I am not teaching from a place of having solved anything. I am teaching from a place of continuing practice, which is the only honest place to teach from.
If any of this sounds like something you have been looking for, I would be glad to talk.

Jan

Jan Wood is an author, mindfulness guide, and lover of life, based in Baker City, Oregon. Through Prem Valley Mindfulness, she offers personalized mindfulness coaching grounded in practical, everyday practice — for those navigating stress, chronic illness, or simply the beautiful complexity of being human. If you are curious about working together or exploring the daily practices offered on the site, she would be glad to hear from you at premvalleymindfulness.com.