Our Founder

Leïla Parmentier Emmanuel

Leïla Parmentier Emmanuel founded Mindfulness Paradigm in 2021, to support others in their self-awareness and mental health journey. She is a Qualified Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher and Mindfulness Instructor.

Qualification & Teaching Experience

  • Leïla completed her professional training as a Qualified MBSR Teacher with the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, Center for Mindfulness.

  • She has been a regular MBSR Teacher with Singapore Management University (SMU), Mindfulness Initiative since 2019.

  • In addition to teaching the MBSR course, she conducts customized Mindfulness Workshops and programs in various settings, such as workplaces.

Personal Practice & Background

  • Leïla discovered mindfulness meditation in 2016, after having suffered from Chronic Stress and Burnout in her past corporate roles, and her practice has become an essential part of her life ever since.

  • Before leaving her corporate career to focus on teaching Mindfulness, she spent close to 15 years in the Banking Industry in multicultural environments across various roles—such as Business Consultant, Project Manager & Operational Risk Manager.

  • She regularly attends Silent Meditation Retreats and her teaching comes from a place of embodiment, led by her personal experience of the transformative power of mindfulness meditation practices.

  • Although trained in secular Mindfulness, her curiosity involves the understanding of the Buddhist philosophy it originated from.

Other Interests

  • As an avid reader and learner, Leïla is also passionate about Neuroscience, Psychology and mental health in general—particularly in relation to interrupting mental patterns of Anxiety & Depression she is personally familiar with—as well as understanding the effects of chronic stress on the body and mind, suffering from a chronic health condition herself.

  • As part of her personal health & mental well-being journey, and keen to continuously expand her knowledge to support her participants, she is also trained as a classical Yoga Teacher (RYT 200).

Footage from Channel News Asia as part of an interview for the Documentary “To Achieve Happiness” released on 10th October 2022 (World Mental Health Day).

Mission & Values

We believe that everyone has the power to transform himself, and our greatest sense of fulfillment comes from supporting individuals in their mental health journey, by offering them a safe space to:

  • Develop a greater Awareness of themselves,

  • Discover their own Resilience,

  • Reach a higher sense of Well-Being,

  • Embrace their Full Potential.

In our Workshops and Class teachings, we value Authenticity, Compassion, Human Connection and Personal Growth.

We are here to guide you along the way in developing a different relationship with the things that challenge you in your life, to support your overall health & well-being.

What is Mindfulness?

Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s working definition—father of the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program—Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”

In essence, Mindfulness revolves around three key elements:

  1. Intentionality: purposely directing our attention to the present moment by focusing or anchoring the mind on a specific object (e.g. breath, sole of the feet, body sensations), noticing what is being experienced in that moment.

  2. Being Present: when we start practicing meditation we quickly realize that our mind tends to wander off, either to the past—reliving events that have happened during the day for example—or to the future—daydreaming, planning ahead. It is rare for our attention to rest solely into the present moment for a prolonged period of time. However, our experiences are ‘only’ unfolding in the present moment.

  3. Non-Judgment: practicing non-judgment does not mean stopping judgment altogether—our mind constantly forms opinions about everything and everyone. But we can become aware of the labels we place on experiences in our life—which are often black or white and lacking nuances (e.g. good/bad)—and suspend them momentarily to see things in a new light, inviting a sense of curiosity and openness in the process.

    “Non-judgmentally” can also be understood as “Non-reactively”—observing things as they actually are, instead of how we would like them to be, or expect them to be.

The Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program

Footage from Channel News Asia, at Singapore Management University, during a 2022 MBSR Intake.

Brief History:

  • The 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is an experiential course that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the late 1970s. It is the first secular mindfulness course brought into the health setting.

  • Originally designed to support chronically-ill patients in dealing with the pain and distress caused by their condition, it has expanded to multiple settings—including schools, universities, corporations, prisons and many others—to support all individuals in improving their Quality of Life.

  • This Well-Researched empirical course guides the participants into developing a different relationship with the things that challenge them in their life, relying upon tools they already have.

  • Week by week, in a structured way, participants are progressively introduced to various forms of Mindfulness meditation practices to help them access the ability to become more self-aware, present moment-by-moment, non-judgmental, patient and compassionate—towards themselves as well as others.

Format:

  • 1 Orientation Session of 60-75 mins

  • 8 Weekly Classes of 2.5 hours each

  • 1 All-day Retreat (usually held on the weekend)

  • Daily Home Practice of 45-60 mins, 6 days a week (on a best effort basis)

Note on Attendance:

Attendance to the Orientation Session and the First Two Classes of the program is considered mandatory when enrolling. Since each class builds on the previous one, it is highly recommended to attend all sessions—although, life can be unpredictable as we know and it is acceptable to miss one or two sessions later in the course.

What to Expect?

  • Formal & Informal Mindfulness Practices

  • Small & Large Group Discussions

  • Didactic Parts: new topic introduced every week

  • Class size: typically 10 to 20 participants

No prior meditation experience is required.

The MBSR program is secular & participants from all faiths are welcome.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Based on scientific research, a regular Mindfulness practice creates Structural Changes in the Brain.

We know in particular that practicing Mindfulness meditation is an effective way to build resilience—the ability to recover faster from a stressful event—and reduce chronic stress (including anxious & depressive thought patterns), therefore preventing/reducing the impact of stress-related conditions such as, for example: sleep disorders, high blood pressure, tension headache/migraine, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), etc.

We also know that chronic stress contributes to numerous health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, endometriosis and infertility issues, not to mention cancer.

Simply put, our body is not meant to be functioning under stress for a prolonged period of time (what we define as “chronic stress”—the continuous activation of the sympathetic nervous system, or stress response). When this occurs, our state of homeostasis is disrupted and our internal functions are impacted—including our immune system—leading to the development of various health conditions over time.

Additionally, Mindfulness has also been shown to support Cognitive Functions—such as learning, reasoning, problem solving and sustaining attention—as well as Emotional Regulation and Positive Mood, to mention some of the benefits that Mindfulness can bring.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

FAQ

  • Mindfulness is a state of the mind (it can be defined as the state of awareness that arises from the meditation practice), while meditation itself is a practice.

    Mindfulness meditation is a type of meditation, which simply consists of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and in a nonjudgmental way--based on Jon Kabat-Zinn definition).

    It can also be defined as "paying attention to present moment experience with open curiosity and a willingness to be with what is"--definition from Diana Winston of the UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center.

  • Although mindfulness meditation originated from traditional contemplative traditions-- Buddhism in particular--there is nothing religious in the practice of mindfulness meditation itself.

    It does not require the participant to believe in any particular faith, and it does not conflict with any religion either.

    Mindfulness meditation is simply the practice of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and in a nonjudgmental way.

  • As part of the MBSR course requirements, each participant will be asked to complete a 'Pre-Assessment Questionnaire' for the teacher to ensure that there is no risk for him or her to engage in the program at this point in time.

    While the practice of Mindfulness is accessible to everyone, since it encourages us to look within and to meet our experiences as they are--including the difficult ones--people suffering from acute depression, generalized anxiety disorder, recent loss, severe addiction or PTSD may be advised to defer their participation in a MBSR course, and/or to seek additional support in the form of one on one therapy or counseling outside of the course.

    Note: our Qualified MBSR teacher, Leïla Parmentier, is familiar with the work of David Treleaven on “Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness" and will offer options to ensure that the participants feel safe and can take care of their own well-being during the course (if it is considered safe for them to attend the course based on the 'Pre-Assessment Questionnaire'). In addition, if you have any concerns, please feel free to check directly with her (leila@mindfulness-paradigm.com).

  • Attendance to the Orientation Session and the First Two Classes of the program is considered mandatory when enrolling, since they set the foundations for the rest of the program, as well as to ensure the integrity of the group community.

    If you are not able to attend the Orientation session but would like to join the 8-week course, you can contact us for an informal call before the program starts, so that we can address any questions you may have, and what to expect as part of the course.

    If you know that you will not be able to attend the first two classes of the program, please defer to a later course, as those sessions are essential to build the foundations of your mindfulness practice.

    Attendance to the All-day Retreat (between class 6 and 7) is also considered an essential part of the program.

    Since each class builds on the previous one, it is highly recommended not to miss any session—although, as we know, life can be unpredictable and it is acceptable to miss one or two sessions later in the course.

Any further questions that you would like to ask? Please feel free to contact us.