A Year of Living Mindfully
A 12-Month Inquiry into the Nature of Awakened Heart and Mind
Led by Jonathan Foust
Starting September, 2025
Applications due by June 1
To Apply:
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you held consistent focus on mindfulness and compassion for a full year?
If you are interested in bringing alive more awareness in your daily life through meditation, somatic inquiry, study and interpersonal support, please read on.
Life in the Fast Lane
Unless you live in a monastery or have managed to build genuine simplicity into your lifestyle, it’s easy to forget what’s most important and get enmeshed in the world of demands, stress and the impulse to go faster and do more.
The result is often a blend of anxiety and a vague sense that you’re missing something.
The more you feel separate from a full sense of presence, feelings of unworthiness, fear and anxiety begin to dominate your life.
You forget the mystery, love and awareness that is your source.
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Have you noticed the happiest times of your life were when you sustained attention on what was most important to you?
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The Alchemy of Transformation
How do you awaken full and compassionate presence? How do you live skillfully in the world?
Great traditions through the ages prescribe the following:
Daily Practice
Like-Minded Community
Contemplative Practices
Times of Retreat and Intensive Practice
Service
These elements are the core of the Year of Living Mindfully program.
The Year of Living Mindfully Program (YLM) combines these domains of spiritual life in an integrated format designed to support you in cultivating an awakened heart and mind.
You will:
Create and Sustain a Vibrant Daily Practice. You commit to a formal daily practice of mindfulness and heart meditations and focus on the daily actions that are most important to you.
Learn How to Bring a Healing Presence to Emotional Difficulty. Highly experiential sessions focus on how you can apply your mindfulness practice in daily life and support you in transforming challenges.
Learn Techniques for Self-Inquiry and Healing. You’ll deepen your skills with personal inquiry through Somatic Inquiry, a process of ‘co-meditation’ that cultivates your capacity to develop and draw on wisdom and compassion.
Connect with a Committed Community of Practitioners. Sharing the journey with fellow participants and experienced mentors, you’ll explore the challenges and insights that arise from your practice.
Develop Your 1:1 Interpersonal Skills. You’ll learn, practice and work with real-time issues through Somatic Inquiry, Non-Violent Communication, empathy and forgiveness practices and other communication tools that foster greater honesty and intimacy.
Deepen Your Practice through Retreats. Throughout the year you’ll immerse yourself in daylong retreats and a weeklong retreat of concentrated practice.
Tap into the larger YLM Community. You can join events and make connections with those who share the journey.
A Foundation of Practice: Somatic Inquiry
You’ll spend the first segment of the program learning and practicing Somatic Inquiry. This is a skill you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. It’s a profound training in learning how to transform what is between you and feeling free.
This essential work draws on applying the two wings of mindfulness: Wisdom and Compassion.
Somatic Inquiry incorporates the practice of Focusing, developed by Dr. Eugene Gendlin that laid the foundation for Somatic Psychology. We will also explore practice in the context of RAIN meditation, an approach developed by Michelle McDonald and refined by Tara Brach.
Over the course of the year, you’ll deepen not just your understanding of Somatic Inquiry works, but you’ll refine your skills and move deeper into the subtlety of the practice.
Dharma Study: Main Topics and Themes
Cultivating Wise Intention: Great satisfaction arises when you know what is most important and you design your actions and lifestyle in alignment with your intention. Throughout the year you’ll learn skills for cultivating both clarity and resilience.
Somatic Inquiry: Training in the first foundation of mindfulness is the ground of our year-long program and includes instruction in mindfulness of sensation and feeling. This is a mind / body practice that is a cornerstone to developing a depth practice. More than just being in touch with your feelings, you will cultivate greater wakefulness and a sense of being vibrantly alive and at home in your body.
Healing the Emotional Body: Key to opening the heart is the willingness to explore obstacles to cultivating greater intimacy. In structured settings and homework assignments you will investigate the nature of self and other and how to skillfully work with difficult emotions. You will explore practices that cultivate your capacity for greater compassion, kindness, generosity and forgiveness.
Awakening the Mind: Delving into meditation practice includes both the application and understanding of skillful means, directly investigating the nature of mind, investigating how you can transcend limiting beliefs and exploring what it means to be free from suffering. Through talks, discussion and practice, you will explore essential practices that lead to greater freedom.
Awakening in Relationship: Through 1:1 inquiry, small group gatherings and community explorations, you will explore how you can cultivate greater empathy, compassion and kindness as an expression of the awakened heart. You will learn communication tools that will enhance self-awareness and transform your relationships. We will explore topics such as the Bodhisattva path of cultivating compassion, generosity and forgiveness and pragmatic tools such as Non-Violent Communication (NVC).
Cultivating Creativity, Imagination and Joy: Applying mindfulness principles results in the diminishment of greed, hatred and delusion. At the same time it can dramatically increase creativity, imagination, joy and new possibilities. A key element of this program is exploring creative expression and what it means to live fully.
Prerequisites
This program is designed for motivated and experienced participants who want to deepen their practice and more fully integrate wisdom and compassion into their lives. While this training is not limited to advanced practitioners, a sincere commitment to daily practice and full participation is essential for you and for the benefit of the YLM community. If your participation drops below 80% we will evaluate whether the program is a match for you and you may be asked to withdraw.
The following prerequisites are highly recommended and will be considerations for acceptance into the program:
Have at least 1 year of regular meditation practice
Attend or have attended a weekly meditation class or introductory series
Have participated in at least one residential retreat before the program starts. If you have not attended a meditation retreat, your acceptance will be on the condition you participate in our weeklong residential retreat or an equivalent retreat.
Sincerity is the most important attribute. If you feel called to take part but are concerned you may not have enough experience, contact me and we can talk more.
Our Year-long Program
In addition to daily practice and contemplative study, this program is designed to help you maintain focus on what’s most important to you. This includes:
Monthly Online Evening Classes
Monthly Spiritual Friends (small group) gatherings
Monthly 1:1 Learning Partner sessions
9 In-person Daylong Retreats
1 Week-long Residential Vipassana Retreat
Optional Monthly “Ask Me Anything” sessions with Jonathan
Optional Weekly Sunday Morning Meditation and Inquiry sessions
Optional Informal YLM gatherings
Retreat and Class Locations
Daylong retreats and the residential retreat will be held in the Washington DC metro area.
The Schedule
Retreats and classes are listed on the calendar below. We will have the April weeklong retreat dates soon.
You will set up your monthly 1:1 Learning Partner Session and Monthly Small Group Gathering on our own.
The monthly “Ask Me Anything” and Sunday Morning Meditation sessions are optional.
In addition to all these activities, we have an active group from previous years (YLMx) that offers meet ups and other optional gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let me start by asking what this program ISN’T.
The Year of Living Mindfully is not:
A academic course studying and analyzing Buddhist philosophy
A book club where you’ve got tons of reading to keep up with
A series of lectures where you passively take in information
Something you’ll get graded on
So then, what IS it?
The Year of Living Mindfully is:
A sustained, sincere exploration of what it means to cultivate an awakened heart and mind
Experiences and inquiries designed to cultivate and deepen a rich and alive meditation practice
Being part of a like-minded community of spiritual friends
Learning techniques and practices that enrich your capacity to be more conscious and alive in your relationships
Deepening your understanding of perennial truth through experiential practice and dialog
What’s the history of this program?
This is the 11th offering of the Year of Living Mindfully.
When I moved to the DC area I was looking for a community focused on waking up and sustaining practice. When I didn’t find it, I created and offered YLM. Since then, almost 300 people have taken part.
In addition to enriching their life and personal practice, many graduates have gone on to become meditation teachers, mentors, guides and are actively serving in all kinds of amazing ways. We have a wonderful group of past participants that continues to meet.
Somatic Inquiry, Focusing and RAIN are mentioned a lot in the course description. What are these techniques?
Focusing is a mind/body process developed over thirty years ago by Dr. Eugene Gendlin. He was completing his second PhD at that time with Carl Rogers at the University of Chicago. After studying thousands of hours of clients working with therapists, he discovered it was not the skill of the therapist or what the therapist was doing that resulted in successful transformation. What made the difference was what the client was doing internally.
People who checked in with a bodily 'felt sense' were much more successful in contacting and working through issues that kept them from being happy. Gendlin went on to extensively study and quantify how this process works. Focusing has had a huge effect in the realm of therapy and mindfulness in general as he laid the foundation for Somatic Psychology.
Somatic Inquiry is my adaptation of this fundamental technology with the practice of meditation and mindfulness.
RAIN has been developed by Dr. Tara Brach as a way to actively explore challenging issues. It draws on the following: R: Recognize what is present; A: Allow or Accept the moment as it is; I: Investigate the inner experience; N: Nurture what you find with empathy and compassion.
What does this have to do with meditation practice?
A lot.
The first foundation of Buddhist meditation practice is 'mindfulness of the body.' When you are aware of the body you are 'here and now.' Focusing and Somatic Inquiry helps you train your awareness to more quickly move from the cognitive realm to the direct 'felt sense' experience. They also train you to discern many more distinctions in the internal process, allowing you to more quickly and skillfully stay present to what is arising in the moment and in particular, to move through challenging experiences such as physical pain, emotional turbulence and mental agitation.
Many dharma teachers recommend learning Somatic Inquiry as a tool for understanding of Buddhist psychology and philosophy..
Do we do Somatic Inquiry the whole year?
Absolutely. You’ll find yourself deepening your skillset over the course of the twelve months. In so doing, you’ll develop not only your skills for self-inquiry, but your capacity for connection with others.
Dr. Gendlin, after many decades of teaching this technique, said that it takes about ten months of practice to really ‘get’ how this process works and to train the mind to shift to the ‘felt sense’ with more skill. Over the years I have found that when combined with a meditation practice, that timeframe is quite a bit less.
We’ll spend more time on the mechanics of somatic inquiry in the first part of our year and then rely on these tools as a core technique through the course.
The end result is that by the end of the year you’ll have a great tool for your meditation practice, for deconstructing what is between you and feeling free, for understanding the nature of the dharma and as a way of relating better to others.
Is there a lot of homework and reading to do?
No. I've done enough year-long and multi year-long trainings to know that life has extensive demands and the last thing we need is the stress that comes with keeping up with a long bibliography. The course does have a recommended reading list, but only a few key books are highly recommended.
However, throughout the year you will get regular updates with suggested short readings and resources you might find useful and inspiring.
What if I miss a session?
Life happens. But it is expected you will commit to all sessions to the best of your ability.
What if I get too busy to participate in the sessions?
Your acceptance into the program assumes you are making this program a priority in your life. If your attendance drops below 80%, we’ll have a conversation about your intention and what you need to stay engaged. If your participation remains low, you may be asked to withdraw.
Please carefully consider whether you can make this commitment. Please keep in mind that if you decide to drop out you will still owe the full tuition.
This sounds intense. What if these practice bring up old unpleasant memories and trauma?
I’m so glad you asked. There is no question that intensive practice will reveal what is undigested, unfelt, unseen and unprocessed in your life.
Consider having a therapist during the year for extra support, and if you know you are working with trauma, you’ll definitely want to have support systems in place. This program is quite supportive, but can’t take the place of a good therapist.
What is the monthly online evening class like?
Highly experiential and interactive. The online gathering generally starts with a group meditation followed by a short presentation. You’ll explore that topic either with a partner or in a small group. There is generally time for group discussion, questions and sharing.
While the monthly classes are online, we will arrange ‘watch parties’ where you might choose to take part in someone’s home.
What are the daylong retreats like?
These live and in-person retreats have a specific theme and are highly experiential. Here we have time for a deeper dive with longer meditations, exploring what’s between you and feeling free and taking time to explore the depth of different techniques and the power of somatic inquiry. They can be a profound way to deepen your practice and understanding.
Retreats will be held in the DC area.
What are the Spiritual Friends group gatherings like?
Spiritual Friends groups are a powerful part of the Year of Living Mindfully. Your group will be facilitated by YLM mentors and you’ll have time not just for group practice, but to share and hear from others what’s unfolding in your practice and how you are bringing mindfulness and compassion to what is arising in your life.
Many Spiritual Friends groups have continued to meet after the program had ended.
What is the residential retreat like?
Our residential retreat follows the structure of a classical Vipassana retreat. Your week will be in silence with alternating periods for sitting and walking meditation. Each day there is instruction, time for Q/A and through the week there will be a daily guided heart meditation, a dharma talk and mindful movement sessions.
If after this program you feel drawn to teach, completion of this retreat meets the qualifications for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
Can I do 1-1 sessions with a guide?
Some of the mentors will be available for 1:1 exploration.
How diverse will this group be?
This program welcomes all values and diversity. Some scholarships and mentoring are available to support and encourage broad participation.
Is it required I live in the DC area?
You must attend all daylong retreats. Because there is so much potential for personal transformation using our methodologies, it’s critical we do this work in person.
Daylong retreats will be in the DC metro area. The residential retreat will most probably be in Virginia.
We are exploring the possibility of a small pilot program for those not able to attend the daylong retreats in person. If you are interested, please reach out.
What does this program cost?
Benefactor - $3400.00
Support others while deepening your own practice. Your generosity will support those not as fortunate and will foster a more inclusive learning community.
Sustaining - $2600.00
This is the standard tuition that covers the cost of the course and supports the community.
Community - $1950.00
If you are facing financial challenges, this tier may make participation possible.
If you need additional support, please reach out.
This fee covers all tuition except for your room, board and dana for the weeklong retreat.
I’m interested. What’s next?
If you’d like to apply, you can download an application below:
Send an email to me at jonathanfoust@mac.com if I can be of help..
Program Reflections
This adventure is a big commitment. To help you reflect as to whether this might be a match for you at this time in your life, I asked some alumnae to share their thoughts and observations from The Year of Living Mindfully.
Discovering the Wisdom of the Body
I am someone who has moved through my years heavily reliant on my mind/cognition to navigate the ups and downs of life. The older I got, the more I realized that the existing tools I had to support my wellbeing were only getting me so far. I had a regular meditation and yoga practice and had been in traditional talk therapy for years. But I felt like I needed something more, something different.
Jonathan’s skillful teaching around body-centered inquiry and the technique of “focusing” was transformational for me. After a year of steady work during YLM, I learned how to tune into the wisdom of my body. As a result and even years after my YLM experience, I am able to touch into feelings and experiences in ways that provide new insights and needed shifts.
A Transformative Journey in Mindfulness
I have been a dedicated meditator for over 30 years, deeply benefiting from both my personal practice and numerous silent retreats. However, participating in the Year of Living Mindfully (YLM) with Jonathan was truly transformative. It not only set me on an entirely new career path but also connected me with a supportive sangha of like-minded friends whom I deeply cherish.
Jonathan’s teaching style is authentic, practical, and infused with a wonderful sense of humor, making his talks both engaging and insightful. I am incredibly grateful for this experience.
Finding Structure, Community, and Transformation
For years, I lived an over-scheduled, often stressful life. When my health and well-being began to suffer, I turned to meditation and quickly noticed improvements in my mood and stress levels. However, I soon realized I needed more structure and community to deepen my practice.
That’s what led me to YLM 8. The experience helped me cultivate a more consistent practice and I found motivation in practicing alongside like-minded individuals. It was so transformative that I chose to participate again in YLM 10.
These experiences have truly changed my life for the better—I feel more grounded, less reactive, and more insightful.
A Life-Changing Journey Into Mindfulness
Jonathan’s Year of Living Mindfully transformed my life. It taught me to explore deeper within—both physically and mentally—beyond what I thought possible.
Before joining the program, I was struggling with a major career transition and felt stuck in a persistent funk. The supportive community that YLM fosters lifted me up and helped me find new perspective. Even after the program ended, that community continues to support and inspire me today.
Deepening Mindfulness: A Year of Transformation
For many, mindfulness practice revolves around daily meditation—an invaluable tool for managing the monkey mind. But I wanted more. I sought a deeper understanding of what causes dissatisfaction and a way to truly “let things go” and “let things be.” To take my practice to the next level and embrace ichigo ichie—fully appreciating each moment—required a level of discipline I struggled to cultivate on my own.
The Year of Living Mindfully provided the structure and regimen I needed. Over the course of a year, it helped engrain mindfulness practices into my daily and weekly routines, giving me a more comprehensive toolkit for life. The YLM KM group we formed nearly a decade ago continues to thrive, serving as a lasting source of support and wisdom.
Our sangha became especially meaningful when one of our dear members faced a terminal diagnosis. YLM had taught us to embrace impermanence rather than avoid it. Because of this, he felt safe sharing his journey with us, receiving end-of-life respect and loving-kindness that offered healing, even without a cure. We honored him with a eulogy while he was still alive, and after his passing, we continued to celebrate his life—understanding that while our bodies are impermanent, the ripple effect of our presence endures.
I cannot imagine a more valuable year-long education—one that deepens appreciation for the three pillars of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma, and, most importantly, the Sangha.
The Expanding Impact of Mindfulness
The impact of Year of Living Mindfully (YLM) has grown exponentially in my life. In my first year, I learned invaluable skills—especially focusing—that helped me navigate a difficult divorce. The combination of those skills, the supportive community, and a few meaningful friendships guided me through that transition and set me on a much better path. I learned to rest more, have more fun, find a partner who was a better match for me, and accept life as it is.
Each year since, I’ve deepened my work with the felt sense. Through YLM, I continued building skills, sought out a body-oriented therapist, and engaged in deep work with a Myofascial Release practitioner. These practices became crucial when facing one of my greatest challenges—supporting a close family member through addiction and recovery. Mindfulness allowed me to stay present with the pain, engage in transformative conversations, and foster healing for both of us, a process that continues to this day.
Over time, I have embraced the pathless path, letting go of perfection in my practice and becoming more attuned to what I truly need. This mindset was invaluable as a leader in a large organization during the pandemic, helping me navigate waves of anger and discontent without taking them personally. More recently, I’ve leaned on these tools to manage ongoing change in my workplace, making decisions with greater ease and less concern about how others perceive me.
Lately, I’ve become more aware of my breath in ways I hadn’t before. Just last week, I had a moment of realization: Oh, THAT’S what breathing through something hard feels like. That awareness brought me a deep sense of happiness.
One final insight: I sometimes wonder if I should be doing more to address the polarization in our world. But then I remember—it’s already around me, in my neighborhood, workplace, family, and even within myself. And I am doing something about it by working on myself, staying present, and softening when I encounter it. I can trace this understanding directly back to what I learned in YLM.
Holding Life with Awareness and Acceptance
One of the first practices Jonathan introduced in Year of Living Mindfully (YLM) was learning to notice what was happening in my awareness while being truly listened to. This simple yet profound practice offered me permission to accept my experience without judgment.
I came to YLM just six weeks after the sudden passing of my 23-year-old son due to what appeared to be a toxic mix of medications. The partnerships and practices of awareness and acceptance became a vital support system, helping me hold this life-shattering event—one that continues to ripple through my life, even 17 years later—with greater compassion and resilience.
Learning to partner with other YLM members also strengthened my capacity to witness and hold space for others with loving presence. Over the years, through IMCW’s mentoring program, I’ve had the honor of sharing these practices, and many have expressed appreciation for the simplicity and power of learning to practice in partnership.
I have come to accept that life is challenging, and yet, even in its difficulties, there are joys to savor and choices in how we show up for it all.
A Gift That Transformed My Practice
When I signed up for Year of Living Mindfully (YLM), I had been meditating on and off for about 10 years. I had taken classes, attended workshops, and read extensively on mindfulness and meditation—but I wanted more. As I approached retirement, I realized I couldn’t deepen my practice alone. I needed structure, commitment, and community.
Looking back, YLM was truly a gift—a gift from the “heavens.” Jonathan’s teaching is skillful, thoughtful, and compassionate, infused with wisdom, patience, and a delightful sense of humor. His deep knowledge of Buddhist teachings shines through in every lesson, making the practice accessible and meaningful.
Before YLM, I lived mostly in my mind, relying on thinking and analysis to navigate life. While I knew the gut and heart were important, I didn’t know how to access them for support. Through body scans and inner work, I learned to tune into my body’s wisdom. I no longer depend solely on my mind to interpret the world—I now have a wealth of resources for managing challenges and pain. I’m more comfortable not knowing and sitting with uncertainty.
Beyond personal growth, YLM gave me a rich, loving community. Almost five years later, I still meet regularly with my subgroup sangha of six, an ongoing connection I deeply cherish.
Today, I rely on my practice to navigate difficult times, finding balance and equanimity through life’s ups and downs. I also make it a point to recognize the joys and blessings that help balance the sorrows.
As someone who was once introverted and skeptical—who thought I could do this alone—I now wholeheartedly recommend YLM. Jump in the deep end and see how it feels!
Integrating Mindfulness into Everyday Life
The two greatest aspects of YLM are the transformative practices you learn and the deep sense of community—not only with your cohort but also with the experienced YLMx mentors. Truly understanding and practicing felt sense through focusing has profoundly impacted how I make decisions, navigate life, and connect with my genuine emotions. The relationships built within YLM are strong and unlike those we typically experience in everyday life.
Most importantly, YLM taught me how to apply Buddhist teachings in a practical, meaningful way that influences how I show up in the world.
This is an opportunity you do not want to miss.
Finding Connection and Resilience Through YLM
Over ten years ago, I joined the Year of Living Mindfully (YLM) as a recent transplant to the DC area. Moving across the country left me feeling lonely and unsettled, and I was searching for ways to calm my mind and soothe my heart—YLM was exactly what I needed.
Jonathan introduced me to a variety of tools for working with difficult emotions and understanding the mind, which proved invaluable in navigating this major life transition. More than that, YLM provided a deep sense of connection. I formed lifelong friendships and found the kind of community my heart had been longing for.
Today, I’m still part of the greater YLM network, where opportunities for learning and connection continue to flourish. YLM is truly the gift that keeps on giving.