Meet Amy Zoe Schonhoff of Mindfulness in the Heartland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Zoe Schonhoff.

Hi Amy Zoe; we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey to becoming a mindfulness teacher was initiated by an early childhood experience that never left me. One morning when I was in second grade, all of the students in my elementary school were brought together and led through a guided meditation by a visiting teacher. I can vividly remember as I sat there with my eyes closed following the teacher’s guidance that I was aware, for perhaps the first time in my life, that I had some control over what my mind did. This was a fascinating revelation for me! I put that one-time experience in my back pocket, knowing if the chance ever presented itself again, I would return to it one day.

When I entered college, I was fortunate to find myself in proximity to other people exploring meditation. Then I learned a basic concentration meditation, often referred to as “awareness of breath,” and found myself completely charmed by the practice. It was amazing that something as simple as paying attention to my breath could provide me with an internal source of peace that, in all honesty, I had spent my whole life looking for outside myself. And when I practiced consistently, although it wasn’t always easy or pleasant, I felt calmer, more grounded, and made better decisions. Life was different in a fundamental way and in a way that my “dazed and confused” young adult self desperately needed.

After about ten years of self-directed practice, I had experienced so much profound change in the trajectory of my life that I wanted to understand more about what meditation was doing to me. That was when I first heard the term “mindfulness” and learned there were ancient contemplative traditions that could further develop my practice. It was then I began leaning into the practice as not just something I did on a meditation cushion but as a way to live all the various moments of my life.

Another ten years would pass before I started to feel an internal nudge to begin teaching mindfulness. When that nudge became more of a push, I was eager to find a way to teach mindfulness in a manner that didn’t involve a religious overlay. I wanted to make it accessible to anyone, whether they had a spiritual life or not. During my quest to develop a secular approach to teaching mindfulness, I stumbled upon the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program he developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Once I took the 8-week MBSR course as a participant, I knew I had found my path to becoming a mindfulness teacher.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the greatest obstacle has been the expenditure of time and energy it took to define and delineate my professional path. It took many years of looking for professional fulfillment in all the wrong places before landing where I am today. Initially, I went to school to become a psychologist, but after graduating from undergrad decided to take my interest in health and wellness into the field of massage therapy. That was fulfilling work for several years, but the physical demands of providing bodywork began to take their toll on me over time. I moved into the nonprofit sector for several years, working as an arts administrator and human resources professional. Although it took a while to arrive where I am finally, I can honestly say that every work experience I’ve had informs my professional practice in some way today. It’s funny how that works!

Finding the best educational pathway to train to become a mindfulness teacher can also be challenging. Since mindfulness is still an unregulated field, you must do your homework to find accredited programs that provide gold-standard teacher training. That being said, teacher training alone is insufficient to impart mindfulness to others skillfully. Transmitting the skills of mindfulness with integrity also requires embodying it through what I like to call “intentional living.” This requires a willingness to make my best effort to be present and learn from all the moments of my life—the good, the bad, and everything in between. I like to think of it as an all-in profession. As Yoda famously told Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Mindfulness in the Heartland provides education and training in mindfulness, meditation, and mindfulness-based programs. I offer instruction, classes, workshops, presentations, retreats, and community practice opportunities throughout Kansas City and the region. My mission is to share the benefits and support the cultivation of mindfulness in individuals and communities living within the Midwest region. As a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and certified practitioner of Advanced Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, I am particularly motivated to teach mindfulness skills to individuals and communities actively working to integrate and heal from personal and intergenerational trauma. As a mindfulness practitioner for over 30 years, I have found the practices and principles of mindfulness to be the most instructive and transformative approach to embracing this experience of “being human.” I intend to inspire you to live knowing that “every moment matters.”

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The quality of mindfulness- an open, curious, and accepting orientation to the present moment- has served my life the most. It provides me with an internal compass for navigating all the various moments of my life–not only helping me to know what’s happening in the present moment but also how I’m relating to what’s happening. This provides me with greater agency over how I choose to respond to my experiences and the opportunity to learn and grow from them continually.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindfulheartland.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulheartland/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindfulheartland/