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Dates
Saturday 05/31/2025 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Pricing
$45.00 Mindfulness for Caregivers - May 2025
The co-op member fee for this workshop is $40. Not a member? Learn more and join today.
As our parents grow older and their health declines, our relationships with them inevitably shift. Whether we're helping them navigate a sudden crisis or manage a gradual loss of independence, we're called to take on greater responsibility for their well-being. This growing involvement can leave us with less time and energy for ourselves and for other important people and activities in our lives. Meanwhile, our parents have their own ideas about maintaining their independence and how much support they want from us. The resulting tension can be painful, frustrating, and depleting, and it can take a toll on intimacy and connection just when we are wanting it most.
This interactive workshop is designed for people who are managing the joys and challenges of caring for aging parents. Camille Martone, a yoga and mindfulness instructor, and Marie Sheppard, a Focusing and mindfulness instructor, each bring more than 20 years of experience in caring for and being cared for by parents in physical and cognitive decline. They will introduce you to some concrete practices, such as mindfulness meditation and gentle yoga, that can help you:
• Better understand what your parent wants/needs from you
• Engage in ways that may feel more supportive to your parent
• Take better care of yourself throughout the process
Whether you have been caring for aging parents for years or are just beginning on this path, this workshop will provide practices, perspective, and support that can help you find more peace and fulfillment.
Join the live event in person or online. This workshop will not be recorded.
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Camille Martone
Camille teaches yoga and mindfulness to kids and adults, and to individuals who are marginalized/vulnerable in a variety of settings—in studios, schools, at home, community centers, and homeless services organizations. She particularly likes to bring the practice to all to bolster their sense of body and spirit and encourage their self confidence and self worth.
Camille began her personal yoga practice in 1982 at a lunch time break from her historic architecture profession. She became an AFFA certified fitness instructor for the YMCA starting in 1988, where she taught aerobics, pre and postnatal fitness, body sculpting, Nordic walking, boot camp, beginner yoga, and kids' gymnastics. She became a certified children's yoga instructor shortly after Budding Yogis (the precursor to Circle Yoga) opened in 2003 and taught a variety of kids' yoga classes. She completed the 200-hour Circle Yoga Teacher Training in 2017 and now teaches Gentle Yoga classes for adults at the studio. She is particularly fond of teaching older adults who may otherwise find challenges as they age (as we all do) and have a great sense of humor.
Camille is also a mindfulness practitioner and facilitator at Opening Heart Mindfulness Community in the tradition of Thich Nhat Han, where she served on the board for several years. She is involved in several committees in this community with the Inclusivity Committee being the most relevant for her at this time, encouraging social justice to include opportunities and human rights for all. With yoga and mindfulness, and her love of nature, healthy food, and all living things, Camille hopes to bring more peace, freedom, liberation, and happiness to all beings everywhere.

Marie Sheppard
Marie is a Certified Focusing Professional and a mindfulness practitioner with over 25 years of experience. Like many, Marie had a sudden introduction to caregiving. At age 30, she became a primary caregiver overnight after her father had a brain hemorrhage. She spent the next year trying to make him better—an impossible task—and became utterly drained.
In the years that followed, Marie tried to balance her professional life—working to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa—with her personal life—which included caring for young children and ailing parents. This was challenging and prompted her to find ways to enhance her own well being. Marie took a mindfulness class, found it surprisingly helpful, and honed in on mindfulness and other awareness practices that brought her more ease and joy in daily life.
Now, it is Marie’s honor to help other caregivers do the same. She created a toolkit of awareness-based practices and encourages caregivers to experiment with them, identify those that work best for their unique circumstances, and then integrate these practices into their daily lives. Building community is integral to her offerings, as it helps to validate our experiences and support connection, learning, and laughing.
Marie practices mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, who gave her the Dharma name “Joyful Path of the Heart” in 2003. She is an active member of the Opening Heart Mindfulness Community, where she chaired the board for many years, and of the Clear Skies Meditation Circle, which she co-founded in 2022. She has a BA in sociology from William Smith College, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Certificate in Focusing from the International Focusing Institute. Marie taught mindfulness and Focusing at Circle Yoga pre-Covid. She lives on a farm in Maryland and offers classes, retreats, and one-on-one sessions that help caregivers learn ways to care for themselves whilst caring for those they love.
