About Me
I support open-hearted, impact-driven creatives develop a transformative mindfulness practice so they can live from a place of greater connection, ease and trust.
Jeanne Lauren Smith
Hi! I’m Jeanne.
I’m the founder and facilitator of As You Are Mindfulness, as well as a writer and lifelong actor.
I’m originally from a suburb of Seattle, Washington, though I’ve lived in New York my entire adult life. I’m a coffee enthusiast and finish my daily cup with grass-fed butter and collagen peptides (it’s delicious!), and I love dancing, nature, and traveling.
Beginning a regular mindfulness practice changed everything for me. It helped me recognize my thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and tune into the possibility of what I could create in my life, and how I could find acceptance in the moment. I was no longer a victim of my circumstances, and a lot more freedom for creativity and enjoyment entered my life.
I began to accept and understand myself more, and my inner and outer worlds became less threatening and more full of benevolence and possibility.
Mindfulness Teacher Certification
Engaged Mindfulness Institute
BA in Theatre,
Concentration in Performance
Marymount Manhattan College
Mental Health
First Aid
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Hatha Yoga Teacher
Certification
Arhanta Yoga Ashram, India
Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots.
Rumi
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My approach is kind, trauma-informed, and flexible. I am committed to offering a space for genuine self-expression and reflection.
As an actor, I have extensive experience working with various modalities in movement, breath, voice and developing presence. In 2013 I traveled to India to complete a Hatha Yoga teacher training, and I’ve been practicing meditation consistently ever since taking an introductory class in 2014. I know the power of developing a daily practice through the accountability that comes with receiving guidance.
I include my training across disciplines and I love incorporating creativity into my offerings. I often invite clients to work with prompts for writing, making art, and dancing.
I believe it is your right to have time and space in your life for quiet, reflection, and contemplation. I aim to support you in taking this protected time for yourself.
As You Are Mindfulness Story
As an actor and restaurant server in NYC, I was often overworked, underpaid, and frustrated.
I was full of passion and gratitude for the opportunity to pursue my dreams, but the day-to-day was exhausting.
When the pandemic shut down both my work industries,
keeping me from waiting tables and live theatre, I knew I had an opportunity to offer a greater impact, create more meaning, and pursue service in a new way. As I sat with the question “What is my why?” deepening my practice and learning to facilitate and share it with others revealed itself as the next best step. I followed my intuition and pursued training at Engaged Mindfulness Institute, which emphasizes sharing mindfulness practices in a trauma-informed way.
I started teaching alongside my training and As You Are Mindfulness was born.
This online haven has been a huge support to people amidst the challenges of the pandemic.
We have held space with each other alongside the enormous struggles of the death of loved ones, sickness, and financial hardship, as well as the joys of creative pursuits, new relationships, travel, and everything in between.
By creating more time and space in my life
for contemplation, compassion, and connection, I was able to pursue dreams I hadn’t dared to before. I wrote two plays, largely about my own experiences of healing after bullying and abuse.
I decided to go alcohol-free in honor of living with more intention and integrity. I began diversifying my offerings to include the breadth of my training across disciplines.
Mindfulness meets us where we are, and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to share such a powerful gift and together cultivate an uplifting and supportive community of like-minded people.
Like any creative discipline, mindfulness is a lifelong journey.
Prioritizing my practice continues to be a process of letting go and self-discovery. It is a support alongside the ups and downs that go along with living on one’s own terms.
I believe that I, you, and we are fundamentally okay and that we are worthy simply by existing. In a world and culture that profits off of our insecurities and aims to have us distracted in a myriad of ways, our presence is necessary, needed, and an act of courage. Prioritizing yourself, your well-being and protecting your time is a gift to yourself and all those around you.
When we thread moments of awareness throughout the day we begin to change our relationship with ourselves, others, and our circumstances.
This is freedom.
This clarity of presence, living with intention, and opening our hearts has the power to change the world.
My Values
Integrity
By tuning into our heart’s intention, we create the possibility to connect deeply with our values and live from a place of greater integrity and purpose.
Joy and Celebration
We recognize the present moment as a source of joy. In this way we can be present for both our celebrations and our sorrows, and meet ourselves and each other as we are.
Inherent Dignity and Wholeness
All beings deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Our worthiness is not something we have to prove. You are worthy simply by existing.
Community
and Friendship
When we come into deeper and kinder relationship with ourselves, this warmth naturally extends to those around us. By offering a space of nonjudging and respect for connection we cultivate supportive community. We honor each other’s experience with kindness and presence and friendship.
Compassion
and Authenticity
Inviting mindfulness into our daily lives inspires us to grow compassion and equanimity towards ourselves, our experiences, and others. By inviting ourselves to come to the practice as we are, we drop the need to conform and the space for authentic expression emerges.
Inclusion
and Accessibility
Facilitating mindfulness in a trauma-informed way means approaching the practice with flexibility and finding a way for you to engage with the practice that honors your unique needs and circumstances. This is an inclusive space for mindfulness where all are welcome. We stand for BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ people and people with disabilities. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Get your free daily practice meditation and reflection!
Meditation is an offering to yourself and those around you, that’s why I created this OFFER daily practice.
Get started with a free downloadable recording, along with a digital OFFER reflection journal, and begin to fold mindfulness into your day.
Open to what’s here
Feet on the ground
Feel with openness and curiosity
Ease and self-compassion
Reflect
*By signing up, you’ll receive my newsletter, Mindful Moments, with musings on mindfulness and invites to virtual offerings. You can unsubscribe anytime x
