Randi Jo Greenberg, a Park City-based certified yoga and mindfulness meditation teacher and practitioner, defines mindfulness as “paying attention on purpose with kindness and curiosity so you can choose your behavior.”
“By practicing mindfulness, you aren’t going to clear your mind,” she said. “You’re not going to let go of all of your thoughts. It’s about being with all that is happening — good stuff, bad stuff — with patiences, knowing that nothing is permanent and everything will evolve.”
Greenberg shares that philosophy every Tuesday during her Mindfulness Meditation sessions that run from 6-7 p.m. in room 201 at the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.
These free sessions, which will end for the season on May 19, are designed for adults and facilitated through Mindful. Summit County, a nonprofit Greenberg founded with author, mindfulness meditation teacher, speaker and practitioner Rebecca Brenner in 2022.
“We start out with what I call a ‘soft-landing,’ where we settle in, take a couple of breaths, close our eyes and arrive in the room,” Greenberg said. “We also have a theme, usually, whether it’s mindfulness of thought, mindfulness of our bodies or our senses or self-compassion, and we talk about the theme and incorporate that into a longer, guided practice.”
Attendees participate in ways they feel comfortable, according to Greenberg.
“Some people sit in chairs,” she said. “We have yoga mats, so some people lay on the mats, and some people even put their legs up the walls.”
For the last five to 10 minutes, the group discusses the session, Greenberg said.
“They can ask questions, talk about how things went or relay any experiences they’ve had,” she said. “It’s just wonderful.”
A variety of folks participate in these sessions, Greenberg said.
“So, I’ll have my regulars who have been doing this with me for a while, and then I’ll have seasonal participants who are here for ski week,” she said. “I’ll also get people who hear about these sessions through the library. So I may have first-timers — people who have never practiced mindfulness — along with people who have practiced for 20 years.”
The group consists of individuals, couples and families.
“One couple is here seasonally, and then they brought their mothers and mothers-in-law,” Greenberg said. “It’s fun to bring everyone together and share the process.”
Although the library sessions are primarily for adults, teens ages 15 and older are also welcome to attend.
“Sometimes the library’s teen group will come up and join us,” she said.
While the library sessions are somewhat set in a formal setting, Greenberg emphasized mindfulness can be practiced anywhere and anytime, Greenberg said.
“You don’t have to be in a Lululemon outfit sitting with your legs crossed, facing east with a statue of Buddha,” she said. “You can practice mindfulness for 30 seconds just by noticing what you’re seeing, what you’re smelling or what you’re hearing as things are occurring. Or you can also practice mindfulness, if you have the time, during a 30-minute walk.”
For the past four years, the Park City Library has become the de facto venue for Greenberg’s sangha — a regular meditation group.
“Rebecca and I had this intention of creating our own sangha, but it’s hard when we don’t have a brick and mortar,” she said. “So it seems the Park City Library has become space.”
The library isn’t the only place around town where Greenberg shares her love of mindfulness and yoga.
She’s also at the Park City Senior Center at 11 a.m. every Tuesday.
“The last season of the season will also be on May 19,” she said. “Then we’ll be back in the fall.”
Greenberg also spreads mindfulness and yoga to children and families.
“I teach at the Park City School District and Weilenmann School of Discovery,” she said. “I go to the preschools every month, and I do after-school programs and after-school camps. So, sometimes I’m at some schools three times a day.”
Greenberg also sets up mindful and yoga classes at Basin Recreation, where she teaches families and children.
“I think a lot of times when kids and families think about yoga, they think about the poses and stretching, but the emphasis in my classes is mindfulness,” she said. “It’s so important for the kids to have some self-regulation and to learn about what they are feeling in their bodies, what those feelings mean and how to be, exist, with them.”
Compassion for others and self-compassion are big pieces of mindfulness, according to Greenberg.
“When we do the poses, you need to be compassionate about your body and what you can do versus what your friends can do,” she said. “It’s also valuable for children to pause and appreciate the quiet and focus on their breathing in a time where they are going from one after-school activity to sports to this and that.”
Greenberg likes to challenge her after-school students to see how long they can meditate.
“We’ve gotten up to eight minutes, and it’s wonderful to have up to 50 4-year-olds sitting with their legs crossed and breathing,” she said. “That’s incredible because even teachers have a hard time sitting there that long while the kids meditate. But the kids love it.”
Greenberg tells the kids that their homework is to teach their parents how to meditate.
“I say if their parents do what they do, they’ll be kinder, more patient and more generous,” she said.
Throughout the year, Greenberg partners with another Park City practitioner, Eventful Yoga, to host retreats in Torrey.
“In May I’m doing one on mindfulness and creativity, so we’ll do some nature journaling and river writing, yoga and mindfulness hiking,” she said.
In September the retreat will be about longevity.
“It’s a women’s group, and we talk about nutrition, exercise as we’re aging, and do some yoga and mindfulness exercises,” Greenberg said. “Then in November, (Eventful Yoga Founder) Lindsey Marshall and I do our annual calming and nature event. It’s restorative yoga, yin yoga, gentle yoga, meditation and hiking.”
Greenberg has taught yoga since 1999.
“Prior to that, I had a medical issue and was depressed,” she said. “Someone told me to attend a yoga class, so I went and fell in love with it. It was the right thing at the right time.”
Greenberg wasted no time training and getting her teaching certificate.
“I started teaching early on, and my teaching has evolved with my life,” she said. “I have gone from intense practices that were more of a flow to slower practices that hold the poses longer.”
Greenberg started teaching prenatal classes after moving to Park City in 2005.
“I took a prenatal class at Park City Yoga when I was pregnant, and when the class ended, the teacher said that was the last class,” she said with a laugh. “The people around me knew I taught and asked if I could start teaching. So, I began teaching at The Shop.”
Greenberg began teaching kids when her daughter, Chloe, was in preschool.
“As she got older, I started teaching at elementary schools and middle schools,” Greenberg said. “Now, I do things at the Senior Center for older adults, so this has all followed the evolution of my life. It keeps me present and keeps me growing with things that are happening in my life and around me.”
Mindfulness Meditation with Randi Jo
- When: 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays
- Where: Room 201 at Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.
- Cost: Free
- Web: parkcity.events.mylibrary.digital
For information about Randi Jo Greenberg and her yoga and mindfulness classes, visit yogawithrandijo.com.
For information about Mindful. Summit County, visit mindfulsummitcounty.org.