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Chrissy Watson CMT-P

Meet Chrissy

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Chrissy

My Mission

To inspire and empower conscious living, loving and leadership. 

My vision

Every person living in full enjoyment of their natural ability to be free, equanimous and resilient.

an integrated life

Finding well-being in wholeness

FAQ

My path to teaching mindfulness and becoming a Wellness and Mindful Performance coach is deeply rooted in a lifelong call to integrate my values, ethics, skills, training, interests and heritage into one whole life that harmonizes the seemingly disparate parts of my inner and outer, personal and professional lives.

An integrated life that accepts and includes every aspect of the intellectual, physical, emotional and contemplative parts of a person into a full wholeness of being – even those aspects appearing dark, in conflict, unsavory or unwholesome – is my working definition of living truthfully. 

Being able to live truthfully may seem like a privilege or exclusive to only some, but it is a birthright for all beings and is equally available to all people no matter their circumstance or background.

We are all born with the capacity to connect with the present moment, develop our inborn skill of awareness, access our inner wisdom, and experience the ease and freedom of mindful living. Although we are all unique in our intellectual, physical, emotional and contemplative abilities and experiences, this freedom is universal and universally accessible. 

Partnering with people and organizations to help unlock this often forgotten or buried potential for experiencing a peaceful life of whole health, integrated well-being and mindful performance is a central element of my path towards living truthfully. Thank you for welcoming me on your journey.

With metta,

Chrissy

 

We all are born with the capacity to connect with the present moment and to experience the ease and freedom of mindful living

- Chrissy Watson

My Practice

Growing up, “mindfulness” wasn’t a word necessarily spoken or referenced in our house. We sometimes used language like, sati or panya, but the fact that these Thai and Pali words meant or related to “mindfulness” as we use the term today in the West wasn’t their context. 

Living mindfully was a natural way of life I absorbed from my Thai mother, who similarly did not “learn” to be mindful in an academic sense, but lived it as a cultural norm intrinsic to the spiritual lineage transmitted generation to generation in Thailand for centuries. The way of mindfulness was something we learned through simply being and living. Often the transmission of the Buddhist teaching of living mindfully came through storytelling or parables drawn from the Thai Forest tradition.

FAQ

In my 40s, after becoming a parent myself during the mindfulness “boom” of the late-2000s, I realized that the Buddhist philosophies I culturally inherited, experientially lived and was passing down to my own children was part of a burgeoning cultural phenomenon or movement in the U.S. under the umbrella of so-called modern science meets ancient wisdom tradition practices, known today under the encompassing term, “mindfulness.” 

Before this period in my life, the idea of intentionally bring my inherent and internal practices out into the world through writing or teaching did not seem particularly viable. The communities I lived and worked in were not aligned with or were not aware of the philosophies of my upbringing, and so I kept them to myself. 

As a heritage Buddhist raised in the Thai Forest/Theravada Tradition and raising my own children similarly, seeing the Western world explode with a readiness for mindfulness and meditation, I began to feel the call to share my own experience of mindful living and practicing insight (or vipassana) meditation in order to help others live with greater lightness and freedom, with more resilience and with deeper equanimity.

Today, I teach what I practice (and continue to cultivate every day): awareness, attention, openness, acceptance, curiosity, and lovingkindness applied to daily life in all situations.  

This practice is not perfect or finished. There is no goal of perfection or even progress – it is simply a practice. A continual beginning over and over again, a constant process of remembering … to come back to the practice and come back to the truth of things as they really are.

I teach from my own experience of a life holding the fullness of the entire spectrum of emotional, mental and physical ups and downs and the sinusoidal waves of meeting, acknowledging and letting go of greed, aversion and delusion. 

I also teach from the ancient wisdom transmitted to me through my mother and from monks teaching in the Thai Forest tradition; the research of modern neuroscience and psychology; the informal teachings of the gentle and wise among the community; and the formalized trainings of Western Buddhists, scientists and scholars.

Regardless of my background and with the utmost respect for yours, I am honored to walk alongside you on your path towards insight and freedom.

With warmth and well wishes,

Chrissy

let's partner on your path

M

Mindfulness Teacher

In connection with meditation teaching and wellness and performance coaching, Chrissy teaches applied mindfulness to individuals and organizations. Beginning with the basics of the mindfulness philosophy, Chrissy provides simple tools for bringing mindfulness to every aspect of daily life and work. She believes that everyone is born with the natural ability to live mindfully and the capacity to embody lovingkindness towards themselves and each other, regardless of intellectual, social, economic, spiritual, physical, psychological or any other status. 

M

Meditation Teacher

Chrissy practices mindfulness meditation, which is also known as insight meditation or vipassana. Her practice is rooted in her Thai heritage and the Theravada teachings of the Thai Forest tradition. Chrissy shares her practice in virtual and in-person sitting circles and leads group classes for people of all interest and experience levels. Her teaching style is simple and accessible and focuses on the experiential nature of the practice. She teaches in the role of a supportive guide, rather than an exacting instructor. As the teachings say, the best teacher is not “out there,” but inside. 

W

Wellness Coach

Chrissy is a trained wellness and life coach and offers Mindful Performance and Wellness Coaching to people seeking increased well-being in the context of mental health and physical health, interpersonal relationships, and professional performance. Her motivational interviewing-based approach cultivates a true collaboration with clients so clients can achieve their goals and flourish in a way that is authentically meaningful rather than according to a generalized metric or current trend. She offers personalized 1:1 coaching as well as group workshops and trainings.

A

ATTORNEy

With over 20+ years of litigation and negotiation experience as an attorney in the public and private sectors, Chrissy understands the unique challenges of working in a high performance environment. She brings a balanced perspective to envisioning opportunities for positive change and achieving desired outcomes. She teaches Continuing Legal Education seminars on topics such as Mindful Communication; Mindful Leadership; and Work/Life Balance and coaches legal professionals on how to eliminate unnecessary barriers to success; strengthen confidence and presence; and improve communication and leadership skills. 

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WRITER & Speaker

Chrissy teaches and presents at intimate circles, boutique events, as well as world class conferences and organizations. She also creates independent content for publications and collaborates with companies on digital, social and print content. Chrissy is available as a contributing writer, content producer, speaker, panelist, workshop leader and instructor on subjects including Mindfulness; Parenting; Leadership; Work/Life Balance; Wellness and Well-Being.

P

parent

As a working parent of two pre-teens, Chrissy understands the complexity of maintaining the delicate balance between supporting a child’s independent navigation of adolescence and providing firm yet flexible guardrails to encourage healthy emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual growth. Chrissy offers free resources on Mindful Parenting and is available for group workshops and individual coaching sessions on mindful approaches to parenting and navigating the parenthood identity.

vipassana insight meditation

Free Meditations

Coming Soon

simple + free

Access free guided meditations suitable for use on your own or with a group. Choose what works best for you in any moment at any time.
start here
Building Resilience for Difficult Times

free Video Series

Coming Soon

Watch and Learn

Step-by-step video guides to help you start your meditation practice, improve your performance mindfully and increase your quality of well-being. Progress on your wellness journey on your own schedule.
Learn more

Mindfulness guides

Coming Soon

Learn How To

These simple, easy to understand guides on the topics of mindfulness and well-being can help you on your path towards improved qualities of mind, body, and heart.
Learn more
Explore All Offerings

More about Chrissy

Experience + CREDENTIALS

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFIED
MINDFULNESS TEACHer

Chrissy is a member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association and is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher – Professional Level (IMTA CMT-P).

CERTIFIED
MEDITATION TEACHER

Chrissy obtained her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification from Jack Kornfield, Ph.D. and Tara Brach, Ph.D.,’s certification program through UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center in partnership with the Awareness Training Institute.

A lifelong learner, Chrissy eagerly participated in this course seeking new and better ways of teaching and communicating the practice in a methodical and relatable way that is suitable for helping people in a variety of environments.

heritage buddhist
& mindfulness practitioner

Born and raised in the U.S., Chrissy’s ethnic roots are in Thailand and Sri Lanka, with strong family and cultural roots in Thailand and California.

The daughter of a Thai (Theravada) Buddhist, her mindfulness practices have been lifelong. These intrinsic ways of being and relating to the inner and outer world were inextricably woven into her identity since birth. Today, Buddhist teachings inform her flexible, evolving life philosophy and guide her along the middle path.

additional professional credentials

Chrissy holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from The Johns Hopkins University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Santa Clara University, with a concentration in High Technology Law. She practiced for over 20 years in private, academic and government organizations as an intellectual property and commercial attorney, including experience as a federal criminal prosecutor.

Her work in adversarial and advocacy-centered contexts in addition to her mindfulness practice provides her with an integrative understanding of inner and interpersonal conflicts and a unique approach to solving for best outcomes.

 


 

wellness coach (certification pending)

Chrissy is a Mayo Clinic-trained Wellness Coach. Upon eligibility, she plans to sit for the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching Certification Examination with the goal of becoming a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). 

She also is a Martha Beck-trained Wayfinder Life Coach.

If you are interested in coaching sessions with Chrissy as part of her Mayo Clinic certification process, please fill out the form below. 

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