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We'd love for you to begin your mindfulness journey with us! We've got several "beginner friendly" programs to choose from.
Our Mindfulness 101 Course is a fantastic place to start and will provide you with the knowledge and confidence to incorporate mindfulness practices in your daily life. This 4-week course is offered on a quarterly basis through Zoom (browse our program calendar for current offerings or sign up for our Sunday Morning Memo to be notified when new courses have been added).
In addition to Mindfulness 101, our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course is a great way to begin your mindfulness journey. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8 week course that provides you with tools to help you cultivate greater mindfulness in your day-to-day life. Each session is highly participatory, and the training encompasses a wide array of mindfulness practices, including sitting and walking meditation, mindful eating and mindful communication (browse our program calendar for current offerings or sign up for our Sunday Morning Memo to be notified when new courses have been added).
Lastly, our Free Meditation Groups offer an accessible way to explore mindfulness and meditation in a community setting. Learn more about our Free Meditation Groups here!
If you have any questions about where to begin, please don't hesitate to reach out to us—we are here to help. ❤️
We are not affiliated with any one religion or spiritual tradition. We’re just a bunch of humans from all walks of life who believe in the power of mindfulness. Our programs reflect a diverse blend of spiritual traditions and non-spiritual practices, and we've got a little something for everyone.
That being said, it's important to note that there is Catholic iconography located throughout our campus. As a secular organization dedicated to social justice, this is something we want to point out as a way of acknowledging that harm, as well as good, has come from the Catholic faith. We know this can stir up a lot of different feelings for folks in a way that perhaps only attending our virtual or other campus retreats might help to address. If this is the case for you, please check out our online programming or contact us for support!
Copper Beech is a global community and we are wanderers at heart. Just like the roots of a tree, our mission ripples far and wide and exists well beyond the confines of a physical space. Our first and current home happens to be at Holy Family, a Catholic Retreat Center located in Farmington, CT. Yes, a Passionist retreat center dedicated to contemplation and compassionate action is the hub for our secular office and is where we offer courses, day programs, and overnight retreats!
In addition to offering retreats and programs at Holy Family, we partner with several other retreat centers throughout the state and have been known to pop up in schools, workplaces, cafes, and coffee shops; at local events, fairs, festivals, and more. Explore our program calendar and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find out where Copper Beech is headed next!
You can read more about our location and partnership with Holy Family here.
Yes! We offer both scholarships and fellowships to our programs and retreats through the generosity of our community supported fund and supporting foundations. Funds are limited and not every request can be granted. You can learn more about our scholarship options here.
Information about scholarship types here.
Please submit your scholarship or fellowship application before registering for the program you wish to attend, noting your retreat of interest on the application form. A Copper Beech team member will reach out to you within two weeks of the program start date. Once your scholarship or fellowship is granted, you will receive an email with instructions on registering for your program. You must reply to this email within 10 business days to either accept or deny your scholarship or fellowship. If you do not reply within 10 business days, the scholarship may be given to another applicant.
For more information, refer to the page for the scholarship or fellowship you are interested in.
You’ll find answers to these questions and more on the Planning Your Visit page! 😊
List cancellation policy here.
We're so grateful for your interest in supporting our mission! Our "---- program" offers the opportunity to share your time and talent with the Copper Beech community in exchange for Copper Beech programs. In addition, we welcome support in several other areas such as ---------. Please click here to learn more about how you can uplift our mission and become a -------.
Learn more about our Career and Internship opportunities here!
Learn more about our board here!
We love meeting new facilitators! Please submit a program proposal here and our Director of Programs will be in touch within two weeks from the date of submission.
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303 Tunxis Road
West Hartford, CT
(860) 760-9750
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Since 2012, Copper Beech Institute has offered space for reflection, connection, and transformation through mindfulness practice. In 2022, we deepened our compassionate action, dedicating ourselves more specifically to healing racial injustice and creating a greater sense of belonging for people of color in our programming.
In 2025, we reached a point of completion—the sunset of our organization. While Copper Beech is closing, the work of racial justice and mindfulness continues. This moment brings many emotions, yet it also offers us the opportunity to honor all that has been, and to close this chapter with the same love and intention with which it began while applying our efforts beyond the bounds of the institute.
We invite you to visit our blog to witness the impact of our last two years and beyond, and to explore our website as a reflection of all we offered. Final programming for Copper Beech Institute ceased in June 2025, and the office officially closed as of October 2025.