ENGAGED
MINDFULNESS INSTITUTE
ABOUT EMI
Our Story
The Engaged Mindfulness Institute (EMI), formerly Peacemaker Institute, was founded in 2001 by Fleet Maull, Ph.D., and Vita Pires, Ph.D. The Institute delivers training developed from a rich tradition of spiritually grounded, contemplative, and mindfulness-based peace and social change work and the latest developments in neuroscience-based leadership training.
The Institute specializes in training those who support individuals in underserved communities. Mindfulness is foundational to all of our training. EMI developed and offers several mindfulness-based intervention models: Mindfulness-Based Emotional Intelligence (MBEI)™ training, Mindfulness-Based Wellness and Resilience (MBWR)® training, and our current focus, Mindfulness Teacher Training.
Bearing Witness & Street Retreats
EMI Hosted:
Auschwitz-Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreats (2009, 2010)
Rwanda Bearing Witness Retreat & Peace Initiative (2010, 2011)
Denver, CO (2000–2009)
Street Retreat, Austin, TX (2008)
Additional Trainings
In addition to Integral Peacemaker Training, EMI has offered trainings since 2001 in:
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Conflict Resolution
Diversity Training
The Way of Council
Fundraising From the Heart
Community Organizing
Nonviolent Direct Action
Group Facilitation
Community Building
And we hosted the renowned Event Training (2001–2012)
The EMI Team
Vita Pires, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Co-Founder, Faculty
Vita Pires, Ph.D., CMT-P has been the Executive Director of the Prison Mindfulness & Engaged Mindfulness Institutes since 1999. She is a certified mindfulness teacher MTT500 and yoga teacher and has been practicing and studying mindfulness meditation for 30+ years.
John MacAdams
Faculty
John is an IMTA certified professional mindfulness teacher and graduate of our MTT500, as well as a 35+ year mindfulness practitioner and teacher for over 20 years.
Julie Paquette
Program Coordinator, Faculty
Julie is a graduate of our MTT500 training. As a social entrepreneur with diverse professional experience in wellness and business, her natural desire to lead, inspire, and serve communities led her to a passion for creating wellness programs, specifically mindfulness training for organizations and individuals.
Fleet Maull, Ph.D.
Lead Trainer, Co-Founder
Fleet Maull, PhD, CMT-P is an author, meditation teacher, management consultant, executive coach, leadership trainer, seminar leader, motivational speaker, social entrepreneur and peacemaker. He is the founder of Prison Mindfulness Institute, National Prison Hospice Association, and co-founder of the Engaged Mindfulness Institute, Center for Mindfulness in Public Safety. Dr. Maull is a senior Dharma teacher in two Buddhist traditions the Tibetan Buddhist lineage and a Roshi (Zen master and lineage holder) in the Zen Peacemaker Order and Soto Zen lineage. Dr. Maull has been teaching mindfulness meditation for more than 35 years and practicing for more than 45 years.
OUR GRADUATES
Engaged Mindfulness Institute (EMI) has trained thousands of nonprofit and business leaders, community activists, peaceworkers and social justice advocates from around the world. Our graduates are engaged in a wide array of community development, social change, and peacemaking activities, including:
Conflict resolution
Homeless advocacy
Restorative justice
Prison ministry
Juvenile justice and at-risk youth programs
AIDS relief
Hospice and palliative care
Human rights and peace work all around the world.
Social entrepreneurship, and
US: Northeast
US: Mid-Atlantic
US: Western States
US: Southern States
US: Midwest
International
Our Certfied CMT-P Teachers
Disclaimer
EMI does not conduct background checks on our certified Teachers. This is the responsibility of the agencies, individuals, and/or programs hiring them for services. Engaged Mindfulness Institute (a division of Prison Dharma Network, Inc.) is not liable or responsible for any actions of the Certified Teachers listed here. Choosing to hire someone found on this page is done at your own risk/responsibility.
The Engaged Mindfulness Institute certifies mindfulness teachers at two levels. An EMI 300-hr Certified Mindfulness Teacher has undergone at least 250 hours of training, including 35 hours of supervised practice teaching, in our Mindfulness Teacher Certification and evaluated their teaching by the Engaged Mindfulness Institute. An EMI 500-hr Certified Mindfulness Teacher has completed our 250-hr and 500-hr Mindfulness Teacher Certifications, including extensive one-on-one mentorship and 100 hours of supervised practice teaching.
All of our EMI Certified Teachers have made a solid commitment to the theory and practice of mindfulness in various social service agencies, institutions, and communities and have agreed to abide by the EMI Ethical Standards and Code of Conduct.
EMI does not currently certify teachers to lead multi-day meditation retreats; however, some of our teachers may have received additional training or certification from other institutions that qualify them to do so.