KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Local mindfulness teacher, author and life coach, JoAnn Saccato, M.A. is the guest speaker for the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County on Sunday, March 6.

The service begins at 11 a.m. at the church, located at 3810 Main Street in Kelseyville. Guests are welcome.

Saccato will speak on using compassion-based mindfulness as one of many tools for recovery from stressful situations, including disasters such as the 2015 Valley fire.

“Is there anyone you know in our community that wasn't affected by the Valley fire in the fall of 2015?” she asked. “While we all were impacted in varying degrees, everyone has had a physical, emotional, spiritual and cognitive response.”

Saccato will share some common patterns of reaction and helpful coping skills that can benefit both the individual and the community at large.

Mindfulness is a body-based practice that invites one to purposefully pay kind, non-judgmental attention to our experience, moment-by-moment.

Studies indicate that mindfulness can help reduce stress and stress-related illnesses; increase focus and attention; decrease incidences of, and relapses with, depression; reduce anxiety; aid with addictive and compulsive disorders; aid the immune system; and aid in sleep and digestive disorders.

Saccato noted, “My own experience and response to the fire has created the perfect opportunity for me to see that compassion-based mindfulness is a valuable and practical tool for anyone's recovery.”

Saccato, a native of Lake County, lives in the fire-affected area and is the author of “Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice” and a forthcoming book, “Compassion-based Mindfulness for Peace, Clarity and Freedom.”

For more information on Saccato visit www.Compassion-basedMindfulness.com or call 707-350-1719.

Contact the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County at http://www.uuclc.org/ or call 707-587-4243.