Centre for Mindfulness Studies Toronto: What It Was, and Where to Find Programs Now

If you’re searching for the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, the answer in 2026 isn’t what it was two years ago.

Founded in 2011, it became Canada’s leading source of mindfulness training, reaching over 20,000 people, training 500+ facilitators, and co‑developing the Mindful Campus Initiative with OCAD University.

In June 2025, the Centre transferred its Canadian programs, staff, and faculty to Reconnect Health Services. The original charity still exists, but the programs now run as the Reconnect Centre for Mindfulness. This page explains what changed, and where to find mindfulness programs in Toronto today.

What the Centre for Mindfulness Studies Was

The Centre for Mindfulness Studies was a Toronto-based mental health charity with a specific founding mission: bring mindfulness-based training to people who might otherwise not access it, including those facing financial or other barriers. Over 13 years it became what it described as Canada’s leading professional development and service delivery organization for mindfulness-based programs for depression, anxiety, and stress.

That claim was backed by scale: 20,000 clients reached, 500+ facilitators trained, programs running in healthcare settings, universities, and community organizations across Toronto and beyond. The Centre specialized in two evidence-based clinical programs:

• MBCT – Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, which combines mindfulness practice with principles of cognitive-behavioural therapy, originally developed to prevent depressive relapse. The Centre’s MBCT Facilitation Certificate Program was developed by Patricia Rockman, associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.
• MBSR – Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the 8-week program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at UMass Medical School. The Centre delivered MBSR to community members and trained facilitators to deliver it in clinical, educational, and workplace settings.

Faculty included Dr. Zindel Segal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough, senior scientist at CAMH, and one of the three co-developers of MBCT alongside Mark Williams and John Teasdale. MBCT is now recommended in clinical guidelines in Canada, the UK, and internationally. Its development is directly tied to the Toronto research environment.

The Transfer to Reconnect: What Changed in June 2025

In a public notice on its website, the Centre for Mindfulness Studies announced that as of June 1, 2025, it had reached an agreement with Reconnect Health Services to transfer its Canadian-based mindfulness programs, staff, and faculty.

Reconnect Health Services is a non-profit community mental health organization that had previously worked with the Centre, with several of its clinicians trained in mindfulness-based approaches. Under the agreement, Reconnect absorbed the Centre’s program infrastructure and relaunched it as the Reconnect Centre for Mindfulness at reconnectmindfulness.ca.

The Centre for Mindfulness Studies itself continues as a charitable non-profit, remaining involved in research and advisory work in Canada and internationally. Its Thursday drop-in meditation session – free, 30 minutes, online, no registration required – was still listed on its website after the transition.

The Reconnect Centre for Mindfulness now delivers:

• Individual programs: MBSR, MBCT, Mindful Self-Compassion, and related programs for people managing anxiety, depression, stress, or chronic health conditions.
• Professional development: Training and certification for clinicians, educators, and facilitators. Includes MBCT and MBSR Facilitation Certificate programs, with MBCT sessions running into early 2026.
• Organizational programs: Structured mindfulness training for workplaces focused on staff wellbeing and resilience.

For current course schedules, fees, and registration, visit reconnectmindfulness.ca directly. Program availability changes; this page is not updated in real time.

The Mindful Campus Connection

The Centre for Mindfulness Studies was the curriculum developer behind the Mindful Campus Initiative, a federally funded student wellness program that ran from 2023 to 2024 at five Canadian art and design post-secondary institutions: OCAD University, Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, NSCAD University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design.

The initiative received nearly $4 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada. OCAD University was the lead organization. The Centre developed the core curriculum, the Mindfulness for Resilience Program, adapting its existing clinical programs for a student audience in creative disciplines. At its conclusion, the initiative had trained 82 staff members and 26 student peer facilitators, and supported hundreds of students across the partner institutions.

The domain mindfulcampus.ca, which hosted the initiative’s resources, has since been independently acquired. The institutions involved maintain their own wellness services at their official websites.

Best Mindfulness Programs in Toronto in 2026

For those looking for mindfulness programs in Toronto today, whether for personal practice, professional training, or student wellness, here is a current overview. All organizations listed are independently operated and not affiliated with this website.

Information current as of early 2026. Verify schedules, costs, and availability directly with each organization before registering.

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