Mindfulness for Stress Reduction | MBSR in San Francisco with Augusta Hopkins

Meet Meditation Teacher Augusta Hopkins

With exceptional breadth and depth of experience and a lifelong dedication to mind-body awareness, meditation teacher Augusta Hopkins supports her clients in experiencing the powerful benefits of mindfulness and developing their own daily practice.

She has been leading mindfulness meditation gatherings for over a decade, and since 2011, Augusta has taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses to various organizations and people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Studies show that having a daily mindfulness practice carries concrete, stress-reducing benefits including greater access to calm, enjoyment, and focus.

A special blend of formal and informal mindfulness

Meditation Teacher Augusta Hopkins

Augusta has practiced both formal and informal modes of mindfulness meditation in Asia, Europe and the United States. She was ordained in 2011 by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master whose meditation style emphasizes mindfulness through everyday activities and interaction with the world and its moments of chaos. She also practices Theravada Buddhism and Insight meditation, in which the practitioner accesses presence and awareness through formal practices like seated meditation, walking meditation and silent retreats.

  • Ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Teacher
  • Experienced Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher
  • Studied with Bhante Gunaratana (“Bhante G”)
  • Practiced under Ajahn Passano, Thai Forest Lineage of Ajahn Chah
  • Trained by Gil Fronsal & Andrea Fella to be a Dharma Mentor

Drawing from her deep knowledge of formal meditation and informal mindfulness, Augusta teaches a rich variety of exercises and principles in her training sessions. Students are not restricted to one one particular practice, but are instead encouraged to pursue mindfulness in a way that can be integrated practically and meaningfully into their daily lives.

Acknowledging that every teaching environment is different, Augusta approaches each session by being fully present to her clients and students and listening deeply as they share their physical and emotional concerns. With agility and availability, Augusta presents mindfulness approaches and offers insights that serve the needs expressed (in words and body language) and supports an experience of presence. Practitioners of mindfulness are better able to take in and enjoy the day as it unfolds, rather than finding their thoughts stuck in yesterday or projected out into tomorrow.

Early athletics and the mind-body connection

Meditation Teacher Augusta Hopkins
Augusta’s journey to mindfulness meditation practice and teaching began at an early age with an exploration of lots of mind-body practices. She learned to swim at age 2, establishing an awareness and relationship with her breath. She studied modern dance and the Korean art of Tang Soo Doo, where she was introduced to formal meditation practice to attain mental focus. Practicing the hyungs, the ancient choreography of the art, she developed mindfulness in action by cultivating her mind’s complete presence and engagement in the moves. For 17 years, Augusta excelled in martial arts; she competed on the world stage, became a third degree black belt, and instructed others. She credits these early trainings with providing her foundational awareness of breath, the body and its profound influence on one’s mental state.

MBSR training and mindfulness in the workplace

As an MBSR teacher, Augusta has enjoyed bringing all these elements of her mindfulness practice into lecture halls, offices, conference spaces and private homes. Her work is informed by a B.A. from Haverford College and an M.B.A. in Sustainable Business Management from Presidio Graduate School, which has given her a special knowledge of the challenges and possibilities of the modern workplace and the individuals operating within it.

Augusta teaches the standard 8-week MBSR course as well as modified MBSR courses for shorter time frames. She offers tailored one-on-one mindfulness sessions for individuals, whose unique concerns and needs inform what she offers from her deep experience with mindfulness meditation. Augusta also supports organizations in a variety of training formats, including weekly onsite meditation exercises; conference, retreat and off-site mindfulness sessions; mindful meals, and more.


I learned that everyone benefits when I take time to take care of myself.
-Environmental Engineer, Sara Jacobs, EPA