Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat

Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat Registered Psychologist and Mindfulness Teacher/Trainer providing counselling, retreats & workshops.

Watch Kasim's mindfulness TEDx talk, entitled "How mindfulness meditation redefines pain, happiness & satisfaction" -https://youtu.be/JVwLjC5etEQ

08/13/2026

Have you noticed that the harder you try to sleep, the harder it gets? 🕝 🫩

We have all had those nights! You glance at the clock. You start doing the math. "If I fall asleep now, I'll still get six hours...". The pressure builds, and sleep moves even further away.

In the latest Pause To Elevate Podcast podcast conversation, one of Canada's top leading sleep and insomnia experts, Dr. Colleen Carney, shares some refreshing insights that challenge many of the myths we have been taught about sleep.

Here are just a few of the many takeaways:

- Wakefulness is part of normal sleep.
- Don't let your sleep tracker define your sleep.
- Sleep can't be forced.
- Sleep isn't about perfection.

If you are living with chronic insomnia, please know there are effective, evidence-based treatments, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). You don't have to simply live with it!

Watch the full podcast using the link below. I would love to hear from you: What's one thing you've learned from the episode about sleep that surprised you?

Feeling deeply grateful and full hearted as Bob Stahl and I completed offering another 7-day Insight Inside Us Meditatio...
08/07/2026

Feeling deeply grateful and full hearted as Bob Stahl and I completed offering another 7-day Insight Inside Us Meditation Retreat.

A couple of days into the retreat, the sky in Vancouver became hazy from forest fires, a fitting reminder of how the mind can become clouded! Today, as we closed, the smoke is clearing and the blue sky returning, a timely reflection of the clarity and openness that practice can reveal.

Thank you, Bob, for your friendship, wisdom, and sharing these timeless teachings. A heartfelt gratitude to everyone who said "yes" to a week of silence and mindfulness practice. Thank you for your openness, your vulnerability, and your willingness to gently turn toward whatever arose. Your courage and sincerity created such a beautiful practice community.

We are delighted to have already announced our next two retreats, March 19 to 24, and July 30 to August 6, 2027. We would love to see you there 🙂 Here is the link - https://centreformindfulness.ca/

May your days unfold with ease, clarity, and kindness ❤️

07/29/2026

What if joy isn't something you have to chase? What if joy is closer than you think?

In this clip from the latest Pause to Elevate podcast with Lora Pesant, she reminds us so beautifully how joy can be found in the smallest moments.

🎧 Watch the full conversation below, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it (see link the comment section) 👇🏼

If this conversation inspires you, Lora is also organizing a Laughter Conference in the Lower Mainland, BC for this September!

What challenge are you saying "yes" to that asks a little more of you than you thought you could do?This was fun with ju...
07/23/2026

What challenge are you saying "yes" to that asks a little more of you than you thought you could do?

This was fun with just a little bit of added suffering 😅

I completed my first Olympic-distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) at the Penticton Peach Classic.

By the time I started the run, the temperature was around 30°C, which slowed me down. It was a reminder that racing is not just about the finish time, it is about staying present with your body, adjusting your pace, keeping on top of your nutrition and hydration, and responding to what each moment asks of you. One step at a time!

While the finishing time was never the main goal, I had set a personal target of finishing in under 4 hours, and I did!

Having a meaningful goal gave my mind and heart something to focus on during training, and helped me work through the inevitable bumps and doubts that showed up along the way... just like in life.

This race was double the distance of my first triathlon just last month, and reminded me that growth rarely happens all at once. It happens one challenge, one step, and one finish line at a time.

07/22/2026

Have you ever felt guilty for laughing during a difficult time or season of life? 🤔

In my latest Pause to Elevate podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Lora Pesant, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer and founder of Adventures in Wellness in Calgary.

We explored how laughter isn't about ignoring pain or pretending life is perfect. Instead, it can become a powerful way to regulate our nervous system, build resilience, and reconnect with hope, even during anxiety, grief, or overwhelming times.

One line from Lora really stayed with me:

"It's easy to forget about joy sometimes."

Perhaps joy isn't something we wait for. Maybe it's something we can intentionally make space for!

🎧 Watch the full conversation below, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it (see link the comment section) 👇🏼

If this conversation inspires you, Lora is also organizing a Laughter Conference in the Lower Mainland. You will find all the details in the show notes.

07/16/2026

Ever notice how one thought can completely take over your day? 🤔

In this short clip, Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the world-renowned Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, shares one of the simplest and most powerful ways to relate differently to your thoughts.

Using the image of a soap bubble, he offers a practical way to cultivate greater awareness, clarity, and freedom.

You can also watch the full conversation on YouTube, see the link in the comment below. 👇🏼

07/13/2026

How do you find calm when life feels overwhelming?

With so much uncertainty, constant news, and the pressures of everyday life, many of us are searching for a little more peace.

In this heartfelt conversation, I share a conversation with Florence Meleo-Meyer, one of the pioneering teachers and trainers of the world-renowned Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) prgoram, and someone who has profoundly influenced my own life and teaching.

We explore how mindfulness is not about escaping stress or pretending everything is okay. Instead, it is about learning to pause, meet our experience with awareness and compassion, and discover that even in the midst of chaos, we have more resilience, wisdom, and choice than we often realize.

A few takeaways from our conversation:

• Pause before reacting—awareness creates choice.
• We cannot always change what is happening, but we can change our relationship to it.
• Small, consistent moments of mindfulness build resilience for life's biggest challenges.

If you have been feeling overwhelmed lately, I hope this conversation offers you the same sense of perspective, calm, and hope that it continues to offer me.

🎥 Watch the full episode using the link in the comments below 👇🏼

I would love to hear from you: What helps you find calm when life feels overwhelming?

07/10/2026

How can we develop awareness in the present moment?

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the world renowned Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, explains how mindfulness meditation helps us cultivate deeper presence, stronger relationships, emotional intelligence, and genuine human connection ❤️

🎥 Watch the full conversation with Jon Kabat-Zinn on YouTube, see link below 👇🏼

💬 After you have watch, I would love to hear what resonated with you most.

07/01/2026

"You are so much more beautiful than any story of you." — Jon Kabat-Zinn

It was a profound honour to welcome Jon Kabat-Zinn, to Pause to Elevate Podcast. His work has inspired me to dedicate my life to helping others discover the transformative power of mindfulness, and having this conversation with someone whose work has shaped so much of my own journey was deeply meaningful.

In this special episode, Jon explores how mindfulness helps us see beyond the stories we tell ourselves—stories shaped by self-doubt, fear, success, failure, and the opinions of others—and reconnect with the awareness, compassion, and wisdom that have been within us all along.

Whether you are new to mindfulness or have been practicing for years, I hope this conversation reminds you to pause, take a breath, and not miss the extraordinary life that is already here!

🎥 Watch the full conversation using the link in the comments below. I hope it offers you the same sense of perspective, hope, and possibility that it has offered me. 👇🏼

💬 After you have watched, I would love to hear what resonated with you most.

🇨🇦 And to my Canadian friends, wishing us all an easeful and meaningful Canada Day.

06/27/2026

What if rest isn't weakness and it's part of becoming stronger? 💪🏽

Discover why listening to your body's wisdom improves recovery, performance, endurance, stress management, nervous system health, and sustainable fitness.

This was a great reminder during my Pause to Elevate Podcast Jen Newman.

▶️ Watch the full episode below and discover why healing begins when we stop living in survival mode 👇🏼

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North Vancouver, BC
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