the short version
rio breakell is the founder and head coach here at triomind meditation. he holds a degree in philosophy from the University of British Columbia with focus placed on the philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and phenomenology. he is certified to teach meditation by Itai Ivtzan, PhD, and has further studied in the field of trauma aware mindfulness
meet coach rio
the whole story
i’ve been on my meditation journey for the better part of a decade, and feel that i have a lot to offer the world in terms of clarity and presence. i began meditating in an effort to find a non-chemical means of managing chronic pain, a result of breaking my back in my teens. as my practice deepened i did find relief, but i also discovered that i had been struggling with, and successfully ignoring, generalized anxiety disorder for several years. meditation not only helped me address and begin to manage these maladies, but it has brought me more peace, joy, and love than i ever expected to find. and now i want to share it with you
continues below
my path started in the university of british columbia’s zen society during the course of my undergraduate degree, where i practiced under chaplain Gareth Sirotnik and was quickly elected vice president of the society - until i had to step down from my responsibilities due to my increasing struggles with clinical anxiety. i then launched into a years-long deep personal exploration of a wide array of meditative and philosophical practices, with heavy focus placed on Buddhist and Taoist schools of thought. when i heard the call to teach in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global mental health catastrophe, i was drawn to Dr. Itai Ivtzan on account of his ties to the school of positive psychology which spoke deeply to me, as I had found in my practice not only an alleviation of negative affect but a profound flourishing of positivity and this angle was something i felt, too, was missing from current introductory meditation training
i’ve since completed my degree in philosophy from the university of british columbia having focused my studies equally on philosophy of mind under Evan Thompson, philosophy of cognitive science, and cross-cultural phenomenology. i am also currently undergoing personal study on the intersection of meditation and trauma, following the research of David Treleaven. i plan to continue studying meditation and philosophy for the rest of my life, for my own practice and to deepen and widen my offerings to my clients. meditation coaching has proven to be the most profound, meaningful, and joyful work i’ve ever done, and i’d be honored to share my discoveries with you.