"In December of 1995, while playing for the Chicago Bulls, I injured my back. The pain radiated into my leg. Dr. Pirtle was able to provide me with a clear and accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Soon after I saw him I was playing again. Later that year, with time running out, I took a pass from Michael Jordon and hit the shot that won the 1996 NBA Championship."
Steve Kerr
Five-time NBA World Champion and Phoenix Suns General Manager
"People suffering from chronic stress-related problems now have a place to turn. Dr. Pirtle helps those he works with untie the hairball of these complex conditions with a truly mind-body approach. There’s no one else like him. He changes people’s lives with his knowledge, compassion, experience and gentle spirit."
Keith Arnold
Executive Vice President of Operations, Elements Behavioral Health
"Many of my students use their practice to enrich their professional lives. This can certainly be said of Mark. He has combined his knowledge of the health sciences with insight meditation to create an innovative program for people suffering from all manner of stress-related problems he calls Skillfully Aware™. His understanding of mindfulness is both deep and subtle. His practice is the central focus of his life and he is devoted to helping others find their own way to health, clarity and peace."
Shinzen Young
Founder of Vipassana Support International
"I just completed Dr. Mark Pirtle’s Skillfully Aware™ 6-week, 12-module course offered at his peaceful and intimate Zendo Oasis in the heart of Tucson. Combining living systems theory, biology, psychology, physics and mindfulness practices, he clearly and simply outlines the workings of the brain/mind and how we get stuck in habitual mental and physical patterns. He then offered practical techniques that opened the way for me to change.
We covered a lot of territory in a short period of time, and I am pleased to have gained valuable tools to assist me on my spiritual path. Mark is a superb teacher, compassionate, lively, humorous and candid in sharing his personal experiences on his own journey towards healing. I am grateful for what I have learned, what I can share with others, and how I can enhance my personal evolution. I highly recommend this workshop to friends and patients."
Linda Joy Stone, OMD, L.Ac
"Mark, I was so moved by the last class that I was just almost speechless. The way you brought it all together at the end was exquisite. I have a whole new sense of the world and my place in it. When I came to you it was because I heard "the call" in the form of your flier (through the global chant yahoo group.) My purpose was to get help with what I realized had become a sad and negative attitude about my physical condition. I was determined to do what was needed to help myself out of the hole I had dug for myself, but I also sensed that this was the beginning of a new phase in my life and had some excitement about that. I had no idea what a beautiful experience it would be. By the time the class was over, my attitude was adjusted and my new purpose was to practice just for the love of the experience. I can't say that my practice is tidy and completely smooth, but there's no sense of urgency about it now. In a sense it feels like part of me is already "there" and the rest of me just needs to get in line with it, which may take some time...............but like you said, what else do I need to do with my time?"
Gayle Meadows
"Herniated disks in my spine have given me serious pain in my back and left leg, and at times impaired my ability to walk. My primary care doctor, orthopedist, neurologist, physical therapists, and massage therapist have all been helpful. So far, we have avoided surgery. I had seen my MRI pictures and talked at length with my doctors. However, it was not until I consulted with Dr. Mark Pirtle that I was able to really understand the nature of my injury and manage my own recovery with confidence. Mark took the time to carefully and fully diagnose how my pain was occurring, fully explained to how I can act to control it, and guided me on a path toward actually healing those bulging disks."
Michael Dues, Ph.D.
" It's been 3 years since we met each other! Can you believe it?? Still doing well, it's been a year of progress for me. I'm moving just about everyday...I weighed 187 when we first met, I now weigh 125! I have no major complaints...Yes, I cope with the "fibro noise" on a daily basis, but I've gotten so much better at focusing on "other" things and pushing that fibro noise into the background. There are some days when it gets the better of me, but not often. I'm taking Savella...That's it. Still no pain meds or benzos of any kind."
JJ
"Mark's Skillfully Aware program was a great program that truly did wonders for me! I was dealing with an addiction, chronic pain, and also a back injury, which according to my doctor, needed surgery. I had major anger issues, ADD, insomnia, anxiety, and depression before I met Mark. I put all of my effort and faith into following the Skillfully Aware program, and it really worked! Mark believed in me. He told me that I could heal without surgery and he was right! With the skills I learned from Mark's program, I have been able to get off, and stay off, all of the pain pills, which I had been on for years. My entire life and my outlook on it has changed in many ways, and all of them positive. The decision to take Mark's Skillfully Aware program was the best decision I've made in my entire life!"
SH
Steve Kerr
Five-time NBA World Champion and Phoenix Suns General Manager
"People suffering from chronic stress-related problems now have a place to turn. Dr. Pirtle helps those he works with untie the hairball of these complex conditions with a truly mind-body approach. There’s no one else like him. He changes people’s lives with his knowledge, compassion, experience and gentle spirit."
Keith Arnold
Executive Vice President of Operations, Elements Behavioral Health
"Many of my students use their practice to enrich their professional lives. This can certainly be said of Mark. He has combined his knowledge of the health sciences with insight meditation to create an innovative program for people suffering from all manner of stress-related problems he calls Skillfully Aware™. His understanding of mindfulness is both deep and subtle. His practice is the central focus of his life and he is devoted to helping others find their own way to health, clarity and peace."
Shinzen Young
Founder of Vipassana Support International
"I just completed Dr. Mark Pirtle’s Skillfully Aware™ 6-week, 12-module course offered at his peaceful and intimate Zendo Oasis in the heart of Tucson. Combining living systems theory, biology, psychology, physics and mindfulness practices, he clearly and simply outlines the workings of the brain/mind and how we get stuck in habitual mental and physical patterns. He then offered practical techniques that opened the way for me to change.
We covered a lot of territory in a short period of time, and I am pleased to have gained valuable tools to assist me on my spiritual path. Mark is a superb teacher, compassionate, lively, humorous and candid in sharing his personal experiences on his own journey towards healing. I am grateful for what I have learned, what I can share with others, and how I can enhance my personal evolution. I highly recommend this workshop to friends and patients."
Linda Joy Stone, OMD, L.Ac
"Mark, I was so moved by the last class that I was just almost speechless. The way you brought it all together at the end was exquisite. I have a whole new sense of the world and my place in it. When I came to you it was because I heard "the call" in the form of your flier (through the global chant yahoo group.) My purpose was to get help with what I realized had become a sad and negative attitude about my physical condition. I was determined to do what was needed to help myself out of the hole I had dug for myself, but I also sensed that this was the beginning of a new phase in my life and had some excitement about that. I had no idea what a beautiful experience it would be. By the time the class was over, my attitude was adjusted and my new purpose was to practice just for the love of the experience. I can't say that my practice is tidy and completely smooth, but there's no sense of urgency about it now. In a sense it feels like part of me is already "there" and the rest of me just needs to get in line with it, which may take some time...............but like you said, what else do I need to do with my time?"
Gayle Meadows
"Herniated disks in my spine have given me serious pain in my back and left leg, and at times impaired my ability to walk. My primary care doctor, orthopedist, neurologist, physical therapists, and massage therapist have all been helpful. So far, we have avoided surgery. I had seen my MRI pictures and talked at length with my doctors. However, it was not until I consulted with Dr. Mark Pirtle that I was able to really understand the nature of my injury and manage my own recovery with confidence. Mark took the time to carefully and fully diagnose how my pain was occurring, fully explained to how I can act to control it, and guided me on a path toward actually healing those bulging disks."
Michael Dues, Ph.D.
" It's been 3 years since we met each other! Can you believe it?? Still doing well, it's been a year of progress for me. I'm moving just about everyday...I weighed 187 when we first met, I now weigh 125! I have no major complaints...Yes, I cope with the "fibro noise" on a daily basis, but I've gotten so much better at focusing on "other" things and pushing that fibro noise into the background. There are some days when it gets the better of me, but not often. I'm taking Savella...That's it. Still no pain meds or benzos of any kind."
JJ
"Mark's Skillfully Aware program was a great program that truly did wonders for me! I was dealing with an addiction, chronic pain, and also a back injury, which according to my doctor, needed surgery. I had major anger issues, ADD, insomnia, anxiety, and depression before I met Mark. I put all of my effort and faith into following the Skillfully Aware program, and it really worked! Mark believed in me. He told me that I could heal without surgery and he was right! With the skills I learned from Mark's program, I have been able to get off, and stay off, all of the pain pills, which I had been on for years. My entire life and my outlook on it has changed in many ways, and all of them positive. The decision to take Mark's Skillfully Aware program was the best decision I've made in my entire life!"
SH
