Mindfulness

Mindfulness can be said to be based upon, and derived from, a particular style of meditation practice known as Insight meditation. Mindfulness reflects the core components of a ‘formal’ meditation practice (such as a sitting meditation) but is more reflective of an ‘informal’ practice.  Meditation is not about removing yourself from the world - the practice of meditation had a ‘formal’ practice element (e.g. sitting in meditation for say 20 minutes) and an ‘informal’ practice element, where a meditative mind (or mindfulness) comes with you, out into the world and into daily life, on a moment by moment basis.

This meditative and ‘mindful’ mind is about paying attention, in the present moment (moment by moment) in a completely non-judgemental way and with intention. Mindfulness has been described by Jon Kabat-Zinn (an author of many excellent books on mindfulness and the creator of the renowned Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme) as “…paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally”.

As with insight meditation, the non-judgemental element allows (with practice), emotions, sensations and thoughts to be observed, moment by moment, without engagement and impassively. Again, with practice, this allows you to observe and become more aware of thoughts and emotions (and your own, often automatic, reactions) from a distance. This then helps you to become more aware of your own processes and also your interaction with situations and other people.

The basics of insight meditation and mindfulness are covered in our Learn to Meditate course and we also offer dedicated Mindfulness Courses, including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) courses

The MBSR course uses mindfulness/insight meditation practices to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression and pain.

The standard MBSR courses normally run over 8 weeks (two hours per session), with a single half or full day session as part of the programme. There are CDs and course books that accompany the courses. They can also include some yoga components, dependent on course and teacher.

MBCT has been recommended as a treatment for depression in the NICE guidelines (UK Institute of Clinical Excellence).  As is reported by the Mental Health Foundation, it is a powerful way of decreasing the high risk of relapse, which has been observed with depression. New published research now also demonstrates that MBCT is effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. MBCT teaches people how to recognise the warning signs of depression, anxiety, stress or any negative brain patterns before it occurs in order to stop it at the root. There are dedicated MBCT courses and some which combine MBSR and MBCT.

We are working towards establishing a UK wide coverage of courses and teachers and invite you to look further at the course information below and then at our Diary of Courses. If you are unable to find a course near you, please do contact us as we may be able to organise a private course, a small group course or even a ‘phone based course.

We are aware that many people might prefer to come to just one session first of all, to see what it is all about and also to get to know the teacher. We think this is a sensible approach. We are also aware that some of you might find it hard to commit to a course over 6-8 weeks. We therefore offer the following few options:

Introduction to Meditation for Health & Wellbeing course
This is a short (three and half-hours) course that provides a basic theoretical and practical introduction to both meditation and mindfulness and is generally offered for between £35-50 a person, depending upon venue. Private and small group classes are also possible follow this link