Upcoming Courses
Ended
185 British pounds
Mindfulness Based Living Course
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a life skill which can deepen our sense of well-being and fulfilment. It involves paying attention to what is occurring in our present moment experience, with an attitude of openness and non-judgmental acceptance.
Scientific research over the last few decades has shown numerous benefits of mindfulness including:
-
Reduction in stress, anxiety & depression
-
Greater sense of well-being
-
Increased ability to relax
-
Increased self-awareness and confidence
-
Increase ability to cope with difficult situations
-
More resilient to life’s challenges
-
Enhanced communication skills
-
Improved concentration & sleep
-
Chronic pain management
-
Improved immunity, blood pressure & heart rate
What is the Mindfulness Based Living Course (MBLC)?
The MBLC is an eight-week course aimed at helping you to develop an in-depth personal experience of mindfulness and to build the foundations of a sustained personal practice, with a view to applying this in everyday life. The course was developed by the Mindfulness Association in conjunction with the University of Aberdeen and is affiliated to the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches BAMBA. The teaching in this course adheres to the Mindfulness UK Good Practice Guidelines. The course starts with an introductory session, followed by 8 weekly 2hr sessions and an optional retreat day and includes explanation, guided practice, group reflection and inquiry. The sessions are interactive with a strong emphasis on experiential learning.
What is covered in the course?
Introductory session - What is Mindfulness & Why Practice It?
Week 1 – Start Where We Are
Week 2 – The Body as a Place to Stay Present
Week 3 – Introducing Mindfulness Support
Week 4 – Working with Distraction
Week 5 – Exploring the Undercurrent
Week 6 – Attitude of the Observer
Week 7 – Self-acceptance
Week 8 – A Mindfulness Based Life
There will also be an optional retreat day between weeks 6 & 7
Is this course for me?
The course is ideal for beginners as well as for those who have previous experience of mindfulness and who want to develop their practice. The course is experiential, not therapeutic, as such we advise that if you are undergoing treatment for an ongoing mental health problem, you obtain advice from your mental health professional before proceeding with mindfulness training. Also, if you have recently or are currently going through a traumatic life event and want to discuss whether now is the right time to start a mindfulness course, please contact us for an informal chat before booking.
What’s included?
-
Introductory session
-
8 x 2hr Mindfulness sessions
-
Optional retreat day
-
A comprehensive course manual delivered electronically
-
A series of downloadable guided meditations for home practice
-
Certificate of completion
-
Support from a qualified mindfulness teacher throughout the course
Cost & Booking
The full cost of the course is £175* and can be booked directly through our website. Early booking is recommended as each course has a maximum of 10 places.
* Special Early Bird Rate of £125 if booked directly with us and at least 2 weeks before the start of the course.
As always, if you would like to attend, but feel you are unable to afford the fee, please contact us for concessions as we do not wish to exclude anyone based on cost.
Compassion Based Living Course
What is compassion?
Compassion can be defined as “being sensitive to the suffering of self and others with a deep commitment to try to prevent and relieve it”. According to the Evolutionary Model of Paul Gilbert and the neuroscience research he draws on, the potential for compassion is part of our mammalian heritage and is wired into our brains through the soothing/affiliation system. However, our compassion can become blocked, so in order for it to be an ongoing part of our lives we need to actively train it.
Scientific research has shown that compassion practice can:
-
Reduce in stress, anxiety & depression
-
Boost our sense of well-being
-
Help us feel more connected
-
Improve our self-esteem
-
Reduce burn-out
What is the Compassion Based Living Course (CBLC)?
The CBLC is an eight-week course aimed at helping you to develop an in-depth personal experience of Compassion and to build the foundations of a sustained personal practice, with a view to applying this in your life and perhaps also in your professional work. The course was developed by the Mindfulness Association as a follow on from the Mindfulness Based Living course and draws on insights and practices from neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and Mahayana Buddhism. It was inspired by the work of Paul Gilbert, Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff. This experiential course starts with building self-compassion into basic mindfulness practice, cultivating positive emotions as a way of building up an inner resource, from which we can approach the difficulties of being alive. Exploring practices which generate love and friendliness, we move from self-compassion towards compassion for others, learning how to respond appropriately to suffering while also appreciating the good things in our lives. The course includes 8 weekly 2hr sessions and an optional retreat day and includes explanation, guided practice, group reflection and inquiry. The sessions are interactive with a strong emphasis on experiential learning.
What is covered in the course?
Week 1 – Why practice Compassion?
Week 2 – The Compassionate Mess
Week 3 – It is not our fault: An evolutionary perspective
Week 4 – Creating Conditions of Safeness
Week 5 – Befriending the Self-Critic
Week 6 – Finding the Compassionate Friend Within
Week 7 – The Four Immeasurable Qualities
Week 8 – Compassion for others - Tonglen
There will also be a FREE optional retreat day between weeks 6 & 7
Is this course for me?
The course is ideal for those who have already completed the Mindfulness Based Living Course or other 8-week mindfulness courses. If you haven’t completed an 8-week mindfulness course, but have a regular practice of mindfulness, please get in contact to see if this course is right for you. The course is experiential, not therapeutic, as such we advise that if you are undergoing treatment for an ongoing mental health problem, you obtain advice from your mental health professional before proceeding with compassion training. Also, if you have recently or are currently going through a traumatic life event and want to discuss whether now is the right time to start a mindfulness course, please contact us for an informal chat before booking.
What’s included?
-
8 x 2hr compassion sessions
-
Optional retreat day
-
A comprehensive course manual delivered electronically
-
A series of downloadable guided meditations for home practice
-
Certificate of completion
-
Support from a qualified mindfulness teacher throughout the course
Cost & Booking
The full cost of the course is £175* and can be booked directly through our website. Early booking is recommended as each course has a maximum of 10 places.
* Special Early Bird Rate of £125 if booked directly with us and at least 2 weeks before the start of the course.
As always, if you would like to attend, but feel you are unable to afford the fee, please contact us for concessions as we do not wish to exclude anyone based on cost.
About the teacher
Rachael is a British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) registered teacher, qualified to teach the Mindfulness Association's 8 week Mindfulness Based Living Course and Compassion Based Living Course. She also teaches within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has over 10 years experience of teaching mindfulness and compassion in both a Buddhist and a Western secular context. In 2018, she obtained a Master’s degree in Mindfulness & Compassion from Coventry University and is currently doing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at Brunel University, researching the effects of mindfulness and compassion for Autistic people. In 2019, she published a paper titled “Do Mindfulness-Based Interventions increase Empathy and Compassion in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review”. She has been practicing meditation for over 25 years and continues to practice within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
