Join our Mindfulness Course
This 8 week course is suitable for people new to Mindfulness as well as those who would like to deepen their meditation or mindfulness practice. It is accredited by the Mindfulness Association and recognised in the UK Good Practice Guidelines.
The course includes 18 hours of face to face teaching time, with a two hour class once a week for 8 weeks ( with coffee/tea breaks!) Audio recordings of all the main mindfulness practices, a course manual and a certificate of completion are also included.
There is a follow up class approx 4 weeks after the course ends.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a way of living in the moment and of being aware of everything that makes up this experience. Mindfulness is waking up to make the best of our lives.
Learning these techniques can bring about long-term changes in mood and levels of happiness, as well as positively affect the brain's patterns which underlie day-to-day anxiety, stress, depression and irritability so that when they arise, they reduce more easily.
Mindfulness can be of huge benefit to everyone. It is not a religion and is taught in a secular (non-religious) way, so it is suitable for people of any faith or no faith. It is not the same as counselling or therapy, and you will not be asked to share any information about your day-to-day life or situation.
When we practice mindfulness we observe our thoughts and feelings from a distance without engaging with them or judging them. We tune in to what we are sensing both in ourselves and in our surroundings. We are more aware of sights, smells, sounds, tastes and bodily sensations, many of which we are often too busy to notice. Through maintaining an open and active attention to the present moment our focus is directed away from unhelpful thoughts and responses to things that have happened in the past and it prevents us from becoming caught up in our worries about the future.
An important part of this course is practising kindness- kindness both to yourself and to others. This is developed throughout with a series of led meditations.
Mental wellbeing, just like physical wellbeing, is something that we can all work to improve no matter what state our current wellbeing is in. We should tend to our mental wellbeing in the same way that we would tend to our physical wellbeing: regularly, with the best intentions, and in a way that suits us that we can enjoy.
Course Curriculum
Week 1 – Start where we are.
- Intention and motivation.
- A guided reflection. Recognising the unsettled mind exercise.
- Posture for practising meditation.
- Settling the mind practice.
Week 2 – The Body as a place to stay present
- Bodyscan.
- Mindfulness in everyday life.
- Developing kindness.
Week 3 – Introducing a support for practising Mindfulness
- Settling, grounding, resting with sound support.
- Review of the home practice.
- Three minute breathing space meditation.
Week 4 – Working with Distraction.
- Ways to stay present with Mindful movement and mindful walking.
- Distraction.
- Settling, grounding, resting with breath support.
Week 5 - Exploring the undercurrent
- Introduction to the observer/undercurrent model.
- Loving Kindness practice.
- 3 minute breathing space revisited
Week 6 - Attitude
- Review of the home practice.
- Cultivating an attitude of self acceptance
- Noticing our attitude to the undercurrent.
- Loving kindness for self and other
Week 7- Self Acceptance
- Review of the home practice and the day of practice.
- Self compassion talk and the Self Compassion Break practice.
- Tools for when difficulties arise in our daily life.
- Rumi poem and RAIN practice
Week 8 – A Mindfulness Based Life.
- Mindfulness support revisited.
- Review of the journey so far.
- Home practise going forward.
Follow up session-
- Mindfulness skills in times of difficulty.
- Examining nourishing & depleting acivities.
- Guided settling Grounding Resting with breath or sound support.
An all-day mindfulness retreat will be scheduled after the completion of the course for those wanting to participate.
About Our Practitioner
Clunie trained to teach the course with the Mindfulness Association’s 2-year training.
She has worked with people of all ages and has felt the long-lasting benefits of the course in her own life.
Pricing & Booking
Paid Pricing Options:
Full Price - £200
Concession - £135
Practicing Mindfulness
When we practice mindfulness, we’re practicing the art of creating space for ourselves: space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions.
How to Practice Mindfulness
Try this short body scan guided meditation by our lovely practitioner Clunie to bring you into the present moment and a place of calm.