This week I read an article in The Guardian newspaper about ways to bolster our ‘psychological immune system’ in times of challenge and stress. Roughly understood, our psychological immunity is how our mental health copes with all the situations and stuff life can throw at it. Written by Ammar Kalia, I was struck by what a brilliant advertisement for an 8 week mindfulness for stress course Kalia’s article was.
The article fed back responses from experts on suggestions for everyday practices and tips we can implement to ensure we have a healthy response to challenging situations. Those practices and tips were remarkably similar to those learnt on the mindfulness courses I am trained to teach.
The first suggestion in the article is to move from ‘negative to neutral’. In a mindfulness course we look at our negativity bias, the narratives we tell ourselves, and how to practice moving from autopilot reactions to choosing to respond more mindfully.
The second suggestion is to ‘try to be in the present moment’. An eight week course practices how to develop awareness, dwell more in the present and accept our thoughts and feelings without judgment.
I was also struck by the mention of the importance of practicing acceptance and compassion. I chose to train as a mindfulness teacher with Breathworks for many reasons. A key reason was the kindness and compassion at the core of the training. During the training, I became more aware of the role of acceptance in managing adversity. Sometimes at times of great difficulty, the compassionate response for ourselves is to accept that this is a very difficult moment in our lives, and feel and be with that difficulty without judgment, and with as much kindness to ourselves as possible.
Mindfulness has been practised for centuries in the East. The Breathworks courses that I am accredited to deliver stem from a Western model developed by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn who first recognised the potential for mindfulness-based interventions in effectively reducing negative factors such as psychological distress in those living with chronic back pain. Over 4000 scientific studies have now been published, mainly in the discipline of psychology, finding benefits of mindfulness meditation on a diversity of health conditions.
At the end of a Mindfulness for Stress 8-week course you will have a foundation in the skills of mindfulness, compassion, and meditation, and know how to apply them in your life in a way that can really make a difference. I teach a toolkit of responses to support you to boost your well-being, find new sources of resilience, joy, and calm in your life, and to cope with stressful situations, anxiety, fear, and depression in a way where you can choose to respond rather than react.
The 8-week course is an internationally recognised programme and is particularly appropriate for supporting us to navigate these challenging times.
The Guardian article also referred to a Clinical Psychology Review paper from 2013 concluding that MBT mindfulness based therapy ‘is an effective treatment for a variety of psychological problems, and is especially effective for reducing anxiety, depression, and stress.’
What will you learn on an 8 week course?
- An understanding and recognition of our tendency to live much of life on autopilot and the skills and techniques to help us become more fully present
- Mindfulness practices and skills to help manage stress and enhance wellbeing in daily life
- An increased ability to relax and cope with difficult and stressful situations
- An ability to be steadier with whatever is happening without resisting it or judging it as good or bad
- Self-compassion and being kinder to all aspects of yourself
- How to apply mindfulness to your daily life after the course has finished
- A weekly email for the 8 weeks summarising the main points of learning
- Links to short videos and audio files bespoke to the course (which can be used after the course has been completed).
Is an 8 week mindfulness course for me?
The course is suitable for most adults aged 18 and above who want to learn mindfulness to support their everyday health and well-being. The course is online with a small group of no more than 12 people. The focus of the course is experiential. The weekly two-hour sessions provide an in-depth exploration of mindfulness skills and techniques within an internationally tried-and-tested framework, also recognised by the UK’s National Institute of Clinical Excellence.
Your mental health
Although mindfulness can be helpful in managing depression and anxiety, the course is not recommended for anyone currently experiencing an episode of clinically diagnosed anxiety, depression or other psychiatric illness. I offer mindfulness as support to everyday health and wellbeing as well as helping prevent relapse, it is not a ‘clinical intervention’.
What commitment does an 8 week course need?
As well as attending all or as many of the 8 weeks of the course as you can, mindfulness is a daily practice. I recommend setting aside at least 10 minutes twice a day (more if you can), which can be spread around your schedule. You will receive plenty of support for this, including how to fit it into your life. It may seem a stretch at first, but once the habit starts to be established, most people find it invaluable and highly motivating. However, I would also say that we find daily practices and tools that work for us, so whatever you can do, whether that’s 1 minute, 10 minutes or 30 minutes twice a day, that’s more minutes than no minutes to show up at the practice.
If you want to book on the 8 week course beginning Friday 29 September 2023
I am running the Breathworks accredited 8 week Mindfulness for Stress course starting Friday 29 September 2023. Please do contact me here if you’d like to chat about this or are thinking about learning and practicing some skills to allow a little bit more peace of mind in this challenging world we live in. We can discuss the course in detail, complete registration, and to clarify if you have any questions.
If you know anyone who would like to delve deeper into mindfulness and extend their skills please do share this information. Course dates and information are also posted on my website.
Taster sessions
If you would like to try a mindfulness taster session before diving in on a full 8-week course, you can contact me to book your place on a 40 minute taster session here. There will be time for questions as well as a practice. A taster session costs £2.
I will be running a taster session on Monday 4 September 2023
- at midday
- and again at 5.30pm
Open Practice
I also run a half hour Open Practice once a month on a Monday. The next open practice is Monday 4 September 6.30-7pm.
30 minutes of online presence for anyone who wants to attend.
If you’d like to come, please let me know and I’ll send you a Zoom link and details. Please do invite anyone else who might like to try a meditation practice. No assumption, no judging, no previous experience required, and no need to turn your camera on if you’d rather not. Pay what you can. Suggested donation: £2.
The sessions have a loose focus (often related to themes that reoccur in my individual practice and when I’m working with others). The aim is to shift our awareness into the present moment and create (even if only a tiny sliver) a chance to notice ourselves between the many distractions of having a life, and all the stuff we have going on.
If you know anyone who would like to delve deeper into mindfulness and extend their skills; I am running the Breathworks accredited 8 week Mindfulness for Stress course starting Friday 29 September 2023. Please do contact me here If you’d like to chat about this or are thinking about learning and practicing some skills to allow a little bit more peace of mind in this challenging world we live in. I can also offer one off and taster sessions.
New course dates are posted here on my website
I run bespoke courses, one to one and small group sessions.
I have spaces for one to one and bespoke sessions, working outdoors, indoors, or online, focused on reflective practices and mindfulness techniques as well as Outside Thought reflection and facilitation sessions.
You can also read and subscribe to my newsletter on substack here.
Wishing you well
Thank you for reading.
Karen