COURSES - MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR)
MBSR courses are made up of 8 weekly sessions in a row. Each session builds up skills and exercises that help us connect with our body, feelings and thoughts more. Taking some time to get to know ourselves better means we start noticing our reactions more, and notice the times when they don't always work well for us, or help in how we relate to others. MBSR courses suggest ways to work with stress or difficulty that can be different to our normal patterns.
* Sessions are weekly, every Thursday evening and last 2 1/2 hours (with a short break half way through).
* The course works bettter if you can practice it at home too during the 8 weeks - 1/2 an hour a day is recommended.
* Course includes: an Orientation session, eight weekly sessions, an all-morning of practice, and audio recordings plus summary documents after each session.
MBSR - Workshop / Course Dates
MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP -
Free 'Introduction to Mindfulness'- Online
Wednesday November 13, 2024, 10-11.15
A free taster workshop which will introduce you to the ideas and research behind mindfulness courses, and offer a chance to try a few short practices.
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MBSR COURSE DATES / TIMES (GMT +1) Online
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Please get in touch for updates
MORE INFORMATION
Before the course starts
When you first get in touch about a place on the course, I'll send a few questions to ask how the course can help you.
There's an Orientation session before Session 1. This session is to get to know others in the group (max. 12), to get an idea of how the course works, and for me to answer any of your questions. Sometimes there's also a short phone chat before Session 1 so you can decide if it's the right course / right time for you.
During the 8 week course
After each session, I'll email a summary and a new recording to listen for the week. This recording is the home practice, and it's recommended for 6 out of 7 days during the course. It is mainly listening to guided mindfulness meditations on your own for 30 minutes each day. Some weeks there may be another short exercise which can be another 5-10 minutes a day. This can feel like a lot of time to find in your day yet research into mindfulness shows that as with any kind of training (e.g. sports), the more you practice, the more benefits you'll get.
I can offer support outside sessions too during the course. This support is normally by email or phone and for difficulties with mindfulness, and so there's not really the chance to work on any personal problems here or in the group sessions - we focus on general patterns that affect people. So mindfulness courses aren't therapy, and if you need help with something in particular then it's probably best to take this to a GP, counsellor or trusted friend/family/commmunity member.
There'll also be a longer day of practice between sessions 5 and 7, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (please see list of dates).
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Online Courses
Online courses are held through video meetings on Zoom (click here to find it). Zoom is free to download and if it's new to you, I'm happy to help you get used to it before the course starts.
You'll need a steady internet connection and it'll be useful to take part on a tablet or computer (on phones you can't see the rest of the group well, and connecting with others in the group helps you get more out of MBSR, according to research). Please get in touch if anything to do with online access is a problem.