‘‘A coherent, compelling and common-sensical programme for anyone caring about his or her own health and sanity, especially in this increasingly fast-paced and frantic world.’’
– Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World
Prof. Mark Williams and Danny Penman, Oxford Mindfulness Centre, created this programme to be effective and accessible to those who may not have the time to complete the full MBSR or MBCT courses. Based on the core principles of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), weekly sessions and daily home practice requirements are shorter and may be considered less intensive. It’s a sound introduction to making mindfulness part of your everyday wellbeing!
Those who complete this course often choose to deepen their mindfulness learning by continuing with the MBSR programme or taking retreats to continue to grow and sustain mindfulness as a core part of their wellbeing.
Read on to learn more about the benefits and the themes of each of the lessons. This course can also be made available to groups (e.g. community or work) who may wish to commission a course to support their health and wellbeing initiatives.
Why take this course?
Benefits of taking the course may include developing awareness of our present moment experience, finding ways to feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled, to get on better with others, to work more effectively and to increase resilience in the face of stress and difficulties. The course is focused on supporting adults in developing their own practice of mindfulness in everyday life. Many participants may find taking the course impacts on both their personal and professional ways of being.
Practical Mindfulness Lessons
Each class is 1.5 hours and you will learn mindfulness in highly practical – and even fun – ways. The course may be offered in 6* or 8 sessions and includes:
- the full range of mindfulness meditation practices: from focused attention on the breath and the body to more open attention and working with thoughts and feelings in helpful ways and in everyday activities such as walking, eating, listening and speaking.
- how to break hold of unhelpful habits of behaviour, thoughts and emotions and impulses that arise from these.
- the nature of stress and how we can self-regulate our mood, with practice becoming skilled at pausing, noticing our reactions and choosing how we respond in the face of challenges that we meet in our everyday lives
- about patterns of worry and negative self-talk that often increase our stress reactions and how we can counter this with attitudes of kindness, curiosity and acceptance
- how to bring mindfulness into our communications and relationships in helpful ways
- practical self-care actions that help us to flourish and thrive rather than settle and strive without satisfaction
As with all new skills, it takes practice and some effort to make time for exploring our experience in this new way. Learning in this systematic way, with a guide and friendly companions along the way is shown in research to have the best outcomes for our health and wellbeing.
*6-session format includes key elements of sessions 6-7-8 across sessions 5-6.
Sessions
Session 1
Waking up
to the autopilot
The course starts with waking up to the human tendency to operate on automatic pilot. We practice paying attention in new ways and becoming aware of what happens when we step out of automatic mode.
Session 2
Bringing curiosity to experience
In this session we learn about the evolution of the mind and explore how the body can be an anchor to the present and a radar for important messages.
Session 3
Mindfulness
in daily life
Mindfulness can be practised throughout the day in our everyday activities and helps us to build flexibility and transform the ordinary to extraordinary.
Session 4
Moving beyond the rumour mill
In this session, we practice seeing thoughts as creations of the mind rather than facts. We learn how we can see more clearly, recognise habits of mind and how they powerfully influence mood and behaviour.
Session 5
Exploring difficulty,
building resilience
This session builds on the first four with the invitation to turn towards and befriend aspects of our experience that we may typically avoid and resist. When we practice in this way, we build resilience.
Session 6
Kindness to ourselves
and others
Being with others can be wonderful and challenging! In this session we bring our mindful awareness to habitual patterns of relating to others and open up to alternative ways to flourish.
Session 7
Developing balance
in our lives
In this session we reflect on how we can choose what we do and how we act to nourish ourselves everyday.
Session 8
Mindfulness & the rest
of your life?
We celebrate completing this course and we reflect on what we are taking from the course and how mindfulness may fit in the rest of our lives. Life is the curriculum!
Sign Up Today
€165 (includes 6 x 90 min classes, workbook & audio recordings)
Get in touch to express interest or request a bespoke offering to your group.
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