6 Week 'Finding Peace in a Frantic World'

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a very powerful and simple practice of training our attention in a kindly way. It’s powerful because it can interrupt the habit of getting lost in thoughts, mostly about the future or past, which often generates more stress on top of the real pressures of everyday life. It’s simple in that it’s really just about paying attention to what’s happening here and now (i.e. thoughts, emotions and sensations) in a non-judgemental way.

The Evidence

Over the last 30 years, academic research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and physical medicine have documented the wide-ranging benefits of learning mindfulness. Indeed, the evidence has shown that it can be an effective aid in the treatment of many mental and physical health issues, as well as generally improving our performance, relationships, and wellbeing.

The 8-week mindfulness course format has been extensively researched and is generally considered to be ‘gold standard’. However, more recent research also supports a shorter course format.

For more information check out this video where Professor Mark Williams talks about the science of mindfulness.

This introductory mindfulness course has been developed by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, and is a shortened and adapted version of MBCT. The session length, curriculum and practices have been distilled into a shorter format. This makes the course ideal for those with slightly busier lifestyles who may otherwise struggle to make the time for the 8 sessions. It is a great introduction to mindfulness.

The course consists of 6, 1.5-hour sessions and includes 20 minutes of home practice per day between sessions. Through guided meditations, group dialogue, individually tailored instructions and home assignments, you will learn the essential principles of mindfulness and techniques to build your personal home practice and access the wide-ranging benefits well beyond the course.

The key learning points include:

A variety of formal and informal mindfulness meditation practices, which involve using the breath and body as a focus for being aware of our experience in the present moment;
Understanding the physiology of stress and how to self-regulate our moods, so that we are better able to pause in challenging situations and manage our responses more effectively.
Recognising the patterns of worrying and self-criticism that often generate more stress; and how we can relate to ourselves with a more accepting and kind stance.
Learning to have more mindful communication, connections and relationships.
Developing practical self-care tools to help us thrive, perform at our best, and build resilience.