At the end of each course, I ask, “What advice would you give to people just starting the course?” – and below, you will find some answers to that question…
- Attend with an open mind and without self-consciousness. Embrace all ideas, and you will be rewarded. Regular practice is the key to success.
- Get there early; there is a bit of excitement and energy to get rid of in session one.
- You are entering a safe environment, and everyone else is there for a reason. Do not worry; embrace it.
- This is the start of a brilliant journey. Stick with it, and you will be rewarded in spades!
- Practice as much as you can. That’s where the greatest benefit lies.
- Have an open & inquisitive mind.
- Try to establish a practice routine early on – meditating at a similar time of day, for example.
- Enjoy the process, even during the moments when you’re sure you’re getting it wrong.
- Be yourself and embrace the session. Above all, be at ease with yourself and the other members.
- Be open to being surprised when you bump into yourself.
- Participate in the discussion & listen to others’ experiences. Enjoy it!
- Talk to friends & colleagues about the course; you’ll find it will help keep it front-of-mind in your day, even outside formal practice.
- Don’t wear your watch.
- Make the time to do the home practice. This is just the start of your mindfulness journey.
- Remember to read the handouts as well as do the meditations to put everything together.
- Keep an open mind. Don’t expect everything to make sense straight away. See the course as a stepping stone to leading a more mindful existence.
- Keep an open mind. Things may seem ‘odd’ or hard to follow at first but keep practising & trying the exercises and meditations – some you will find you like or are helpful, and others you may not, and that’s Ok
- Make the time in the week for your practices.
- By the end of the course, you’ll find the pieces of the jigsaw fit together & you’ll have an individual view of what ‘mindfulness’ is for you.
- Do the homework! Share your experience as a gift to others.
- Practice… practice… practice.
- Go with an open mind. The course builds each week, and by the end, it all comes together.
- It’s the start of a process. Make time to give it as much attention as you can. You get out what you put in.
- If you can’t quite remember what mindfulness really is – just ask again. There’s a lot to it, ironically which is so interesting but can be hard to wrap your head around it at first.
- Try not to miss any sessions if you can help it. It’s better to get the first-hand experience and be involved in the discussions during the sessions.
- Practice makes Perfect! It takes time, effort and discipline, but of course, done in a kind and gentle way…
- Think about how / when you could fit mindfulness practises in each day.
- Do the homework and participate as much as you can to get the best out of it.
- Find the time in your week to practise – don’t give up if you find it difficult – it will get easier.
- Enjoy the groups – participate – you get out what you put in – try to do the practices – the weeks fly and before you know it, it’s over, and (if you’re like me) you’ll wish you’d done more whilst you were on the course.
- You will get out what you put in. This is a lot more than a 2 hour per week commitment. Be prepared to get practising in between the sessions to the full learning & benefit.
- Do your homework! LOL
- Be open-minded and engage – there is no right or wrong way.
- Don’t do what I did, which is not do the homework. I can see the benefit for those that did the practice and homework.
- Don’t be afraid to share.
- Come with an open mind and bring a pen and paper.
- Well done for taking the decision to attend. As woody Allen famously said “80% of success in life is showing up!” You will thoroughly enjoy the course.
- Practice is essential. This was emphasised to us in the first lesson, I remember.
- Come with an open mind and dive in!
- Be patient.
- Attend all 8 sessions; do the homework; be open-minded.
- Don’t wait to start reading the notes and doing the practice – get into good habits from the start.
- Practice! Make the time in your routine every day – it gets so much easier with practice.
- Make sure you do the homework – it will serve you well for the next session.
- Participate in the group discussions as much as you feel able to, from as early on in the course as you can. You and everyone else will benefit enormously from sharing different – and similar – realities and experiences.
- Do the practices!
- Enjoy it! And don’t worry if you struggle to focus at first. You will get better, and everyone else is struggling too!
- Show up!
- No advice. You have to find your own path.
- Find the time to do the practice; it may mean stopping doing things you ‘need’ to do or want to do, it will be worth it.
- Try and make all 8 sessions.
- Practice as much as you can, be open to all that is offered to you, go with how it makes you feel about yourself – good and bad, and don’t be afraid. It can change your life if you let it.
- Participating in or listening to the group discussion is valuable, and every little change is a BIG success, so be kind to yourself and enjoy it.
- Relax, be open. The path will appear even though you can’t see it yet, each week you see a bit further.
- Keep an open mind and be honest with yourself and the group about how you are feeling and what you are thinking.
- Go with the flow – it makes sense by the end. Bring slippers.
- Give yourself time to settle into the experience.