Monday mornings from 4th March 2024 – Live online (8 spaces remaining)
This daytime 8-Week Mindfulness for Wellbeing course helps you develop mindfulness skills for wellbeing in daily life. Mindfulness is a bit like being given the instruction manual for our mind. In the course, which follows a formally validated approach, you will learn the psychological skills associated with mindfulness and the many ways to use meditation to practise them, leading to a different way of being and the development of your mindfulness practice.
The course runs over eight weeks, with a small group online in weekly two-hour sessions starting at 10.30am. You’ll be provided with everything you need to practise mindfulness, including recorded audio meditation practices and written material for use at home. It’s based on the eight-week courses MBCT and MBSR (see below for more detail on this).
The course runs over eight weeks, with a small group online in weekly two-hour sessions starting at 10.30am. You’ll be provided with everything you need to practise mindfulness, including recorded audio meditation practices and written material for use at home. It’s based on the eight-week courses MBCT and MBSR (Book this course Buy as a gift or contact Mark if you have a question.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this course, it was hugely enlightening experience, all that I learn I will take forward to enrich my life and those around me. The best thing I have every done just for me.
– Sarah
Why attend a mindfulness course?
Regular mindfulness practice benefits most of those who practise, building resilience, enhancing well-being, reducing stress, and improving focus and clarity at work and home. It has been shown to help us become more aware of the often illogical patterns our thinking mind is drawn into, providing approaches to take back the control we think we should have.
Like any skill, mindfulness requires practice – and this will be your main task as an attendee, practising the mindfulness exercises most days. You will be provided with written notes and guided audio meditation recordings which can be listened to either over the internet or by downloading to your computer or mobile device.
You can find further discussion on the benefits of mindfulness in our article: Why practice mindfulness? Here, you can also read what people have said about the daytime 8-Week Mindfulness for Wellbeing course.
Start date: Monday, 4th March 2024
Time: 10.30am until 12.30
Venue: Live Online
Cost of course: £255 (£230 if you’re attending my course for a second time)
Course outline:
- Week 1, 4th March – Running on autopilot
- Week 2, 11th March – Living in our heads
- Week 3, 18th March – Gathering the scattered mind
- Week 4, 25th March – Recognising aversion
- (one week gap for Easter Monday)
- Week 5, 8th April – The odd thing about ‘allowing’
- Week 6, 15th April – A thinking exposé
- Week 7, 22nd April – A time to dance?
- Week 8, 29th April – The present in the future
Book this course Buy as a gift or contact Mark if you have a question
Mark has an inclusive and generous style which guided us all beautifully through our learnings. Bringing so much more than mindfulness, Mark adds further depth & understanding to how our brains and bodies work so we can take more personal control of our well-being.
-Emma
More background details?
Our approach is based on a formally defined course called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The MBCT course is recommended by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in a clinical environment, for example, by the NHS. MBCT is based on an approach created in the United States called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
We call the course ‘Mindfulness for wellbeing’ because we are not running the course in a clinical environment, and so we are free to dynamically adjust some of the practices to suit those who attend.
Book this course Buy as a gift or contact Mark if you have a question
Thoroughly recommend, you won’t be the same (& far better) for attending Mark’s programme.
-Emma
FAQs
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to attend the daytime 8-Week Mindfulness for Wellbeing Course?
The course is open to anyone aged 18 years or over.
Attend online or face-to-face (if both are offered, some courses are online only)?
We’re often asked if it’s better to attend online or face-to-face. Ideally, we would all attend face-to-face to get the most engaging experience, but where that isn’t possible or appropriate, attending live via web conferencing is a good alternative and still an improved experience over a pre-recorded course. It is possible to mix attendance, sometimes in the venue (assuming available spaces) and sometimes online. This hybrid approach enables you to meet Mark and some of the attendees but also provides the flexibility to join online as the need arises.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have further questions, please contact us using one of the options on our Contact Us page.
What if there is a week I can’t make it?
If I know you can’t make it on a particular week, I can ensure that you still receive the notes for that week, along with the practices. It may also be possible to join the training online or attend the evening course for one session if one is running. So, don’t worry too much if you know there is one week you can’t make it. If it’s three or more weeks, I can’t make? Generally, it’s a good idea to book the following course – but every situation is different, so please contact Mark to discuss; for example, it may be possible to book one-to-one sessions to cover the content you won’t be able to make.
Can I pay by…?
You’re welcome to pay by bank transfer, credit card, or cash; we ask for your preference on the booking form.
Can I reserve a place on the course?
You’re welcome to reserve a place with a deposit of £40, which will hold the place until seven days before the course. So we ask for full payment at least seven days before the course.
What is the refund policy?
A full refund is available if you cancel your attendance 48 or more hours before the first training session and an 80% refund right up until the first session. A full refund is also available if you attend the first training session and decide that the course is not for you – just let me know within 24 hours of the first session. Please do keep me up to date, though, if there is a chance you may have to cancel. I keep the course attendance numbers low, and the earlier you let me know, the more chance I have I finding a new participant.
Naturally, if I have to cancel the course, you will receive a full refund, and I will give you as much notice as I can.
What size is the class? What if there aren’t enough people to run the course?
The course is run with a small group of up to 12 people and a minimum of 5. If we don’t get at least five people booking the course, then I will move or cancel the course (and any fees already paid will, of course, be refunded in full!)
Is the course suitable for those with depression or other mental illnesses?
Mindfulness practice can be beneficial for those who have suffered from depression or other mental illnesses. However, the course may not be suitable if you currently suffer from clinical depression unless under the guidance of a medical professional. Partly, this is due to the nature of mindfulness practice, which invites us to focus on and work directly with our thoughts and feelings – this can be very helpful for those who have suffered from depression but may not be productive in the middle of a depressive episode. Please do speak with Mark if you’re unsure about suitability.
What are the computer / technical requirements to attend?
The guided meditation practises are provided as mp3 audio files, which can be played on any computer or smartphone. The files are provided for listening or download using a web link and can also be copied to a memory stick or even a CD provided for participants if preferred.
Online courses use the computer conferencing software Microsoft Teams, which is free to use as an attendee and runs on all major computers, tablets and smartphones.
Do I need to be able to sit in the lotus position or any other special position?
No! There is no special sitting position or physical requirements. For sitting meditation, the suggestion is to sit upright, with your upper body self-supporting (for example, away from the back of a chair). But if that isn’t practical, you can sit however you choose.
Everyone is welcome!
However you would describe yourself, whether by race, ethnicity, gender pronoun, ability, age, or anything else – if you are human and accepting of others, you are welcome on my courses (and assistance dogs are welcome too!)
Ethical Framework
I believe it is important to teach mindfulness both competently and ethically. Although mindfulness is not formally regulated in the UK, recommendations for ethical practice are provided by BAMBA (the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches) – which used to be called the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers – for training, practice and supervision. I am a registered BAMBA teacher, and I follow these guidelines. For example:
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- Formal and continual training – my training followed the BAMBA requirements, and I teach according to the guidelines expected of mindfulness teachers. This is the same approach recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE; the UK body providing evidence-based information for health and care professionals, including the NHS).
- Under normal circumstances, we will speak on the phone before you start a course to ensure that the course is suitable.
- Confidentiality is key in all of my courses.
- I have regular supervision from an external qualified mindfulness supervisor.
A more detailed description of the guidelines is provided by BAMBA here: Mindfulness-based teachers Good Practice Guide.
These COVID19 precautions are thankfully no longer required but remain here just in case!
What about COVID19 precautions?
For face-to-face courses, the Renewal Centre has been through a risk review and implemented precautions for the safe use of the venue. The maximum number of participants in the venue is ten to enable the two-meter distancing – we are restricting it to a maximum of eight for this course. The course will run simultaneously online if you would rather attend that way or if tighter restrictions come into force during the course. Mark, the trainer, has an NHS COVID Pass and will take regular lateral flow tests throughout the course.
What if we go into lockdown?
If we go into COVID19 lockdown, the course will continue at the same time and dates, online. If you don’t want to join the course this way, you’ll be welcome to re-join the course on the next run or receive a pro-rata course refund – whichever you prefer (there may be situations where the course can’t continue online, in which case a pro-rata refund will be provided).
If the smallest part of you is entertaining the idea of signing up for this mindfulness course, don’t hesitate or put it off or wonder how you’ll fit it in. Just sign-up. You’ll be very glad you did.
-Ruth
Book this course Buy as a gift or contact Mark if you have a question.