How the ‘Mindfulness for Life’ programme can work for you
Mindfulness for Life is designed to help if you want to enhance your general physical and mental wellbeing. There are many reasons why people come to our MBCT group courses. Some want to manage their stress and anxiety better. Others wish to manage their low moods and bouts of depression or feelings of ‘dissatisfaction’ with life. Other people take part to improve their concentration and ability to stay in the present.
This course is suitable for people who are new to mindfulness, anyone who has tried mindfulness before, either a course or an app, or perhaps read a book and wants the structure of a course led by an experienced teacher.
Whatever your reason, with our mindfulness courses or 1-2-1 sessions, you will learn to increase your awareness so that you can see things as they are, not how you would like them to be. Instead of reflecting on the past or worrying about the future, we’ll teach you how to stay focused on what’s happening right now.
Group courses
8 WEEKS - ‘Mindfulness for Life’ programme
During the 8-week course you’ll develop skills to manage the ups and downs of life and learn ways of responding that help improve your wellbeing. MBCT groups usually have 8–14 people meeting weekly for eight sessions of two hours. Nicola teaches MBCT in a number of locations throughout the year.
Every week we’ll be covering a different theme as we develop the practice of mindfulness. The sessions will start with a practice, then an introduction to the session, followed by a review of the home practice. Each session will centre on a foundational meditation practice followed by group reflections and learning/discussion points. At the end of each session, we’ll discuss the home practice expected between sessions.
The fee includes:
all handouts and resources, and a link to the guided practices for home practice or, if preferred, a USB memory stick or CD of guided practices for use during and after the course
a pre-course individual meeting (30 mins) with each potential participant to discuss the course, any questions you may have and any other relevant information. The course is a commitment, so it's important to consider whether it’s right for you, and whether you would have time to practice the mindfulness skills in between sessions, as this is an important part of the course
an optional post-group individual meeting (included in the price)
6-8 WEEKS - ‘Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World’ course
We are now offering this course which has with slightly shorter practices. The programme is based on the best-selling book of the same name.
It is a highly accessible, engaging and practical introduction to mindfulness: a programme that that teaches mindfulness skills and how to use these skills to improve wellbeing and resilience to stress. It has been found to be effective with adults in workplaces, university students and school teachers and many other settings.
The course’s themes include: waking up to the life you have, gathering the scattered mind, relating differently to thoughts and worries, practising kindness, and nourishing activities.
This course is for you, if you want a structured, practical, and highly accessible introduction to mindfulness. It is appropriate for people new to mindfulness, anyone who has tried mindfulness apps or perhaps read a book and wants the structure of a course led by an experienced teacher.
1-2-1 sessions
8 SESSIONS £POA
There are considerable benefits to learning mindfulness in a group, which are supported by research. However, some people prefer to have individual mindfulness sessions, perhaps because they feel a group isn’t for them. If you would prefer a 1-2-1 session, Nicola offers these at the Ashgrove Clinic in Higham Ferrers, near Rushden in Northamptonshire. These are usually held on Wednesday mornings.
“Learning how to be aware and in control of emotions should be a must for every human, and in developing these skills and greater strength in doing so I feel less anxious, but more importantly to me - a better wife, mother, friend, and advocate of myself.”
The ‘Mindfulness for Life’ programme
The 8-week MBCT course is a well-established and scientifically-proven way of helping you to train your ‘meditation muscles’ by offering a programme to help you understand and develop the wellbeing benefits of mindfulness. It provides a structured process with a group of people supported by regular practice. Just like training your physical muscles, your meditation muscles need to be trained at home too to get the most from the course.
Session 1 - Waking up from automatic pilot – stepping out of ‘doing’ mode into ‘being’ mode
Session 2 - Another way of being: keeping the body in mind – paying attention in each moment without judgement
Session 3 - Gathering the scattered mind – reconnecting with mindful presence through the breath and body
Session 4 - Recognising reactivity – staying present and becoming aware of how we might respond mindfully
Session 5 - Allowing and letting be – working towards developing acceptance and kindness towards our experiences
Session 6 - Responding skilfully: thoughts are not facts – ways to see thoughts differently
Session 7 - How can I best take care of myself? Using skilful action to take care of ourselves, even when our mood lowers
Session 8 - Mindfulness for life – planning for a new way of living!
The programme also includes a day of practice on a Saturday, usually around sessions 6 and 7.
“More energy and enthusiasm. A greater capacity for relaxation and calmness. Enhanced self-confidence. Increased ability to handle stressful situations. More focus. More self-awareness. Greater sensitivity to others.”
The science behind mindfulness for life and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8-week programme, developed by Jon Kabat Zinn. MBCT was adapted by Mark Williams, Zindel Segal and John Teasdale to incorporate our knowledge of a widely-respected treatment, namely Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
MBCT employs the same structure as MBSR but has been refined to include elements of CBT. This makes it clinically effective not only for personal development and stress management, but also for the treatment of ongoing factors that lead to mental health problems, such as worry.
Our Mindfulness for Life courses (MBCT-L) are a relatively new adaptation of MBCT based on research carried out at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre (OMC). The intention is to teach mindfulness in everyday life to the general population, helping people manage their difficulties but also to enable them to fulfil their potential and flourish. Our current courses are based on this more recent adaptation of MBCT.
How to book
Take the first step by filling out our enquiry form below. Tell us whether you’d prefer to join a group, and if so, at which location, or have 1-2-1 sessions. Nicola will then call you to discuss your personal situation and requirements. It’s as easy as that.