Mindfulness
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness means to live and experience each present moment as it comes. 'This moment' is not always easy or pleasant, or the one we would choose to have but nevertheless it is what faces us.
To practice mindfulness helps us to notice what is happening here and now in the body heart mind , so as to be free to make choices in how we may choose to 'respond', rather than habitually 'react' to the circumstances of our lives - especially the ones that cause us difficulty. Mindfulness is an invaluable tool for learning to live with turbulent emotions and find more steadiness and balance.
We cannot change the fact that we may have suffered a rejection or loss, or be diagnosed with a disease or struggle with pain, but we can learn to notice how we respond to those given circumstances. We may feel angry, or ask 'why me?', or feel panicky and afraid. As we learn to notice and become more aware, we discover that we have the freedom to make alternative choices in our responses which may serve us better. This can be liberating. We can begin to feel less overwhelmed and find more steadiness through life’s ups and downs. We begin to find our 'anchor' in what can feel rough turbulent seas. We can also begin to notice more acceptance, peace and joy in our life as a result.
How Mindfulness can help you
Mindfulness can help relieve anxiety and panic that may arise in stressful situations and help you to notice and see clearly what is going on in your life. Regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in, you can learn to respond to them in a calm and creative manner.
Mindfulness can hugely enhance the quality of your life and help it feel more meaningful. Many of us spend much of our time focused either on the past or the future, paying very little attention to what is actually happening in the present, here and now. Mindfulness is a way of staying in the moment so we can spend more time aware of ourselves and our surroundings, which can make a significant difference.
Mindfulness can
help foster acceptance, calm and peace for your heart and mind
help you recover a sense of enjoyment and delight in life despite living with difficulty and pain
enhance appreciation and gratitude
help you see how you get caught up in thoughts and situations, and negativity
help you learn to stand back from your thoughts and find perspective and clarity
help you feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your life and your happiness
Ongoing practice can provide you with invaluable tools and resources to support your wellbeing. It’s not about trying to forcibly change things, but instead trying to accept the way things are for better or for worse, and then changing your responses. Your life may still contain a lot of difficulty, if you live with pain or illness, for example, but your quality of life can be profoundly transformed.
This happens through learning to recognise and step away from habitual, often unconscious, reactions to everyday events.
About the Breathworks approach to Mindfulness and the 8 week course 'Mindfulness for Health'
The Breathworks approach to mindfulness encourages a particular emphasis on developing the attitude of compassion and kindness to yourself, in whatever difficult circumstances you find yourself. This can bring a radical shift in how you experience physical, mental and emotional pain. This approach also pays particular attention to mindfulness in daily life and offers a uniquely designed mindful movement programme. See link for the details of the 8 week courses I am able to teach.
These courses are suitable for those living with chronic back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, post-operative pain, cancer, nervous disorders, MS, Parkinson's disease, other types of non-specific pain, and many other conditions.
Vidymala Burch is the founder of Breathworks and you can hear her story of how mindfulness has helped her live with chronic pain here.
Learning to cultivate kindness, forgiveness and compassion for oneself can be surprisingly hard and challenging but completely transformative. See Breathworks for more information.
About my experience in Mindfulness
I was first introduced to mindfulness meditation in 1999 and have made many long silent intensive meditation retreats since. I have been an Accredited Breathworks Mindfulness teacher since 2014. Breathworks is accredited by Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Teachers UK and the FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapies). More information about Breathworks can be found here.
I am not currently running any other groups or courses but am available to work with individuals.
Insights from mindfulness practice form the basis of my life and all aspects of my work in Counselling and Integrative Psychotherapy.
Mindfulness will not eliminate life's pressures, but it can help you respond to them in a calmer manner that benefits your body heart mind. Many thousands of people who have benefited from the Breathworks approach to mindfulness can testify to that. See Breathworks.
