The Everyday Mindfulness Course is based on the Mindfulness for Life Programme created by the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.
This Programme is a good starting point if there have been times when you have felt stressed, anxious, exhausted, low, or overwhelmed. Or maybe you have a sense that life is somehow passing you by in an endless round of busyness, commitments, and deadlines. Perhaps you are looking for ways to slow down a bit, take care of yourself, or appreciate the simple things in life. Or maybe you just want to learn a little more about mindfulness and meditation to benefit yourself and to support those you care about or work with. Whatever your reason for considering taking up mindfulness, this course is an opportunity to nurture your wellbeing and find greater peace and happiness within the hustle and bustle of your daily life.
The Everday Mindfulness Course is structured over eight weekly sessions with accompanying home mindfulness practice.
Where: Coach House Studios Wirksworth, DE4 4ET
When: The intention is to hold this course on Friday afternoons, 2.00 – 4.00pm later this year, or early 2024. The course dates will be confirmed when a core number of participants have registered an interest in attending.
What: A structured course with practical exercises and meditations to help cultivate a sense of calm, happiness, and stability amidst life’s challenges.
Who: Your teacher is Jo Peck. Jo studied to teach Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness, part of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
How much: £15 per session (£10 concessions). Fees include weekly course materials and home practice resources.
The earlier parts of the programme focus on developing mindfulness skills through a range of practices. The intention of these practices is to develop a friendly awareness of experience whether it is pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant, and to enhance concentration.
Throughout there is emphasis on developing an understanding and insight into how dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and distress can develop, and how this process can be addressed by mindfulness training. The core theme is learning to respond compassionately and mindfully in place of unhelpful reactivity.
In the later parts of the programme, there is a growing emphasis on applying the learning to everyday life. This includes working with distress and difficulties, appreciating the positive, being kinder towards yourself, and extending random acts of kindness to others.
The programme includes:
- Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation
- Gentle stretching and movement
- Group dialogue and discussions
- Light refreshments
- Weekly take-home resources and access to downloadable audio meditations
- Suggested daily home practices