Mindfulness Courses
Mindfulness
When we approach life mindfully, being fully in the present with whatever we are experiencing, everything feels more alive and workable. Instead of staying tangled up in patterns of stress and unhappiness that we can't seem to find a way out of, we can get in touch with a sense of inner calm and steadiness from which we can see things more clearly and act more effectively. Over time our old habits of reaction can lessen, we may find we are listening more sensitively to our own needs and those of others, and being able to respond in different, more helpful ways to life's challenges.
Mindfulness courses
Mindfulness has been taught as part of different spiritual traditions for centuries and has recently become more recognised in the West as a way of coming out of stress and improving mental and physical health. There is a growing body of research which supports this approach. The Mental Health Foundation has published a report on Mindfulness in 2010 endorsing the positive effects of a mindfulness-based approach and this can be accessed on the website www.bemindful.co.uk where you can also see video clips about a mindfulness approach.
What happens on an 8 week mindfulness course?
- The courses are experiential which means that the emphasis is on practising mindfulness rather than learning about it from an intellectual perspective. In each session different ways of being mindful are introduced in guided practices and we also look at how mindfulness can be practised informally in everyday life. There is time to share experiences and to explore what comes up. What is talked about in the group is confidential but there is no need for anyone to refer to personal situations as what we are cultivating are different ways of relating to experiences rather than going into the content of the experiences themselves. The group is usually felt to be a safe place to be in, where respect and care for each other's differences and ways of being is valued.
- Home practice is an important part of the course and participants are asked to commit to doing daily mindfulness meditation practice for the duration of the course with the help of a set of CDs. In this way by the end of the 8 week course each person can have a good sense of how to practise and how this can benefit them and can then choose to go on developing a mindful way of living in their own time and way.
- A monthly Drop In Session will be available for people who have done an 8 week course for a small charge per session. This can give support and encouragement to keep up the practice and a sense of being part of a wider 'mindfulness community'.
Who can do the course?
Anyone who would like to find a way of increasing their sense of wellbeing and living more fully, effectively and calmly and who is willing to commit to coming regularly to the weekly sessions and following the home practice schedule can do the course. No previous experience of meditation is necessary and people who have benefitted from these courses have come from all kinds of backgrounds.
It is best to do the course when your life is in a reasonably stable place, so that you can give it your full attention and commitment. If you have any uncertainties about this do phone Wendy or Ruth and we can talk it through with you.
The course teachers will be happy to talk about any queries you may have, either about doing the course or during the course.
Next Mindfulness Courses in Hereford
Dates 2010/2011:
- Autumn Course 2010 led by Ruth, Wednesdays 10 am - 12.30 pm
- Free Orientation Session: September 22nd
- October 6th, 13th, 20th (27th half-term)
- November 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th
- December 1st
- Winter Course led by Wendy, Mondays, 6-8.30 pm
- Free Orientation Session: January 17th
- January 31st
- February 7th, 14th, (21st half-term), February 28th
- March 14th, 21st, 28th
- Summer Course led by Ruth, Wednesdays 4 -6.30 pm
- Free Orientation Session: April 13th
- May 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
- (June 1st half-term), June 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
All Day Practice days and monthly Drop In Sessions will be arranged to provide continuing practice support for people who have attended courses
Venue:WRVS Riverside Community Learning Centre, 26, Vicarage Road, Hereford,
Cost: £200 for 8 2 1/2 hour sessions, a set of CDs and comprehensive handouts and telephone or email between session support when needed. Concessions for people on state benefits and very low incomes can be discussed. Payment can be made in two instalments by arrangement. A non-returnable deposit of £30 is requested to book a place.
Enquiries: Teachers are Ruth Worgan and Wendy Harvey.
Please phone either Wendy on 01432 276966
Or Ruth on 01989 567153 and 07760477105
If after a short telephone discussion you would like to apply for the course we will send you a booking form and details.
Mindfulness Course for individuals
The 8 week mindfulness course can also be taught on a one-to-one basis. The cost for this would be £495 to include CDs and course materials.
There would be an option of attending monthly Drop In Sessions and All Day Silent Practice Days as and when these are available at a small additional cost.
Please phone Wendy on 01432 276966 to enquire about this.
