Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness is a technique used to manage stress, pain and anxiety through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and without judgement.

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The Mindfulness courses are 8 weeks in length and provide a range of practical techniques which aid in relating differently to the world around us.  Therefore we are able to choose to respond rather than react automatically resulting in calmer, happier and healthier lives.  You can find out more about our mindfulness courses and book via the Connecting with Mindfulness site.

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Mindfulness is said to have originated in Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice over 2500 years ago to address and relieve suffering caused by the dysfunctional ways people habitually tend to respond to their experience.

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Jon Kabat-Zinn, a micro-biologist, developed the first Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course in the 1970's. He introduced the first 8 week structured mindfulness programme based on his own knowledge of yoga and meditation techniques but greatly simplified.

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Since the 1970's mindfulness interventions and research have developed worldwide and the emerging evidence base suggests that mindfulness has a wide range of potential applications. The most common forms of mindfulness intervention for adults are the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to reduce stress and the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to prevent depression relapse a therapy recommended by the UK National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE 2009).

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The Definition of Mindfulness is:

'paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and without judgement'.

 

We learn to do this as part of an eight week course through working with 7 main principles:

 

• Non Judging

• Patience

• Trust

• Beginners Mind

• Non Striving

• Acceptance

• Letting Go

 

Using these principles and experiential learning we can become aware of what is happening in each moment and our reaction to each event.  Through tuning into this awareness, we begin to develop a different relationship to the world and are more able to choose how we want to respond to things like stress, pain, human interactions.  Therefore we can develop a sense of calmness, happiness and healthier relationships with those around us.   For further information, please see our mindfulness website www.connectingwithmindfulness.co.uk

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