The best way to talk about mindfulness is to talk about what it isn’t. Please read on as I share my personal experience in discovering mindfulness.
Like a lot of us, I came to the practice of meditation and mindfulness when ill health drove me to look for something to compliment western medicine. Though I had been meditating since my early twenties it wasn’t until later that I began to explore and study mindfulness.
I was reading a lot of books on mindfulness, but at that stage I had not found my teacher. The most vivid memory I have of forcing this practice on my mind and being is a holiday I had in Hawaii. I spent most of the holiday berating my self and my mind for not being able to stay in the present moment. Like most of us, I thought I had the noisiest mind in the Universe and was completely incapable of being able to be ‘in the moment’ for longer than the briefest of times. It was definitely not the nicest way to experience such a beautiful island.
Once I attended a Mind Body Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, I finally found my teacher Vidyamala, one of the founders of Breathworks. I then went on to study with Vidyamala and eventually become an accredited Breathworks teacher myself, realising that I had been getting it all wrong.
I learned that I had previously been trying to manipulate and bully my mind into the present moment. Although many teachers and the highly respected Jon Kabat-Zinn will describe mindfulness as “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally”, I had been totally leaving out the non-judgement.
When we attend a mindfulness course, we learn that mindfulness is so much more than just paying attention to the present moment.
At a Breathworks mindfulness for stress course you can look forward to learning:
Mindfulness and self compassion skills for daily life How breath and body awareness can transform stress The art of taking joy from simple pleasures How to overcome your negativity bias Learn that you are not your thoughts
What is involved in a Breathworks 8 week Mindfulness for Stress Course:
8 weekly sessions of 2hr and 15min, with refreshments provided Course book & guided meditations on either CD or MP3 downloads Daily home practice of 20 minutes a day A balance of teaching, questions, discussion and guided meditation A weekly email with the sessions details and inspiration for practice
I look forward to sharing what many people have referred to as a life changing course with you. Please refer to courses on my website for the latest course dates.
“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” - Christopher Germer.