Mindfulness Meditation & Cognitive Therapy for Depression & Anxiety Reduction

Courses under the The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the prevention of depressive relapse.

Mindfulness based courses are designed to help you learn new ways of handling difficult physical sensations, feelings and moods. The core skill that you will learn is ‘mindfulness’ — a way of paying attention, on purpose and non-judgmentally, to what goes on in the present moment in your body, mind, and the world around you.

Mindfulness can enable you to see things differently, undoing mental and physical knots and tensions. It can increase your sense of personal confidence. You are likely to gain a sense of having more options and to realise there is a choice in our reactions to life. Mindfulness practice builds up more strength and knowledge to face the different challenges and difficulties in your life. We will learn to bring awareness to the landscape of unawareness in our minds. Most people completing ‘Mindfulness’ gain lasting benefits including more energy and enthusiasm, a greater capacity for relaxation, more self-confidence and an increased ability to handle difficult situations, and to be more present in ones daily life.

Who is the course for?

Everyone who wants to work to change themselves. The Mindfulness program is known to help with a wide range of problems, both physical and psychological. The course will be useful to anyone who is at that point where they are ready and willing to look deeply into themselves.

What does the course involve?

The course consists of 8 classes. In most courses you will attend a 2 or 2.5 hour class every week to learn mindfulness practices. There are opportunities to discuss these and your experience of them in the group. Home practice is an important part of the course. You will be asked to do 45 minutes home practice, six days per week, between classes. To get the most from the program, you need to work at it. This requires a strong commitment to work through a gentle but rigorous daily discipline of awareness exercises.

MBCT for Depression

With Pippa O'Connor
A course which aims to prevent further episodes of depression.

Next course starts 8 May
Eight Wednesday evenings
8 May – 26 Jun 7pm – 9pm
Follow up day and Mindfulness Catch up: Sun 15 Sep 1.30pm – 6pm

11 Sep – 30 Oct 7pm – 9pm
6 Nov – 18 Dec (nb 7 weeks with a longer session in Week 7) 7pm – 9pm
Follow up and Mindfulness catch up Sun 24 Nov 1.30pm – 6pm

Each course: £225(waged) £195 (low waged) £145 (on benefits)
Prices include materials and follow up day

Pippa O'Connor is a qualified Psychotherapist and Senior Lecturer in the Mindfulness Based Clinical Applications at the North London Hospital Southgate. She is also an addiction and trauma therapist. She has been teaching the MBCT programme for the last 9 years.

Mindfulness for Healthy Living (MBCT) Level 2

with Lokadhī
Six Thursday evenings: Thursday 27 Jun – 1 Aug
6.45pm –9.15pm £160 waged £120 low waged £100 on benefits
For those who have already completed an 8-week mindfulness training (MBCT, MBSR or Breathworks).

This is an opportunity for you to deepen and refresh your mindfulness practice, with an emphasis on Loving Kindness. It will also look at ways of further integrating your practice into your daily life.

Mindfulness: Living Well with Pain and Illness

with Simon Osborne. Simon is an accredited Breathworks trainer.
Eight Wednesday afternoons 25 Sept – 13 Nov 2.15pm – 4.45pm
Practice day 20 Nov 11am – 4pm. £10/5
The practice day is open to participants of previous Breathworks courses

This is an eight week course offering self-management mindfulness-based strategies for those living with persistent pain or ill health and the stress that arises as a result of these. It provides a tool kit of resources that can be applied to daily life.
£165/125/85 (includes course materials).£30 discount if you are repeating the course.

Mindfulness for Healthy Living (MBCT)

with Lokadhi
Eight week courses for anyone wishing to enhance the quality of their life through deepening awareness of unhelpful patterns of body and mind. Develop skills to manage anxiety, depression, stress, chronic illness and pain, addictive behaviours – and the ups and downs of everyday life. Suitable for those who are susceptible to depression but who are not actively depressed.
The course is held in a warm, relaxed setting that combines structure, informality and the highest professional standards.

9 mornings including orientation session.
Fri 25 Oct – 20 Dec 10.45am – 1.15pm
Practice Day: Sat 23 Nov £225/195/145

9 Thursday evenings including orientation session.
Thurs Oct 24 – Dec 19 6.45pm – 9.15pm.
Practice Day: Sat 23 Nov 11am – 4pm
£225/195/145

(Course costs include materials, CDs and handouts.)

Lokadhī has a postgraduate diploma in Mindfulness-Based Approaches from the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP), University of Bangor, and is under regular supervision. She is an experienced mindfulness teacher and is herself a supervisor, as well as being a qualified and practising psychotherapist.

Mindfulness Day

with Karunagita
Sat 15 Jun 10am – 5pm
Karunagita will draw on her experience of leading mindfulness for stress courses and explore the mindfulness of breathing during this nourishing day of moving seamlessly between meditation, some gentle body work and mindfulness in everyday life.
All welcome – suitable for newcomers to meditation and more experienced meditators.
By donation. Please book.

Mindfulness Practice Day

A stand-alone practice day/workshop with Lokadhī
Saturday 13 July
10.30 am –3.30 pm £40/25
Come along if you’ve already completed an 8–week mindfulness course and would like to support your ongoing practice –
or if you’re considering doing a course and would like to experience mindfulness first hand.
There’ll be an opportunity to ask questions about the course afterwards between 3.30 and 4pm.