Mindfulness for wellbeing and resilience course

February and March 2023

At St Paul’s Knightsbridge we are committed to providing opportunities for parishioners and members of the local community to explore what it means to be ‘fully alive’ and we are delighted to offer a new Mindfulness for Wellbeing & Resilience course, on Tuesday evenings in February and March.

Perhaps you are looking for a personal development project for the new year? A new practice for the season of Lent? Or maybe you need some new tools to manage the ups and downs of life?

Whatever your motivation, and wherever you are in your life journey, this is an excellent opportunity with course leaders Mel Hampson (Mindfulness Teacher, and Organisational Psychologist & Coach) and Glyn Thomas (Mindfulness Teacher and Senior Palliative Care Social Worker) to explore:

• Coping with stress, overwhelm, and the challenges of everyday life.
• Dealing with difficult events in a calmer, more flexible and creative way.
• Approaching relationships with composure, kindness, and compassion.
• Living your life more gracefully and be fully present and alive in the moment.

The course

The course is based on the Mindfulness Cognitive Based Therapy programme, which consists of a blend of meditation and body awareness practices, drawing on teaching from a variety of spiritual traditions and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The goal is to equip you with practical mindfulness skills which you can apply in everyday life on an ongoing basis.

 

Course format

Highly participatory, collaborative, and practical, the course is taught through a combination of experiential learning, with a very small amount of theoretical teaching and some discussion. 

 

Where & When

The course will take place in the Parish Hall between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Tuesday evenings from 7th February to 28th March 2023 (inclusive).

  

Cost

The cost for the 8 week course is £275. We do not want cost to be a barrier to participation, and bursaries are available – don’t hesitate to be in touch for a confidential conversation.

The cost includes all materials including a copy of Mark Williams’ and Danny Penman’s book “Mindfulness – a practical guide to finding Peace in a Frantic World,” audio files of guided meditation and bodywork practices, and a workbook covering the material learned each week.

Registering

If you are interested in participating in the course or would like further information, please drop an email to pa@spkb.org.

Places are limited, so do be in touch sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment!

Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment with a spirit of curiosity and openness.’ (Susan Bauer-Wui)

There have been more than 30 years of research into Mindfulness Based Trainings. While MBCT is not a “cure” for serious medical conditions and should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment, there is an extensive body of research which indicates that mindfulness training can have a significant therapeutic effect for those experiencing stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, chronic pain, migraines, heart conditions, diabetes and other ailments. In addition, participants typically report feeling more alive, more “in-tune” with themselves and others.

In NICE’s new guidelines on the management and treatment of depression in adults, mindfulness features in a menu of psychological and psychosocial alternatives to antidepressants to be offered to people experiencing a new episode of ‘less severe depression’, with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) being presented as an exemplar within the mindfulness and meditation class.