Whether you want freedom from a mind that never stops chattering, or to find a measure of relief from the realities of life as they present themselves to you currently – perhaps you are suffering with ill health, frustrating relationships or exasperated with world events, – mindfulness and Mindful Self Compassion practices could help you.
Mindfulness is not a quick fix and it is not for everyone, but for those who embrace the practice, many have found increased happiness and peace as a result. Much has been spoken and written about mindfulness in recent years, some, overstating the benefits, while others have attempted to cash in to what they see as a lucrative new fad. There are many ways to learn mindfulness techniques which are essentially very simple, and some of you will already be in your nature very mindfully orientated, living peacefully in the present moment, with curiosity non judgementally in an attitude in alignment with your highest self. For others, this is an attitude to be cultivated, skills to be learnt, and it takes practice practice practice. After all, few people learn to swim well or ride a bicycle to athlete standard without daily practice. Mindfulness is very much the same. We are learning to train the brain! The brain, which is fundamental to our wellbeing both in mind and body, and which is sorely neglected, can be tamed to improve our health in all areas of our lives: physical, relational, work, leisure and emotional of course.
I have been fortunate enough to be trained with some of the leading professionals in mindfulness in the UK (and the USA). It has been an honour to train with Professor Willem Kuyken, Christina Feldman, Alison Evans, and latterly Kristin Neff, which has had a deeply transformational effect in my life. However, despite finding myself in a most beautiful part of the World, peaceful and at times truly joyous, I find my mind is still troubled by events in the world and notice my feelings of sadness and compassion for the suffering perpetuated by belief systems which have their roots in distorted thoughts and base conditioning.
In this Post Truth World, in which the stories we are told may be true or the fabrication of some deluded narcissist, or indeed the rumours circling in social media, it is increasingly difficult to know what to think, often emulate the rumours of our own tormented minds. We do of course have to start with ourselves. Our own thoughts can appear to be our enemy – an incessant chatter of do’s and don’ts, shoulds and ought tos, which can wear us down, making us feel anxious and low, sometimes even in the midst of apparent paradise. I am myself not immune to such thoughts despite my training and practice. I am a work in progress, but have learnt a great deal so far on this journey.
As such, now I am living here in France, I would like to offer the opportunity to my fellows, who may be curious about what mindfulness is and isn’t, an insight initially with a short 4 week course. I have no idea what the appetite is here for such a course but since the impact on my life has been profound, and I know that my facilitation of courses has deeply affected my participants too, some also with transformative results, I feel that this is something I can offer as a possible antidote to the craziness both sometimes inside our own heads and apparent in the outside world.
However, you do not have to be deranged, anxious or in pain to gain benefits from a course in mindfulness. The practice helps to return you to your own nature, to increase feelings of wellbeing, peace and happiness, even joy. Sharing in the group environment helps us to tap into the common humanity evident in all of us, and to deepen our connection to our fellows, and to the world. As Jon Kabat-Zinn would say ‘coming to our senses’.
Two initial short courses will be offered of 4 weeks as an introduction to mindfulness and and introduction to mindful self compassion at a cost of €80, pre-payable before the course as a demonstration of commitment, after which there would be the opportunity to deepen understanding with a further 4 weeks.
I will also be offering themed workshops on ‘The Mindful Menopause’ ‘Ageing Wildly’ ‘Mindfulness for Parents’ Mindfulness in Schools’ subject to demand.
So I invite people who are interested to contact me initially by email:- [email protected]
As yet times dates and venue are unconfirmed but likely to be in St Antonin Noble Val in April 2019.
Wishing you kindness in all aspects of your lives
Karen
below is a link to an excellent article about Jon Kabat-Zinn and how he conceived of the secular mindfulness programmes now prevalent throughout the world today.
