Mindfulness

What is Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about learning to stay in the present moment without judgement, allowing you to be come aware of all that is around you and inside you, and all you do have (gratitude). It helps you to be aware of your Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions and Sensations as they are all connected and you can choose how and when to accept them.

Learning to be Mindful takes time, but can be built up through practice. Overtime the benefits can be amazing: it can help you feel calmer less stressed, you can be kinder to yourself, you can cope better with difficult situation and difficult thoughts, you become more self-aware, and so much more……

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

MBSR was developed by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. It brought together mindfulness practice and yoga into an 8 week intensive course of group sessions and homework tasks. Research shows that MBSR can help empower patients with physical ailments like chronic pain, hypertension and gastrointestinal disorders. It can also help with anxiety, low mood and panic.

MBCT like MBSR, and is a treatment developed taking place over 8 weeks, with daily homework tasks. As well as mindfulness practices it includes information about depression and cognitive therapy based exercises that explore thinking and its impact on feeling. MBCT also teaches people to pay attention to the present moment rather than thinking too much about the past or the future. It gives people mindfulness techniques for managing the negative thoughts that CBT shows can start to cause a negative spiral into depression. By learning mindfulness techniques like the body scan, it encourages people to develop awareness of their own body and their personal signs that a depressive episode might be returning.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. It combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness, which can be defined as a mental state that involves being fully focused on "the now" so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgement or attachment.

Mindfulness meditation can be done on your own or in groups, it doesn’t involve any fancy equipment, just some simple steps:

  • Get comfortable - you don’t have to sit crossed legged like on the pictures, just somewhere comfortable but not to comfortable that you may fall asleep and try to keep the spin straight and a line.

  • Set a timer -decide how long you wish to do it for and set the timer, if its your first, maybe start with 5 minutes and build from there.

  • Focus on breathing - be aware of your breath and feel the sensations as you inhale and exhale.

  • Connect with the sense - connect with the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and sensations all around you.

  • Notice your thoughts - allow your thoughts to come and go like clouds.

  • Connect with the body - scan your whole body from the crown of head to the soles of your feet by checking with each part.

  • Be kind to yourself - don’t be hard on yourself if your mind wondered, it takes practise. Be grateful of how far you have came!!!

I have practised Mindfulness for many years and have incorporated it into my classes throughout the years. I am a qualified Mindfulness Teacher and have trained in both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). I run private 1-2-1 sessions and group session. Mindfulness is also combined throughout any session of hypnotherapy that you book with me.

Mindfulness 30 minutes 1-2-1 - £15

Mindfulness 1 hour 1-2-1 - £25

Mindfulness and Meditation Group - Next group coming soon