About Mindfulness
There is much that has been written about mindfulness - in fact it seems to be everywhere (notice how often you hear phrases like 'we need to be mindful' on the TV and radio).
Briefly then, current day mindfulness has its roots in the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. In the late 1970s whilst at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre he devised mindfulness based stress reduction courses. Since then he has helped thousands of people with a range of medical ailments including heart conditions, cancer, high blood pressure and sleep disorders to name but a few. Importantly though he did not offer the courses as a way to eliminate pain but as a new way of relating to it.
Courses in Britain have since been heavily influenced by the work of three cognitive behavioural therapists, Williams, Siegal and Teasdale. They developed Kabat-Zinn's work to help people whose depression kept coming back. Their understanding of how a small initial low mood could activate a chain of associations which can form into negative thought patterns has led to much of the mindfulness we have today.
The mindfulness courses we run are not therapeutic interventions. They are to help each of us to help ourselves in a warm, friendly and safe environment which is relaxing and nurturing.
A definition: There are many definitions of Mindfulness so here is one of them:
Mindfulness is being more fully aware of your own experience, in the present moment in a non-judgemental way.
Parliament has recently published a report on how useful mindfulness can be and recommended that it be included in all areas of life.
This is a nice description of mindfulness from Dan Siegel's book, Mindsight:
Mindfulness is a form of mental activity that trains the mind to become aware of awareness itself and to pay attention to one's own intention...it requires paying attention to the present moment from a stance that is non-judgemental and nonreactive. At the heart of of this process, I believe, is a form of internal 'tuning in' to oneself that enables people to become their 'own best friend'...this gives us flexibility and resilience.
Briefly then, current day mindfulness has its roots in the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. In the late 1970s whilst at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre he devised mindfulness based stress reduction courses. Since then he has helped thousands of people with a range of medical ailments including heart conditions, cancer, high blood pressure and sleep disorders to name but a few. Importantly though he did not offer the courses as a way to eliminate pain but as a new way of relating to it.
Courses in Britain have since been heavily influenced by the work of three cognitive behavioural therapists, Williams, Siegal and Teasdale. They developed Kabat-Zinn's work to help people whose depression kept coming back. Their understanding of how a small initial low mood could activate a chain of associations which can form into negative thought patterns has led to much of the mindfulness we have today.
The mindfulness courses we run are not therapeutic interventions. They are to help each of us to help ourselves in a warm, friendly and safe environment which is relaxing and nurturing.
A definition: There are many definitions of Mindfulness so here is one of them:
Mindfulness is being more fully aware of your own experience, in the present moment in a non-judgemental way.
Parliament has recently published a report on how useful mindfulness can be and recommended that it be included in all areas of life.
This is a nice description of mindfulness from Dan Siegel's book, Mindsight:
Mindfulness is a form of mental activity that trains the mind to become aware of awareness itself and to pay attention to one's own intention...it requires paying attention to the present moment from a stance that is non-judgemental and nonreactive. At the heart of of this process, I believe, is a form of internal 'tuning in' to oneself that enables people to become their 'own best friend'...this gives us flexibility and resilience.
