Designed for charities, businesses and higher education institutes

"I’m really delighted that the chaplaincy has been able to offer this course to university staff"  E Sharples (Chaplain) Queen Mary University London

"Thanks Bob for a very useful, informative and enjoyable course. I got a lot from it and look forward to using some of the many tips you gave us as I develop this valuable practice" QMUL staff member

"With an ever-increasing body of neuroscience evidence indicating that mindfulness practice can help reduce people’s stress and improve performance, mindfulness in the workplace can offer a toolkit in these extraordinary times and beyond" The Mindfulness Initiative (2020)

Many organisations and companies now recognise the value of mindfulness training for their staff and for themselves. It's now accepted that stress and poor communication impact on the well-being of staff as well as the performance of the organisation.

This First Steps in Mindfulness course is designed to fit into busy working schedules and focusses on teaching tools and techniques that can be used with confidence. The 4 x 1:15 hr sessions usually take place over lunch or towards the end of the day. Groups are typically 12-16 which makes the course intimate and affordable organisations.

Mindfulness - first steps (4 week course)

This four week course gives a firm introduction to mindfulness and core mindfulness skills. It includes practices from the classic 8 week MBSR (Mindfulness based stress reduction) course, however, it is necessarily a more condensed experience. Attending all the sessions and undertaking the homework is therefore even more important.

"Insightful (4 week) course and a great introduction to MSBR, the tutor has some great first-hand knowledge and experience in the practice" (Participant 2019)

"Practicing Mindfulness has made me understand how much time I spent on autopilot and has given me a new perspective on how enriching it is to pay attention to the present moment." (Susan 2016)

sessions

  1. What is mindfulness and our automatic pilot?
  2. The importance of developing our mind body connection
  3. Working with difficulty and exploring our habitual thoughts
  4. Weaving mindfulness into our daily lives

The course is for the general public but may be of special interest to staff, working in charities, education or the NHS, who would like to better understand stress and how to manage it mindfully. It is not a therapeutic or counselling course. It is an experiential course - learning by doing and exploring.

Activities will include exploring techniques and discussing experiences with other participants and the course tutor. Weekly "homework" will be set using simple worksheets and guided meditation recordings. To get the maximum benefit from the course participants should commit to attend all the sessions, do a daily meditation at home for 10-20 minutes and carry out some simple assignments between sessions.

No previous knowledge or experience is required but you may wish to read around the subject to supplement the experience. We recommend Prof Mark Williams book "Finding Peace in a Frantic World" and Michael Chaskalson's book "Mindfulness in 8 weeks"

"Bob created a safe space, an approachable and welcoming environment. It is not an easy task to introduce concepts and practice to a group of stressed, wired and tired attendees and he maintained a great attitude and patience throughout, which we adopted. The informative handouts in class plus emails were great, I was able to utilise the 3 min breathing technique during course of my working day and have found myself noting my breathing style after the course had ended. I also liked at the beginning, the mention of how this is not a therapy session, and emphasis on homework, as it helps manage expectations". (Natasha 2019)

feedback

Feedback provided by participants in Mindfulness - First Steps, November 2019. All responding participants...
  • Rated the Quality of teaching Excellent-Very Good
  • Felt they learned enough to practice on their own
  • Strongly Agreed that "This course will help me cope better with stress in my personal life"
  • Strongly/Somewhat Agreed that "This course will help me cope better with stress at work"
  • 85% of respondents were Satisfied or Very Satisfied with the course overall
  • Q: "How likely is it that you would recommend our course to a friend or colleague? "  Net Promoter Score of 43. (Very good)

 

Onboard Barge Fiodra