Breathworks Mindfulness Course
for Stress Reduction & Living Well
Cardiff: 10th Jan – 21st Feb 2015.
FULLY BOOKED
Event details:
Title: | Breathworks Mindfulness Course for Stress Reduction & Living Well. |
Date & Time: | 4 Saturday Sessions. 10th Jan, 24th Jan, 7th Feb & 21st Feb 2015. 12:00 – 5:30pm. (course length 22 hours) |
Venue: | Cardiff Yoga Studio, 12 St Peters Street, Roath, Cardiff. CF24 3BA. |
Tutor: | Chris Joseph. |
Fee: | £200 (waged) / £120 (unwaged). For company funded places please contact us. |
If you would like to attend but can’t make this date please take a look at the right hand column for other events coming up, or join the newsletter to receive early notification about future mindfulness events.
Why practice mindfulness?
If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, work more effectively with the stress of pain or illness, or simply wish to live well and further enhance the quality of your life, then practicing mindfulness can help you.
Some of the recognised benefits of practicing mindfulness include:
- Feeling more centred, focused and calm
- Managing difficult thoughts and emotions
- Being able to set aside worries and find greater peace of mind
- Developing greater acceptance, kindness and compassion towards yourself and others
- Increasing your awareness of pleasant events and surroundings so that you can live a far richer life
- Being able to live more fully in the present moment
- Achieving greater levels of contentment and happiness
- Increasing your confidence to take the initiative whatever life brings
“If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are… If we don’t really know where we are standing—a knowing that comes directly from the cultivation of mindfulness—we may only go in circles, for all our efforts and expectations.”
(Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are’)
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness (or mindful awareness) is a state of present-moment attention in which you can clearly perceive thoughts, physical sensations, emotions and events at the moment they occur without reacting in an automatic or habitual way. This means that you can make choices as to how you respond to things and have a rich and fulfilling life, even when experiencing difficult circumstances.
Mindfulness-based practices have been gaining significant media attention of late. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), on which the Breathworks approach is a development, are well respected and proven approaches that have already helped thousands of people live in a far more open, confident and relaxed way.
There have been extensive research studies proving the effectiveness of mindfulness based approaches in dealing with many things including low levels of stress and anxiety, recurring episodes of depression, and also for helping people live well with pain and illness.
You don’t have to be ‘ill’, however, to benefit from practicing mindfulness, and various mindfulness-based approaches are currently being taught in schools and within many workplaces including the NHS.
Breathworks CIC (Community Interest Company) is an independent not-for-profit organisation that provides mindfulness-based approaches to help people living with pain, long term illness or stress of any kind, so that they can manage their condition and improve their quality of life. For more information about Breathworks visit: www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk.
What will I learn on this course?
The Breathworks Mindfulness for Stress Reduction and Living Well course is a secular programme which teaches mindfulness skills to ease the suffering associated with stress, anxiety and depression. It also helps people who are working with the stress associated with persistent pain, ill health, or just the general demands of life.
During each session you will learn new mindfulness strategies and approaches within a warm and friendly group setting.
On this course you will learn:
- Breath and body awareness to relax your mind and energise your body.
- Mindful movements to gently stretch and strengthen your body.
- Meditation to create focus, concentration and awareness.
- Awareness of thoughts and emotions and how to deal with them to develop greater peace of mind.
- To develop greater kindness and compassion towards yourself and others.
- Awareness of your surroundings so that you can live a far richer life.
- How to develop a regular home mindfulness meditation practice.
The only prerequisite for joining the course is a willingness and commitment to engage fully with the programme, which will
involve home practice of 30-40 minutes a day between sessions. You will receive 3 CDs of guided meditations and a handbook to
help you achieve this so that you can get the most out of the course.
What does this course include?
This mindfulness course includes:
- 22 hours of mindfulness tuition from a qualified Breathworks trainer.
- Mindfulness course handbook.
- 3 CD’s containing 3 different guided mindfulness practices.
- Full provision of all meditation equipment during sessions.
- Additional support assistant to provide extra assistance during sessions.
- Unlimited e-mail support between sessions.
- Certificate of attendance (upon request).
To download an overview of the course please click the following link (Note: The full 8 week syllabus will be covered in the 4 Saturday afternoon sessions of this course): Mindfulness for Stress Overview
Who’s the course suitable for?
This mindfulness course is suitable for:
- Beginners who want to learn mindfulness in a structured way and experience the benefits that practicing it can offer them.
- People who have previously attended a mindfulness course (Breathworks / MBSR / MBCT) and who want to re-engage with their mindfulness practice, and remind themselves of the benefits of meditating regularly.
- Anyone who is feeling the stress of life, and simply wants to take some well-earned time out for themselves, relax and learn mindfulness within a supportive group setting.
Who will be your trainer?
Your trainer for this course will be Chris Joseph. Chris is a fully qualified Breathworks Mindfulness Trainer, and has been practicing mindfulness regularly since 2007. He is married with two young children, and lives in Caerphilly, South Wales. You can read more about Chris by clicking here.
What have previous participants said about the course?
In response to the question “How important has the Breathworks Programme been for you?” the average score of ALL participants was 8.7/10. The following comments explain why…
“I feel that I’ve got a sense of balance, perspective and an awareness of being a ”bigger container” from the Breathworks course. Chris communicated creatively with humour, confidence and humility… The course was most enjoyable.” (Ceri)
“The course was well structured and fun… I have learnt to take some time out for myself. The CD”s are really good for helping with the home practice. Chris was very good at recapping from the previous week, jogging the memory and then building on that information. He made us all feel at ease which enabled us to talk quite openly.” (Rebecca)
“The course has given me better tools to facilitate a more serene lifestyle, building my awareness, and learning to make time for me. I feel I have gained a broader perspective on things. I enjoyed Chris’ subtle yet effective methods of demonstrating key points of the course. He showed a lot of patience and fully supported my progress.” (Christian)
“Through the Breathworks course I’ve recognised the benefit to my overall mood of stopping and giving my brain a chance to rest, reflect and be calm. Chris communicated the material really well – he organised the sessions to cover all the material while remaining relaxed and open to discussion. I thought Chris paced the course well, and broke it up into clear sections, with a clear theme to each section, with images and role play to leave a memorable impression. Thanks – I”ve really enjoyed the course… It”s made a difference to me.” (Kate)
“Breathworks has given me a chance to put into practice, discuss and report back on methods that have helped me feel calmer and cope with anxiety. The routine of the programme has pushed me into practicing these methods regularly which will all round be beneficial to me. The material was explained well and methods were recalled on throughout the weeks. Individuals were given time and chance to speak without feeling pushed and Chris made it a comfortable environment in which to practice in… A successful course! Thank you.” (Bethany)
“The Breathworks course has given me some positive and constructive ‘tools’ for life and some new ways of seeing the world. Chris was a super tutor. He made me feel involved and welcome even before the course began. He gave excellent and really thoughtful explanations and obviously really cared about what happened on and through the course… I have already recommended the course to others.” (Frances)
To read more course testimonials please click here.
How do I book?
To book your place on this mindfulness course please click the button below!
Space is limited to 15 participants, so we recommend early booking to avoid disappointment.