8-WEEKM.B.S.R.PROGRAMME(MindfulnessBasedStressReduction)

BAMBOOLOFT,9AWATERWORKSROAD,OMAGH

Aninternationallyrecognized8-weekcourseoriginallycreatedbyJonKabatZinnandcolleaguesM.B.S.R.designedtoteachpeoplepracticesthatleadtodeepinsight,health,wellbeingandauthenticjoy.Mindfulnessiswayofbeing.Itisawayofpayingattentiontolifeexactlyasitisineverymoment.Livinginthepresentmomentconnectsustoourdeepestselvesregardlessofwhat’shappeningallaroundus.Overtimewedevelopasenseofcalmandclaritythatkeepsusdeeplyrooted,nomatterwhat.Thisqualityofbeingissometimesreferredtoasresilience.

TheM.B.S.R.programmehasbeenscientificallyproventopositivelyandoftenprofoundlyaffectpeople’sabilitytoreducephysicalandpsychologicaldistresswhilelearningtolivewithmoreacceptance,compassion,peaceandjoy.Asyoupracticeyouwillexperienceyourself,justasyouarewithoutjudging,analysingorneedingtofixanything.Embeddingthepracticesandintegratingthemintoyoureverydaylifewillallowyoutodrawonyourinnerresourcestofacewhatevercomesyourwaywithacalmbody,lightheart,quietmindandfreespirit.TheBenefitsofParticipatinginanMBSRProgramme:• Noticeableimprovementinphysicalandpsychologicalsymptoms.• Increasedenergyandenthusiasmforlifeandtheabilitytorelax.• Moreself-awareness/compassion/confidence.• Thecapacitytocopewithuncomfortableordistressingsituationsincludingchronicpain.• Agreaterabilitytotrustinyourself,tocommunicatemoreeffectivelyandtoenjoythe

companyofotherswithout,inanyway,needingto‘change’‘improve’or‘mend’theirlives.

Typicallytodaywiththenoiseanddistractionsallaroundusaroundusit’seasytoliveinastateof‘mindlessness’,alossofawarenessthatleadstoforgetfulness,asenseoflivingonautomaticpilot,beingconstantly‘busy’or‘onedge’andofnotknowingwhowereallyare.Mindfulness,ontheotherhand,isawayofbeingwithwhateverthereistobewithwithoutneedingtoavoid,changeorcontrolit.It’sawayofputtingyourselfinthedriverseatofyourownlifesothatyoucanconsciouslyrecogniseandworkwithyouranxiety,stress,uneaseandthemanychallengesanddemandsofeverydaylife.Mindfulness,sometimesreferredtoas‘heartfulness’or‘soulfulness’,recognisesthatlivinginbalancecallsustopayattentiontoallaspectsofourselves,bodyandmind,heartandsoul.InhabitingyourBody–TransformingyourMindMindfulnessisnotjustsomethingforyoutolearnabout.Itisnotasetoftoolsorhelpfulinformationtobeacquired.Itisalife-longtransformationalpractice.Itisaboutradicalacceptanceandrecognisingandchanginghabitsthatdonotserveyouwell.Evenifyouhavetemporarilyforgotten,everythingyouneedisalreadywithinyou.Youhavethecapacitytobefullypresenttoyourlifeasitisinanygivenmomentandtheinternalresourcestocopewithwhatevercomesyourway.M.B.S.R.willawakenyoutowhoyouarebeyondyourlimitingstoriesandtoyourdeepcopingskills.Itwillgiveyounewaccesstolivingyourlifetothefull.Whoisthisprogrammefor?TheanswerisANYONE…anyonewhowantstolivemorefully,freelyandjoyfully.However,M.B.S.R.isparticularlysuitedtopeoplewhowanttoreducestressandanxietyintheirlivesandtohavereliableaccesstopeaceofmind.WhilethepracticeshavebeenadaptedfromclassicalBuddhistmeditationandyogatraditions,MBSRisadeeplyhumanapproachthatoperatesinharmonywithanybeliefsystemorspiritualbackground.Costoftheprogramme:FullRate:£290–thisincludes26hoursoftuition,acoursehandbookandaccesstoalibraryofresourcesincludingarangeofguidedaudiomeditations.EarlyBirdRate:£265(forthosewhoregisterandpayinfullbyFebruary28th)

CORESESSIONSOFAN8-WEEKM.B.S.R.PROGRAMMEORIENTATION:Isthisforme?Thisisanopportunitytogetconnectedandtoaskquestionsorshareanyconcernsthatyoumayhave.Thisisnormallya15to30minutetelephoneconversationwhereyouwilllearnaboutthebenefitsofMBSRandhowitisdistinctfromothermindfulnesscourses.Youwillalsodiscoverhowitcanpositivelyaffectthequalityofyourhealthandwellbeing,reduceyourstressandfreeyoufromdistractingthoughtssothatyoucanbecalm,healthyandhappyinyoureverydaylife.WEEK2:BeingAwakeInthisfirstsessionyouwillmeetandgetconnectedwiththegroupandgetanoverviewofthecourse.Inthissessionyouwilldeterminewhatyoumostwanttogetfromthecourseandthepracticesthatwillgiveyouthat.Youwilllearnaboutthebasicprinciplesandpracticesofmindfulnessandhowtoapplytheminyourlifeandbeintroducedtoafewsimplepracticesthatwillhelpyoutocomeoutofautomaticpilotmodeandbecomefullypresenttowhateverishappeninginthehereandnow.WEEK2:WaysofSeeingAwarenessandperceptionarethekeystomindfulness.Howweseethingsdetermines,inalargepart,howwerespond.Inthisweek'ssessionyouwillbegintodiscoverthewayyouseetheworldandyournormalreactions.PracticingtheBodyScanandSittingMeditationsyouwillexplorehowtosimplybecuriousaboutyourexperiencesastheyarisewithoutanyneedtofixorchangethemandyouwillseethatbysimplychangingthewayyourelatetothingschangestheeffectsofstressonyourmindandbody.WEEK3:AtHomeInOne’sBodyInthissession,you'llpracticethefundamentalmindfulnesspracticesMindfulMovement,SittingMeditation,andWalkingMeditation.Therewillalsobetimetoshareyourinsightsandyourexperienceswithintegratingmindfulnesspracticesintoyourdailylife.You’lldiscoverwhatachallengeitisforeveryonetobefullypresentandthepleasureandpowerthereiswhenyoucanenterfullyintothepresentmoment.Youwillalsoexploretheexperienceofpleasanteventsandtheirimpactonyourbody,mindandemotions.WEEK4:StressandMindfulnessThepracticeofMindfulnesscultivatescuriosity,compassionandopennesstothefullrangeofourexperiences.Thisweek,yourpracticewillfocusonthedevelopmentofyourabilitytoconcentrateandexpandyourfieldofawareness.You'lllearnaboutthephysiologicalandpsychologicalbasesofstressreactivity,andexperiencemindfulstrategiesforrespondinginpositive,proactivewaystostressfulsituations.WEEK5:ThoughtsandStressThisweekfocusesontheplaceswhereyoumightbestuckandyou’llbegintorecognisetheunhealthythoughtpatternsthatmaybeholdingyouback.Youwillalsolearnhowtoapplymindfulnessatthecriticalmomentwhenyouexperienceaphysicalsensation,intenseemotionorintrusivethoughtpayingparticularattentiontohowyoureactincertainsituationsandhowthateffectsyourstresslevels.

WEEK6:BeingwithDifficultEmotionsThisweek,focusesonthewidevarietyandrangeofhumanemotionsandtheirpurpose.Throughmindfulnesspracticesyouwillexplorehowtocultivateemotionalintelligenceandresilienceanddevelophelpfulcopingstrategies.WEEK7:MindfulCommunicationThissessionwillexplorethefundamentalsofrelationshipandlooksatwaysofapplyingmindfulcommunicationinchallenginginterpersonalsituationswhencommunicationhasbecomedifficultorfraughtwithstrongemotions.Thiswillbeafunsessionwhereyouwilldirectlyexperienceofavarietyofstylesformoreeffectiveandcreativeinterpersonalcommunication.WEEK8:TakingCareofOneselfToworkwellmindfulnessneedstobeanon-goingpractice.Inthissessionwewillrevieweverythingthathasbeenlearnedsofaranddiscussthemanywaysyoucanintegratemindfulnesssustainablyintoyourlife.You'lllearnhowtomaintainthedisciplineandflexibilityofdailypracticeascircumstanceschangeoverthecourseofyourlife.You'llalsolearnaboutresourcesandsupportsavailabletoyoutohelpyoucontinuetointegrate,learn,andgrow.ALL-DAYRETREAT–SingYourOwnSong…Thisday-longguidedretreatwillbeawayofcompletingtheprogrammeandgettingtoknowothergraduatesofpreviousBambooLoft,MBSRprogrammes.Thisretreatisnormallyledinaspiritofcommunityandquiet,makingthebestofthebeautifulnaturalsurroundingsofGlenhordialFarm.Itisintendedtoassistyouinfirmlyembeddingallofthepracticesofthecoursesothatyoucandrawonthemfarbeyondtheconclusionoftheprogramme.ThehighlightofallofourMindfulnessRetreatsisthe‘BringandShare’lunchthatinvariablyturnsintoabanquetinbrightsunshine!

TEACHINGMETHODS

TheMBSRprogrammeisparticipatory.Theaimisthatovertimethegroupbecomesacommunityofsupportandbelonging.Fromtheverybeginningattentionispaidtocreateahighleveloftrustandconfidentiality.Whilethereissometeaching,mostoftheworkisdonethroughexperientiallearning,mindfulconversationsanddelicious‘mindfulnesscake’attheendofeveryevening!

ABOUTTHEMBSRTEACHERMARIAGARVEYhasbeenengagedintheworkoftransformationandhumanresilienceinmanydifferentcontexts.Shehasdesignedanddeliveredtraining,retreatsandworkshopstoindividuals,organizationsandcommunitygroupsbothnationallyandinternationally.Mariaisanexperiencedmindfulnesspractitionerandteacherandovertheyearsshehasaccompaniedmanyindividuals,groups,organizations,communitiesandchurchesthroughdifficulttransitionsusingmindfulnessbasedandothertransformationalapproaches.