St. John's Central College

Course Title

Living Well, Living Mindfully.

(8 week Course in Mindful living based on the MBSR Programme)

Subject Area: Health & Wellness and Personal Development

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a technique for living in the present moment. Mindfulness is instinctive to all of us but with the rush of modern day living we often lose touch with what is most innate and nourishing for us. Cultivating Mindfulness or ‘Awareness’ supports you create greater clarity, understanding and insight so you can live your live in tune with your own rhythm and needs making choices that support your wellness. Mindfulness is an experiential way for you learn how to take better care of yourself by exploring the connection & interplay between your mind and body. Cultivating Mindfulness allows you to look at your stressors and habitual ways of responding to stress and exploring new approaches and ideas that help you respond more skilfully supporting you to live with a greater sense of ease, calm and peacefulness.

‘Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non- judgementally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but fail to realise the richness and the depth of our possibilities for growth & transformation’

(Jon Kabat Zinn,Wherever you go, there you are)

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme (MBSR)

Living Well, Living Mindfully is based on the the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) Programme. This was established in 1979 by Jon Kabat Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Boston USA. During the past 30 years over 18,000 people have completed the programme in the US and across the globe.  Over the past number of years, its roots have flourished into all areas of society from Education to Leadership & Corporate life. The Mindfulness Based Reduction Programme was originally established to support patients dealing with chronic pain issues but its richness and scope has spread into mainstream society to support each and every one of us to deal with the modern day stresses of everyday living

Benefits of Mindfulness:

The benefits of Mindfulness are unique for each participant. However participants report following completion of the course that they experience

• An      increased ability to relax
• An      ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful      situations
• Improved      self-esteem, self awareness and willingness to care for self.
• Greater      energy and enthusiasm for life

• Reduced anxiety, tension and fatigue
• Improved overall sense of well being & health

Benefits Continued:

The Centre for Mindfulness has completed extensive scientific research showing the effectiveness of MBSR in supporting improve Physical, Social and Emotional Health. I would be happy to share with you some papers detailing some of their findings or for more information please check out

Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society, Boston, USA.

http://www.umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=42426

Course Details:

2 Hours per Week for 8 Weeks. I would be happy to do this evenings (7pm- 9pm) or Wednesday Afternoons

One Day of Mindfulness (6^th Saturday or Sunday of the Course) – 11 – 4pm.

Throughout the 8 Weeks, Participants will be introduced to a wide variety of Mindfulness Meditation Practices including Breath Work, Body Awareness Practices, and Gentle Hatha Yoga & Mindful Movement Exercises & exploration of Mindful activities in daily life.

Participants will be introduced and explore Stress and the Psychology of Stress and develop awareness around their key stressors and skills to manage them more effectively.

Home Practice is a requirement for Participation and fundamental to support Participants integrate the practices into their daily lives.  Participants will be asked to complete a variety of practices at home for the duration of the course including Formal Practices (Guided Meditations) & Informal Practices such as Reflection and Writing.

The Class time together is used to practice formally together and to share and learn from each other’s experiences as we move from week to week.

Course Materials:

Course Booklet will be provided as well as 2 Guided Meditation CD’s.

Tue 24/01/2012 10 weeks 19:00-21:30 €110