When I started the Breathworks 8 week Mindfulness for stress
course I was already familiar with meditation and mindfulness but had let my
home practice slip. I was also feeling
very stressed and overloaded due to pressures at work and an emotionally difficult
personal time that I was experiencing. I
was hoping that this course would teach me the skills to approach stressful
situations differently and to be kinder to myself.
Kath (the tutor) was a calming presence right from the
start, with a very kind, peaceful and friendly approach. We were welcomed to the first session with
gentle group introductions and our well-presented home study course overview
booklet and our meditation practice c.d.’s.
Our home study was very enjoyable with meditation, movement and
mindfulness practice for our daily lives, it was easy enough to follow but also
challenging enough to fully engage the mind and body.
Each session started and ended with a gentle guided
meditation which I found a perfect way to relax and settle and to open my body
and mind to my own awareness and experience.
The meditations increased in length as the course progressed which felt
a very natural and gentle progression.
The course was presented in an interactive and easy to
understand way with guided meditations, mindful movement, poetry, gentle role
play and discussion. I found it very
beneficial that Kath facilitated easy going discussions alongside the teachings
which was delivered in a very engaging and thought provoking way and at just
the right pace to keep us focused on the practice of mindfulness throughout
each session. Although Kath guided us
through the course over the 8 weeks, we were also encouraged to explore our
own
ideas in relation to our own experiences, which created a feeling of being
valued as an individual as well as interest and belonging in the group.
The course has allowed me to feel like I can breathe again. I now find that I am dealing with potentially
stressful situations in a much calmer way. I am much more aware of my mind and body
experience in the moment, and so rather than just reacting mindlessly to
difficult situations or experiences I can now accept them more easily which
helps me to ‘let go’ rather than dwell on them. I really don’t feel so rushed and pressured all
the time and my thought process has become much clearer. I have also noticed that I am being more kind
to myself which is something that in the past I have found difficult. Thanks to the course I now have a regular
mediation practice again which I now find an enjoyable and empowering
experience rather than being ‘something I have to do’.
