Mindfulness - be kind to yourself

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’.