What is a Mindfulness Practice Day?  A Mindfulness Practice Day is a ‘mini-retreat’ day event for those who have completed an 8-session mindfulness course, such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, Breathworks, “.b” Foundations or “Peace in a Frantic World”.  It is ideal for refreshing and deepening your mindfulness practice.  If you are currently attending an MBSR course with Holistic Education, this is included in that.

What is the outline of the day?  From 9am to 11am, beginners are welcome as this will be a time to introduce and review practices.  Then, from 11am to 11:30am there is a tea break.  Please bring biscuits and fruit to share.

From 11:30am, the session continues for MBSR/MBCT graduates.  This includes longer practices done in silence. From 1:30pm onwards, the day is gradually brought to a close, ending by 2pm.

What will we be doing? Throughout, the focus is on deepening into the experience of the present moment with compassion and friendliness.  Included are sitting practices, mindful movement, compassion-based practices, the body scan and others.  The teachings are secular, originating from standardised mindfulness courses, such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction and following the UK Network of Mindfulness Teachers’ Good Practice Guidelines.

What do I need to bring?  Bring what you need, such as a mat or cushion (if you  wish to sit on the floor) and a yoga mat for the mindful movement practices.  There are straight back chairs provided for sitting on if preferred.  A blanket is recommended for warmth if needed, particularly if the weather is cold.  Bring biscuits and fruit to share in the tea break.  Facilites for making warm drinks – tea, coffee, etc – will be provided.

Who will lead the practices?  Dr Bernadette Carelse, an experienced and qualified mindfulness teacher, will be leading the practices.  She has been practicing meditation and mindful movement since 1993 and teaching since 1998.  Since 2013, following additional training to teach mindfulness, she fulfills the UK Network of Mindfulness Teachers Good Practice Guidelines for teaching mindfulness-based courses (see http://mindfulnessteachersuk.org.uk).  She regularly runs standardised mindfulness courses, including Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction.  The Mindfulness Practice Day is a part of the MBSR course running currently.

For more information on this, see https://holisticeducation.co.uk/mindfulness/mbsr/.

How much does it cost?  The cost of the day is by donation. Please reserve a place in advance.