Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction - the formal eight-week programme

DRAFT COPY:  Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Eight weeks, online

A therapeutic approach that combines the idea of cognitive behavioural therapy with mindfulness practices. 

Facilitators   Jemma Archer

Time                9.30am - 11.30am

Tuesdays      Oct 04, 11, 25 Nov: 02, 09, 16, 13, 23, 30 

Day of Practice:    Saturday 13 July 2024, 10:00  - 16:00

In this interactive, online programme, Connie and Yasmin train participants in mindfulness and meditation for wellbeing, following the NICE-recommended MBCT programme curriculum to address stress, anxiety, low mood and reactivity. The course aims to enhance overall physical and mental wellbeing through mindful awareness cultivation. The benefits of MBCT can include:

• Increased self-awareness and self-confidence
• Raised ability to handle stressful situations
• Learning how to handle your thoughts, moods and emotions more effectively
• Improved cognitive effectiveness and capacity for decision-making
• Enhanced focus and attention

This course includes:

• Meditation practices
• Short talks
• Discussion groups
• Links to audio recordings for home use

Apart from the initial orientation session, each subsequent two-hour online weekly session consists of mindfulness meditation and cognitive therapy exercises designed to increase body and mind awareness and develop capacities to step back from automatic reactivity and unhelpful habits of thinking like rumination, worry and self-criticism. 

Course Schedule

Orientation Week  - Tue, 04 Jun, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 1: Automatic Pilot - Tue, 11 Jun, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 2: Living in our Heads - Tue, 16 Jun, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 3: Gathering the Scattered Mind - Tue, 25 Jun, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 4: Recognising Reactivity - Tue, 02 Jul, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 5: Gently Being with the Difficult - Tue, 09 Jul, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 6: Thoughts are not Necessarily Facts - Tue, 16 Jul, 09:30 – 11:30

Half Day Practice: Sat, 13 Jul, 10:00 - 16:00

Session 7: How can I Best Take Care of Myself? - Tue, 23 Jul, 09:30 – 11:30

Session 8: Mindfulness for Life -  Tue, 30 Jul, 09:30 – 11:30

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

 

Connie Au-Yeung, MA, MBCT & Deeper Mindfulness Teacher

Connie is a British Hongkonger, passionate about bringing secular mindfulness practices to diverse and multicultural communities.   She has a background in language teaching, medical communication and science research. Having worked in London, Tokyo, Doha and Cairo and raising a bilingual family in Devon, Connie is passionate about bringing secular mindfulness practices to diverse and multicultural communities. "I see mindfulness cultivation as a space for deepening connection, belonging and presence."

Education: Masters Degrees in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (University of Leicester) and Neuroscience and Developmental Biology (University of Cambridge).

Personal Practice: Insight meditation practitioner since 2011, compassion, Insight Dialogue, pilates, and Qigong.

Teacher Training: The Mindfulness Network, Sussex Mindfulness Centre and Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.

Yasmin Gunaratnam, MSc, PhD, Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher

Yasmin is a Professor in Social Justice at the Centre for Public Policy Research, Kings College (London) researching health, migration, loss, and healing. Originally from Sri Lanka, she is a yoga practitioner and academic with over 25 years of experience in teaching and training in non-profit sectors,  including university lecturing since 2008. 

Yasmin is dedicated to inclusive mindfulness and addressing social injustices.  She explores simple mindfulness practices to awaken awareness, drawing from her research on health, migration, and healing. "The beauty of mindfulness is that this type of 'falling awake' can happen through small practices that can be easily learnt"

Education MSC Sociology with special reference to medicine (Royal Holloway), PhD. Social Policy and Administration (LSE).

Personal Practice: Explores contemplative social justice and embodied pedagogies; mindfulness and neurodiversity and the effects of living with social injustice.

Teacher Training: The Mindfulness Network (Teacher Training Level One) and Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.

WHO WILL THIS COURSE BENEFIT?

If you're dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood, or simply feeling dissatisfied with life, this course equips you with tools to navigate these challenges effectively. We prioritise enrolling mental health professionals based or in training in the London Borough of Ealing to foster peer support and local interdisciplinary connections. Open to adults aged 18 and above.

Is this the right time for you to take this programme?

Connie and Simon are trained trauma-informed Mindfulness teachers. They are not therapists or medically qualified professionals. This course is not suitable for people currently experiencing severe mental health issues or emotional disturbances. It is advisable not to take this course if you have undergone bereavement, trauma or other major life events in the past six months.   Please read 'Is This Course Right For Me' before registering.

SUBSIDY FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

While this programme is usually priced at £300 online, we're pleased to extend a considerable discount to mental health and helping professionals in the London Borough of Ealing.

YARDO is a non-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing local connections for the well-being of our entire community. Our initiatives rely on volunteer contributions and substantial fundraising efforts to offer affordable, quality-assured programmes. Please take advantage of the subsidised ticket rate of £200, available to all helping professionals currently training or working in the London Borough of Ealing.