Mindfulness

Mindfulness is knowing what is happening, when it is happening, without preference
Rob Nairn

Mindfulness is a turning towards life….To live life as if each moment is important, as if each moment counted and could be worked with, even if it is a moment of pain, sadness, despair or fear
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness is loving all the details of our lives

Pema Chodron

I have completed 3 years of training with the Mindfulness Association and the Train to Teach courses. I was awarded my readiness to teach certificate for the Mindfulness Based Living Course at Samye Ling in January 2020. I teach the MBLC course as part of my work as a Thistle Foundation Wellbeing Practitioner in Mayfield in Midlothian. I also teach a 5 week Mindfulness in Nature Course that I designed – it is a genuine pleasure to help others to connect with nature in a way that benefits their own wellbeing. I am a BAMBA registered teacher and am pleased to be on the list of tutors for the Everyone Project which seeks to broaden access to Mindfulness courses to disadvantaged and isolated groups, often those living with multiple stressors.

I believe that a grounding in mindfulness and compassion can help free us from the turmoil of the thinking mind, can help us to experience our deep interconnections – both to each other and to the earth, and can help us to develop our full potential to be effective agents for change in the world. Research has shown that a regular mindfulness practice can:

Reduce stress and anxiety
Improve sleep and eating habits
Help us cope with long-term conditions and pain
Improve quality of life
Improve relationships

I am a trained social worker and practice teacher and have worked in user-led disability and campaigning organisations for around 30 years. I am passionate about the potential of bringing mindfulness to those for whom it is often inaccessible.

Audio files for the practices on the Mindfulness Based Living Course.
Recognising the Unsettled Mind: