THE 8 WEEK FINDING PEACE in a FRANTIC WORLD COURSE
(8 sessions)
Please see the Oxford Mindfulness Centre website for details about the Finding Peace in a Frantic World course.
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The Finding Peace course is a highly accessible, engaging and practical introduction to mindfulness.
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The course is designed to help people learn mindfulness skills to improve wellbeing and resilience to stress.
Week by Week Course Outline for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
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Each session is 1 1/4 hours long
Week 1 - Waking up to the automatic pilot
Week 2 - Keeping the body in mind
Week 3 - The mouse in the the maze
Week 4 - Moving beyond the rumour mill
Week 5 - Turning toward difficulties
Week 6 - Practicing kindness
Week 7 - When did you stop dancing?
Week 8 - Your wild and precious life
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You will need to purchase a copy of the book that accompanies this course:
Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World. It’s available from all good bookshops.
The book comes with a set of guided meditations, so that participants can continue to practise at home.
If possible, it is recommended to try and carry out the suggested home practice which is a gentle but regular daily discipline of various meditation and awareness practices. It is suggested that a total of 10-20 mins (spread throughout the day), 6 days a week is set aside for these practices (but it is possible to benefit with less practice time).
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To get the most from the course it is recommended that you try and attend at least 6 out of the 8 sessions. Topics covered in weeks missed can be caught up in your own time using the book.
THE 8 WEEK MBCT for LIFE COURSE
(Orientation session + 8 sessions + retreat day)
Please see the Oxford Mindfulness Centre website for full details about the Mindfulness for Life course.
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The MBCT-L course is intended to be transformational.
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It is designed to cultivate wellbeing and has some new practices and exercises, for example:
appreciation of the pleasant and befriending.
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Week by Week Course Outline for MBCT-L
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Each session is 2 hours long.
Orientation Session - An opportunity to meet each other and learn about the course
Week 1 - Waking up from automatic pilot
Week 2 - Another way of being: Keeping the body in mind
Week 3 - Gathering the scattered mind
Week 4 - Recognising reactivity
Week 5 - Allowing and letting be
Week 6 - Responding skilfully: Thoughts are not facts
Retreat day - Deepening practice
Week 7 - How can I best take care of myself?
Week 8 - Mindfulness for life
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A workbook with a set of guided meditations accompanies the course, so that participants can continue to practise at home. If possible, it is recommended to try and carry out the suggested home practice which is a gentle but regular daily discipline of various meditation and awareness practices. It is suggested that a total of 20-45 mins (spread throughout the day), 6 days a week is set aside for these practices (but it is possible to benefit with less practice time).
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To get the most from the course it is recommended that you try and attend at least 7 out of the 10 sessions. Topics covered in weeks missed can be caught up in your own time using the workbook or handouts. Each session includes guided meditations and group discussions. The meditations are practised either seated in chairs or lying down.
THE ORIGINAL 8 WEEK MBCT COURSE
(Orientation session + 8 sessions)
The 8 week course is designed to develop practices that help us be in the present moment. In the course we learn new ways to respond to our thoughts and feelings, this can help overcome stress, anxiety and depression.
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Over the 8 weeks of the course, the practices help you:
- to become familiar with the workings of your mind
- to notice the times when you are at risk of getting caught in old habits of mind that re-activate downward mood spirals
- to explore ways of releasing yourself from those old habits and, if you choose, enter a different way of being.
- to put you in touch with a different way of knowing yourself and the world
- to notice small beauties and pleasures in the world around you instead of living in your head.
- to be kind to yourself instead of wishing things were different all the time, or driving yourself to meet impossible goals.
- to find a way so you don’t have to battle with yourself all the time
- to accept yourself as you are, rather than judging yourself all the time.
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Week by Week Course Outline for MBCT
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Each session is 2 hours long.
Orientation session - An opportunity to meet each other and learn about the course
Week 1 - Beyond automatic pilot
Week 2 - Another way of knowing
Week 3 - Coming home to the present - gathering the scattered mind
Week 4 - Recognising aversion
Week 5 - Allowing things to be as they already are
Week 6 - Seeing thoughts as thoughts
Week 7 - Kindness in action
Week 8 - What now?
A workbook and/or handouts with a set of guided meditations accompanies the course, so that participants can continue to practise at home. If possible, it is recommended to try and carry out the suggested home practice which is a gentle but regular daily discipline of various meditation and awareness practices. It is suggested that a total of 20-45 mins (spread throughout the day), 6 days a week is set aside for these practices (but it is possible to benefit with less practice time).
​
To get the most from the course it is recommended that you try and attend at least 7 out of the 9 sessions. Topics covered in weeks missed can be caught up in your own time using the workbook or handouts. Each session includes guided meditations and group discussions. The meditations are practised either seated in chairs or lying down.
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