Be MindfulA national campaign by the Mental Health Foundation

www.bemindful.co.ukwww.wellmindmedia.com

Campaign Web Site

Campaign Web Site

Database of Mindfulness Courses

Social Media

Mindfulness On-lineMental Health Foundation

www.bemindful.co.ukwww.wellmindmedia.com

Online Mindfulness Course

Web Site

Perceived Stress Test

Online Meditation

Breathing Space

Mindfulness Assignments

Downloads Library

www.breathworks-mindfulness.co.uk

info@breathworks.co.uk

BREATHWORKS & MINDFULNESS

Training in arriving in present moment over & over

&Profoundly changing relationship with

pain/fatigue/illness/ dis-ease

MINDFULNESS COURSES

PROGRAMME MODULES• Breath Awareness • 3 ‘formal’ mindfulness meditations

– Body Scan, – Mindfulness of Breathworks, – Kindly Awareness

• Mindful Movement • Mindfulness in Daily Life

– Pacing – 3 minute breathing space

• General Mindfulness Training– Mindfulness of Thoughts & Emotions– Mindfulness of World– Mindfulness of Others

MATERIALS

• Handbook • 3 CDs

MINDFUL MOVEMENT

BREATHWORKS INTERNET COURSES

PRACTICES FOR ESTABLISHING MINDFULNESS

– 4 Ways of Establishing Mindfulness

– Body – Sensations (feelings)– Thoughts and emotions – including mood and

tendencies of heart/mind– how to become free of reactive behaviour

overcome suffering!

BREATHWORKS & MINDFULNESS

How do we use mindfulness as a health care intervention at Breathworks?

• Training in working wisely & compassionately with the difficult side of life in each present moment

• This is the place of freedom we can’t change the past – the future has not arrivedMindfulness is a middle-way between:

• suppression of present moment experience & • compulsively reacting to present moment

BREATHWORKS & MINDFULNESS

When living with pain/illness/difficulty the problem = sufferingTendency to be dominated by unpleasant side of life

Experienced as an overall ‘mass’ of suffering.

General tone of difficulty, loss, frustration, weariness etc

Training is to investigate with clarity, kindness and mindfulness one’s actual experience and make important discovery

BREATHWORKS & MINDFULNESS

Pain/difficulty can be divided into two levels:

PRIMARY SUFFERING = basic unpleasant sensations.

SECONDARY SUFFERING = REACTIONS

All the ways we say “I don’t want this” – mentally, emotionally, physically.

BREATHWORKS & MINDFULNESS

Primary suffering Secondary suffering

RESISTANCE AND RESENTMENT of Primary suffering = cause of Secondary suffering

PRIMARY SUFFERING -

Basic Unpleasant sensations

RESISTANCE

SECONDARY SUFFERING – Mental, emotional & physical reactions

SECONDARY SUFFERING – Mental, emotional & physical reactions

MANIFESTS AS EITHER

BLOCKING DROWNING ‘flip-flop’ between blocking & drowning

BLOCKING• hardening against unpleasant

sensations • restlessness• inability to ‘stop’ • feeling driven• addictions of all kinds, e.g. • emotionally brittle and edgy• anxiety• anger and irritability• denial • being ‘in head’, not body• overly controlling

DROWNING• feeling overwhelmed by unpleasant sensations• exhaustion• physical inactivity and loss of function, weakening of muscles

etc• giving up• lack of interest – vagueness • being emotionally dull and passive• depression• self-pity and victim mentality• tendency to catastrophise and loss of perspective• dominated by physical experience• loss of initiative – withdrawal - isolation

PRIMARY SUFFERING -

Basic Unpleasant sensations

MINDFULNESS HELPS ACCEPT

RESISTANCEMINDFLNESS SOFTENS / DISSOLVES

SECONDARY SUFFERING – Mental, emotional & physical reactions

MINDFULNESS HELPS REDUCE / OVERCOME