According to the founder of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme (MBSR), Dr. Jon Kabatt-Zinn, mindfulness is:
Paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally.
Jon Kabatt-Zinn created the MBSR course in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Stress Reduction Clinic to support patients suffering stress, pain and chronic illness. The course is a skillful mind and body approach to well-being integrating ancient Eastern practices and Western neuroscience.
Happy and Healthy: Mindfulness Training Activates Left Pre-frontal ‘Cortex and Increases Immunity: Read Article
Mental and Emotional Clarity under Fire: Mindfulness Enhances Memory and Emotions of US Marines: Read Article
Mindfulness helps Mental Health in the Workplace: Read Article
Mindfulness for Work, Health, Education and Justice Settings: UK Government Interim Report: Mindful Nation: Read Article
The Benefits of Mindfulness for Children and Young People in School Settings: Read Article
The Implementation of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy: Learning from the UK Health Service Experience: Read Article
The Evidence
Almost 40 years later, there has been a rapid increase in research exploring the effectiveness of mindfulness in a variety of settings and situations.
Some of the research suggests the following:
- Mindfulness courses can be helpful as a single treatment to manage stress in individuals who do not experience mental ill health, as well as a joint intervention with other treatments for people who have symptoms of anxiety
- Mindfulness has an increasingly strong evidence base in a variety of settings and is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in treating depression with Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) a variation of the original MBSR course.
- MBSR in the workplace can decrease perceived stress, and increase concentration levels, including memory tasks and multi-tasking
(W R Marchand, “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress”, 2012).
Why Practise Mindfulness?
A mindfulness course can teach you how to engage with the present moment and reclaim your life as you learn:
- To get more out of each moment
- Ease aches and pains as you re-connect to your body and breath through gentle movement and mindful breathing
- Learn how to deal with difficulty in a more skillful way enhancing your personal resiliency
- Pro-actively explore ways to discharge stress and cultivate more peace and well-being
As a provider of mindfulness courses for individuals, the public, organisations and within the education sector we adhere to the Good Practice Guidelines for Teachers.
Find out more about upcoming courses here.
