Josh Geffin
Mindfulness Teacher
Finding Inner Peace
About
The demands of modern living can leave us feeling anxious, disconnected and
frazzled. The ancient practice of mindfulness – cultivating present-moment awareness – is a powerful way to manage stress, find balance, and reconnect with who we really are. Based on ancient wisdom mindfulness is one of the most popular and effective approaches used today. At its heart it helps you find inner peace during difficult times, allowing you to be able to take emotional responsibility, master your emotions and go with the flow.
Mindfulness teaches us to be fully present, and in the moment, aware of what is going on while also being centered and non-reactive to events. Like a muscle we can learn how to be mindful, building our ability to choose our response and let go of the reactive mindset. In time, with mindfulness we can transform our experience of reality. Helping us to have a more enjoyable satisfying and peaceful life.
8 Week Program
The demands of modern living can leave us feeling anxious, disconnected and
frazzled. The ancient practice of mindfulness – cultivating present-moment awareness – is a powerful way to manage stress, find balance, and reconnect with who we really are.
The 8-week course is the gold standard format for mindfulness education and will give you the tools you need to develop a daily practice and integrate mindfulness into your life. The course is designed to help you:
- cope better with life’s pressures
- build positive habits
- boost your wellbeing The course includes seminars exploring topics such as the stress reaction, anxiety, lifestyle, self-kindness and increasing concentration. You will learn a variety of meditation practices including The Body Scan, Following The Breath, Mindful Movement and The Practice of Presence. There will also be guidance on how to integrate mindfulness into your everyday life through walking meditation, daily mindfulness activities and keeping a mindfulness journal. The course includes handouts, weekly assignments and guided audio meditations. The course is suitable for complete beginners and for all who wish to develop a regular practice of meditation.
Week 1: Orientation
A warm welcome and introduction to the group, followed by exploring different definitions of mindfulness, setting up your practice and starting a meditation diary. • What is mindfulness?
• Narrow vs Broad focus
• Background of Zen
• The Body Scan Guided Meditation
Week 2: Stress
In this session we look at the classic stress reaction and how the body and mind are affected by various stressors, and learn how mindfulness can help us respond rather than react. • Defining the stress reaction
• Identifying your stressors
• Consequences of prolonged stress • Awareness and acceptance
• The Body Scan Guided Meditation
Week 3: Physical pain
Mindfulness has been shown to be of great help to those suffering from chronic pain. In this session we will look at some of the research and learn how to apply mindfulness to physical sensations.
• Meditative approaches to physical pain
• Seeing your mental chatter
• Meditation for physical pain case studies • Counting The Breath Guided Meditation
Week 4: Emotional Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Meditation can help with a wide variety of emotional and psychological difficulties. In this session we explore the role of awareness and compassion in managing anxiety and depression.
• Different types of emotional pain
• Developing resilience
• Walking meditation
• Counting The Breath Guided Meditation
Week 5: Role stress and time pressure
We may be unaware of how the different roles we play in life can cause stress. Here we have an opportunity to unpack our roles and also look at our relationship to time.
• Becoming aware of the roles you play
• Gaining perspective
• Time pressure vs flow
• Following The Breath Guided Meditation
Week 6: Taking care of yourself
Awake Course Structure – Mindfulness
This session offers a chance to develop your self-care routine and looks at how to expand your mindfulness practice into the rest of your life.
• Developing your practice
• What nourishes and what depletes?
• Everyday mindfulness
• Mindful Movement
• Following The Breath Guided Meditation
Week 7: Elevated function
There are many studies showing how mindfulness can heighten performance at work, in your personal life and on the spiritual plane. Here we take a closer look at the research and ask how we can apply this to our own lives.
• Mindfulness and performance • Case studies in mindfulness
• From surviving to thriving
• The Practice of Presence Guided Meditation
Week 8: Changing your life
The final session brings together the key points from the course and allows space for you to develop a personal programme of mindfulness to take forward into your life.
• Creating your own mindfulness diet • Taking your practice further
• Making a commitment
• Feedback and Q&A
• The Practice of Presence Guided Meditation
