MBCT Meditation Group Sessions

A free, informal introduction to mindfulness and meditation practice.

(Please note this is now fully booked. Don't worry, this is just the beginning; we will be doing lots more of this in the very near future. Feel free to drop me your name and email below and you'll get an email update about the next MBCT courses when they become available).

If you’ve paddled with us then you’ll know we are as focused on supporting mental health as we are on developing SUP skills, if not more so. You’ll also likely have first-hand experience of the mindful, tranquil and nourishing qualities of being on the water, close to nature. Over the next few years, we will be working hard to amplify the eco-therapeutic qualities of everything we offer, including mindfulness-based cognitive therapy courses and mindful paddle sessions.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is our natural ability to pay attention without judgement to the present moment. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a combination of practices rooted in ancient wisdom and allied to clinically proven cognitive therapies. The style I’m studying to teach with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre is essentially a set of tools to help us respond more skilfully to life’s ups and downs, improve our relationships with ourselves and others and generally allow us to live with a little more ease, peace of mind and gratitude.

An invitation:

With that in mind, I’d like to invite anyone who might be interested in exploring mindfulness to a series of informal, beginner-friendly evening meditation sessions by the river, at the sailing club. Everything will be very informal; we’ll spend an hour (ish) exploring a theme of the week, introducing some light meditation practices and hopefully creating a regular, compassionate space for a gentle introduction to MBCT. This will be completely free of charge and there is no commitment of any kind, just feel free to come along and see if it’s something you might like to explore.

The weekly topics we’ll explore will be:

Waking up from autopilot - an introduction to mindfulness
Keeping the body in mind
Gathering the scattered mind
Recognizing reactivity
Allowing and letting be
Responding skilfully
How can I best take care of myself

If you’re not sure if it’s for you or would just like to find out a bit more then please just give me a shout, I’m more than happy to bore your socks off on this subject!

What would you need to bring?

Just yourself and some comfy clothes. It's not a cold space but a jumper, fleece or blanket for sitting can be nourishing. We have mats, blocks, cushions or chairs for sitting practice but feel free to bring anything that you feel would support you. There might even be tea and biscuits if I can remember to bring some!

This will be a regular Monday evening meet (for at least 7 weeks, maybe more) from 6.30pm until about 8pm from October 24th onwards. Each week will build on the last so taking part in each session would benefit you the most but feel free to dip in and out if that feels best for you.

Activity duration: approximately 1.5hrs.
Location: Arden Sailing Club, Defford.
Ages 18+
Cost: Free