In this video the presenter explains Mindfulness‑Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), the flagship eight‑week, secular mindfulness program that underpins most modern mindfulness research and teaching. She outlines the course format – eight 2.5‑hour weekly sessions plus a full‑day retreat in week six – and describes the core practices (body scan, mindful movement, seated meditation) together with supplemental CBT, positive‑psychology, and brief “any‑time” exercises. The presenter details her own training (Bangor University master’s program, Oxford Mindfulness Centre MBCT for Life) and teaching experience since 2011, emphasizing that the current offering blends the original MBSR curriculum with the latest Oxford research on Mindfulness‑Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). She highlights the extensive course materials (homework diary, weekly email support, supplemental files) and shares a series of participant testimonials that illustrate benefits such as reduced anxiety, improved mood, increased self‑compassion, and the development of a daily meditation habit. Finally, she provides logistical information – limited 2020 offerings, early‑bird discount deadline, website link – and invites viewers to enroll or ask questions.
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Okay. So today's video is about mindfulness-based stress reduction. What is it? Well, it's one of the core courses that I teach, and it is in fact the core course of the mindfulness movement. If you've heard about mindfulness before, if you've read books on it, if you know something about the research, if you've listened to Ruby Wax, you know it all comes from this course. This is the 8-week So you come to the course for 8 nights, 2.5 hours a night. You also get an all-day retreat as part of it, usually in week 6. So this is the course where all the research has been based on. I also teach 6-week courses and workshops, but this is the main one. If you've read stuff about how mindfulness helps prevent depression relapse, how it's good for anxiety, how it helps with chronic pain, how it basically helps you to live well, then this is the course to do. If you would like to be a mindfulness teacher, then this is the course to do. This is the foundation of any future training. Many of the people that I've taught are now teaching in schools, they're counseling people with mindfulness, they're teaching adults. So I've been teaching this course since 2011. I went to Bangor University and did the master's programme. I went for 5 years, 5 times a year, and I went through this course many, many times. In 2017, I went to Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Oxford is affiliated with Oxford University, and I did this MBCT for Life. MBCT stands for Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. So the course that I now teach is a combination of both. It's MBSR and MBCT. So if you see that, if you go on my website and you see MBCT, MBSR, this is what it is. It's the original course that I taught for about 7 years, now updated with all the latest research from Oxford. So the things that we do, I'll show you inside the book. I'll show you inside the book. You get lots of homework, unlike my other courses. You do actually get lots of notes, lots of information. There's a wee diary in here. There's The mindful movement exercises. This little diary is to keep you updated. I give you all this stuff in a form of a file, so I also add some other things as well. You also get a weekly email from me where I check in with you and go through what we did that week. So it's a brilliant course. Excuse my cold. I'm in a rush to tell you everything. I don't want to make this video too long. But so the one thing I did want to say, that the course is based on this book. This was what started it all. This actual course came from a man called Jon Kabat-Zinn. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder of the secular mindfulness movement, so it's a completely secular course. You don't have to believe in anything to do the course. The course is basically about the mind and the body and how to be well. The main practices that we do are still the practices that were done from 1979, from Jon started this. He originally developed the course for people with chronic pain, people who no one else could help. It's a big book. You're welcome to go and buy it, but I think if you do the course, it's going to be much better because you're going to get to practice on it. The main practices are the body scan, which is a deep relaxation practice that we do lying down. So you need to have a yoga mat and a blanket for that. Then there is mindful movement, which is a bit like yoga. but not as intense. And then we have meditation. So meditation is the core. These are the core practices, but we also do some shorter practices that you can do anytime, any place, anywhere that are useful just to have, to know how to practice. And we also want to do cognitive behavior therapy exercises. We also do positive psychology and some wellbeing practices. So there is a wee bit of homework with it, but it's worth it. You know, if you want to change your life. And then the all-day retreat, it comes in week 6. And one of the women who did that course, I remember a few years ago, people usually love the retreat, you know, it's a real chance to get away from it all, it's a chance to integrate everything you've learned on the course. And one woman who was in her 50s, she told me it was the best day of her life. So I'm not going to promise you the best day of your life. I think it's definitely going to be a good day. I have a whole file here, a whole file of feedback, things that people tell me when they come on the course. I'm just gonna read some of these top lines out, things like, it made me think and love myself. I love this course. Lovely being in an environment where everyone feels safe and secure. Um, a very powerful course, massively helped me with my practice. And it's had a huge impact on me at a time in my life when I wasn't sure what I needed. The benefits are profound. It has helped me see life in color again. You know, that's really amazing. You know, I feel I've become much better equipped in controlling negative automatic thoughts. I had been. She's been plagued with this since her teens. Although she'd been introduced to mindfulness and CBT and counseling, the course has brought all of it together in a whole new wonderful level. So these are the kind of things that people say. Someone said, the course allowed me to become a daily meditator. This was the goal I set for myself and I'm delighted to have achieved it. I feel more in control. So thank you so much for your kindness. So basically, now I understand what mindfulness is about. These are the kind of things that people say. This course really does change your life. You know, you don't have to want to become a teacher to do this course. It's all about integrating mindfulness into your life. If you want 2020 to be the year a mindful you emerges, if you want to live life in the same way, you don't have to change your beliefs, you don't have to change who you are, just maybe learn how to enjoy life more. Certainly, it's worked for me. It's worked for me over the years. I'm really grateful to everything I've received through practising mindfulness, through practising with the wonderful people that I've met doing these courses. And that's the thing, you do go on a journey with a small group. And for me, even though I've been teaching it since, you know, 9 years now, every time I teach it, it's a new experience for me. Each meditation is a new meditation. I really enjoy it. I love to meet the people. I really hope you're going to join me. This year I'm only offering this course twice. Normally I do it 3 times a year, but so many people are teaching it now. But I am definitely the original person who's doing it here in Northern Ireland. So And it is, even if you've done the course before, you might want to come back and do this one. This is the updated one, the last 2 years. Um, so that's the main thing I have to say. If you have any other questions, if you want to know more, please leave a comment, get in touch. The early bird deadline ends on the 5th of January, so you'll save £20 if you book by then. Otherwise, um, have a look at the website immeasurableminds.co.uk. Okay, thanks a lot.
