Mindfulness -based approaches are intended to teach practical skills that can help with physical and psychological health problems and ongoing life challenges. Mindfulness is taught through meditation skills which include bringing attention to the breath and the body during stillness and movement.Mindfulness uses meditation to develop the ability to pay deliberate attention to our experience from moment to moment.

We learn to tune in to what is going on in our mind and body today. Becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations may not sound like an obviously helpful thing to do, however learning to do this in a way that suspends judgement and self criticism can have? surprising results. Many people report finding inner strengths and resources that help them make wiser decisions about their health and life in general.

 Mindfulness Learning can help us to:

• Learn new ways to handle our moods and emotions.
• Enable us to take better care of ourselves so that we are able to live our lives in a fuller and  healthier way
• Promote a way of being that helps us tackle life problems physical, mental, social and emotional.
• Learn to be aware of the small changes in the physical sensations in our body; what is happening in the world around us (using our physical senses) and our thoughts, emotions and moods.

The mindfulness programme encourages us to develop the skill of being aware of our experiences (good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant) from moment to moment -so that we can learn to respond more skilfully to situations rather than simply reacting automatically. Overall, the course is often helpful in dealing with an ongoing difficulty  the problem may not change but we can learn to relate to it  differently.

Benefits include:

• reduced psychological distress


• reduced depressive symptoms and rates of
       relapse for depression


• reductions in stress, anxiety and anger


• reduction in fatigue


• enhanced psychological functioning, quality of
       life and positive mood states


• increased energy and vitality


• better health condition and pain management


• Improvements around risk taking behaviours and drug use