5 week online Program - One night per week - 1.5 hr sessions - Cost is $150pp
Are you feeling tired and overwhelmed?
Find it difficult to relax or enjoy life?
Do you suffer from anxiety, depression or excessive thinking?
Maybe you have some physical challenges such as high blood pressure, you get sick often or simply don’t feel well but can’t put your finger on it. Stress is often a major contributing factor in all of these things.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that is attention based. It has been scientifically researched and studies show the positive physical changes in the brain resulting from the practice of mindfulness. It has also become a widely used practice in mental health therapy.
This program will teach you what you need to know about mindfulness to begin practising right from day 1. You will learn the basics about the 3 most common things that cause distress in people’s lives … stress, emotions & thinking. Most importantly, you will learn how to manage these things and find peace amongst the chaos of life.
This is an easy to follow program and you can choose the level of interaction that you feel comfortable with. Learn in the way that is most appropriate for you.
Stress
Would it surprise you to know that the whole of the western world lives in a state of chronic stress?
Relationships, work, finances, family, past hurts, trauma, abuse, to name a few, all create stress in the brain and body.
Human beings have two primary instincts: the need for safety and protection (stress); and the need for growth (relaxation). Stress has a purpose and is a good thing in the right place, at the right time, but we are not designed to be in this state all the time.
The consequences are a range of physical, emotional and mental illnesses, some of which you might recognise and much that you are most likely unaware of or don’t recognise as stress related. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand with stress and have become common in society today. Sadly, the number of children suffering from these illnesses is also increasing dramatically.
When you are in a state of stress it is not possible to be in a state of relaxation at the same time. Growth, creativity, acceptance, equanimity, joy, open-mindedness, compassion all exist in the relaxation state. This is where peace lives.
In this program you will learn all about stress and relaxation, what they are and tools to help you balance these two states in your life.
Your wellbeing is in your hands and those that you love will share in this through you.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an attention based meditation. It can be done quietly sitting on a chair or doing the dishes.
Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of living in the “now” or being present in each moment.
It involves paying attention to what is happening around you and inside you each moment, without judging or attempting to change anything. It is about noticing sounds, sensations, breath, emotions and thoughts.
It can be challenging at first as we are so disconnected from ourselves but, like anything, with practice it gets easier and the benefits are scientifically proven and life changing.
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mind:
Improved focus & clear thinking
Calmer
Increased self-awareness & emotional intelligence
Learning ability increases
Decreased anxiety & depression
Better problem solving
More positive thinking
Mind chatter slows down
Body:
Blood pressure lowers
Digestion and circulation improve
Healthier immune system
Hormones normalise
Increased endorphins & growth hormones
Less experience of pain
Less addiction
Sleep improves
Muscles relax
Ageing slows
Spirit/Emotion:
Intuition awakens
Greater compassion & empathy
Increased connectedness to yourself, others and the world around you
Greater compassion & empathy
Increased sensuality & flow
Nurturing of self & others
Growth & healing
Awareness and Stillness
Hmmm this sounds like that alternative hippy talk, right? Well maybe, but it’s not just those alternative people that are using such words these days.
Many popular therapies today include the practice of mindfulness, which is all about developing awareness and stillness. These concepts were introduced to the western world over 40 years ago and there are now thousands of studies documenting the benefits to the brain and body.
Both awareness and stillness are internal states that exist in each of us. You simply may not know it because no-one has ever talked about it with you or helped you understand.
That’s what this program is all about.
Why would you want to know about this you ask?
Well, that's easy. This skill is what can make the difference between you living your life in the eye of the storm...that calm stillness at the very centre of the tornado... or living in the spinning chaos of the storm itself. You have a choice.
Often you can't change the content of your life...relationships, family, children, work, finances...but you can change how you live with it and in it!
Program Facilitator
Meet Vivienne
Vivienne has 25 years of experience in facilitating an extensive variety of programs in health and fitness, wellbeing, mind/body exercise, mental health and meditation, and is highly regarded by both her peers and students. She is fully qualified, registered and insured in all the programs she teaches. Vivienne is resolute in her desire to deliver high quality learning and, hence, maintains ongoing personal learning in these areas.
She is currently doing further studies in mindfulness and meditation with ACMM and Eye Movement Integration Therapy (EMIT) with the EMIT Training College. Vivienne is a practising Counsellor, continues to teach mind/body classes and meditation and is passionate about bringing the benefits of therapeutic interventions to a greater amount of people through group programs.