Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Resilience and Emotional Intelligence.

When we encounter problems in our daily lives that have no quick or easy solution we find ourselves at a turning point. We are faced with examining the attitudes and habit patterns we bring to our experience of stress and pressure at work and daily living. Ultimately, we make a choice either to continue a lifestyle, which maintains the inertia of the problem, or to cultivate a more gentle and positive attitude towards our lives, our work, and ourselves.

Recent breakthroughs in Brain science and Neurology are showing us that the brain can change, grow and improve significantly throughout our life span. This is called Neuroplasticity, which means our brains change with experience and training. Especially if we deliberately set out to train our brain, many powerful and beneficial changes can result. Some neuro-science researchers call this self-directed neuroplasticity.

Mindfulness training has been shown to be helpful in increasing connections between distinctly different levels of the brain. Mindfulness practices have been directly associated with helping people to moderate the impulsive brain activity of the fight-flight stress system, (sympathetic nervous system) which has vast implications for health and wellbeing.

Mindfulness also helps us to moderate the impulses of the emotional brain. This has huge implications for mental health, happiness, productivity and good communication in relationships. Anxiety, depression, addictions, obsessive-compulsive issues, emotional volatility, relationship problems, as well as many stress related health problems, can all be transformed gradually and improved with consistent and committed mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness is paying attention in the present moment deliberately with acceptance, gentleness and kindness. To bring one’s attention back to the here and now, and to the task at hand, when mind strays, is the essence of mindfulness training. Everyone has the capacity to cultivate attention, awareness and insight with mindfulness, and with practice this capacity grows stronger. The tradition of practicing mindfulness has a track record that goes back thousands of years in all the world wisdom traditions, and now current scientific research is confirming, that it works.

Mindfulness training has now been put together with cognitive therapy to create a hybrid called mindfulness based cognitive therapy. Learning to observe your thoughts with mindfulness you can develop the awareness and insight into how your thoughts shape your emotions, moods, perceptions, and overall experience of life. Practicing mindfulness you can strengthen the wise part of your brain and train it to oversee those parts that can be more impulsive and problematic. Gradually you can prune the habitual mental patterns that cause emotional distress and confusion, cultivating strong attention, clarity and compassion.

Mindfulness is also never separated from what I like to call Heart-fulness. To grow wise and strong in our life we must also practice kindness. This kindness must begin with ourselves. When we are truly kind to ourselves we can gently heal those aspects of our past conditioning that are obstacles to fulfillment and wellbeing. When we are truly kind towards ourselves, this kindness naturally spills out to others then love and compassion become natural virtues in our life.

To learn mindfulness it is very helpful to have an experienced guide who has walked the walk. Having practiced and instructed others for well over 30 years I welcome you to join me in one of my seminars, or retreats. I also teach mindfulness as part of Individual, couples and family counselling. Learning and practicing mindfulness can be for you a path toward empowerment and fulfillment in your life.

8 Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course is a 21/2 hour class meeting once a week, for 8 weeks plus a full day retreat on a Weekend. Ongoing practice of mindfulness at home is facilitated by 3 audio CDs, as well as readings, journaling and weekly awareness assignments.

Mindfulness practice can help you to: