A mindfulness course: tested

It’s been a growing concept for the past year, so we decided it was time to take a mindfulness course: tested…

Do you read a whole paragraph from your book having not taken anything in? Or travel without remembering how you got there? Then you really should try a mindfulness course.

I first came across mindfulness when writing articles based on books that helped you to get more from life. If you’re thinking of the self-help genre, you wouldn’t be too far off – but I was pretty impressed by one in particular, The Book of You. The book was filled with 365 little tasks to do each day, which the authors dubbed as micro-actions. A micro-action was something that you could do in two minutes that could uplift your day somehow without requiring too much of your time. This could be anything from tidying a messy drawer to calling a friend to say hello. As someone who is constantly “switched on” and rushing from A to B, I thought the book’s emphasis on slowing down to appreciate life (mindfulness) was a profound one.

So when asked whether I wanted to try a mindfulness course, I knew I had to say yes. If you haven’t heard of the term before, “mindfulness” was one of 2015’s top buzzwords and refers to the way in which we respond to our thoughts and experiences. The practice is closely linked to meditation, as they both help you to understand yourself, your thought processes and how you react to ‘triggers’. But you don’t have to meditate to be mindful.

‘Many people assume that our sessions involve crossing our legs and chanting ‘ommm’, says Veronica Winterbourne, director of mindfulness programme, The Evolutionaries. ‘We do take a moment to calm our senses, but the practice and programme in general is designed in a way that makes it as comfortable as it is beneficial for everyone’.

I had no idea what to expect but my imaginings were much closer to that of the chanting she mentions, than what it actually involved. In the first session, the group was introduced to simple techniques to make us more conscious of our own thoughts. The ABC (Attention, Breathe, Calm) is a quick method used to recognise how we feel, take deep breaths and then proceed with a calmer attitude, while the Thought Power Shower allowed us to “control” our day by proclaiming that it would be a good one.

But becoming accustomed to meditation and learning little tips and tricks to help us be more mindful was just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the eight-week programme (one hour per session), we were provided with course materials – everything from posters and poems to word ‘games’ and pictures to colour in. While it may sound like an adult art class, I personally found the materials to be the most eye-opening parts of the course. It can generally be quite difficult to discuss your feelings and experiences, but completing a questionnaire (in a score sheet format) is one of the easiest ways of getting to know more about yourself. One session that really stood out for me was when we were given a picture of a tree with about 20 bears positioned on it – one clutching on with just one hand, one falling off, one standing comfortably and so on – and were asked to colour in the ones that resonated with us. I had no idea just how stressed – and somewhat unstable – I had been feeling until I did that bear activity.

Whether a session involved a long discussion, or a sensory experiment (these were fun too!), or a walking meditation, I always left the session feeling 10 times calmer and more content than I did when I walked in. I also realised that I was coming away having learnt something new about myself each time too. Practicing mindfulness is all about being conscious of your thoughts, feelings and actions. Being more aware of them so that you can enjoy life to the fullest, devoid of drama. What seemed like very little “work” in these sessions turned out to be highly effective life tools that helped me to appreciate myself, and life that much more. And I’d recommend it to anyone who finds themselves caught up in the fast lane or struggling in any aspect of life. Mindfulness can truly be what you need it to be.