Frequently asked questions about mindfulness
View all Close all
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to whatever is happening in our lives in a non-judgmental way.
It has increasingly been found to be a very effective way of approaching many of the problems that we, as humans, suffer with in our daily lives, including depression, stress and anxiety, and an effective way of improving our performance.
Mindfulness approaches involve regularly practicing a series of exercises, including meditation, which help us to see habitual patterns of the mind, as well as finding opportunities to be present in daily life.
Many people completing 8 week mindfulness courses report lasting physical and psychological benefits including the ability to cope more effectively with stress, pain, depression and anxiety, improved sleep, more energy, concentration and enthusiasm, and an ability to respond rather than react to the pressures of life.
There is a good evidence-base for the benefits of mindfulness for depression, well-being, stress and physical health, and growing support for the benefit of mindfulness for health-care practitioners.
As with all approaches, mindfulness is not for everyone and there may be other things that you would find more helpful.
It is often not helpful to learn mindfulness in the midst of an acute crisis, although if you already have a regular practice, mindfulness can be very supportive at these times.
It is very unlikely you would experience a serious adverse effect from practicing mindfulness within the context of a secular 8-week course.
This does not mean it is always comfortable; in fact, learning to manage difficult experiences is one of the benefits of mindfulness for many people. If you do experience difficulty, please approach your mindfulness teacher for help.
Mindfulness as taught in these courses is entirely secular, although many of the practices have their roots in Eastern traditions.
People of many different religions and none come to secular mindfulness courses.
Often the most helpful way to approach a mindfulness course is to evaluate its’ effectiveness at the end of the 8 weeks. That’s because the way we routinely have of judging our experience is one of the things that can impact our well-being and may interfere with the approach we are exploring on a mindfulness course.
Some people may find the mindfulness practice difficult in some way, but that does not mean it is not having an effect. In fact, how we learn to work with the difficulty might be key.
Others begin to notice benefits in different ways, for example, relaxing significantly during a mindfulness practice, or noticing moments of calm or awareness at other times.
Similar to an exercise routine or learning an instrument, the benefits are sometimes hard to pinpoint, but you can notice an overall increase in well-being over time.
If you do have to miss a class because you are ill for example, you will be able to read the course book for that session, and you will receive any handouts.
Please let us know if you cannot attend for any reason, or are going to be late. If you know you cannot attend at least seven of the eight classes, please postpone doing the course at this time.
Showing up, however you are on that day, is often important for learning mindfulness as well as for the other people in the group.
Attending a class at a difficult moment may be exactly when you gain the personal insights you need.
The practices taught include a lying down meditation, sitting meditations, walking meditation and some gentle stretches which can be adapted to take account of any mobility difficulties or other physical limitations.
Each session includes some time practising and some time talking in the group about participants’ experiences of each practice, and any useful learning that comes out of that.
There is no pressure to disclose information about yourself, your past or any other personal information in the group setting.
The level of your contribution to these discussions is entirely in your control, and may vary from week to week.
Each week of the course you are given ‘home practice’, usually up to 30 minutes in length a day plus some additional activities. Using the audio tracks to guide you, home practice is not difficult, but it can be hard to fit into a busy lifestyle.
However, your commitment to home practice (and the important lessons you learn from it) will ensure that you get the best out of the course.
You may want to consider when and where you will do the home practise, and what might support you to do it, even when you don’t feel like it!
The reasons we want to learn mindfulness can be very helpful to remember when we are struggling with doing the home practice.