What is mindfulness?

Put simply, mindfulness involves learning about how to live more fully in the present moment - in the 'here and now' rather than getting caught up in thoughts about the past and worries about the future which can distract us from enjoying our lives and cause us a great deal of distress. When we are being mindful we are practising 'being' and letting go of 'doing'. Developing the skills to simply rest in 'being mode' can be enormously empowering, particularly when we feel burnt out, overwhelmed or exhausted. 

To achieve this, mindfulness courses teach people how to control their focus of attention more effectively, develop their self-awareness, and also how to adopt particular attitudes towards themselves, others and life experiences which are known to helpful for reducing stress and increasing well being.

Mindfulness meditation is not about 'emptying the mind' but 'knowing the mind' more fully and developing strategies for coping effectively with the physically and emotional struggles that we all experience on our journey through life.   

The 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR) is the gold standard Mindfulness intervention, pioneered in America by John Kabat Zinn in the 1970's. The programme was originally developed to support people living with long-term health conditions and chronic pain, but has since been  proven to support mental health and wellbeing more widely. MBSR courses are now delivered worldwide to support people with and without chronic health conditions to live happier, more fulfilling and less stressful lives. 

The course involves participation in eight 2-hour group sessions across eight consecutive weeks. In between the 2-hour group sessions, participants are invited to commit to some home practice of mindfulness meditation skills, and audio recordings are provided for this. Usually within a couple of weeks of the end of the course, there is also the option of attending a silent retreat day to consolidate the skills you have learnt.

The group is led by Dr Leah Callebaut, qualified mindfulness teacher and Chartered Clinical Psychologist, and is a friendly, safe and non-judgmental place to learn about mindfulness and its application to your every day life.  Groups consist of no more than 10 people and you will not be expected to share anything about yourself that you are not comfortable sharing. However, being curious about your own and others' experiences will support your learning and allow you to gain as much as possible from the course.  

Mindfulness and compassion retreat days are run from 10am-4pm usually on a Saturday or Sunday. The day is fully guided and involves a mixture of mindfulness meditations and exercises aimed at increasing self-kindness and gratitude. 

The day is mainly held in silence which provides a wonderful opportunity to rest and focus on self-care. The teachings also offer the chance to learn valuable coping skills which can continue to benefit your daily life following the retreat. 

"Mindfulness has allowed me to find out so much about myself - I now have the tools to recognise my minds unhelpful habits and thoughts and to stop them from impacting so much on how I feel. Its been a revelation to me." 

"The most helpful thing about mindfulness has been learning how to be kind to myself and accepting of my struggles and mistakes".

"Mindfulness meditation has really helped me feel calmer and more grounded throughout my first pregnancy. I've been struggling with anxiety and just generally not feeling like myself and regular meditation has helped me to stay sane! Now in the final trimester I find that mindfulness is helping me to come to terms with the pain and discomfort of the final weeks, and help me see through to the bigger picture."

"I can enjoy more of life's small pleasures and spend more time savouring these moments. My family also say I am more laid back and less quick to argue!"

"It has been so empowering to learn how to look after my mind in this way - my self-compassion, self-awareness and emotional stability have improved no end and one the nicest things is the knowledge that I can remain at ease however busy and hectic life becomes."

Mindfulness Courses and Retreat Days are usually held at the following venue in central Cheltenham. Please let me know if you require disabled access. 

The Isbourne Holistic Centre

Isbourne House,  3 Wolseley Terrace, Cheltenham GL50 1TH 

If you would like a mindfulness course or introductory workshop to be run at your workplace this can be arranged. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.