An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-week Course — Cairns

An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-week course. Each class is one hour, once per week. This course is practical, non-religious and designed for beginners. The course includes

• 4 classes with an experienced mindfulness trainer
• 4-week subscription to the full version of the CALM app
• Downloadable guided mindfulness meditations for you to keep
• A 45-page guidebook

? Full length 4-week course so you can practise and report back.

? No risk money-back guarantee; if you attend all the classes and dont feel you have received any benefit get your money back.

? Includes 4-week subscription to the premium version of the CALM mindfulness and meditation app.

? Australias number one 'in-person' mindfulness course.

? Exclusive 45-page guidebook including weekly assignments, indepth articles and a reading list.

? Over 15 guided downloadable guided meditations for you to keep.

? No religion. No dogma. No funny positions. Practical and non-religious course.

? Designed for absolute beginners.

Mindfulness Works is the largest mindfulness training organisation in Australia. Over 10,000 people have completed the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-week course

Mindfulness Works is committed to:

• Providing accessible and affordable mindfulness courses.
• Offering a diverse range of experienced and skilled mindfulness trainers.
• Providing courses in a practical format with exceptional supporting resources.
• Improving the mental health of all of us and fostering self-love in all.
• Supporting our facilitators with options for further professional development.

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. Jon Kabat Zinn (Professor of Medicine Emeritus Stress Reduction Clinic and the Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine).

The benefits of regular mindfulness are

? Reduced stress and anxiety

? Improved sleeping patterns

? Less self-judgement and more self-acceptance

? Greater feelings of joy and freedom

? Improved mental health

? Effective ways to work with difficult thoughts and emotions

Mindfulness helps you to keep your thoughts in the present moment. As you practice, you tend to get better at calming the mind and keeping things in perspective. Dr Grant Blashki is a practising GP and Beyond Blues lead Clinical Advisor

Week 1: What is Mindfulness?

• What mindfulness is
• The benefits of mindfulness and meditation
• Guided body scan mindfulness meditation.

Week 2: Working with the Mind

• Why thinking can be problematical
• Practical ways to work with difficult thoughts
• Self-judgement and how to intervene
• Guided mindfulness meditation counting the breath.

Week 3: Working with Emotions

• What are emotions?
• Learning to feel emotions
• The RAIN method
• Non-judgement and acceptance
• Guided mindfulness meditation on feelings.

Week 4: Radical Acceptance

• What it means to be present
• How "wanting things to be different" causes stress
• Developing wisdom and insight
• Authentic self-compassion
• Open awareness guided mindfulness meditation
• Next steps.

YOUR FACILITATOR IS LARA BAKER

Lara is dedicated to practising mindfulness as a way of keeping herself healthy and remaining balanced as a busy mother and running a company. She has used mindfulness as a solid coping mechanism when life has been challenging.

Lara has had 14 years experience working in the community sector with young people and the homeless. She has an intense sense of social justice and believes everyone needs to have access to professional development and stress reduction techniques to work at their optimal and achieve a healthy life. Lara also offers equine assisted learning (working with horses through mindfulness) to a wide variety of audiences.

Laras tertiary background is psychology/community work; she has a Diploma of Youth Work and is also a certified trainer and assessor. Lara has worked under government and non-government organisations in various positions from volunteering, working in drop-in centres, residential services, as a school counsellor/education and working directly with people with drug and alcohol issues to managing an organisation she founded.

She has had 10 years training experience along with designing and running workshops for many different audiences.

Feedback from participants indicates Laras facilitation ability creates a warm, interactive environment for participants to learn and be heard whilst maintaining an important level of professionalism.

Laras company is Community Training and comes from a strength-based approach right through all levels of an organisation from direct client contact to team dynamics to administration and allows organisations to perform at an optimal level.

Using mindfulness to help me better manage unrelenting anxiety, obsessive worrying & sadness. I have found that using the apps is helpful when having a stressful day, & I intend to keep practicing daily. Thank you. Cecily Wilson