Loving Kindness
Introduction
A 6-week course focused on the cultivation of kindness and compassion through the traditional loving kindness course. It complements the material of Enriching Mindfulness and together these two courses provide a wide range of practices and theories.
Background
Often we meet life critically and judgmentally especially when we are stressed, hurt or upset. This can diminish our expression of love and we can have a tendency to fixate on what is wrong. We can close our hearts and fail to love well. We fail to see what is good and wholesome in both us and others and can then fail to respond with care.
Loving-kindness is open, free, unconditional and abundant. Loving-kindness is the practice of offering to oneself and others wishes to be happy, peaceful, healthy and strong. We use the repetition of certain phrases to express these wishes and as the vehicle to change the way we pay attention to ourselves and others.
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Loving kindness is a core practice for cultivating compassion and therefore enhances our ability to offer kindness in the face of suffering to both ourselves and to others.
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Research is highlighting this as a very beneficial practice for our health and well-being. I invite you to do your own research by joining me for the course, doing the home practice and observing the effect that it has on your own life and how you interact with others.
Course structure
This is a 6 week program and each session lasts for 2-2.5 hours. The sessions include cognitive exercises, group discussions and reflections on home practice. The class size will be no more than 10 participants.
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Participants are invited to carry out a daily mindfulness practice between sessions using guided meditations. There may be some cognitive exercises for you to complete or revisit at home.
Important information
The cost includes:
Full course workbook with theory, exercises, journaling and home practice, initial 20-minute orientation call, eight weekly sessions, guided recordings and practices, and email contact during the course.
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Previous mindfulness experience:
It is essential that you have completed the MBSR course, though not necessarily with me.
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Support during the course:
As always I am here to support you between sessions especially if you have to miss a session for any reason.
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Support following the course:
There is a regular group practice sessions, retreat days, additional follow-on courses as well and individual coaching in order for you to continue exploring and practising mindfulness following the course.
"The course allowed me to become for the first time in my life able to accept and show kindness to ‘parts’ of myself I had previously felt of and wanted to hide from others’ and avoid in myself."
