It’s important to know what to look out for when choosing a program or a group to learn with. Mindfulness is based on ancient techniques to develop greater awareness, freedom and wellbeing. So all good Mindfulness programs should be firmly grounded in those those foundations, and ideally provide access to qualified and accredited teachers/facilitators.

There are many other good options for learning Mindfulness, including apps, online courses, and other teacher-led programs. It all depends on your learning preferences as well as needs. Please do not hesitate to set up a complimentary 1-1 introduction to find out more about what’s most suitable for you.

Here’s more about my programs:

• Based on traditional Mindfulness and Insight Meditation techniques, which include the Foundations of Mindfulness, as well as Kindness and compassion training.
• Designed to help you find freedom and greater ease, even as we face and address common real life challenges such as stress, busy lives, information overload, worry and anxiety, physical discomfort or pain, low mood or dissatisfaction, among others.
• Informed by Mindfulness science, psychology and the science of well-being, as well as personal experience and practice.
• They cover the why, what and how – why we struggle with our life’s challenges, what we can understand and learn through Mindfulness, and the practical and step-by-step how of learning and practice.
• Provide strong encouragement and all you need to begin and sustain a daily Mindfulness practice.
• Conducted in safe facilitated online groups – participants who join agree to maintain confidentiality, mutual respect and mindful communication.
• Support is also provided in between sessions through handouts (which include readings and guided meditations) as well as the ability to contact me with any questions.

• My background in medicine and Human Resources leaves me uniquely equipped to bring together science, understanding of psychology and human behaviour, and to communicate this in a way that can be easily understood and applied. Check out more about me and my qualifications here.
• Another connecting line through my background and my current work is the deep care I have for the well-being of all those I work with! I do this because I care, and because it can help many people!
• I have lots to share from personal experience! I’ve used Mindfulness to help me with – sleep difficulties, pessimism and worry, insecurity and fear of what others think of me, finding freedom from troublesome patterns of thoughts and feelings, improving personal and family relationships, breaking bad habits, performance anxiety and fear of public speaking, how to become a better leader, improving communication… the list is long!

Read here.

There has been a lot of research done on how effective Mindfulness is. You can read about the results, and the limitations of Mindfulness research here and here.

I have experienced the benefits personally and have read many of the studies about Mindfulness. With my medical background, I am satisfied that there is evidence that Mindfulness works for many people. However, it’s important to look at your unique situation, and to also have suitable guidance from a qualified teacher. It is also not a single solution in itself but part of the toolkit for your well-being, which may also include healthy habits, lifestyle changes and other forms of support.

I have also come across some mixed reports, so do bear in mind that Mindfulness research is not without its limitations. Mindfulness is not as easily and definitively researched as a medical intervention or a drug, simply because its applications are so diverse and outcomes depends on too many factors outside a strict clinical trial setting. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, but it does mean that we work with its potential, while understanding the limitations of research.

Mindfulness has been shown to reduce the body’s stress and inflammatory responses in long term meditators. The amygdala, which gets more active during stress, tends to become less active and shows some shrinkage with Mindfulness practice. There have been systematic reviews/meta-analyses that looked at results gathered from many research studies, which concur that Mindfulness programs do show promising results in stress regulation and management.

You can read more here. And here.

Here’s a little more about how Mindfulness can be used to help with stress management – click link here. 

Almost anyone can learn mindfulness, with some exceptions for serious physical or emotional challenges.

It is not uncommon to feel restless, anxious or impatient when you first start to meditate. Or to have a lot of thoughts or feelings. So throughout our programs or 1-1 sessions, I will be addressing these various challenges.

When we first start practising mindfulness and meditation, it can feel like we are looking through cloudy water. With lots of debris and stuff floating around (sensations, thoughts, feelings), we can’t see very clearly and can feel quite unsettled. But if we don’t keep stirring and agitating the water, then cloudy water will eventually settle down and become more clear. We need to give it some time.

Last but not least, there are also ways of practising mindfulness that involve movement such as walking, stretching and yoga. So this may be suitable for some people who find it challenging to sit still. These options are also covered in my programs or 1-1 sessions.