1-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course in –

BRAND NEW COURSE – MINDFULNESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH (MFMH)

6-week evening MFMH Course in Ennis Clare. Location is the Orchard Wellness Centre on Harmony Row Street. Starting on Friday the 15th of September 2023. It’s from 7pm – 8:30pm every Friday evening.

If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.

Life can be relentless, frantic, and exhausting – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Mindfulness reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that you can incorporate into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), is recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

By investing just a few minutes each day, you can learn the simple mindfulness meditations at the heart of MBCT. You will be surprised how quickly you can be back in control and able to enjoy life again.

In the MFMH course we go deeper into the teachings of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The structure that this course follows is from the book/manual – ‘Mindfulness – a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world’ – Mark Williams and Danny Penman. ***It is a prerequisite for the course to have this book as it’s the manual we will use. It also has the meditation CD/downloadable for the course ***You can purchase this book is Easons bookshop online for around €16, or any good bookshop.

What is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy?

MBCT is a skills-based course.
· To develop a better understanding of the workings of your mind.
· To recognise patterns / mental habits – and realise that there are alternatives.
· To stand back and take a wider view of difficult thoughts and feelings.
· To recognise early warning signs of stress, anxiety, and low mood. Then take helpful action
when you spot them.
· To put less effort into trying to ‘fix’ things and strive for results.
· To be kinder and more gentle towards yourself.
· To cultivate joy.

What is covered in each session?
· Mindfulness starts when we recognise the tendency to be on automatic pilot and we make
a commitment to learning how best to step out of it and become aware of each moment.
Practising how to purposely move attention around the body shows both how simple, and
how difficult, this can be.

· Further focus on the body begins to show more clearly the ‘chatter of the mind’ and how
this tends to control our reactions to everyday events.

· With greater awareness, we begin to notice how busy and scattered the mind can often be.
Learning to intentionally take the awareness to the breath, or body sensations, offers the
possibility of being more focused and gathered.

· The mind is most scattered when it tries to cling to something and avoid/escape other
things. Mindfulness offers a way to stay present, to view things from another place, to help
take a wider perspective, to clearly see our own reactivity and relate differently to
experience. Relating differently involves bringing to experience a sense of ‘allowing’ it to be just as it is,
without judging it or trying to make it different. Such an attitude of acceptance is a major
part of taking care of oneself and seeing more clearly what, if anything, needs to change.

· Negative moods and the thoughts that accompany them restrict our ability to relate
differently to experience. It is liberating to realise that our thoughts are merely thoughts,
even the ones that say they are not! We learn to respond more skilfully.

· Skilful Action and taking care of ourselves in the face of challenge, supports our wellbeing.
Flourishing is supported by active engagement with what is important to us and what
nourishes us. After taking a Breathing Space, we can learn to take care of ourselves with acts
that give pleasure or a sense of accomplishment or provide a clear focus for mindfulness.
We can cultivate our minds and bodies in ways that support joy and flourishing.

· Maintaining a balance in life is helped by regular mindfulness practice. Good intentions can
be strengthened by linking such intentions to a positive reason for taking care of oneself.

Class size is small (6 max in Ennis and 10 max in Limerick), so booking early is advised. Course cost is €149 for the 6-week course.

You can book by using PayPal, or if you prefer to use a credit card, just press ‘proceed to PayPal’ and on that page under the PayPal option, you will be able to book using a credit card.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at 087 7732467 or fergusbarrett@yahoo.ie
Regards Fergus.

The Three 6-week courses I offer are.

COURSE 1. 6-week mindfulness and meditation course

COURSE 2. 6-week mindfulness for mental health course

COURSE 3. 6-week mindfulness and compassion course

Qualifications

• Masters in mindfulness-based wellbeing (MBSR & MBCT) – UCC
• Diploma in Mindfulness and positive psychology – The Irish Mindfulness Academy
• Teacher training in Mindfulness-based compassionate living

What past participants have said about my courses.

“This course changed my life. That is as simply as I can put it. The techniques, skills, and knowledge I learnt will forever help me through everyday life. I was able to talk in front of a large group of people the other week, something I would usually avoid, because of the breathing techniques I had learnt and by having a positive mindset and giving loving kindness to everyone there and myself – I couldn’t believe how relaxed and comfortable I had made this uncomfortable situation become. I would recommend this course to everyone; Fergus was an amazing teacher and the people in the group were lovely.”   Julie

“Fergus’s mindfulness course gave me the tools and skillset to take charge of my life. It has truly changed my life and the way I deal with struggles, however, has also helped me to appreciate the good stuff more. I suffer with anxiety; the breathing exercises and meditations have helped my coping with this. Anxiety no longer takes over my life. I have gained so much self-respect, everything down to what I eat has changed. I have gained a genuine want to nourish myself and do what is good for me and my life. Everyone around me has noticed a difference and says I seem a lot happier in myself. I have also learned to have patience with my practice and to forgive myself and have compassion for myself and others when mistakes are made. I have dealt with toxic relationships, I could go on, this course has truly changed my life. Thank you Fergus I look forward to your next courses.”  Nicole

“The course has made a huge impact in my life. From the first session, it all made sense. Practical and helpful teachings have helped me to cope better, and to live in the moment, not to dwell in the past or to worry about the future.” Anonymous

“I found the course inspiring. I learnt a lot about myself, especially how powerful my thoughts can be. Through meditation I am calmer and I’m learning to manage stressful situations better. I found the gratitude journal really thought provoking and it made me think about all the positives in my daily life. The class size was just right, and the homework helped me to cultivate my mindfulness practice.” Karen

“I found the 6-week Inward bound mindfulness course to be very beneficial. It is suitable for both professionals and someone looking for personal development. I learned new skills and techniques to help with the demands of a busy life, and it reinforced and enhanced what was already familiar to me. Fergus imparts and shares his knowledge in a relaxed, friendly, and easy to understand way. I would highly recommend this course.” Sharon

“I would highly recommend this course. I was very anxious about going from the start. But from the moment you walk into the room, Fergus makes you feel welcome and at ease. Everything is explained clearly and at a pace that is not rushed. So, Fergus has no problem going over anything again.  Before you start any meditations, you clearly understand why you are doing them, and why you are doing that particular meditation. The 6 weeks flew by. I never realised how much I actually needed the course until I was doing it. I will continue to practice mindfulness and meditation going forward.” Tereasa