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

FEEL the change in your life from day one.

REDUCE stress & anxiety

ENJOY greater feelings of OKness

Australia’s #1 in-person mindfulness and meditation course.

Four Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation course in Brisbane. Course includes four one hour classes with an experienced mindfulness trainer, downloadable guided mindfulness meditations and a 45-page guidebook.

“I am so glad I did the course and would recommend it to everyone.” — Rosie Smith

What is Mindfulness and Meditation?

Mindfulness is a simple and practical way to learn to observe our thoughts, rather than be trapped by them and worrying about the past or the future.

Meditation is sitting formally, focusing on our breath or body sensations. As we do this we experience greater ease and freedom. In all Mindfulness Works courses we sit in chairs.

The Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation

✅ Reduced stress, anxiety and worry

With practice and over time, mindfulness meditation can reduce the amount of stress and anxiety we experience.

✅ Better sleep

Experience better sleep with mindfulness meditation. The more relaxed we become, the easier it is to sleep.

✅ Greater self-acceptance and self-love

Mindfulness helps us realise we are perfectly OK just as we are, right here and right now.

✅ Healthier relationships through reduced reactivity

Rather than getting lost in a ‘fight or flight’ response when we feel annoyed, angry or threatened in our relationships, we have the tools to respond, rather than react.

✅ Greater feelings of joy and freedom

Mindfulness and meditation allows us to experience natural feelings of joy, calm and freedom.

✅ Increased self-awareness and emotional intelligence

Develop the wisdom and emotional intelligence to navigate life’s challenges in an easier, simpler and more rewarding way.

“ The research tells us that practising mindfulness does have some benefits for mental health wellbeing and for managing depression and anxiety.” — Dr Grant Blashki GP – Beyond Blue Australia

See Course Locations and Schedules

“I feel calmer. I am able to use techniques when my triggers go off. Using the meditation at night has allowed me to get a better night’s sleep.” — Sue Mathew

4 WEEK IN-PERSON COURSE: Enough time to practise between classes and experience the benefits of mindfulness

NO RISK MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: If you attend all classes and don’t feel you have received any benefit, you are entitled to a full 100% money back refund.

EXCLUSIVE 45-PAGE GUIDEBOOK: Receive our exclusive 45-page e-book with articles, inspiration and assignments.

FREE 4-WEEK GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO THE CALM MINDFULNESS APP: All participants on courses receive a free 4-week gift subscription to the full version of the award-winning Calm Mindfulness and Meditation app.

OVER 25 GUIDED MINDFULNESS MEDITATIONS — FOR YOU TO KEEP: You receive a selection of over 25 fully downloadable and streamable guided mindfulness meditations to keep for life.

NO RELIGION. NO DOGMA. NO FUNNY POSITIONS: This course is practical and fun with no religious elements. The language used is clear and modern. We sit in chairs.

EXPERIENCED AND WELL-SUPPORTED TEACHERS: Receive guidance from experienced mindfulness teachers who have received our teacher training and partake in ongoing professional development.

“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 GP Beyond Blue Australia

“Since doing this course, I have been sleeping much better, I feel much more in control of my emotions, I have enjoyed ‘noticing’ my own state, but also it has transferred to everything around. This means I am re-enjoying many things that I had been taking for granted.” — Sandy Good

BRISBANE COURSE LOCATIONS | BOOK NOW

WED 6 MAR – WED 27 MAR
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Moreton Rivers Presbytery Church
22 Ashgrove Avenue
Ashgrove

Tickets $165 Each
16 Tickets Left

WED 5 JUN – WED 26 JUN
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Moreton Rivers Presbytery Church
22 Ashgrove Avenue
Ashgrove

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 4 SEP – WED 25 SEP
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Moreton Rivers Presbytery Church
22 Ashgrove Avenue
Ashgrove

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

4 Monday Evenings. Facilitator: Jonathan Wood.
St John the Baptist Anglican Church (Maheno Room),
171 Oxford Street,
Bulimba
18 Tickets Left
$165.00
4 Monday Evenings. Facilitator: Jonathan Wood.
St John the Baptist Anglican Church (Maheno Room),
171 Oxford Street,
Bulimba
20 Tickets Left
$165.00
4 Monday Evenings. Facilitator: Jonathan Wood.
St John the Baptist Anglican Church (Maheno Room),
171 Oxford Street,
Bulimba
20 Tickets Left
$165.00

WED 1 MAY – WED 22 MAY
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.30pm – 8.30pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Clayfield Uniting Church Hall
170 Bonney Avenue
Clayfield

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 7 AUG – WED 28 AUG
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.30pm – 8.30pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Clayfield Uniting Church Hall
170 Bonney Avenue
Clayfield

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 6 NOV – WED 27 NOV
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.30pm – 8.30pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

Clayfield Uniting Church Hall
170 Bonney Avenue
Clayfield

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 28 FEB – WED 20 MAR
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Facilitator: Jade Lee

Indooroopilly Uniting Church
74 Station Road
Indooroopilly

Tickets $165 Each
Only 12 Tickets Left

WED 3 APR – WED 24 APR
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

QCWA Clontarf Hall
16 Victoria Avenue
Woody Point
Redcliffe

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 3 JUL – WED 24 JUL
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

QCWA Clontarf Hall
16 Victoria Avenue
Woody Point
Redcliffe

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

WED 2 OCT – WED 23 OCT
4 Wednesday Evenings
7.00pm – 8.00pm
Facilitator: Rachel Therese

QCWA Clontarf Hall
16 Victoria Avenue
Woody Point
Redcliffe

Tickets $165 Each
20 Tickets Left

4 Tuesdays. Facilitator: Jade Lee
St Peter’s Catholic Parish,
955 Rochedale Road,
Rochedale
18 Tickets Left
$165.00

Prefer to learn online?

Online Zoom Courses

Money Back Guarantee on All Courses

“I feel calmer. I am able to use techniques when my triggers go off. Using the meditation at night has allowed me to get a better night’s sleep.” — Sue Mathew

“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

“Thank goodness I came across Mindfulness Works. I have learnt so much in a year and am the happiest, authentic and content I have ever been. Learning acceptance without judgement as been an eye opener for me. I’m continuing my journey of self compassion and feel excited and hopeful for my future, but am grateful of the now and who I am today…” — Rebecca Young

FREE 4 week subscription to CALM included.

Every participant on the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness 4-Week Course receives a free 4-week gift subscription to the award-winning Calm mindfulness and meditation app (premium version). This app was the Apple app of the year for 2017.

Meditate Learn the life-changing skill of meditation.

Sleep Get more restful sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

Masterclass Audio programs taught by world-renowned mindfulness experts.

No Religion. No funny positions. No dogma. This course is practical and non-religious.

This particular course emphasises your own natural wisdom, your own innate OKness, right here and now. The instructions and guidance will be explicitly inviting you to embrace your whole human experience as it happens, moment by moment with a radical acceptance.

Course Outline

Week 1: What is Mindfulness?

  • What mindfulness is
  • The benefits of mindfulness and meditation
  • How to get the most from the course
  • Guided body scan mindfulness meditation
  • Questions and answers / discussion.

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
  • Questions and answers / discussion.

Week 3: Working with Emotions

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

Week 4: Radical Acceptance

  • What it means to be present
  • How wanting causes stress
  • Developing wisdom and insight
  • Authentic self-compassion
  • Open awareness guided mindfulness meditation
  • Questions and answers / discussion
  • Next steps.

Book your course now

“Am so glad I did the course and would recommend it to everyone. ” — Rosie Smith

“Huge reduction in anxiety, calmness of mind and body and empowerment over my symptoms.” — Jo Kirwan

“I feel calmer. I am able to use techniques when my triggers go off. Using the meditation at night has allowed me to get a better nights sleep” — Sue Mathew

“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

“The course was very relaxed and friendly, and full of useful practical advice that recognised the limits to time that everyone faces. Also I liked the mix of people attending, with a range of different reasons for being there.” — Rosie Cree

“Since doing this course, I have been sleeping much better, I feel much more in control of my emotions, I have enjoyed ‘noticing’ my own state, but also it has transferred to everything around. This means I am re-enjoying many things that I had been taking for granted.” — Sandy Good

“The course guidebook was a useful guide and very informative. I also enjoyed the formal practice and the way different strategies were explained.” — Linda Daniell

Learn From The Best

Your mindfulness and meditation teachers

Deb Lacey

Debbie is an Occupational Therapist with 20 years experience working in mental health and cancer care. She has expertise in the areas of stress and anxiety management with a particular interest in mindfulness and has been trained in mindfulness based cognitive therapy and ACT. Debbie believes strongly in empowering people to get in touch with their own inner strengths.

Debbie has been practising meditation for almost 20 years with a focus on mindfulness for the last five years. She is passionate about mindfulness as she has seen how it has changed the lives of people she works with as well as her own. In particular, Debbie has witnessed how people experience more joy in their lives and develop a more resilient approach to difficulties. She attends regular mindful retreats and has her own mindfulness teacher.

Debbie lives in Brisbane with her adult daughter (in-training!) and extremely spoiled and delightful cat, Truffles. What Debbie enjoys most about life is walking by the beach, expressive dance and yoga.

Jade Lee

Mindfulness has been a journey of peaks and valleys for Jade. A Human Resources professional, Jade believed that stress, multitasking and being busy was the only way to succeed. She started regularly practicing yoga in 2012 to stretch and loosen her hips to support her dedication to long-distance running. Over the years she became increasingly interested in mindfulness and meditation and it’s positive effects on mental health.

After being a victim of bullying and dealing with the subsequent anxiety, in 2019 she qualified as a 300-hour Hatha yoga teacher. She has a certification in yoga for mental health, yin yoga, pilates and is formally qualified in breathwork and meditation. Jade offers hatha, vinyasa flow, vin yin and yin yoga classes. She combines strength, stretching, meditation, breath awareness and themes into her classes and participant leave feeling revitalised and inspired.

In addition to being a yoga and meditation teacher, Jade is an author who advises organisations on employee engagement. She is passionate about mindfulness, sustained mental health, self awareness and compassion in the workplace. Jade has a passion for traveling, she loves the great outdoors and met her husband when she was trekking to Everest Base Camp (he was her Sherpa!).

Jonathan Wood

Jonathan is an experienced mindfulness teacher who began his meditation journey over thirty years ago. He trained as a psychologist but his mindfulness teaching and practice also draws on secular Buddhist teachings about the nature of the mind and human experience – which is where the Western mindfulness movement began. This provides a practical and philosophical context for mindfulness practice that helps us find a path towards reduced stress, greater contentment and a more genuine relationship with the world.
 
Jonathan has taught meditation and mindfulness in Australia and New Zealand for over a decade.  He currently lives with his wife and two children in Brisbane, where he works for Children’s Health Queensland. 

Kate Hubert

Kate has been practising meditation for more than 25 years and teaching for 12. Over this time, Kate has attended many meditation workshops and classes in a variety of meditation traditions and styles.

Being passionate about the benefits that mindfulness brings to body, mind and life in general, Kate loves teaching people how to slow down, smell the roses and apply mindfulness practices to everything that they think, say and do.

Kate’s qualifications include International Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) Diploma, Skillful MIND Meditation Leader Certification and The Power of Awareness training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, Reiki Level 1 & 2. She is currently studying Qigong teacher training with Holden Qigong.

Pasha Lyndi

Pasha is a Brisbane-based mindfulness trainer with Mindfulness Works Australia and international charity Mind With Heart and is a qualified mindfulness meditation teacher (BSY). She has trained in both secular and traditional mindfulness.

She started practising near burnout ten years ago and has racked up over 3,000 hours of mindfulness practice since then. Pasha now enjoys a happier, more balanced quality of life.

She has led over thirty mindfulness-and-compassion-based programmes in the last five years.

Pasha has designed and implemented mindfulness-and-compassion-based wellbeing programmes for the Queensland Dept. of Education and Training, Excite Media and Teachers Health Fund.

She loves nature, especially the ocean… the sound of waves crashing… the salty breeze… relaxing onto warm sand… She also enjoys a good laugh and notes that a sense of humour can sometimes offer a new perspective when she gets stuck.

Learning mindfulness is an opportunity for us to find moments of calm and insight – even at the desk! Visit Pasha’s website.

Sophie Jayamaha

Sophie is a dedicated Mindfulness practitioner and a facilitator. With her firsthand experience in applying mindfulness to her own life situations, her passion is to empower people to live fulfilled lives.

She is also a medical doctor and combines her medical knowledge and mindfulness skills in her teaching of how to apply mindfulness to improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing and quality of life.

In her experience seeing thousands of patients, Sophie has observed that lack of resilience in coping with life’s stresses leads to anxiety and depression as well as diseases in the body. Unmanaged stress also forces people to adopt unhealthy lifestyles causing weight gain and other chronic diseases. Inadequate recovery from stress causes biochemical and physiological changes in the body collectively known as stress response.

As an anaesthesiologist, Sophie is familiar with the body’s response to stress, and she explains the scientific basis of the body becoming diseased when the mind is stressed. We do not pay attention to early warning signals that appear as discomforts in the mind and the body or even weight gain until a life-threatening disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart attack or stroke cripples us. Early warning signals are often suppressed by drugs and alcohol, as well as by the many distractions of busy lifestyles. She teaches mindfulness practices to enhance mind and body awareness and to reduce stress response in the body before a person becomes a victim of chronic illness.

Her mission is to empower people with mindfulness skills to self-manage their own health to recover and reverse chronic diseases and live a better quality of life with fulfilment. 

Rachel Therese

Rachel is an Integrative Health Coach and accredited Meditation Teacher. She holds membership with the International Institute for Complimentary Therapists and Meditation Association of Australia.

She has practised meditation for almost 20 years, developing practices using various techniques. It has become an integral part of her daily life. Noticeably it has assisted her in cultivating a more compassionate and accepting way of being, lowering reactivity and managing anxiety.

After completing Meditation Teacher training in 2018 with Yoga & Integrated Medicine Institute, Rachel then went on to do an 8-week course as a participant in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She knew this was the style of meditation she wanted to teach. She has completed intensive training in MBSR with the Mindfulness Training Institute of Australasia.

She enjoys completely immersing herself in ongoing personal and professional development with regular workshops, retreats and further training.

Rachel is extremely passionate about sharing her knowledge and holding space for others to learn and implement the life changing skills Mindfulness Meditation has to offer.

For more information on courses, workshops, retreats and coaching please visit Rachel’s website, www.mandalameditation.com.au

Mindfulness Works is one of the largest mindfulness training organisations in Australasia. Over 25,000 people have attended the Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-week course throughout Australia and New Zealand 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

Refund and Transfer Policy

  • Full refunds are available up to one week before a course starts.
  • Free transfers to other courses are available up to one week before a course starts.
  • Once a course has started, full refunds are only available if you attend every class of the course and feel you have not got value. In this case you are entitled to and will be given a full refund.
  • Refunds are not given if you do not attend every class of the course and if you simply ‘do not like’ the course or decide ‘it is not for you’.
  • For more details about our refund and transfer policy, please read our FAQ.

How long is each weekly class and what happens?

Each class is one hour long. There will be a guided meditation for a period. This will include meditation instruction. After the meditation and instruction, there will be a talk or discussion. This includes a question and answer time.

Who is it suitable for?

This course is suitable for any of the following:

  • 18-year-olds and over
  • Beginners
  • People who have never meditated or practised mindfulness before
  • People who have just started meditating or practising mindfulness.

Book your course now