AN INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION 4-WEEK COURSE

Australia’s number one in-person mindfulness & meditation course

$145 for a full 4-week Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation course in Melbourne. Includes four classes with an experienced mindfulness trainer, a 4-week subscription to the full version of the CALM app, downloadable guided mindfulness meditations and a 45-page guidebook.

“For all of us, our minds often tend to get caught up thinking about the past or worrying about the future. 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 and Beyond Blue’s (beyondblue.orgh.au) lead Clinical Advisor

THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

Reduce anxiety and worry.

Increase self-acceptance.

Improve sleep.

Experience greater joy.

“Multiple scientific studies have demonstrated effects of mindfulness on wellbeing, as well as effects of mindfulness on brain function and brain structure. The neuroscience community accepts these facts. There is no debate surrounding the potential for mindfulness to deliver positive benefits for individuals” — Dr. Bechara Saab Phd. Neuroscientist Mobio Interactive, CEO & Chief Scientist.

An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-Week Course

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

• 4 one-hour classes with an experienced mindfulness trainer
• Designed for absolute beginners
• Practical and non-religious
• 4-week subscription to the full version of the CALM app
• Downloadable guided mindfulness meditations to keep for life
• 45-page guidebook.
• Money-back guarantee. If you attend all four sessions and don’t feel you have benefited, we will refund you in full.

ALL MELBOURNE COURSE LOCATIONS

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“Thank goodness I came across Mindfulness Works. I have learnt so much in a year and have the happiest, authentic and content that I have ever been. By 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

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

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

Modern research on mindfulness and meditation shows that with regular practice and over time, mindfulness and meditation practice can reduce stress and anxiety.

“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

AUSTRALIA’S NUMBER ONE MINDFULNESS COURSE

FREE 4-WEEK GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO THE CALM PREMIUM APP INCLUDED WITH THIS COURSE

Every participant on the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 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.

“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

“Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex…This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. …The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.”
— Psychology Today

NO RELIGION. NO DOGMA. NO FUNNY POSITIONS.

Course Contents

This particular course emphasises your own natural wisdom, your own innate OKness, right here and now. It is presented in a practical, non-religious way.

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.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE COURSE

“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

“Mindfulness is now my go-to tool when I’m overwhelmed or need to re focus.” — Biljana Rufati

“The facilitator was exceptionally good. Really highly skilled.” — Victoria Barkway

“The facilitator took her time to explain things, asked questions, and was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.” — Janine Taylor

“The facilitator was interesting, captivating, funny, down-to-earth, compassionate and extremely good at what she does.” — Rosie Smith

“The facilitator presented well and had a very calming demeanour. I looked forward to the class every week.” — Paulette Fraser

“[The course] covered all key areas of peoples’ basic issues and addressed them well. I also like the apps you recommend and all the extra info in the booklet!” — Biljana Rufati

SELF-CARE STARTS HERE

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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.

About Mindfulness Works

Mindfulness Works is one of the largest mindfulness training organisations in Australasia. Every month over 600 people attend the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 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

About The Trainers

The approach of all Mindfulness Works teachers is straightforward, practical and heartfelt and directed towards you discovering your own innate wisdom and authentic experience.

Ajay Ramdas

Ajay, Success coach and founder of At Peace Meditation Group is a qualified meditation teacher. Ajay embarked on this journey of discovering, practising and applying the techniques of meditation and yoga in India 16 years ago. The transformation continues to inspire Ajay and his passion to share these techniques saw him founding At Peace Meditation Group in 2009.

Since then Ajay has taught meditation to hundreds of individuals and has touched the lives of many more.

Ajay is a student of Vedanta and also holds a Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. The meditation sessions are designed to be non-religious and do not subscribe to any group or community.

Ajay is a White Ribbon Community Partner, a Healthy Relationship Ambassador and an avid campaigner against family and domestic violence.

A qualified corporate trainer by profession, Ajay has worked in responsible positions for Fortune 500 multinational corporations as well as national organisations including local government.

Ajay resides in Melbourne with his family.

Angie Roach

Angie has been practising mindfulness and meditation for over 20 years and finds it brings a flow and calm to her life. Living life mindfully brings her clarity, happiness and peace and sharing this knowledge with others has become her life’s work.

She has studied yoga and many traditions of mindfulness and meditation; her official training coming from the lineage of Venerable Ayya Khema. With a background in horticulture and permaculture, she brings her mindfulness to her work in kitchen gardens, teaching children mindfulness and meditation techniques and helping them to feel a connection with the earth and each other.

Angie is the founder of Green Heart which runs workshops in meditation, mindfulness, permaculture and earth connection. Her passion is helping people find peace in the present moment and feeling connected to the earth and each other.

Catherine Ogilvy

Catherine is a dedicated practitioner and teacher of mindfulness and meditation. She began practising in 2000 and meditation has inspired profound growth and positive change within her life. Catherine completed a meditation course early on in her practice and has expanded this practice through many silent retreats. Catherine began a study of mindfulness and specifically the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. She has completed the 8-week MBSR course herself twice and went on to train as an MBSR teacher with the Mindfulness Training Institute Australia and New Zealand in 2017.

She is extremely passionate about teaching meditation and loves to create a safe and welcoming space for people to connect with themselves and others to learn the wonderful practice of meditation. She has taught the MBSR course for a couple of years now as well as an ongoing Meditation/Mindful Movement classes.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and continues to work in a corporate environment, understanding the day-to-day challenges of these roles. Supplementing her studies, she completed a Graduate Diploma of Applied Psychology and currently volunteers in this capacity. Catherine has a wealth of life experience to draw from, informing her empathetic approach to teaching and being with people.

When Catherine is not working, she likes to hang out with her family and friends, do yoga, meditation, sing and play music and exercise.

Catherine has a strong interest in research-based approaches that bring together the strength of modern science and ancient wisdom to help empower people and familiarise themselves with their own mind and body.

She is deeply grateful to developers and teachers of MBSR/MBCT, and her other precious teachers and friends from various walks of life. Catherine believes everyone has a story and there is an opportunity to learn from every interaction.

A link to her website: themeditationpractice.com.au

Karen Bradford

Karen is a Mindfulness Educator and Clinical Hypnotherapist who specialises in stress management and chronic pain Management. Karen is also a Registered Nurse and has over 8 years’ experience as a corporate trainer creating, developing and delivering education and facilitating workshops to professionals.

Topics including mindfulness and stress management build strong relationships in team and health-related topics, for example, sleep, downtime, enhancing energy levels naturally. Also teaching coaching skills, advanced communication skills, behavioural change and assisting people to identify their inspiration, values, purpose and passion, change management, goal setting and working on making committed action and overcoming barriers.

Karen is qualified in self-compassion mindfulness through the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and has studied extensively ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy, a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). She is also a qualified mentor/coach with HeartMath Institute specialising in building resilience. She has a keen interest in neuroscience and has studied with Dr Sarah McKay from the Neuroscience Academy, Applied Neuroscience and Brain Health course. She also has a Certificate, Diploma and Master Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy.

Karen works with people individually or in groups using mindfulness education and therapy as well as clinical hypnotherapy. And she offers a free half–hour discovery session which is totally without obligation; it is an opportunity to discuss and explore people’s aspirations and needs are then how we might work together.

Karen is passionate about empowering people to acquire the skills needed to reduce stress and suffering, improve life experience and find joy in all that they do.

For more information, you can go to www.perfectlybalancedlife.com.au or email info@perfectlybalancedlife.com.au

Kathy Jerin

Kathy is a registered Senior Meditation Teacher, HeartMath Trainer and best-selling author. Each day provides Kathy with an opportunity to do what she loves most — advocate the benefits of meditation as an integral part of life.

The pace of life is not slowing down; in fact it is only getting faster and our current strategies for coping with stress are inefficient. Understanding the mechanics of stress gives you the advantage of being more aware of and sensitive to your own level of stress, and knowing when and how to take proactive steps. Meditation helps us to stop and consider how our body system is being depleted and helps us to more intelligently manage our energy in order to thrive in a world of flux, change, challenge and opportunity.

Kathy’s website is https://www.bodymindandyou.com.au

Kirti Dube

Kirti is a devoted Vipassana and MBSR practitioner. She was introduced to meditation at the age of 10 by her grandfather who was a dedicated yoga practitioner in India. Since then, she’s had a strong inclination towards working on self through various techniques of meditation. Her fondness for meditation took the form of regular committed practice. It became a way of living for her a few years ago when she used alternative therapy and meditation to avoid surgery and cure her chronic medical condition. She has firsthand experience of what can be achieved in personal health and in life with meditation and mindfulness.

Kirti is a certified trainer for students with intellectual disabilities and regularly uses mindfulness at work. She has worked with youth and their parents, helping them achieve academic goals through her coaching and mentoring skills. She has designed and facilitated half-day to full-day professional development workshops for job seekers at work and in small to medium businesses in her community, using meditation and mindfulness to improve their productivity. Some of her techniques also come from her mother who is a psychotherapist and has mentored her over the years.

Participants from her workshops say that Kirti brings great energy and vibe into her workshops and that she has a powerful way of reaching the attendees through her own stories and experiences. Tools and techniques given by her, when practised regularly, transform the way participants cope with stress and anxiety and bring about positive change in their mindset.

Kirti practises Vipassana with her husband with whom she has been happily married to for 23 years. She is also the proud mother of one son.

Nikki Lesser

Nikki stumbled across mindfulness about five years ago and has never looked back. At the time, she was highly stressed and anxious and had severe hip pain which was the result of a car accident. She was also obsessed with yoga and the many benefits that flowed from incorporating a daily yoga practice.

Following her yoga teacher training, she enrolled in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. After attending the first session, she walked away feeling great but was also puzzled with many unanswered questions. The biggest question of all was, “Why had I not been exposed to mindfulness before?” She attended a 24-hour silent retreat that she found challenging and rewarding and developed new strategies and tools that could be incorporated into her daily life.

Soon after this, Nikki undertook her mindfulness teacher training. Once again, this was challenging and rewarding and she learnt so much both personally and professionally.

Nikki believes that overall health and wellbeing is more than just being physically fit; that it also incorporates mental wellbeing. She is fascinated with the science behind mindfulness and loves sharing her knowledge and passion with others. You will often find her running around Melbourne which is one of her mindfulness practices.

She currently works in a stressful, evolving and challenging environment and incorporates many mindfulness strategies and tools into her daily routine which she shares with colleagues. These assist in building resilience, leadership roles and decision making, reducing stress and pain, increasing self-awareness and being present.