All Courses & Retreats - Compassion Based Mindfulness - Mindfulness Association

The Seven Points of Mind Training

Helen — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Tutors: Choden and Heather Regan-Addis

Dates: 29th October 2025 – 16th September 2026

Price: £330.00, payable in two monthly instalments of £165.00.

Times: Wednesday evenings from 19.00-21.00pm. The dates are the 29th October, 12th November, 17th December 2025, 21st January, 11th February, 11th March, 29th April, 27th May, 17th June, 15th July, 19th August and 16th September 2026.

Booking: contact info@mindfulnessassociation.net

Location: Online via Zoom

This course will explore the Seven Points of Mind Training (called Lojong in Tibetan) in a pragmatic step by step way. Lojong is a profound and famous text from Tibetan Buddhism that lays out specific guidelines for how to apply wisdom and compassion in our meditation practice and daily lives. It is characterised by pithy slogans for relating proactively to everyday issues and difficulties and seeing them as the fertile ground for living a wise and compassionate life.

It is based on the principle of regarding life obstacles and difficulties as the basis for deepening our awareness and strengthening our compassion rather than them being issues that drag us down. The well-known practice called Tonglen (taking and sending) comes from the Seven Points of Mind Training.

In the words of the Dalai Lama, “Lojong teaches us how to regard others with the dignity and care that they deserve, and also how to transcend the limitations of conventional ego-grasping.”

It challenges our default setting of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ – our ingrained egocentricity – by encouraging us to expand our hearts to include the pain and struggles of other living beings and see them as being just like our own. This is the basis for sacred outlook – seeing our life as an integral part of the rich fabric of life on this planet, rather than something separate and distinct.

During the course we will cover these key themes:

Explain each of the 7 Points in an experiential and pragmatic way

Explore the meaning of bodhicitta (awakening mind)

Explain the principle of relative and ultimate truth and how Lojong deepens our compassion at the relative level and awakens our wisdom at the ultimate level.

Apply awareness and compassion to the detail of our everyday lives through the pith instructions of Lojong.

Explore tonglen practice in the context of the Lojong teachings

This course will be taught in the experiential style of the Mindfulness Association that draws on wisdom traditions like Tibetan Buddhism but does not require adherence to any faith or religious tradition.

Choden and Heather will lead monthly online evening sessions and provide home practice guidelines between sessions including reading materials and guided audios of the practices.

We hope that you will join us on this one-year journey of mind training. This training is suitable for anyone who has trained in mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness Level 3 – Insight – Spring Intake

Helen — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Tutor: Choden

Dates: 7-8 March, 9-10 May and 18-19 July 2026

Times: 10.00am-17.00pm on Saturday and 9.00am- 16.00pm on Sunday.

Cost: £555.00 payable in three monthly instalments of £185.00

Venue for weekend one- Online via Zoom or at the Holiday Inn at The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4TA. For more details about the Crichton please click here.

The cafe in Crichton Central is open for food/drinks from 10am until 4pm (last food orders being 3.30pm) and the Bistro in Easterbrook Hall serves food Thursday-Sunday 11am-4pm. Please find the Bistro menu attached here and the cafe menu here to see all the options.

There is an on-site Bankend Bar & Brasserie Holiday Inn, for room rates and availability please click here. Breakfast is served between 7.00am and 10.30am on a weekend and 7.00am- 10.00am on weekdays and dinner between 17.00pm and 21.30pm. There are over 200 complimentary car parking spaces for hotel guests.

Please click here for the evening menu at the Holiday Inn, tables are available to book via the website. Please find here a list of alternative accommodation in the area and there is also Air B & B and booking.com. These are purely suggestions, not personal recommendations.

There is free car parking outside Crichton Central and in the large car park outside Easterbrook Hall. Electric charging points and cycle racks are available outside Crichton Central and across the estate. The number 5 bus route from Dumfries town centre takes you from Great King Street to The Crichton Campus. The venue is a 10-minute car ride from Dumfries train station and 45 minutes from the M6.

Accessible parking spaces and a Changing Places Toilet are available at the venue.

There is a 12 metre swimming pool, sauna and steamroom which is open daily from 7am-8pm. Booking is essential and you can pay as you go if you are not staying as a guest, please just book at the Bistro.

Booking- Please contact info@mindfulnessassiociation.net for the booking link.

Our Seeing Deeply Insight Level 3 course aims to enable participants to develop their mindfulness practice by developing insight into the mental processes that drive our thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

This Seeing Deeply course builds on the Level 1 and Mindfulness Level 2 – Responding with Compassion trainings that preceded it. In the insight training we deepen our understanding of psychological mental processes by exploring the roots of our experience, and what drives us.

It is ideal for those who have completed the Level 2 mindfulness training and who wish to continue to develop their mindfulness practice.
It meets the annual continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of the UK Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs) for mindfulness teachers.

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Mindfulness Level 1 – Second Spring Intake

Helen — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0100

This is the introduction to our Level 1: Being Present Mindfulness Training taught on a Monday evening. It can be taken in isolation as a retreat or a refresher for those already with a Mindfulness practice or is a perfect way to begin a Mindfulness journey. After the first part you can choose to continue to complete the course over a further three parts.

Tutor: Tina Gilbert

Dates on a Monday evening:

Part 2- 13th April, 20th April, 27th April, 4th May 2026

Part 3- 1st June, 8th June, 22nd June 2026, 29th June 2026

Part 4- 13th July, 20th July, 3rd August, 10th August 2026

Price: Parts 2 – 4 £555.00 = 6 monthly payments x £92.50

Times: 19.00pm-21.30pm

Booking: You will be contacted after attending the first part to book the following three parts, these can be paid for in six monthly instalments of £92.50.

Location: Online via Zoom

If you are making up for missed weekends, please email info@mindfulnessassociation.net to sign up.

Find out more about this course here.

Research

We are delighted to announce that a large scale, long term research study is about to start in relation to our Four Level Pathway. This research is led by Dr Oleg Medvedev (link: https://profiles.waikato.ac.nz/oleg.medvedev) and Katya Gus of Waikato University in New Zealand. Oleg is also the Editor of the Mindfulness Journal in which Choden’s recent articles have been published.

As a participant in this course you will be invited, with no obligation to do so, to take part in this research. Find out more here.

We are very excited to be developing a strong evidence base and hope that you will be willing to support us in this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 16 weeks a long time for a mindfulness course?

Most mindfulness courses are only 8 weeks, but we believe that true, lasting change takes time to “marinate.” This 16-week journey is broken into four distinct modules, allowing you to move through the stages of Settling, Distraction, Self-Acceptance, and Insight without feeling rushed. It’s the difference between a “quick fix” and building a foundation for life.

I’m a complete beginner—is this course too advanced for me?

Not at all. “Level One: Being Present” is specifically designed to meet you exactly where you are. We start with the very basics of posture and breath. Because we have 16 weeks together, we can move at a gentle pace that ensures you feel confident and supported at every step.

What if I can’t clear my mind or stop my thoughts?

This is the most common concern! In this course, we teach you that mindfulness isn’t about stopping thoughts; it’s about changing your relationship with them. We use the concept of the “Undercurrent” to help you understand that it’s okay for the mind to be busy—we simply learn how to sit on the riverbank and watch the water flow rather than getting swept away by it.

What is "Second-Generation" Mindfulness?

Many modern mindfulness programs focus purely on “focus” or productivity. The Mindfulness Association’s approach is “Second-Generation,” meaning we integrate compassion and kindness into the practice from the very beginning. We believe that focus without kindness can be cold; we want to help you develop a warm, friendly awareness.

What happens if I miss a live session?

Life happens! While we encourage attending the live online sessions to benefit from the community energy, sessions are typically supported by comprehensive digital manuals and guided audio practices. You will have the resources you need to stay on track even if your schedule gets busy. We do advise participants to attend at least 80% of the course to receive their attendance certificate.

Mindfulness Level 2 – Compassion – Spring Intake

Helen — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0100

Mindfulness Level 2 – Responding with Compassion DETAILS

If you have completed an 8 Week MBLC course or our Level 1 Mindfulness training you can book onto this course and begin your journey into compassion.

“The practices given are lifelong tools which everyone should be aware of”

This course starts with building self-compassion into basic mindfulness practice. Through compassionate imagery and mindful self-compassion, we cultivate positive emotions as a way of building up an inner resource, from which we can approach the difficulties that are part and parcel of being alive. We then approach the self-critic: that persistent inner voice that is harsh and condemning, and always finding fault in what we do. What it would be like to cultivate an inner voice that is kind and supportive, and to live life from this place, rather than from a place of destructive self-criticism?

In the course of the journey we move from self-compassion towards compassion for others, exploring practices which help us find balance and perspective beyond our narrow preferences, generating love and friendliness to our inner and outer worlds, responding appropriately to pain and suffering while also appreciating the good things in our lives, integrating compassion into all that we do. As there is a strong emphasis on the experiential nature of the course, there are home practice suggestions between the sessions that include regular compassion practice and daily life exercises.

This course takes place over three parts, and is spread out over a six month period. It aims to enable participants to develop their mindfulness practice by training in compassion.

Self Compassion
Compassion for Others
Compassion in Action

“I feel this is a journey and not an end point – the learning is so rich and experiential”

Take some time out of your busy life to relax, nurture and rest as we learn how to cultivate compassion in our lives.

You can read Fay’s blog about Compassion HERE

Tutor: Jacky Seery

Module One– 14th April, 21st April, 28th April and 5th May 2026

Module Two– 2nd June, 9th June, 16th and 23rd June 2026

Module Three– 14th July, 21st July, 4th August and 11th August 2026

Cost: £555.00 payable in three monthly instalments of £185.00

Booking info: Please contact info@mindfulnessassociation.net for the booking link.

Times: The course will run from 19.00pm till 21.30pm on a Tuesday evening.

Location: Online via Zoom.

Living Mindfully – An Online Course

Jacky Seery — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100

A warm welcome to the Mindfulness Association’s Living Mindfully course.

Each week for 10 weeks, we will send you an email that includes video and audio practices taken from our Level 1 course – Being Present. In addition, you will also get free 6 months access to our membership. The course information and booking link are below.

If you have any questions then please email us at info@mindfulnessassociation.net

If you can’t make it to one of our tutor-led courses or want to practice from the comfort of your own home then our online living Mindfully course is a great starting point.

Come practice with us!

Weekly Topics

What is Mindfulness?

We start with looking at What Mindfulness is and our present moment experience.

Automatic Pilot

We look at automatic pilot and our settling the mind practice.

Daily Tips

Daily tips and mindful eating practice.

Kindness in Daily Life

Happiness and wellbeing for ourselves and others.

Automatic Pilot Continued

We continue to look at our automatic pilot and a 3 monute breating space practice.

Attitude

The attitude we bring to our Mindfulness practice is one of kindly curiosity and self-acceptance regardless of what is happening in the moment.

Grounding

Grounding practice establishes a sense of being embodied, which means having a sense of being present within the body.

Mindful Walking

Tutor led videos on Mindful Walking Practices.

Daily Tips

We look at grounding tips that we can use in our daily life.

Kindness to Ourselevs

Looking at Kindness to our bodies and minds.

The Importance of Self Kindness

Tutor led videos on the importance of being kind to ourselves

Daily Tips

Tips for smiling more in our daily lives.

Putting It All Together

We put into practice what we have learned and also cover key elements of our practice, such as, intention and motivation, posture and support. We also include links to audio files of our practices.

Settling Ground Resting

Practices with sound and breath support.

Self Compassion

Mindful Compassion: How the Science of Compassion Can Help You Understand Your Emotions, Live in the Present, and Connect Deeply with Others.

Self Compassion Break

A guided practice on a self compassion break

Distraction

We familiarise ourselves with the biggest challenge to mindfulness – distraction.

Partial and Complete Distraction

A significant part of our mindfulness training consists in recognising distraction and learning to let it go and return to the support.

Compassion

We look at different types of emotional regulation systems and Mindfulness Association patron, Professor Paul Gilbert talks more about the compassionate mind and evolutionary psychology.

Life Values

An exploration of our life values

Increasing Awareness of Pleasant Events

We practice attending to pleasant events in our daily life.

Nourishing and Depleting Activities (adapted from MBCT)

We look at our norishing and depleting actiivities. How can we develop strategies to reduce or change the way we engage in depleting activities and schedule more nourishing activities.

A Mindful Life

Practice for the rest of your Life

Increasing Awareness of Pleasant Events

We practice attending to pleasant events in our daily life.

Nourishing and Depleting Activities (adapted from MBCT)

We look at our norishing and depleting actiivities. How can we develop strategies to reduce or change the way we engage in depleting activities and schedule more nourishing activities.

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