MSc Studies in Mindfulness

Our mindfulness courses provide an in-depth, personal, experiential practice of mindfulness that are part of a lifelong journey.  We learn how to be present, respond with compassion and see deeply into our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This three-tiered approach enables you to embody your practice as a way of life. We also provide:

• Mindfulness teacher training
• Compassion teacher training
• Annual mindfulness practice retreats
• The opportunity to study mindfulness in depth on the MSc Studies in Mindfulness in partnership with The University of Aberdeen.
• Weekend workshops for Continued Professional Development for Mindfulness teachers. 

You may be a beginner or have practiced mindfulness with another organisation.  Either way we have courses to offer you.

Our training is based on the work of Rob Nairn. Rob is one of the world pioneers in presenting meditation training in a way that is accessible to the Western mind. He was asked to teach meditation by the Dalai Lama. His experience of over forty years of teaching meditation to Westerners has enabled him to develop a unique secular training in mindfulness, and so the Mindfulness Association was created to support this. 

We are one of the top mindfulness training providers in the UK. We have been delivering 100s of compassion-based mindfulness meditation courses over 15 years across the UK and Europe. 

All our courses are secular and draw from a broad range of disciplines, including neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and Buddhism. 

The Mindfulness Association has 15 years of experience of delivering courses in the UK and Europe. 

All our tutors are very experienced and knowledgeable compassion-based mindfulness and practitioners.  

We have a membership providing our practitioners with ongoing support. 

Our tutors and courses comply with the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations – now BAMBA who oversee the quality of mindfulness-based training in the UK. 

Completing Year 1 and 2 of the MSc qualifies you to attend:

MBLC Teaching Skills Retreat- Teaching Level 2  – after which you will have trained to teach mindfulness and will be eligible to register on the UK Listing of Mindfulness teachers, now Bamba.

Following this you will be able to train to teach the Compassion Based Living Course (CBLC) by attending CBLC  Compassion Teacher Training Retreat

As we reflect on our lives and our work/life balance, we may sometimes consider a new way to work and live.

It may be that you might wish to bring Mindfulness into your personal life or into the workplace. This course takes you on a deep journey into Mindfulness and its transformational aspects will affect all areas of your life.

There is increasing evidence that a Mindfulness practice helps us to cope with the more challenging times in life.  Not only will you find this of benefit to yourself, but also to those around you.

Affordable

Competitively priced, this course is affordable, at around £2,900 per academic year, payable in instalments, with no extra travel or accommodation costs incurred.

What Research Tells Us

Evidence suggests that practicing Mindfulness reduces stress, increases focus and improves emotion regulation.  Furthermore, practitioners can experience an increase in emotional intelligence, physical wellbeing and resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Studies also reveal that Mindfulness improves expressions of creativity.

A Mindfulness practice applied in the workplace can assist in reducing stress and sick days taken and enhance quality of life. Furthermore, evidence suggests that Mindfulness in the workplace increases our communication and interaction with others, improves focus and enhances creativeness.

Whilst we might emphasise that a course of Mindfulness studies is not a replacement for therapy or counselling*, a Mindfulness practice certainly does increase overall wellbeing.

New Opportunity

We are offering the unique opportunity to study Mindfulness online and bring changes to the way you live and work.  This might mean bringing the benefits of Mindfulness to the workplace.

Flexible Options for Study

Modules 1 to 3 – one weekend is hybrid (in person at Samye Ling or online) and one weekend online.

Modules 4 and 5 are completely online – with teaching and research supervision from UoA and monthly practice support sessions with MA.

Year end retreats hybrid

The whole course can be completely online – with one hybrid mindfulness, compassion and insight weekend and hybrid year end retreats.

This Mindfulness Degree: Studies in Mindfulness, covers our Mindfulness Levels 1 to 3 courses supplemented with an academic exploration of the mindfulness literature and evidence-base.

It enables you to explore how mindfulness practice is applicable to your professional context.

It covers training in research methodology as well as preparation for undertaking a research project or dissertation in the third year

Teacher training is included, in accordance with the good practice guidelines of the British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches (BAMBA)

This course is unique in that it welcomes applicants from all professions including: physical and mental health, social care and wellbeing; education and learning; business and workplace; and public service sectors such as government and criminal justice.

It is suitable for beginners as well as those who have previous experience of mindfulness and who want to develop their mindfulness practice within their work context.

The course is delivered in a flexible way over weekends.  Each weekend is hybrid in that students can attend in person over residential weekends or online, broadcast live from the venue. The course includes a year-end residential retreat  with the option of attending online.

The Course Is Modular And Can Be Exited After Each Year:

Year 1 – Mindfulness and Compassion – exit with Post Graduate Certificate;

Year 2 – Insight and Professional Inquiry (research methodology) – exit with Post Graduate Diploma; and

Year 3 – Work Based Research Project or Dissertation – exit with Master of Science.

Applications and costs are managed by the University of Aberdeen. Please click here for more information about the Mindfulness Degree costs.

The course is delivered over weekends held online and in person at various venues (tbd)

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This post graduate course offers a very flexible approach to your studies. It is offered entirely online OR you will have these options:

1. Attend Samye Ling in person
2. Attend the weekend live online
3. Catch up after the weekend using recordings of the weekend sessions.

Look at these multiple benefits of studying MSc Studies in Mindfulness with the Mindfulness Association and The University of Aberdeen

• Professional experience will be considered in place of a first degree
• Affordable Post Graduate Studies payable in instalments
• No need to delay your studies
• Recognised qualification with benefits and value not always available at traditional classroom-based post graduate courses.
• Accessible study resources and expert tutor instruction
• Study when and where you want
• Easy to fit into your personal and working life with 16–18 hours study time each week
• Learn in the comfort of your own home, wherever you are
• No travel costs or restrictions
• Unique experiential course
• 3 years part-time

The Post Graduate Studies in Mindfulness (MSc) is run as a unique partnership between the University of Aberdeen and The Mindfulness Association. This contemporary online and blended learning programme allows you to study part time over three years in a way which suits your lifestyle and circumstances.

The secular Mindfulness aspects are taught by the Mindfulness Association who have 10 years’ experience in teaching Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight through a proven process of meditation practices, drawn from different wisdom traditions.  What sets this course apart from other Mindfulness Courses is that the teachings are based on neuroscience, psychology and Buddhism.

The academic aspects are taught by the University of Aberdeen who have a long reputation of high-class academic studies and qualifications.

The full MSc course can be studied part time over 3 years. Its aim is to help students:

• develop a stable regular Mindfulness meditation practice
• to study and critically research its history and cultural aspects and application within a selected professional or personal context
• to understand the key components of teaching Mindfulness (as an option) – Please note that the MSc does not include a complete teacher training pathway. For those wishing to train to teach mindfulness they will need to do the Mindfulness Association’s MBLC teaching skills retreat in addition to the teaching skills training offered as part of the MSc.

The unique focus of this course is an embodied and compassionate approach to Mindfulness practice that is the basis for deepening insight, which enriches one’s life and work.

Mindfulness is an innate capacity of the mind to be aware of the present moment in a non-judgemental way. Mindfulness training enables us to access inner resources for coping effectively and productively with stress, difficulty and illness which helps us to lead healthier lives. This promotes a way of being that helps us to take better care of ourselves and those around us whether at home or at work. During the course you will be asked to develop a daily Mindfulness meditation practice and keep a record of your experiences in a journal. This experiential learning is fundamental to your progression on the course.