Blogs looking at some of the science in psychology, biology and neuroscience around training the mind in mindfulness, compassion and insight, partly inspired by our work with our colleagues from University of the West of Scotland on the Masters Degree in (Teaching) Mindfulness and Compassion, and from the University of Aberdeen on the Masters Degree in Studies in Mindfulness, which are both run in partnership with the Mindfulness Association.
Also, the Mindfulness Association and the Everyone Project are supporting two PhD students in the field of Mindfulness and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. As part of their work over the next few years they will be contributing blogs to inform and engage those who are interested in this topic.
We are now in the second year of the University of West Scotland (UWS) MSc in teaching Mindfulness and Compassion. It is a collaboration between the Mindfulness Association (MA) and UWS Psychology Department. The MA provides the teaching in mindfulness and compassion and UWS provides academic input on psychological theory underpinning mindfulness and compassion as…
Wednesday 28th September – Join us at 7pm You are welcome to attend our online open evening with Q&A. Join us to meet with tutors from our MSc Teaching Mindfulness and Compassion course. This relaxed session is a chance to find out about this unique teaching course and to ask any questions you may have.…
One of the areas of interest to the Mindfulness Association and the wider mindfulness fields is Engaged Mindfulness. By this we mean applying our mindfulness meditation practice to how we may feel about the state of the world on a social and environmental level and exploring ways of contributing positively through compassionate action. So, what does…
Mindful movement is one component of a typical mindfulness course. It generally involves making gentle movements, often based on Yoga, qi gong or tai chi. The instruction is to notice how the body feels as it moves and the changing sensations that are experienced through movement. The instruction is to do this with curiosity, non-judgement…
Master’s Degree in Mindfulness online open evening Join us! Have you been thinking about the part time Master’s degree MSc Studies in Mindfulness? We are holding an open evening on 11 July at 7pm for anyone who is interested in learning more about the ‘Studies in Mindfulness’ Masters degree at the University of Aberdeen. People…
Benefits of Self-Compassion The Mindfulness Association approach to mindfulness training is unusual in that it incorporates training in self-compassion. In addition, we offer a training in compassion meditation, starting with self-compassion, for those who have completed mindfulness training. Self-compassion as formulated by Kristin Neff (2011) has three components. The first is to turn towards what…
In the wake of the pandemic overall there are lower levels of mental and physical wellbeing. Levels of stress and anxiety are being exacerbated by worries about the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine and ongoing environmental degradation. In an aging population with less access to the NHS many are living with chronic…
Secular mindfulness began in the clinical realm with Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which was developed in the early 1980s by John Kabat-Zinn in the US for people experiencing chronic health conditions. This inspired the development of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the mid-1990s by Mark Williams and others within the UK as an…
I did the members teaching this week on this topic of living without regret. To prepare for it I looked at some research on this topic. Research by Gilovich et al (1995) looks into what people regret most in their lives and why, and indicates that mistaken actions generate more regret in the short term,…