“More Curiosity than Fear”*

We are delighted to announce the launch of a brand new mindfulness course for the summer term – MBCr. Lauri has developed this 8-week course out of the Creativity and Mindfulness retreats that she and Clare have run over the past couple of years in Helmsley Walled Garden and York. This course is a natural extension of her discovery that mindfulness encourages creativity to flourish. MBCr combines many of the elements of the more established 8-week courses but also includes components of playful creativity. Each session offers a fun and playful exploration of combining mindfulness, writing and drawing as a means of overcoming the fear that these aspects can hold for many people. Through this course we encourage you to unlearn the habits of judging and saying to yourself, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘it’s no good’ and to have a go.

* Elizabeth Gilbert – Big Magic: Creative Living beyond Fear

Our creativity programme also includes 3 Creativity and Mindfulness retreats over 1 or 2 days of a weekend, returning to Helmsley Walled Garden in June, and exploring two new venues in July (Scampston Hall) and August (Brunswick Organic Nursery, York).

In terms of graduate support, our morning and evening retreats are also new this year, alongside continued supported practice days, which offer ideal opportunities to either re-establish or deepen your practice.

If you’d like to book onto any of the courses or events below, or if you’d like more information, please check out our Eventbrite page or click through to a course or event directly.

8-Week Courses

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

An 8-week group course teaching mindfulness meditation as an effective and dependable counter-balance to the stresses of life.

York: 18:30 - 20:30 Thursdays from 27^th April
York: 10:00 - 12:00 Thursdays from 4^th May

Ideal for: beginners, or anyone wishing to refresh or deepen their meditation practice. Participants join for a variety of reasons, from simply taking the time to prioritise their wellbeing, to those who wish to adopt a complementary approach to managing health concerns such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, IBS, CFS/ME and fibromyalgia.

Price: our standard rate for these courses is £250, however if you book 4 weeks in advance of the start date, you'll receive an Earlybird discount of 10%. We also offer a concessionary rate for partnership organisations and those who are on a low income or unable to work, or graduates of one of our other 8-week courses.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

An 8-week group course combining mindfulness with CBT, with a proven record of preventing the relapse of depression.

York: 13:30 - 15:30 Fridays from 21^st April

Hull: details tbc, please see our Eventbrite page as details become available

Leeds: details tbc, please see our Eventbrite page as details become available

Ideal for: those with a history of depression.

Price: our standard rate for these courses is £250, however if you book 4 weeks in advance of the start date, you'll receive an Earlybird discount of 10%. We also offer a concessionary rate for partnership organisations and those who are on a low income or unable to work, or graduates of one of our other 8-week courses.

 
Mindfulness Based Creativity (MBCr)

An 8-week group course combining mindful meditation, creative writing and drawing exercises.

York: 18:30 - 20:30 Tuesdays from 2^nd May

Ideal for: if you already have a creative pursuit and would like to bring more mindfulness into your practice then this course is for you. If the ‘C’ word (creativity) terrifies you this is exactly the course for you!

Price: our standard rate for these courses is £312, however if you book 4 weeks in advance of the start date, you'll be eligiblie for the Earlybird rate of £283. We also offer a concessionary rate for those who are on a low income or unable to work, or graduates of one of our other 8-week courses.

MBSR Intensive..

Based on the standard MBSR course, this unique 5-day course and retreat in the North York Moors is an opportunity to learn mindfulness meditation in a week.

Barmoor Country House: 11:00 Monday 18^th to 14:00 Friday 22^nd September

Ideal for: anyone interested in the MBSR course who cannot commit to 8 consecutive sessions, beginners or anyone wishing to refresh or deepen their meditation practice.

Price: £525 (shared room) / £650 (private room) inclusive of MBSR course and retreat activities, all materials, access to guided meditations, accommodation, and meals. We also offer a concessionary rate for partnership organisations.

Retreats..

Supported Practice Days

Practice Days offer a quiet, peaceful space away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, where course participants can explore and deepen their mindfulness meditation practice. They include a series of guided meditations and gentle exercises supported by an experienced facilitator, as well as time for discussion, feedback and relaxation.

Knaresborough: 10:00 - 14:30 Friday 24^th March
Beverley: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 1^st April

Shipley: 9:30 - 16:30 Sunday 25^th June
York: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 1^st July

Ideal for: MBSR/MBCT course participants and graduates, or those with an established meditation practice.

Price: £60 Standard rate, £54 Earlybird rate for full day retreats (9:30 - 16:30). £40 Standard rate, £36 Earlybird rate for half day retreats (10:00 - 14:30).

7 Pillars Practice Day

Similar to our Supported day retreats, this day includes a series of guided meditations and gentle exercises supported by an experienced facilitator, as well as time for discussion, feedback and relaxation. The focus of the day is the 7 pillars of mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn's attitudinal foundations), which are the basis of our 8-week courses.

Beverley: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 27^th May

Ideal for: MBSR / MBCT course participants and graduates, or those with an established meditation practice. 

Price: £60 Standard rate, £54 Earlybird rate for full day retreats (9:30 - 16:30). £40 Standard rate, £36 Earlybird rate for half day retreats (10:00 - 14:30).

Creativity and Mindfulness Retreats

An opportunity to experience drawing and poetry supported by mindfulness, in a beautful outdoor setting.

Helmsley: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 17^th & Sunday 18^th June
Scampston Walled Garden: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 29^th July & Sunday 30^th July

Brunswick Organic Nursery: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 12^th August & Sunday 13^th August

Ideal for: anyone who wishes to explore mindfulness as a fresh approach to creativity, which can be expanded to all areas of life. Tuition will be provided in mindfulness as well as the craft skills of drawing and poetry.

Price: £77 Standard rate for just a Saturday, £145 Standard rate for both days. Earlybird rates of £70 and £130 respectively for bookings 4 weeks in advance of the start date.

Continued Support..

Please note we now have a new format for Graduate groups. These are now Evening or Morning Retreats for 2 hours taking place in the following venues – York, Beverley and Shipley (all evening) and Knaresborough (morning). These will be two hours of practice, guided meditations and mindful practices as well as opportunities to discuss your home practice and ask questions in a group setting. One retreat per month for each location, except Knaresborough which will be running two per month.

Price: £20 for both sessions (May, June) or £11 for a single session. £40 for all Knaresborough sessions (May, June) or £11 for single sessions.

Books..

For those with an interest in offering mindfulness in the workplace, Mindfulness in the Workplace: An Evidence-based approach to improving wellbeing and maximising performance, including (among a variety of others!) a case study of our work in local organisations and a thought leadership piece exploring the role of mindfulness and compassion in developing ‘insight-based HR’.

Available here and from all good book retailers (Please use the code ‘HRMWC’ for a 20% discount).

For those with an interest in Buddhism, Lauri’s published Ph.D. thesis In the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh: Mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism.

Available here and from all good book retailers.