In this section
Courses in York and North Yorkshire from the Northern Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion
“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 27th April
York: 10:00 - 12:00 Thursdays from 4th 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 21st
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 2nd 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 18th to 14:00 Friday 22nd 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 24th March
Beverley: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 1st April
Shipley: 9:30 - 16:30 Sunday 25th June
York: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 1st 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 27th 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 17th
& Sunday 18th June
Scampston Walled Garden: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 29th
July & Sunday 30th July
Brunswick Organic Nursery: 9:30 - 16:30 Saturday 12th August & Sunday 13th 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.