Meditation and Mindfulness
I am a firm believer in mindfulness and meditation. As a counsellor, I see clients come from all walks of life, looking for a way to find calm in a busy world. Using mindfulness and meditation, you can actively find your way to a more balanced life.
This is a method of not only being self aware and listening to your body and what it's telling you, but also listening to your mind. The two are intertwined. What does that mean? It means taking a moment each day to smooth over anxiety, pain; to allow a moment of reflection and peace in a difficult situation; to exist and simply be, still. Unlike other methods, this isn't about humming, diets, weird whale song, candles or incense to sting your eyes. It's just talking, listening, thinking and reflecting.
Why? In our modern, busy, social media obsessed world, it's difficult to simply be alone with one's thoughts. There might not be time. Stress builds up, pressure, stress hormones are released which leads to anxiety, depression, and then potentially, physical illness, such as heart, dietary issues and headaches. If these things aren't dealt with, it can mean that long term damage is done.
How? In the small groups I run, we learn how to be still. We listen and understand ourselves. We learn breathing techniques based in yoga and apply guided visualisation in calm, meditative states to heal ourselves of the stress of the day; to actively remove those anxieties and enjoy peace and relaxation. In those sessions, we will practise relaxing and breathing, visualising and moving that stress out of ourselves, into a place where it can't hurt any more. It's not quick. It's not magic. It's practise and it's tools to take with you.
When?
I run various courses for groups of no more than 15 people, and short two and a half hour courses for beginners. They are usually in the evenings, often a Wednesday from around 7pm until 9:30pm at The Romney Centre in Southampton. When there is a lot of interest, I sometimes run a group in the afternoon. I also go to businesses and work with groups on mindfulness and stress management.:
£12.50 for 2.5 hours- Eventbrite charge admin fees- book directly for savings
Please email opendoorsonlinecounselling@outlook.com for information on when the next course is. Alternatively, you can use the contact form on this website.
UPDATE: Next 2.5 hour course is on the 24th July at 7pm in Southampton.
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