Work history
I have been teaching mindfulness and mindful movement courses online for a UK national charity since 2021. These six-week courses run throughout the year and are designed to help members and staff manage the challenges of living with a long-term health condition. I also teach in-person mindfulness for stress eight-week courses for staff and patients registered with local GP practices and have been running these courses since September 2023. From January 2025 I intend to run mindfulness for health eight-week courses to help staff and patients work with the difficulties of living with chronic pain. In addition to teaching mindfulness, I am an exercise practitioner with over thirty years of experience delivering health related physical activity in the community. I have also lectured on the subject in higher and further education and published research in the field.
Mindfulness background and training
I began studying and practicing mindfulness in 2018 when I joined my first mindfulness-based stress reduction course in West Yorkshire. In 2021, I successfully completed the BAMBA approved Breathwork’s mindfulness teacher training programme. In 2022 I completed a ten-week compassion course with the Centre of Mindfulness Self-Compassion and in 2023, a Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living Course with the Mind Life Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion. I am currently enrolled on a Mindfulness Master’s Degree at Bangor University and have just completed my first year.
Personal practice
I try to engage in formal mindfulness practice for at least one hour every day. I am increasingly noticing mindful awareness routinely dropping into my daily activities, providing additional opportunities to practice, for which I am grateful. I am committed to developing my mindfulness practice as evidenced by the number of courses, retreats, and workshops I have attended over the years. I am looking forward to attending the International Conference on Mindfulness in August 2024
Why I want to become a volunteer
I am a director of a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2018 which aims to inspire people in local communities to engage in health-related physical activity. The success of our organisation is partly attributable to the hard work and dedication of our small team of talented volunteers who contribute a great deal to the design and delivery of what we do. I would also like the opportunity to volunteer and to help spread the benefits of mindfulness more widely, particularly to groups who, for whatever reason, have difficulty accessing mindfulness and engaging with the subject, its concepts, and practices. I trust that volunteering with The Mindfulness Network will also provide me with opportunities to develop my mindfulness knowledge, teaching skills, and personal practice, thereby contributing significantly to my personal and professional development.