MINDFULNESS FOR WELLBEING

Portmarnock Community School Adult Education Programme:

Mindfulness is paying attention, non-judgmentally, in the present moment.

In this 5 week course we will be learning to pay attention to various anchors such as the breath, the body, sounds, thoughts and emotions. The attention we bring is a kind and interested attention to our full experience of each moment. During the practice you may experience moments of peace and ease as your mind begins to settle and clear. We will also learn how to bring mindfulness into our everyday life as we  pause in the midst of our lives, releasing tension from the body and bringing awareness to how we are in the moment, opening up to the world around us, truly knowing what it is to be fully alive.

No previous experience is required and the mindful movement practices  are gentle enough for all abilities. Participants should bring a pillow, mat and a blanket if they would like to lie down for the body scan.

There have been hundreds of studies done on the benefits of mindfulness, some of the results are as follows:
-Reduced stress
-Increased resilience
-Increase in positive emotions
-Improvement in cognitive function
-Enhanced creativity
-Increased clarity and focus
-Improved memory
-Greater self- awareness and insight
-Improved physical and mental health

Starts Tuesday 22nd October  2024  

€55    5 weeks                7:30 – 9:00pm    

About the Tutor: Mairead O’Keeffe, Mindfulness Facilitator

Mairead completed the 8 week MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)course in 2010 and found it changed her life. She has been practising meditation ever since, attending weekly drop-in meditation classes and going on retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, a leader in the area of Mindfulness. In her own life she has found Mindfulness very helpful for dealing with anxiety and an active mind.
In January 2016 Mairead resigned as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (her former profession) and commenced teacher training with The Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches, where she qualified as an MBSR teacher in June 2017. There was a huge emphasis in the course on the teacher’s personal practice which Mairead finds challenging at times but essential
for the teaching of Mindfulness. Mairead facilitates Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses in Community Well Donabate as well as a weekly drop-in meditation session and facilitates an introduction to mindfulness course for adults in Portmarnock Community School. She is also treasurer of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland.
Mairead is married with 3 children aged from 25 to 20.