Mindfulness – 8 week course

Our course starting on 24 September is now fully booked. Contact us if you’d like to be informed of any drop-outs. You can also sign up to our waitlist to be the first to find out when our next course will run.

People come on our mindfulness for stress course for lots of different reasons, and it’s not always about reducing stress. While some people do want to reduce their stress, others want to decrease anxiety, quieten a busy mind, or boost their mood.  Some people just want to learn skills to help their general wellbeing, and to build their resilience to life’s challenges. Mindfulness meditation can help with all of these things – and more – but you do need to practice it. Our course is designed to help you establish a home practice, ideally putting aside time to meditate daily (or most days) by using our 20 minute guided meditations. Unlike learning through an app or with a book, a course allows you to ask questions, discuss your practice, and support and connect with others going on the same journey.

“The course has really helped me manage stress by becoming more aware of my feelings, sensations and needs. It is a wonderful course with both interesting and engaging information and practical application delivered in a really accessible way in a friendly and supportive environment”

Our 8-week course (2 hours a week) is led by Ruth, our qualified mindfulness practitioner. Having come to mindfulness meditation 20 years ago to help her manage the chronic pain of inflammatory arthritis, Ruth is passionate about making mindfulness and mindful meditation accessible to anyone.

Zoom courses are a unique opportunity to learn and connect with others from the comfort of your own home, enabling you to fully integrate mindfulness meditation into your routine and your daily life.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is simply about deliberately being aware of the present moment, without judgement. This isn’t something that comes naturally to most of us. Mindfulness meditation therefore is a formal practice, to train the brain to more easily be present and not get carried away with thoughts about the past or worries about the future. It is also a valuable time of self-care. Mindfulness isn’t about shutting off thoughts, or emptying the mind, but more about being present with our experience, and noticing when our thoughts have taken over.

Mindfulness and mindful meditation has been shown to help many people better manage stress and anxiety and improve mood. However, mindfulness isn’t just about helping us through life’s troughs and challenges, it’s also a really great tool to help us get the most out of the good times too. A regular mindfulness practice can help improve focus, increase a sense of wellbeing, and help foster better connections with family and friends.

“This is an amazing course. Ruth is fantastic at supporting people to understand and undertake mindfulness. I live a more aware and happier life because of this course.”

After attending our Mindfulness courses, people report a reduction in stress levels, better sleeping patterns, reduced anxiety, as well as improved mood and overall wellbeing.

“I now see meditation as an essential tool to look after my wellbeing”

Over eight weeks, you will be taught a variety of meditations, all with the aim of helping you train your brain to be more present, strengthening your resilience and ability to manage difficulties and stresses. You’ll learn the foundational skills of mindfulness and meditation in a kind, gentle, friendly and supportive environment. You’ll be encouraged to establish a daily practice, and to integrate and apply the techniques into your life.

“mindfulness is a skill that has made such a huge difference in both my emotions and perspectives”

Sessions are two hours long, with a mix of theory and practice. You will also have access to pre-recorded meditations to help you establish your daily practice, and a set of handouts covering all the essentials. You will also be supported with your home practice with post-session emails.

Ongoing support with your practice

Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll also have access to our fortnightly live zoom meditation drop-ins for graduates which take place on alternate Mondays 5.30 – 6.30pm.

“I join the live zoom meditations to get a sense of connection. Meditating together, sharing that experience and hearing what other people feel really helps me to reflect on my own experience. Ruth also seems to ask the right questions to help me get a little deeper in to the experience. The weekly live meditation is a highlight of my week, really refreshes me”

Course costs

Manchester Mind does not have funding for the course, but it does cost us money to put on, so this time, we’re asking you to contribute a small amount towards our running costs. We’ve kept prices low, and there are two options: £21 or £42 both including VAT.  This is excellent value, working out at the higher rate at just £5.25 per 2 hour session.

If you can afford to pay the higher rate, please do so. We are a charity so the money does directly go toward the running costs of the course. If you cannot afford the lowest price of £21, please contact me as there are a limited number of bursary places available.

As there are only limited places on these courses, payment will be need to be made by card to secure your place before signing up. More details about this will be posted on the course web sign up pages.

If you’d rather have a chat with someone before the course starts, we’re very happy to have a chat with you about what to expect from the course and whether it’s right for you.

What previous participants have said:

“I was a bit sceptical before coming on this course, but it has really helped me to improve my life and continue on in difficult situations. Though I’m not perfect, it has given me hope.”

“When hit with an anxiety attack using mindful movement really ground me. I have been able to become aware and relax my body more”

“Anyone who is too busy to practice mindfulness should do this course!”

Find out more about our 31 day Mindfulness Challenge here You can also try out some of Ruth’s short meditations which are free to access on Insight Timer or visit our meditation and relaxation resource page.

Sign up to our waiting list to be the first to find out about future dates.