Mindfulness : Finding Peace in a Frantic World 8 week Course
Starting Tenterden 27th Jan- 23rd March 2016
Mindfulness involves learning to direct our attention to our experience as it unfolds, moment by moment,
with open-minded curiosity and acceptance. In doing so we have an opportunity to gain a greater
understanding of how our minds work.
We live in a world of constant busyness, where there is always another job to be done or a goal to
achieve, and life can seem like an exhausting journey of getting from A to B, where something important
gets lost along the way.
If you feel that you spend a lot of time worrying about the future, or dwelling on the past, or would like to
learn how to respond to difficulties in a different way from how you may have approached things in the
past, Mindfulness may help. It may be that for whatever reasons you feel stressed, anxious or just feel that
life has lost its sparkle. Or you may just be curious to try something new for you.
Many people who take a Mindfulness course find that it brings them a sense of calmness, that they are
able to solve problems in more skilful ways than in the past and there can be a sense of waking up to one's
life, and an increased sense of wellbeing and happiness is often the outcome.
Mindfulness is an evidence-based, non religious practice which is NICE approved to reduce the risk of
depression, but its application is much wider than this with courses now being taught in many local
schools to enhance well-being and learning, in sports training to improve performance and increasingly
used in the corporate sector to reduce stress and improve creativity and resilience.
Dr Neil Pillai is a local GP from Ivy Court Surgery who has been trained to teach Mindfulness based
courses at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, Oxford University. He is an enthusiastic Mindfulness teacher
who is keen to bring the benefits of Mindfulness to the widest possible audience.
The course is an 8 week course consisting of 8 sessions which last around 2 hours and will be held every
Wednesday morning from 10am-12 at West View Integrated Care Centre, Tenterden in the
MultiFunction room on the lower ground floor, starting on Wednesday 27th January 2016 till March 23rd
(There will not be a session in half term week on the 17th Februsary).
You will be need to purchase a copy of the book Mindfulness - Finding Peace in a Frantic World by
Mark Williams and Danny Penman and to have read the 1st 4 chapters before the course starts
(available form Amazon for under £10 or from local bookshosp). This includes CDs of guided
meditations for the home practice, which is an integral part of the course. In order to gain maximum
benefit, participants will be expected to dedicate 20-30 minutes a day to the home practices that will be
set at each session. This sounds challenging, and can be, but there are often solutions to be found which
can be discussed at the 1st session.
Places are limited so please ensure you have the intention to complete the whole course before applying.
It is fine to come with uncertainty or even cynicism but please do so with an open mind and judge
whether the course has been of any benefit to you at the end of the 8 weeks –as with many things,
meaningful changes take time!
If you would like to be apply for the course please fill in the form attached below.
Mindfulness Course
Tenterden January 2016
Application Form
Your Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
(for emergencies only)
E-mail :
(main contact method)
Questionnaire
Your answers to these questions will help us understand your reasons for taking the Mindfulness course
and will remain confidential. Please answer these questions here briefly.
How did you hear about the course?
Please say a little about your reasons for attending this course
Please describe previous experiences of practices such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, or similar
Practice between sessions is an essential part of the course. How confident are you that you will be
able to commit to about 20-30 minutes of home practice per day?
It is important that you attend all 8 sessions of the class as best you can. If however you are already
aware that there may be a session you might need to miss please indicate the date here.
On a scale between 1 (= Virtually no stress most of the time) to 10 (= Extremely stressful most of the
time), how would you rate your current experience of everyday stress in your life?
(This refers to your general sense of the demands of your everyday life.)
If there are any particular stressful situations in your life at present, please describe briefly (I refer to
“major changes” happening or about to happen: things such as changes in close relationships, work, where you live, health.)
What might you find difficult about the course?
What will you most enjoy about the course?
PLEASE ENCLOSE THIS COMPLETED FORM together with a cheque for £200
made out to Tenterden and District Day Centre in an envelope marked Mindfulness
Course and post/email to:
DR Neil Pillai, Ivy Court Surgery, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6RB (or via email to
neil.pillai@nhs.net) Thank you!