What is mindfulness?
We are mindful when we are paying non-judgemental, friendly, open attention to our present experiences – such as thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, urges, memories. This has a whole range of benefits – both psychological and physical.
However, although that sounds easy, it is also quite difficult – our minds tend to avoid certain experiences (even if is harmful for us), worry about future (even if excessively) or try to distract ourselves (even if that means we procrastinate). Thus, it is helpful to actively practice being mindful. Mindfulness courses (such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction; MBSR) offer a structured way to do that: to familiarize ourselves with the concepts, to practice the skills in a supportive environment, to tackle obstacles. This way, we can ensure that you get the most out of this practice
What is Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?
A mindfulness course is a perfect opportunity to learn different ways to deal with stress, relationship, difficult emotions and thoughts. On such course is Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – an 8-week structured course, originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s. Initially, it was created for people with a high level of stress — people who suffered from chronic pain and for who medication was not helpful. After initial success, it soon became apparent that meditation training (in this case mindfulness meditation) can be useful for a lot of different people. Today, mindfulness courses are widespread — schools, law institutions, universities, both governmental and private organizations provide access to different mindfulness training. What I love about mindfulness is that it has quite a solid research base. Multiple studies show that mindfulness helps deal with stress, anxiety, low mood, difficult emotions and many other problems. By now, more than 1300 studies are published annually on the topic of mindfulness.
About the teacher
I am Aleksandr. I am VMBN-accredited mindfulness teacher (Cat. 1 Reg. 20181245) and NIP-registered psychologist. I work with people all around the Netherlands. Personally, I found mindfulness to be essential to my mental balance. I encountered it back in 2016 while studying cognitive-behavioural therapy. And since then I have been regularly meditating and then after a bit also teaching mindfulness. It doesn’t stop to amaze me how much you can improve your well-being just by paying kind and non-judgemental attention to what is happening around and within you. Many people say that in the end, mindfulness helps both them and people around them — as they became kinder and calmer, others benefit too.
Upcoming Classes
Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction (full 8-week course)
GROUP course
Online
Starts on April 6th (ThursdaY) at 18:30
A classical mindfulness course during which we will learn a new way to deal with difficult emotions, thoughts, and experiences.
Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction (full 8-week course)
Individual / Couple
Online
DATE: Right away
Prefer a more tailored approach? Then an individual or a couple course would suit you better. This setting allows for more flexibility, more space to share your experiences and ask questions.
Mindful Self-Compassion
Free workshop | Online
DATE: TBA
A free mindful self-compassion workshop in which we would delve into reasons, science, and practice of self-compassion. Registration needed.
Detailed information about the MBSR course
In this 8-week mindfulness training course, you will learn all the needed skills to later continue with the practice of mindfulness meditation by yourself. We generally start easy and then slowly progress to more advanced techniques. It is based on the classical Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course created by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
During each session we: (1) do guide meditations (mindfulness of breath, of body, of thoughts, etc.), (2) discuss theoretical aspects of the course (e.g., what is stress reaction), (3) discuss and share ways to implement mindfulness in your daily life.
The themes of the meetings are as following:
- What is mindfulness?
- The way we see the world
- Home in our own body
- Learning to deal with stress
- Thoughts and stress
- Mindful communication
- Taking care of yourself
- Looking back and moving forward
During these meetings, we will learn lots of different meditation techniques that will help you to become more aware and accepting of different aspects of your emotions, thoughts and physical sensations.
However, it doesn’t mean that you will not notice any changes during the course itself. Many participants benefit greatly already after a few meetings.
What do you get?
- Initial intake call where we will discuss your goals
- 8 weekly sessions (x1.5-2h online or x2-2.5h in-person)
- Weekly useful links, reading, and video lists
- Weekly meditation recordings
- Certificate of attendance
Practical information
The course is structured progressively, so it is advisable to attend most of the sessions.
Times and dates
April 6th — May 26th (Thursdays)
18:30-20:00/20:30 (1.5h-2h)
8 sessions in total
| Course | Early price | Full price |
|---|---|---|
|
Group mindfulness (online) |
€300 |
€350 |
|
Group mindfulness (in-person, Rotterdam) |
€350 |
€400 |
|
Mindfulness for individuals* |
N/A |
€700 |
* For a price of a program of a different length or for mindfulness for couples or children, as well as for businesses, contact me personally.
Reimbursements are possible!
In the end, you might pay much less, though. How’s that? First, many health insurances reimburse up to €350. Also, many employers have special funds for these cases. This way, you will in all cases pay less. Not sure how or what to do? Contact me and I will gladly assist you in this.
How much your insurance reimburses? You can check this here.
Professional memberships:
- Rotterdam, South Holland and Online
- +31 684558781
- [email protected]
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