Courses
Living Well with Pain, Illness and Stress
• An 8-week course introducing mindfulness-based strategies for living well
• For people with chronic or long-term pain, illness, stress or fatigue
• Learn new ways to manage your condition and improve the quality of your life
Dates: Wednesday 13 October - 8 December 2010 (no class 17 November) Time: 7.00 - 9.30pm
Venue: Yoga Point, 122 Dalberg Road, Brixton, London SW2 1AP *
Cost: £200 (includes 3 CDs of guided meditations and a course handbook).
A limited number of concessionary places are available at the reduced rate of £135 for people who are
not working and receiving state benefits, senior citizens, and full-time students.
About
The course: The Breathworks “Living Well with Pain, Illness and Stress” course offers a wide range of mindfulness skills to ease the suffering associated with persistent pain, ill health and the stress that often arises as a result. Breathworks programmes have their origins in the personal experience of Vidyamala Burch who has used mindfulness to manage severe chronic spinal pain for twenty-five years, and are based on practice-based research as well as combining key elements of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
The approach: Pain and illness are unpleasant sensations that normally we react to automatically, causing a host of other problems such as physical tension, emotional distress and various forms of negative thinking. We may not be able to fundamentally change the underlying unpleasant sensations but we can train ourselves to lessen or even overcome our unhelpful reactions to them. Over time we can learn to manage our responses to 
the suffering we experience, leading to a much improved quality of life.
Click here for more information about the Breathworks approach to mindfulness practice
Click here for more information about mindfulness practice and its benefits
Programme
Each week you will learn new strategies and approaches within a friendly group setting. The programme consists of an 8-week course with sessions lasting 2½ hours (including a break). The methods introduced include:
* Body awareness & relaxation * Breath awareness * Mindfulness in daily life (pacing) * Gentle mindful movement * Mindfulness meditation practice
Click here for more information about the main components of the Breathworks programme
Who can benefit
People previously helped by this course include those with chronic back pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, post-operative pain, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and many other types of pain and illness. It is equally suitable for those with stress-related and other conditions which may not be defined by physical symptoms. Please feel free to contact me if you are unsure about the suitability of the course for you.
The only requirement for joining the course is a willingness and commitment to engage as fully as you can with the programme, which will involve practice at home between sessions (30 - 45 minutes a day).
For more information and to book a place, contact Alison: 07588 691193
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* Directions: Yoga Point is situated at the junction of Dalberg Road and Morval Road and is easily accessible by public or private transport:
By tube: 12 minutes walk from Brixton tube station (Victoria line).
By train: 10 minutes walk from Herne Hill rail station (London Victoria to Herne Hill = 10 minutes)
By bus: Bus numbers 3, 37 & 196 stop in Dalberg Road, next to the venue. Bus numbers 2, 415 & 432 stop in Effra Road, a 3 minutes walk.
By car: There is free parking after 5.30pm in and around Dalberg Road.
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