Some of the benefits of mindfulness documented in research, with the Heart-Math meditation and healing and cleansing meditation are that you are more present in your body and life, as well as more relaxed, in life decisions and more.

This is a day though for therapists, and hence we will do more than being present and relax, we get to a place of stillness, centering at out heart for more peace and calmness, as well as cleansing your cup of dirty water, and replenish it with clean full nourishing water for yourself and others.

What do I mean with that?

As therapists we do hold to some things or another, even if we try not to, and sometimes the residue of other people issues, might still linger within you, so have a day all for yourself, to be present, grounded and filled with more light to give!

The principles of mindfulness meditation are the following for the day, and the Heart-Math meditation from the heart will be included during the day, as well as grounding meditations and clearing meditations:

The day will follow the following principles:

Non-Judgment: impartial witnessing, observing your evaluations and categorizations. Noticing the automatic habit of labelling our experience as good, bad or neutral. Habit of judging locks us into an automatic reaction without being aware of them, where they do not have any objective basis. Once we are aware of out judging, then we can choose actions and behaviours more consciously, rather than automatically reacting to the situations in our environment. This principle is useful as we start to engage in a new mindfulness practice that our mind may judge as boring or a waste of time.

2) Patience: allowing things to unfold in their time, bringing patience to ourselves and others.  This is an understanding that sometimes things must unfold in their own time. This principle reminds us to be patient with ourselves as our mind is stretched in new ways. Patience is a helpful quality to invoke when the mind is agitated. To be patient, is to be open to each moment as it unfolds knowing that like the butterfly, that some things can only unfold in their own time. So, when starting out your mindfulness practice or anything else please stick through whatever takes place trusting that some things will make more sense after you have practiced them for a while.

3) Beginner’s Mind: Willing to see things as if for the first time.  We let our beliefs about a situation prevent us from seeing things as they really are. No moment is the same as any other. Beginner’s mind allows us to be receptive to new possibilities and prevents us from getting stuck in our mind, which often thinks it knows more than it actually does. Try to cultivate your own beginner’s mind as an experiment. The next time you see someone familiar, notice if you are seeing the person with fresh eyes or through the lens of your beliefs about that person. When you are out walking, see if you are noticing things, you might have overlooked before. Developing beginner’s mind opens you to possibilities in life you may be missing out on, because you are viewing everything through the lens shaped by past experiences, that is not aware of what else there is to learn and explore.

4) Trust: Developing trust in your feelings and yourself is an integral part of the mindfulness practice. The act of trusting yourself and your basic wisdom, is an important aspect of the mindfulness training.  If you are feeling strongly about something, it is important to attend to that, rather than ignore it because an outside authority is telling you to do so. Mindfulness is an objective process of inquiry and accepting what people of ‘authority’ tell you without questioning the validity of it for yourself is against the basic premise of mindfulness. It is important to stay open and learn from other sources but ultimately you have to live your life and make your choices that feel right to you. It is almost easier to trust external authorities to tell us how to live our lives. Mindfulness involves practicing trusting your own feelings and that doesn’t mean you react based upon all your feelings but that you explore any feelings that show up fully to see what they are telling you about a situation and then you trust yourself to come up with the right action.

5) Non-striving: non-goal oriented, remaining unattached to outcome or achievement. Even though everyone undertaking mindfulness practice has some goals intentions while they are taking their training, at the time of mindfulness practice itself, simply do the practice without any expectations. When you set expectations, such as feeling more relaxed, you are introducing conditions that don’t allow you to be fully present with what is, because you are trying to change the present to be something else. If you are trying to change the present then you are not being with what is, which is what the mindfulness training is. Remember to allow anything and everything that you experience from moment to moment to be there, because it already is. If you are tensed, just pay attention to the tension. If you are criticizing yourself, just observe the activity of the judging mind. Non-striving may be the most difficult of all the principles because in our culture we are taught to be goal-oriented and to be constantly doing something in order to reach our goals. In mindfulness you will reach your goals by not trying to change the present but by being present to whatever arises, and in that way, you will find that the goals are ultimately reached. This is perhaps something you will need to experience for yourself to really understand.

6) Acceptance: open to seeing and acknowledging things as they are. It does not mean approval or resignation. Acceptance is the willingness to see things as they really are. Acceptance does not mean that you have to be satisfied with the way things are or that you don’t do anything to change what you don’t like. When you have the ability to see things as they are you free up energy to take the appropriate actions, instead of working with a mind that is clouded by denial, prejudices, fears, and self-judgments.

7. Letting go: non-attachment and the ability to put aside the tendency to elevate some aspects of our experience and to reject others. Letting go is a way of letting things be, of accepting things as they are. When you observe your mind grasping or pushing away, you can remind yourself to let go of the impulse to grasp or push away and see what happens.

8. Gratitude: being thankful for the little things in life, can be very rewarding. Not taking our body for granted is also very rewarding for ourselves. Being thankful for what works in our body and mind is rewarding. Give thanks to our own body, inside and outside, e.g., gives thanks to our legs, our heart, our liver, our spleen, etc. Being thankful for the people who we have in our lives, that supports us, being thankful for our food, the earth that supply our food, and more.

9. Generosity: give to others, your time, or things that they need. Give attention to others, not for a reward but for the only reason that you would like to help others, that you would like to give to others, to make them feel better.

Contact Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) on esposito_m@yahoo.co.uk or call her on 07956662954

Reduces anxiety and panic attack are two of the many benefits:

● Stress reduction

● Clarity and focus

● Greater resilience

● Enhanced creativity

● Improved relationships

● Improved concentration

● Rapport and communication

● Improved health and wellbeing

● Greater confidence and self-esteem

● Ability to have better quality sleep

● Reduced anxiety and depression

● Improved work-life balance

● Greater work satisfaction

● Memory enhancement

● Intuitive ability

● Pain reduction

Resilience of the heart – productivity and creativity – emotional
intelligence – stress reduction and wellbeing.

Online workshop for therapists is £ 80 pounds to be paid via bank transfer on booking, your place is booked when paid.

Bank transfer to Maria Esposito TSB  code 308472 account 24603860