We are now at the halfway point of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher training course and I am really enjoying the course. I love our zoom group; they are a kind, friendly bunch and it is a safe non-judgmental space for sharing learning and leading practices and inquiry.
We have a WhatsApp group where we ask questions, seek clarification and offer each other support. There are also smaller ‘buddy’ groups where some of us meet regularly online to do practices with each other, give feedback and discuss relevant information. Peer support and feedback really helps with the process and is an important learning tool.
I felt quite moved in our last teaching session when we did a whole group ‘mindful movement’ practice where we all took it in turns to focus on an area of the body, then hand over to the next person. It flowed so smoothly and everyone’s contribution was amazing. It felt like one of those perfect, serendipitous moments, never to be repeated again. I never knew that leaning on zoom in this way would be so rewarding.
Some of us are planning to teach our first 8-week MBSR course, arranging supervision, seeking out venues or setting up online forums and engaging with prospective participants. Others are taking it slowly and at a pace that suits them. This is one of the benefits of this course as you’re not restricted to a final deadline to qualify so if you want to take more than a year, you can do so.
The support from our tutor Karen Atkinson at MindfulnessUK is fantastic and I’m just about to sign up to join the Community Membership, which gives access to networking and training events, peer sitting groups, retreats and resources to support your teaching.
If you’re considering doing an MBSR teacher training course but are a bit unsure, I can really recommend this course. I’m looking forward to getting to the teaching and supervision stage and will update with my reflections on that next time.
If you have any queries about this course then please contact the friendly MindfulnessUK team at info@mindfulnessuk.com or give us a call on 01823 697890.