MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness meditation is the most scientifically researched form of meditation. Research has shown that mindfulness can alter the actual structure and neural connections in the brain which lead to long-term positive physical as well as emotioneel effects. This is the foremost reason that mindfulness has won so much in popularity over the past decade. It is worldwide increasing integrated in main-stream health care, psychotherapy and stress reduction treatments. 

Mindfulness is the deliberate attention to a focus object with an open and non-judgemental awareness. It is the awareness of the experience of the moment in full acceptance. Mindfulness is a fresh look, observing from moment to moment without expectation or judgement. It takes the experience exactly as it is experienced. This way life becomes a more fluid and flexible experience and less solid or conceptual. Experience is free of the fear, hope and worry that only take us away from the naked experience of what is actually going on right now. It is about what is truly going on and being experience here and now in body, mind and feelings. 

Simply put, mindfulness is a remedy for making life more difficult than it already is. At the same time, mindfulness allows for the most special but also the most trivial moments to be lived more intensely thereby bringing more joy for the beauty of each moment.  Mindfulness contributes to resilience, the general wellbeing and happiness. 

The 8-week Mindfulness Program
As a certified and VMBN-registered mindfulness trainer, I offer the classic 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) trainings. These trainings are given in sessions of 2,5 hours with an additional full practice day. There are also courses available online. If you are interested, please check out the calendar for the upcoming trainings or feel free to contact me. 

Health Insurance
Mindfulness is so effective that in many cases health insurances cover the costs of the training provided it is given by a VMBN-registered trainer. click here to check whether your health insurance has this option.
 
Employers
Check out the possibility for your employer to cover the costs of the mindfulness trainings. Stress at work is sick-leave number one. Of all employees in the Netherlands, 1 in 7 suffers from burn-out symptoms. As sick leave is a major concern for corporations, more and more organisations are willing to invest in the health care and resilience of its employees.  


Weekly Meditation Sessions
On Tuesday evenings from 7:30 pm to 9:15pm, you can join the weekly meditation group. This group is meant for those who have some experience in meditation and wish to have a support for the regular practice. You can start any week you like.

Practicing in a group has numerous advantages. For one, it ensures that you actually take the time to come and be present allowing for yourself to find a moment to deeply relax and bring awareness inside. Stepping out of the daily operational mode of doing and into being. Another benefit of practicing in a group has to do with how much easier it is to be focus the mind when surrounded by others who are also meditating. Less temptations for the mind to be distracted and to grab for the phone halfway through your meditation. Furthermore, there is also a social aspect. It is such a safe space where you can (optionally) share about how you are feeling, support each other, find inspiration together.

In these sessions, you can expect a variety of mediations (sitting, lying down, walking, yoga) and breathing exercises to calm the mind and restore the body. Also, we seek inspiration from quotes, poems, stories and have short and respectful discussions about the different interpretations. Participants mostly leave with a feeling of shedding a burden, a relaxed body and mind and feeling inspired.