ABOUT THIS EVENT
An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation Half-Day Workshop. The workshop will last 3 hours with a break in the middle for Tea and biscuits . This course is practical, non-religious and designed for beginners. The course includes
- 3 hours instruction with Kovido Maddick, a Certified Mindfulness Works Teacher with over 40 years of meditation experience
- Over15 downloadable guided mindfulness meditations for you to keep
- A 45-page guidebook
- Helpful videos, talks and articles on mindfulness and meditation
“Using mindfulness to help me better manage unrelenting anxiety, obsessive worrying & sadness. I have found that using the apps is helpful when having a stressful day, & I intend to keep practicing daily. Thank you.” — Cecily Wilson
Mindfulness means “paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” — Jon Kabat Zinn (Professor of Medicine Emeritus Stress Reduction Clinic and the Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine).
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS?
✔ Reduced stress and anxiety
✔ Improved sleeping patterns
✔ Less self-judgement and more self-acceptance
✔ Greater feelings of joy and freedom
✔ Improved mental health
✔ Effective ways to work with difficult thoughts and emotions
“Mindfulness helps you to keep your thoughts in the present moment. As you practice, you tend to get better at calming the mind and keeping things in perspective. ” — Dr Grant Blashki is a practising GP and Beyond Blue’s lead Clinical Advisor
WHY CHOOSE THIS MINDFULNESS COURSE?
✔ No risk money-back guarantee; if you attend the whole class and don’t feel you have received any benefit get your money back.
✔ New Zealand's number one 'in-person' mindfulness course.
✔ Exclusive 45-page guidebook including weekly assignments, indepth articles and a reading list.
✔ Over 15 guided downloadable guided meditations for you to keep.
✔ No religion. No dogma. No funny positions. Practical and non-religious course.
✔ Designed for absolute beginners.
COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1: What is Mindfulness and what are the benefits?
- What mindfulness is
- The benefits of mindfulness and meditation
- Guided body scan mindfulness meditation.
Session 2: Mindfulness and the thinking mind
- Why thinking can be problematical
- Practical ways to work with difficult thoughts
- Self-judgement and how to intervene
- Guided mindfulness meditation — counting the breath.
Break for coffee, tea and biscuits
Session 3: Mindfulness and emotions
- How emotions provide information
- How to ‘apply the brakes’ when feeling emotions
- Non-judgement and acceptance
- Guided mindfulness meditation on feelings or creative visualisation.
Session 4: Radical Acceptance
- Allowing everything to be as it is
- Recognising your inherent OKness
- Developing wisdom and insight
- Authentic self-compassion
- Open awareness guided mindfulness meditation
- Next steps.
YOUR FACILITATOR IS KOVIDO MADDICK
Kovido has over 40 years experience in mindfulness and meditation and spent 10 years training as a Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest tradition under Ajahn Sumedho.
Kovido has been teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programmes since 1996. He is co-facilitator of the Dunedin Men’s group and is a Hakomi Graduate.
Although his training is primarily Buddhist he is very eclectic, drawing on the wisdom of many different traditions and contemporary teachers including Rumi, Osho, Ajahn Chah, Ram Dass, Tara Brach, Jeff Foster and Thich Naht Hanh. Probably his greatest teachers have been his two foster children, Mason and Savannah, who could take him to love, joy, delight and rage and frustration and despair on a daily basis.
For many many years, Kovido tried to get enlightened, improve himself, get better at meditation but constantly failed. Gradually his focus has changed to more self-acceptance, trusting his own intuition and being with life as it is on this wonder-full and mysterious journey as a human being.
Recently he walked 800kms on the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain, raising money for ReliefAid in Gaza. Walking this ancient pilgrimage route has greatly affected his attitude to meditation practice and life.
FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS COURSES
“Kovido presented the course in a very relaxed and easy to understand manner. I got to meet some lovely likeminded people and at times there were a few laughs shared also." Tracey, Dunedin
“That no matter what is going on in my life and I can come back to meditation and mindfulness and it will calm things down.”
“I learnt how important it is to take the time to practice Mindfulness and Meditation as a form of selfcare.”
“Daily meditation is very helpful.”
“Big concepts presented in small attainable ways.”
ABOUT MINDFULNESS WORKS
Mindfulness Works is the largest mindfulness training organisation in Australia/New Zealand. Over 40,000 people have completed the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-week course
Mindfulness Works is committed to:
- Providing accessible and affordable mindfulness courses.
- Offering a diverse range of experienced and skilled mindfulness trainers.
- Providing courses in a practical format with exceptional supporting resources.
- Improving the mental health of all of us and fostering self-love in all.
- Supporting our facilitators with options for further professional development.
