Deeper Mindfulness

“...guides you gently through the beautiful, messy process of being human, and shows how and why it is possible for all to be well.” – Sir Kenneth Branagh

Developed from the extensive research and teaching experience of Prof. Mark Williams, this welcoming mindfulness course brings together years of work with diverse groups around the world. More recently refined and evaluated in collaboration with colleagues at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, it offers a fresh way to rediscover calm in a chaotic world.

Having had the opportunity to join the teacher training retreat with Prof. Williams in August 2023, I am delighted to offer this 8-week course in 2024. It is designed especially for people who have already completed a mindfulness-based programme and would like to explore mindfulness in greater depth. Perhaps you have finished a course such as MBSR, MBCT, or Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Maybe you have joined introductory sessions or explored mindfulness meditation through apps or recordings on your own. If you are now ready for a small group setting with live guidance, interactive discussion, and journaling prompts for each weekly theme, this may be the right course for you.

Why take this course?

One of the key additions in this course is its focus on an aspect of mindfulness that is not usually addressed directly in other programmes: feeling tone. This is the subtle sense of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral that is present in every human experience, and it often becomes the tipping point for mood.

According to the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, Deeper Mindfulness is informed by recent psychological findings showing that, in every waking moment, our understanding of the world is shaped by imagining how we might act within it, coloured by feeling tone. This moment-by-moment “read-out” influences how the body allocates its resources as it prepares for real or imagined action. While this can support effective action, it can also lead to exhaustion without us noticing.

Across the eight weekly sessions, you will learn meditations that prepare you to notice feeling tone more clearly, frame by frame. This creates space to recognise the early signs of distress and exhaustion, while also opening the possibility of flourishing by reconnecting with appreciation, even when life feels difficult.

Practical mindfulness lessons

Each class lasts 2 hours and includes practical skills such as:

• finding your ground by exploring different ways to anchor attention
• pausing when the mind wanders, and meeting the mind with kindness and gratitude rather than seeing it as an enemy
• recognising the feeling tone in mind-body experience and noticing how it can trigger self-defeating reactions
• allowing feeling tone to remain present for longer without reacting, so the mind is less caught in habitual cycles of stress and exhaustion
• seeing when the body is gearing up for action unnecessarily, and learning how to ease busyness so wise action can emerge
• using mindfulness of feeling tone to turn toward difficult emotions and concerns
• noticing moments of appreciation in everyday life and responding skilfully to signs of exhaustion, such as procrastination
• in the final session, learning ways to sustain your mindfulness practice, including a template for a year of practice that can be used or adapted for your own journey

Testimonials

“I would certainly recommend this course and would give it a rating of 9 out of 10. What was most impactful was the practical application of the theory and the exploration of its realness, both from your perspective and that of the other participants. I appreciated and learned from your insights and comments. Your guidance was both gentle and authentic. The efficiency of your organisation (the recordings being made available and the weekly emails) were all appreciated as well as your availability by email during the course.
Suzanne”

“I loved the course, very thankful for it. I found it unbelievably interesting, experientially and also all the information and neuroscience side to it too. The concept of feeling tones was new to me. I would definitely give a rating of 9 out of 10 - the only reason I didn't say 10 as I probably have a preference for face to face, I gained so much from the enquiry each week and hearing from others as well as all the information you provided. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and facilitating the course, so thankful for it. You were so compassionate and insightful in response to any struggles anyone had as we completed the course. Every night I came away with new learning and feeling positive and hopeful about being able to cope with the challenges of life with the new understandings and skills I was learning.
Elaine”

“Thank You so much for this course. It is so enriching for my own practice and hopefully, for my clients as well. I want to repeat all we did during these 8 weeks and practise it daily. I can always discover something ‘new’ about myself and the world…I feel so happy to have mindfulness in my life. Thank you for the recordings, this is where I’d like to spend my time (btw I deleted FB and IG from my smart phone some time ago), I wasn't an addict, but still it was such a time waste, even 15 minutes that can be spent on deeper mindfulness practice instead of hopeless scrolling…
Kenny”

Sign up today

Fee €245

Tuesday 12 January – 9 March 2027

7pm – 9pm (Irish Time)

* discounts available for returning participants