Frequently Asked Questions:
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How do I register for the courses or retreats?
What are the costs?
See our courses and retreats pages for fees. Your place in the course or retreat is not reserved until we have received both your application and the full payment.
What are the payment options?
We use Stripe secure online credit card payments. We do not store your Credit card details. If you are not able to make a payment using a credit card, please contact us for other payment options.
What is your cancellation policy?
For MBSR, MBCT, Day Retreats and Residential Retreats –
- A full refund (excluding $75 administration fee) is given until 30 days before the start date of the course/retreat.
- 50% refund is provided until 15 days before the start date of the course/retreat.
- No refund is provided in the final 14 days before the start date of the course/retreat.
For MBCT, if the personal intake interview already took place, $75 administration fee + $160 intake interview fee, will not be refunded.
What if I can't do yoga because of a physical condition?
The Mindful Movement at the MBSR and MBCT programmes is very gentle. It is appropriate for all bodies and physical limitations. Its primary focus is on developing body awareness, listening to the body’s messages about its limits, respecting this and working within our limits, whatever they are. It is a practice that doesn’t aim to perfect postures and invites you instead to do it your way, which is the best way.
What sort of people come to this course?
People of all ages from all walks of life attend the MBSR and MBCT, wanting to learn new ways to work with the difficulties or challenges in their lives. Many people have the course recommended to them by a health professional or someone who has benefited from the course themselves. A referral is not required to register.
How many people are in the class?
Courses are limited to 18 due to room size.
What is the All Day Mindfulness Retreat Day?
The Retreat Day is usually held between weeks 6 and 7. This is a valuable opportunity to consolidate the practices we have been working with over the previous weeks in a full day of led mindfulness practice. It is considered by many participants the highlight of their course experience even though many feel slight apprehension about it before the day.
What commitment does the MBSR and MBCT course require?
You will gain the most benefit from the course by attending all of the classes and the retreat day. Participants are asked to commit to a daily practice of up to 45 minutes using the practices taught during the class. This course can be viewed as eight weeks of training, supported by weekly sessions.
Mindfulness Book – Recommended:
Brantley, J. Calming Your Anxious Mind, New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2007
Burch, Vidyamala. Living Well with Pain and Illness, Priatkus Books, Great Britain, 2008
Baer, R, (Editor) Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches – Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications, Academic Press, 2006
Germer, C. K. Siegel, R. D. And Fulton, P. R. Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, New York Guilford Press, 2005
Hanson, Rick and Mendius, Richard, Buddha’s Brain, New Harbinger Publications, 2009
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Full Catastrophe Living, New York Delacorte Press, 1990
Kornfield, J. The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology, New York Bantam Books, 2008
Linehan, Marsha M. Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder,The Guilford Press, 1993
McCowan, D, Reibel, D. and Micozzi, M. S. Teaching Mindfulness, Springer, 2010
Maclean, Kerry Lee, Peaceful Piggy Meditation, Albert Whitman and Company, 2004
Orsillo, S. M. And Roemer, L. The Mindful Way Through Anxiety, The Guilford Press, 2011
Salzberg, Sharon, Real Happiness, The Power of Meditation, Workman Publishing, New York, 2011 (Good for how to learn mindfulness)
Salzberg, S Loving-Kindness, The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, Shambala Classics, 2002
Santorelli, Saki Heal Thyself, Bell Tower, New York, 1999
Shapiro, Shauna L. And Carlson, Linda E. The Art and Science of Mindfulness, APA 2009 (good overview of theory and research for Therapists)
Siegel, D.J The Mindful Brain, W.W Norton and Company, 2007
Siegel, R. D. The Mindfulness Solution, The Guilford Press, 2010 (Practical)** (good website)
Susan Kaiser-Greenland, The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder and More Compassionate, 2010
Williams, M and Teasdale, J, Segal, Z and Kabat-Zinn, The Mindful Way Through Depression, The Guilford Press, 2007 (very good for how to learn and teach MBSR with CBT additions for Depression)
Williams, Mark and Penman, Danny, Mindfulness, A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Priatkus, UK, 2011
Useful Links:
www.openground.com.au (Australian MBSR Trainers)
Mindfulness: Articles | News
3 May 2013, New Zealand Lawyer Magazine (issue 207), Helen Bowen
Dealing with stress – mindfulness-based stress reduction for lawyers… or if it’s good enough for Google employees, it’s good enough for lawyers.
17 November 2013, Sunday Star Times, Sarah Harvey
Mindfulness training could be lifesaver
A programme used by celebrities, Google, and the US Army to deal with stress and work-related burnout could be saving lives in New Zealand.
About 200 doctors, nurses and other staff from Counties Manukau Health have undergone a programme of meditation and mindfulness training aimed at reducing work related stress.