How I came into teaching mindfulness

I came to mindfulness in 2017 after being diagnosed with acute bilateral Menieres Disease in 2014. The illness was completely debilitating. In consultation with my treating specialist, it soon became apparent that stress was the main contributing factor. 

Picture this…. I was working (school teacher), supporting aging unwell parents and a cerebral palsy brother, as well as being a mum to two teenagers, whilst going through menopause. My life was spinning – literally (vertigo) and figuratively. The doctor told me I needed to have no stress in my life if I wanted to be well again. Doable? ….. Hell no.

In walks mindfulness. What did it offer me? 

1. A different relationship with the stresses in my life, a different relationship with myself – softer, kinder, less reactive, less driven. And, as it turned out, being softer, kinder and less reactive with myself flowed into my relationships with those around me – a virtuous cycle began.
2. A realisation that a lifetime of taking care of my physical health – my body – through regular exercise and good nutrition, was only half the story. I needed to take care of the other half – my mental health – because what happens in the body effects the mind and vice versa.

My journey has taught me that practising mindfulness isn’t a quick fix. Rather, it’s a process that requires patience, gentleness and trust. It’s these qualities that I endeavour to bring into my teaching, as well as an understanding that our lives are busy, and each of us will find our own way to engage with the practice. One size does not fit all.

Background

• Diploma in Teaching, Bachelor of Human Movement Studies, Bachelor of Arts.
• Level 2 MBSR teacher having taught since 2023.
• Trained with Oxford Mindfulness to teach Professor Mark Williams’s “Deeper Mindfulness” program.
• School Mindfulness Lead, qualified to teach all programs from Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP).
• 9 years of daily mindfulness practice + silent retreats.
• 40 years of teaching. I’ve taught in all 3 sectors - Primary, Secondary and Tertiary, in both the private and public systems. I have been a general classroom teacher as well as a specialist teacher (Japanese), and I have taught mainstream and special needs populations.

Specialisation

I have facilitated the 8-week evidence-based program, “Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World” to groups of school staff, including principals, teachers and ancillary staff. I have also taught the same program to Senior groups (ages 60 to 87). It always amazes me how one program can be so diversifiable, when we meet participants where they’re at.

I have also facilitated MBSR to groups of varying ages and backgrounds.

I will be teaching “Deeper Mindfulness” this year, a program designed for those who have completed an 8-week mindfulness course and wish to explore mindfulness further.

Teaching Philosophy

What we practise grows stronger. Doing the same thing – old, habitual, stressful ways of living - and expecting a different outcome, is insane, according to Albert Einstein. And so, for our sanity, we need to practice something different. Mindfulness is a way to exit the Autopilot Highway, allowing us to engage more fully with whatever is here, right now, in a curious, kind and open way, helping us to respond to life’s ups and downs rather than react. Mindfulness is also a road to more joy, compassion and equanimity. Most importantly, it’s about being alive, and knowing it.