Standing on the shoulders of giants: in gratitude.
I have completed all the courses that I recommend here. I know the people personally and can recommend their integrity and expertise. When I recommend groups and associations here it is because I can personally vouch for the quality of services and community that they offer.
Living Mindfulness: 8 week courses, retreats, 1-1 coaching, mindful communication, and professional Mindfulness teacher training in Scotland run by Ratnadevi and Dr Charlotte Proctor. I completed my one-year professional training in teaching MBCT, MBSR and Living Mindfulness through this course and Ratnadevi is my Mindfulness mentor.
Go Mindfully with Zoe Shobbroock Fisher: Mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion and a whole lot more: I have taken Zoe’s Mindful Self Compassion course, and found it to be excellent. I try to connect as often as possible into her hybrid MSC retreat days when I need a bit of self-compassionate tlc.
Helle Laursen: Nordic Compassion: Helle teaches Mindful Self Compassion, through her company Nordic Compassion and also the LOMSC (Live Online Mindful Self Compassion) course through the Centre for Mindful Self Compassion. Highly recommended, supremely professional, offering a huge range of awesome resources in addition to a most gentle, inclusive, grounded and compassionate teaching approach. I took Helle’s LOMSC course recently and I’m going to be reading up on all the resources for a long time. This is more than a course, it is a resource for lifelong practice.
Kristin Neff: Self-Compassion for Caregivers: in May 2023 I attended a Kristin Neff Compassion for Caregivers workshop. Kristin Neff (2003 a,b) carried out the foundational research in defining Mindful Self Compassion. She literally wrote the book on the subject, along with Chris Germer. If you ever get a chance to attend one of her online workshops, jump at the opportunity. She teaches with efficiency, effectiveness, a light touch and a depth of experience, and her meditations are awesome too. She includes plenty Q+A in her workshops too.
Kristin Neff: Fierce Self-Compassion Workshop: I attended Kristin Neff’s Fierce Self Compassion course in February 2023. An awesome workshop, both in theory and in practice. Highly recommended.
Roger Nolan PsyD Mindfulness-Based psychotherapy. Mindfulness Meditation (CA USA and online). I love Roger’s approach to Mindfulness, gently woven with warm compassion, Buddhist philosophy and humour. He runs a daily drop-in community practice (for free) 08h California time, and his community is lovely and welcoming. Drop Roger an email before joining. All through the covid lockdown, when I was working from home, I connected to Roger’s daily zooms, and I still join when I can, though not always possible because I’m still in my working day when his zoom is live.
Alex Maizuss Alex is a most caring, attentive, warm and fully present Mindfulness Coach. She specialises in corporate mindfulness, MBSR and Compassionate Inquiry. Most of all, she is such a beautiful soul, and holds space with such a gentle, humble and wise presence. I have been attending Alex’s weekly Mindfulness zooms for 4 years.
Eli Cookson Counsellor, Pyschotherapist, Coach (Antibes, Cote D’Azur), and closely connected to Cancer Support Group 06 including training Active Listeners, a course I have completed twice.
Carolyn Davies: NVC coach: Carolyn taught me (twice) the Foundation NVC course, and also intermediate workshops in NVC and Mindfulness, especially Dyads (based on the work of Robert Gonzales), and an intermediate workshop on using NVC for transforming the pain of unmet needs. An excellent, dynamic and hugely experienced NVC teacher, Carolyn teaches with tangible warmth, human compassion and professionalism.
Cath Burke: NVC coach at Empathy Matters: I have experience of participation in several intermediate NVC weekend workshops run by Cath, including Saying No With Courage and Care, and Me, Myself and I (relating to the Inner Critic). She has a wonderfully grounded energy, vast experience, and an enthusiasm for using interactive dance in her workshops (amazingly powerful and therapeutic).
Ceri Buckmaster: NVC Coach: Between 2021 and 2023 I was lucky enough to take part in two intermediate NVC weekend workshops run by Ceri, NVC for Power and Privilege (understanding how culture and society has a power/privilege bias and using NVC to go beyond this for more authentic human connection and empowerment), and Using NVC Requests to restore Flow. Ceri is also involved in local Empathy Listening circles in London, and supports the NVC Listening Hour, a weekly online peer-listening space.
Tracy Seed: NVC coach: Tracy offers a wide range of NVC coaching, and between 2021 and 2023 I participated in two of her Intermediate NVC weekend workshops, NVC and Trauma, co-taught with Daren deWitt, and NVC for Self-Empathy and Compassion. Tracy is hugely grounded, warm, compassionate and encouraging in her presence. She has a speciality in combining NVC with embodied movement and Dance. Awesome combination.
Daren DeWitt: at NVC Resolutions: Between 2021 and 2023 I took two intermediate NVC courses run by Daren, NVC and Trauma, co-taught with Tracy Seed, and NVC and Anger. I have also participated in a constellations workshop facilitated by Daren.
NVC Listening Hour: The Listening Hour is a peer-led listening space at 12pm UK time every Sunday, where anyone can come, participate and have a turn to speak about whatever is alive in you. More information here. I HIGHLY recommend this space for anyone with any NVC foundation training, for weekly empathy listening practice, for human connection, for self-development and growth. I have joined the listening hour since 2021, as often as I can, as it is an oasis of human connection, acceptance and empthy.
The Whisk: Ceri Buckmaster and Carolyn Davies from NVC London bring a non-violent communication perspective to current affairs or popular culture. A gem of a resource for use in NVC, Mindfulness or even in schools for SEL with high school students, with an excellent production quality, easily accessible and gentle in approach.
Ruud Baanders NVC and IFS at Mahakaruna: Ruud combines Non-Violent Communication, Internal Family Systems, and holds it all in a framework of deeply grounded compassion. His work is awesome, and supported by an excellent range of teaching resources and beautifully structured experiential practice. I took his workshops in 2023, and continue with his ongoing practice workshops, and I’m beginning to develop a basic understanding of the richness of this practice.
Mindfulness for Relationships: Rosalie Dores at the Mindfulness Project: a most awesome course combining meditation, practice and discussion around Gregory Kramer’s Insight Dialogue. Everyone should take this course at least once. It is a journey into the depths of the soul. I found this course offers a fruitful intersubjective space where there is a dance between NVC, Mindfulness, Empathy and Compassion.
Fleet Maull Neurosomatic Mindfulness: embodied, heartful practice for deepening resilience and compassion. Online, self-paced, lengthy and comprehensive course. Combines theory and practice. I took this course back in 2020 and found it to be grounding and empowering during the period of the covid lockdown.
G.R.A.C.E training by Roshi Joan Halifax at Upaya Zen Center: Roshi Joan Halifax is a world renowned master Buddhist teacher, who developed GRACE as a practice for resilient compassion in those working in high pressure and emotionally draining healthcare environments, especially those working in end of life care. GRACE is now adapted for resilient and compassionate strength for those working in any high pressure context where people work with people. I highly recommend taking the online G.R.A.C.E training workshop for anyone who works with the public, in education, medical fields, therapeutic practices as it teaches us how to be open for the needs of others while maintaining compassionate boundaries for our own wellbeing, and the Being With Dying workshop is awesome too.
Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery facilitator training: Online, self-paced training, with monthly live zoom meetings. This course offers training in facilitating the 9-week MBCR program, and is taught by the developers of MBCR, Dr Linda Carlson and Dr Michael Speca of Calgory University. I completed this course in 2023 and apply this in my work as the Mindfulness coach for CSG06.
Aberdeen University module ED508D, Mindfulness in the Classroom: Post-Graduate Certificate in Mindfulness in the Classroom: Online, self-paced (within the parameters of the course deadline), offering an abundance of materials, access to academic and scientific research papers. Intense, heavy on the reading, with an equal emphasis on rigorous academic study and experiential Mindfulness practice. Designed for professionals in the field of education looking to develop programs or materials for Mindfulness for teachers, schools or in the classroom. This course is designed, written and supported by Dr Colette Savage. I completed the course in September 2022 (with distinction).
Liz Lord: Oxford Mindfulness Foundation: Mindfulness Frame by Frame: The Mindfulness Frame by Frame course was developed in 2022 by Mark Williams, and I took the 8 week course, facilitated by Liz Lord late in 2022. Most awesome course for beyond beginners in MBSR or MBCT. Deep practice, beautifully taught by Liz Lord, one of the leading Mindfulness teachers in the world. This course took me back to the fundamentals of Mindfulness practice and reconstructed my practice within this concept of feeling tone, added many layers.
Alex Irving: Back in the summer of 2020, during the Covid lockdown I joined Alex’s Deepening Mindfulness course, now called the Taking it Further course. His expertise is vast, and his approach measured, supportive and expansive. Taking this course is what inspired me with the confidence to get trained to teach Mindfulness.
Dr Natasha Papazafeiropoulou/ Mindful journaling workshop with The Mindfulness Project: A four week mindfulness course combining meditation, insight, reflection, growth, intention setting and structured journaling techniques. A deep practice course, most excellent (and highly expert) teacher. I followed this course in 2021 and loved every minute, learned many useful approaches to journaling, which I used as a base for ongoing exploration of the many ways journaling can facilitate and compliment my Mindfulness practice to connect with authentic self and wellbeing.
The Mindfulness Association: I’ve taken several Mindfulness in Movement courses with Jacky Seery over 2021-23, and Mindfulness meets Mystical Poetry with Fay Adams in 2021. Jacky Seery’s Mindful movement classes are awesome, combining meditation, movement and deep practice. Mindfulness Meets Mystical Poetry explores mindfulness through a range of most interesting and reflective discussion on poetry spanning thousands of years of human wisdom.
Dan Siegel’s Mindsight Institute: Dan Siegel’s Mindsight Institute offers a range of courses on interpersonal neurobiology, exploring the relationship between mind, brain and relationships. Courses include Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness, embodiment, attachment, interpersonal relationships, integration and transformation, healing trauma, the science of Mindfulness. Courses designed for beginners, intermediate, professionals. Every course I’ve taken, 2023-24, has a real richness of conceptual, theoretical and practical content.
Polyvagal Theory: Principles and Practice for Individuals A 4 hour (self paced) online course written by Deb Dana, world expert on Polyvagal practice. This little course is comprehensive, clearly structured and full of practical approaches to polyvagal self-regulation. I have the feeling that my work as a mindfulness coach, especially with clients who experience anxiety and / or depression will be enriched with the application of polyvagal techniques. The practices and the framework I learned from this course in 2023 have certainly helped me to understand my own patterns of reactivity and how to self-regulate with compassion.
Polyvagal Theory: Claiming our Evolutionary Heritage as a Social Species: I’m not sure if this course is still run by the polyvagal institute but back in March 2023 I completed this multi module, in depth theoretical exploration of polyvagal theory written by Steven Porges, including a range of academic papers, articles and studies. The polyvagal institute runs a huge range of polyvagal courses, now expanding into all sorts of applications.
Healing Trauma: Sounds True: A nine-month, online course written and facilitated by Dr Jeffrey Rutstein. It costs a LOT but it is a most awesome course. I took this course over 2020-21, and learned a lot that I apply in my trauma-sensitive approach to Mindfulness coaching, and in my work as a school teacher, colleague and as a human being interacting with others. This course provides theory, practice, live online workshops, and a range of expert insights from world leaders in the field of trauma and trauma healing. I continue to build upon this course in my own personal journey healing from trauma, and this was a really powerful resource to add to my toolbox.
The Creative Renaissance by Euan Spencer, discussion and inspiration on self development, focus, creativity and more.
Azur Living Mindfulness: Mindful Living, working and well being 