Quality Assurance Certificate

Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Mindful-In-Nature is a Sharpham programme specifically designed to support mental health recovery, resilience and well-being for people aged 18+ living locally, by offering a unique combination of mindfulness and nature connection. 

Courses take place 2 times per year. See the Schedule for the current dates.

Sessions will run from the Woodland Campsite, with an outdoor kitchen, and a covered hearth to sit around together.  

A limited free transport service running from Torbay to Totnes and Sharpham will be provided (details will be sent to you once you have booked).

This course is for you if you identify with all of the below:

• Have lived experience of mental health difficulties or challenges such as depression or anxiety
• Are aged 18 or above
• Are new to mindfulness or would like to deepen your mindfulness practice
• Would like to spend some time outdoors in a beautiful location, surrounded by nature in a safe and supportive setting
• Are curious to learn how the practice of mindfulness and nature connection can support your overall sense of well-being
• Are willing to fully commit to the course
• Living locally (in South Devon)

What you will learn

• Mindfulness and nature connection practices and skills to help manage stress and enhance well-being
• How to build personal resilience and an increased ability to cope with difficult and stressful situations
• A set of skills to help you be steadier with whatever is happening, without resisting it or judging it as good or bad
• Self-compassion and being kinder to yourself
• How to apply mindfulness to your daily life after the course has been completed

Your physical and mental health 

The Mindful-In-Nature course is not intended as an alternative to clinical treatment and we offer our courses as an aid to recovery, well-being and helping to prevent relapse. We recommend that participants are in a relatively stable period of mental well-being in order to get the most out of the course.

The course might not be suitable for you if you are currently experiencing a major depression or other diagnosed psychiatric illness such as psychosis or current self-harming. 

Parts of the woodland are on uneven ground and the course will include some walking around the site. Please contact us if you have physical health or mobility difficulties to make sure we can best accommodate your needs.

To apply for the course, please click 'Book Online' below which will take you to a confidential form where we will ask you some detailed questions about your physical and mental health. You will then receive a call from our Mindful-In-Nature Co-ordinator to discuss your application to ensure we can best accommodate your needs. Your booking is not confirmed until you have spoken with our Mindful-In-Nature Co-ordinator.

We recommend that those applying to attend the full 8 week course, also book to attend the taster day in September, if you haven’t previously been to a taster. The booking link will allow you to choose either or both.

If you are unsure about the 8-week course, then come along to our half-day Mindful-in-Nature taster to see if the course is for you.

Level of commitment

We ask that you contemplate whether it is the right time for you to commit to the course. It is important that all participants are committed to help with group safety and cohesion and for participants to get the most out of this valuable opportunity.

If now doesn’t feel like the right time for you, it isn’t the only opportunity. We will be running this project twice yearly for the life of this project. 

Mindfulness is a practical skill and a habit, rather than a theory. Getting real lasting benefit requires the commitment of regular time and effort. It is similar to getting physically fit – you need to practice regularly to train your ‘mental muscle’. 

To get the most from the course we recommend you commit to attend all sessions and carry out the suggested home practice, which is a gentle but regular daily discipline of various meditation and nature awareness practices, with the help of guidance from audio files. As best you can, we recommend trying to set aside 30 minutes a day for home practice. 

You will receive plenty of support for this, including how to fit it into your life.  It may seem a stretch at first, but once the habit starts to be established, most people find it invaluable and highly beneficial.