Introduction to Mindful-In-Nature: a half-day taster
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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.
It will give you an introduction to the Mindful-In-Nature approach and the chance to spend some time outdoors in a beautiful setting.
The half-day is a taster for the Mindful-In-Nature 8-week course.
The taster runs from 12.30am - 3.30pm and will take place in our woodland in the grounds of Sharpham House. The woodland site offers an outdoor kitchen, toilets and a covered fire shelter for wet and cold weather conditions.
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 personal experience of mental health difficulties or challenges such as depression or anxiety
- Are aged 18 or above
- Living locally (South Devon)
- Would like a safe and gentle introduction to mindfulness and nature connection practices and to find out more about the 8-week course
- Would like to spend some time outdoors in a beautiful location, surrounded by nature in a supportive setting
- Are curious to learn how the practice of mindfulness and nature connection can support your overall sense of well-being
What you will learn
- A chance to find out more about the Mindful-In-Nature 8-week course and whether this course is suitable for you
- A safe and accessible introduction to the Mindful-In-Nature appropach. Activities will include an introduction to meditation, some simple mindfulness and nature connection practices such as awakening our senses in the outdoors and working with nature as a mirror to our thoughts and feelings
- An introduction to skills to help you be steadier with whatever is happening, without resisting it or judging it as good or bad
Your physical and mental health
The Mindful-In-Nature courses are not intended as an alternative to clinical treatment and we offer our courses as an aid to recovery, wellbeing 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 where activities take place are on uneven ground and the day will include some walking in and 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 when applications are open. This will take you to a confidential form where we will ask you some questions about your physical and mental health. You will then receive a call from our Programme 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 Programme Co-ordinator.
The next course will be delivered from 12.30pm - 3:30pm on 15th Sept 2023
Please see the Sharpham Trust calendar for dates.
Mindful-in-Nature has definitely been one of the most meaningful, inspiring, life-changing experiences for me.
I’ve had a complete fundamental change in my being and how I interact with the world
I feel strong, excited and optimistic for the first time in my adult life
I came here feeling quite wary, but from the beginning you made it feel so safe. I was able to open up to myself and others for the first time
Costs
Thanks to generous support from the National Lottery Community Fund we are able to offer this half-day taster course for free.
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Ollie Frame - Mindful-in-Nature leader
Ollie Frame works as an integrative therapist, mindfulness teacher and retreat leader. He is a co-leader on the Mindful in Nature programme at Sharpham, for which he has produced a large range of meditations and resources. He teaches the eight-week course in various settings, including to the general public, to teachers and students in schools and colleges, and to various other client groups on behalf of Devon County Council. Also trained to teach the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) course, he is especially enthusiastic about self-compassion, Metta meditation and other heart-based approaches within the world of mindfulness. As an integrative therapist, Ollie has a particular interest in Psychosynthesis, depth psychology, inner journeying and the therapeutic use of meditation and the imagination.
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Brigit-Anna McNeill - Mindful-in-Nature leader
Brigit-Anna trained in wilderness therapy, counselling and mentoring following her MA in Art Psychotherapy. She empowers others to feel safely held in a group setting, and her approach is strong, safe, transformational and loving. With a rare gift for getting to the heart of the matter and helping others find the deeper truth, Brigit-Anna's knowledge and passion for plants and the natural world is infectious, whether for food, medicine or spiritual ally. She loves to guide us in nature to see it as we have never seen it before; as the missing community we always craved.
How to apply:
- online on this page, when booking is open
Email [email protected] if you've got any questions.
Do check our Calendar to see and book for our events - or join our mailing list by clicking here to be kept in touch about Sharpham Trust news, retreats & events.