We offer online and in-person mindfulness courses, retreats and practice sessions for beginners and more experienced practitioners. Our wide-ranging programme is led by highly experienced mindfulness teacher and author Ed Halliwell - Ed has been leading Mindfulness Sussex for more than a decade, and has taught the 'gold-standard' 8-week mindfulness course more than 100 times. According to Psychologies magazine, Ed is "one of the UK's most popular mindfulness teachers", while the Guardian calls him "one of the UK's leading mindfulness instructors and writers."
Our in-person public courses at the Old School in Cuckfield, West Sussex are due to re-start again in September 2021. Meanwhile our online events continue to take place via Zoom. Ed Halliwell also offers mindfulness training for schools and other organisations.
Our current public offering includes:
- Eight-week mindfulness courses (MBSR/MBCT-L) Next online groups start Wednesday evenings from 3rd November 2021 (waiting list only) and 19th January 2022. Next in-person group starts Wednesday mornings from 23rd March 2022. see here for more details about eight-week courses.
- Monthly Mindfulness Monday evening sessions via Zoom, open to anyone.
- One-to-one/small private group taster sessions, eight-week courses and mindfulness mentoring, either in-person or online via Zoom.
- Graduate practice sessions, day and weekend retreats, follow-up courses and one-to-one mindfulness mentoring sessions for people who’ve already completed an eight-week course. Online and (from 17th May 2021) in-person evens available.
Evening and Morning 8-week Mindfulness Courses:
The 8-week mindfulness course is the gold standard mindfulness training, including all the key elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy For Life (MBCT-L). The course teaches us how to cultivate awareness and be less caught up in automatic thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns. Participants learn meditation practices which can transform daily life, including sitting meditation, body scanning and mindful movement. Upcoming 8-week courses include:
Wednesday Evening Course (This course will take place online via Zoom link)
An orientation session from 7.30-9.30pm on Tuesday 26th October 2021, and then 8 weekly sessions from Wednesday 3rd November 2021-Wednesday 22nd December 2021, 7.30-9.30pm, taught by Ed Halliwell. This course includes a six-hour day retreat on Sunday 5th December 2021 (alternative retreat dates are available). If you cannot make the first (orientation) session this can be re-arranged on a 1.1. basis. Fully booked. Find out more and join the waiting list
Wednesday Evening Course (This course will take place online via Zoom link)
9 weekly sessions from Wednesday 19th January-Wednesday 16th March 2022, 7.30-9.30pm, taught by Ed Halliwell. This course includes a six-hour day retreat on Thursday 3rd March (alternative retreat dates are available). Find out more
Wednesday Morning Course (This course will take place at the Old School, Cuckfield, West Sussex)
9 weekly sessions from Wednesday 23rd March-Wednesday 18th May 2022, 10am-midday, taught by Ed Halliwell. This course includes a six-hour day retreat on Saturday 14th May (alternative retreat dates are available). Find out more
Wednesday Evening Course (This course will take place online via Zoom link)
9 weekly sessions from Wednesday 23rd March-Wednesday 18th May 2022, 7.30-9.30pm, taught by Ed Halliwell. This course includes a six-hour day retreat on Saturday 14th May (alternative retreat dates are available). Find out more
- If you cannot make the first (orientation) session this can be re-arranged on a 1.1. basis. Find out more
- We often hold waiting lists for our courses and early booking is advised
- We believe than no-one should be unable to take a mindfulness course due to lack of financial resources, and therefore offer a number of concessionary places on our courses. We are also able to offer one fully sponsored place for a registered carer on each course. Please contact us for further information on concessionary and sponsored places.
Online Monday Mindfulness Practice Sessions via Zoom link
Our twice-monthly lunchtime/evening Monday mindfulness sessions are a space for anyone interested in mindfulness practice to meet together and experience guided meditation, short talks on aspects of mindfulness training, inquiry and discussion. They are open to everyone from beginners to experienced practitioners. Find out more.
One-to-One and Small Private Groups
For those unable to attend a group course, we have a few spaces available for one-to-one mindfulness training. These can follow the curriculum of an eight-week course, adapted for individuals, or take place on a session-by-session basis (mindfulness mentoring). For those unable to make our location in Cuckfield, West Sussex, we can offer one-to-one mindfulness training via Skype/Zoom. Please contact us for a further discussion if you are interested in one-to-one/small group sessions, or to arrange a taster session.
Graduate Sessions
Our graduate programme supports people who’ve completed an eight-week course, through ongoing opportunities to practise with others and deepen their learning. The programme includes morning and evening sessions, four-week graduate courses, non-residential day retreats and residential weekend retreats. Ed Halliwell also has a few mindfulness mentoring spaces available for eight-week course graduates. Find out more
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention, staying present and responding skilfully to what’s happening in our lives. It helps people manage their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and relationships with awareness and compassion, leading to greater well-being and appreciation, as well as more choice in how to meet difficulties. Mindfulness is cultivated by a exploring a range of simple meditation practices and approaches to living, as taught on our courses. Our approach is based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, which was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachussetts medical school, and which has been used for nearly 40 years to help with stress, anxiety, and chronic health problems, as well as to promote resilience and flourishing. We also include all the key elements from the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy For Life (also known as Mindfulness For Life or MBCT- L) course, developed by the Oxford University Mindfulness Centre (OMC). Mindfulness For Life is itself based on MBSR and the content for both courses is very similar. An extensive body of clinical research has consistently shown that this approach to teaching mindfulness is helpful for working with a wide range of conditions, as well as for optimising well-being, and it is now taught widely in healthcare, education, workplaces and other settings.
.jpg "MIndful Manifesto cover second edition")
Who teaches our mindfulness courses?
All of our courses are led by Ed Halliwell. Ed is a highly-experienced mindfulness teacher, having taught the gold-standard eight-week mindfulness course more than 100 times. He is the author of three books: Mindfulness: How To Live Well By Paying Attention, Into The Heart of Mindfulness and (as co-author) The Mindful Manifesto. As well as teaching mindfulness to public groups and organisations, Ed is an advisor to The Mindfulness Initiative, which supports the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK. He is also an associate of the Sussex Mindfulness Centre and a supervisor for The Mindfulness Network. Find out more about Ed
In 2016 Ed was invited to do a talk 'Mindfulness - Beyond The Hype' for Action for Happiness. Watch this talk below:
You may also be interested to watch:
- Ed talking about mindfulness and depression for the Mental Health Foundation's 'Be Mindful' campaign.
- A podcast interview with Ed and Action for Happiness.
- A selection of short talks on Ed's You Tube channel.
- Ed answering the question 'What Is Mindfulness?' for an interview with InPractise
You may also be interested to read:
- Ed's blog posts for mindful.org.
- Meet Ed Halliwell, lads' mag editor turned mindfulness expert (The Telegraph interview)
- Ed Halliwell on how his journey to enlightenment began with a cup of tea (Sussex Life magazine interview)
- Stepping away from the persona (Sussex Style magazine interview)
- Other Media coverage of Ed's work.
- Testimonials from people who've participated in our courses.
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You can also like our facebook page and follow Ed on Facebook and Twitter.
