Mindfulness Based Living Course (MBLC)
The MBLC is more in-depth than a typical eight-week mindfulness course and includes a unique emphasis on kindness and compassion. It is designed for today’s minds and is backed up by current research evidence. The course is designed to support you in developing a regular daily mindfulness practice.
Why mindfulness? “We have seen how Mindfulness opens up an inner space of awareness, in which we are less caught in the ups and downs of life, and where we learn to build a different relationship with ourselves – one in which we are more content, because we are making less demands on ourselves; less reactive, because we are learning to accept what comes in our experience; and more open and curious about the unfolding experience of our lives, because we see life as a unique process of emergence rather than as a relentless struggle to survive.” from the book Mindfulness Based Living Course by Choden and Heather Regan-Addis.
How is Mindfulness taught during the MBLC? Participants will be taught progressive skills in Mindfulness through presentations, guided practice and smaller group sessions. A strong emphasis is placed on experiential learning. Home assignments include regular mindfulness practice, daily life exercises and journal writing.
How does the course progress? Mindfulness is defined as knowing what is happening while it is happening without preference. In the beginning, we notice how our attention is like a butterfly flitting from one thought to the next. So we start by slowing down and settling our mind. We then introduce practices that ground us allowing our attention to drop out of our heads and into the sensory awareness of the body. We then learn to rest in the present moment getting used to disengaging from our habits of compulsive doing. And then, when we notice our attention drifting away into thinking, we learn to work with the mindfulness support of breath and sound to bring our attention back to the present. We then learn to see the “undercurrents” going on in our heads and observe the undercurrents from a different perspective. We consider the importance of self-acceptance and self-compassion in mindfulness training and how mindfulness is a life skill.
What are the course themes?
- Settling the Mind
- Working with Distraction
- Working with the Undercurrent and Observer
- Self-Acceptance & Self-Compassion
- Mindfulness for Life
What are the supporting resources? The MBLC includes a free full course manual in pdf form, mindfulness practice audio files, home practices and the Mindfulness Association mobile app. In addition, you may purchase the book Mindfulness Based Living Course: A self-help version of the popular Mindfulness eight-week course, emphasising kindness and self-compassion, including guided meditations by Choden and Heather Regan-Addis.
JD was taught to teach the MBLC course by Choden, Heather Regan-Addis, Kristine Mackenzie-Janson and the team at the Mindfulness Association in the United Kingdom.