Mindfulness Resources for Beginners in the U.K.

To begin, it is important that you check your mindfulness teacher's qualifications

Mindfulness courses should always be delivered by an appropriate and certified instructor. Before signing up for a course, check that your teacher is listed by the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA). This shows that they are:

• properly trained

• hold insurance

• are supervised by another experienced professional.

Introductory courses and groups are a great places for those new to mindfulness to begin.

However, formal mindfulness courses (MBCT and MBSR) can also be highly beneficial to those interested.

Some structured mindfulness therapy programmes have been developed to treat specific problems. The most well-established courses are:

• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for depression and anxiety.

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for general stress. It can also help you manage long-term health conditions.

Different courses may have slightly different structures, but in general they:

• are delivered by qualified practitioners

• last for a fixed number of sessions, across a specific time frame – typically a two-hour session, every week for eight weeks, although some courses may offer shorter introductory sessions

• involve group work and group discussion, but you can usually contribute as much as you feel comfortable with

• include a mixture of meditation and daily mindfulness exercises, which you're asked to practise between sessions.

How to find a formal mindfulness course

To find a formal mindfulness course near you, you can:

• arrange to talk to your GP

• search via the online NHS service finder

• seek out private classes in your area.