Realise Mindfulness

In the season finale, we delve into the connection between mindful compassion and our innate capacity for self-healing. This episode is a reflective journey that brings together the insights and practices we've explored throughout the season, highlighting how they help us connect with our inner gold and navigate life’s challenges with grace. We begin by examining the archetype of the wounded healer, teaching us that our experiences of suffering can become sources of profound wisdom and empathy. As we reflect on the season, we revisit the rich tapestry of practices shared, from brief mindfulness exercises to more extended meditations, discussing how we can build an ongoing mindfulness routine to cultivate wellbeing and handle life's challenges with kindness and wisdom. We introduce an on-the-go Pleasure Walk to find joy in everyday moments and conclude with an appreciative body scan meditation, imbuing this traditional practice with kindness and gratitude. Join us as we wrap up our journey through the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living programme, celebrating the insights and growth we've experienced together. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher, MBSR Teacher and Trainer and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster) www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

How can we thread kind, wise and compassionate action into the very fabric of our daily life? This is what we explore in Episode 9, as we take a deep dive into the theme of living with a heartful mind and a mindful heart. We revisit our emotional regulation systems, acknowledging that what we incline the heart & mind towards becomes the inclination of the heart, guiding our thoughts, words and acts. With this in mind, we contemplate how we can nourish and serve the ecosystem - seeing ourselves as part of an intricate web of interconnection - rather than the ego system of me, myself and I. We also discuss practical ways to bridge our formal and informal mindfulness practices, including a Breathing Space for Wise Compassionate Action as a handy tool. Throughout the episode, we’ll explore how to deepen our practice of kindness, concluding with an extended Loving Kindness meditation. So, whether you're sitting quietly or on the move, join us as we journey together towards a more compassionate, interconnected way of being. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher, MBSR Teacher and Trainer and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/  https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster) www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink) www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

We explore deepening compassion with a special focus on the quality of equanimity as Kate joins in conversation with Frits Koster, renowned meditation teacher, author and course co-developer of the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living course for this episode of the Realise Mindfulness podcast. Frits begins by sharing his fascinating journey to mindful compassion and talks about his time as a Buddhist monk and his experiences in Psychiatric healthcare. Acknowledging how challenging many of us find it to shine the light of kindness and compassion inwards, we explore the idea of the Four Friends for Life as a way to support us with this. We go on to make a deeper exploration of equanimity – an often-misunderstood quality - which can help us find balance in the midst of the changing weather of life. To help us gently experientially explore this quality of equanimity, we end the episode with a beautiful Horse Whisperer practice, guided by Frits. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher, MBSR Teacher and Trainer and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. About Frits Koster Frits Koster lived as a Buddhist monk in South-East Asia for six years. He is a qualified MBSR, and IMP teacher and teaches meditation retreats internationally. With Erik van den Brink, he developed the MBCL course. He is the (co-)author of various books (Silkworm Books and Routledge). See www.fritskoster.com. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster) www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast & my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor/psychiatrist or any other health professional.

In episode 7 of our Mindful Compassion season, we explore the essence of "Growing Happiness." Grounded in ancient wisdom and modern psychology, join us as we walk the sometimes-illusive pathways to joy and fulfilment. Throughout the episode, we illuminate different routes to happiness: the pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life. We demystify these concepts by aligning with our core values and providing practical tools, like the silver lining contemplation, to navigate life's challenges with insight and grace. We also introduce four Friends for Life: compassion, kindness, sympathetic joy, and equanimity and explore how these timeless virtues stand ready to guide us through life's ups and downs with wisdom and compassion. Our journey concludes with a delightful practice: revisiting the good. It's an opportunity to savour life's moments and cultivate gratitude. Join us on this transformative expedition, blending mindfulness, compassion, and the science of positive psychology and empowering you to cultivate a life filled with authentic joy and meaning. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

In Episode six we continue our exploration of mindful compassion, as we delve into the interplay of giving and receiving compassion, culminating in a transformative compassionate breathing meditation practice. We explore the essence of compassionate exchange, drawing insights from the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living course. Our core meditation, Compassionate Breathing, is inspired by the ancient Tibetan practice of Tonglen which invites us to transform our suffering through the power of the breath, breathing in what hurts and breathing out what heals. We also explore the complexities of navigating self-identity and the power of mindful compassion to gain perspective, exploring how compassion practice fosters resilience and empathy, enabling us to transcend self-judgment and embrace our shared humanity. You are warmly invited to join as we embark on this journey into the heart of mindful compassion together and uncover its transformative potential, for ourselves and others. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

How can we embody the many skills and attributes of compassion? In this episode we explore the answers to that question. Inspired by the Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living course, we embark on a journey to understand and cultivate compassion in our lives. We begin by harnessing the power of imagination through mindful imagery, laying the groundwork for compassion to flourish. Discover a practical breathing space with compassion meditation for moments of challenge and adversity. Delving deeper, we explore the Lotus of compassion, uncovering the environment, attributes, and skills pivotal for embodying this virtue. We also explore how to discern between the voices of your inner critic and inner helper. Our episode culminates in an Embodying Compassion guided meditation, anchoring our understanding and nurturing compassion through our practice. Join us as we embrace compassion as not just a concept, but as a guiding force in our one, precious life. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

How can we mindfully and compassionately relate to our desires and habits? In this episode we talk about common human patterns of mind, how we can recognize them and how we can make a shift to treating both our patterns and ourselves more kindly. We begin by looking at how we can compassionately relate to resistance and share a story to help us recognise how, with mindful compassion, we can make conscious choices about which wolf we feed, sharing an ‘on the go’ Breathing Space with Kindness practice to feed the wolf of kindness. To help us develop an inner helper, we build an understanding of our inner critic and the helpful intentions behind self-conscious emotions like shame and guilt. Finally, I guide a Compassionately relating to Desire practice, first considering some wisdom from ancient Greece and my personal insights from the practice to whet our appetite. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 Find out more about compassion and shame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTFN8t9SXiQ (Chris Germer speaks about self-compassion as the antidote to shame) https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame?language=en (Brene Brown TED Talk) A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

What stops us from practicing self-compassion? We begin today’s episode by exploring some common blocks to self-compassion and look at how the research addresses these common concerns. We identify the three defining characteristics of self-compassion and share some embodied compassion gestures to help us fully step into this way of being. We build on this with a short ‘on the go’ practice: the Self-Compassion Mantra. By exploring the phenomenon of backdraft we build an understanding of why we may sometimes need to go slowly and gently with any resistance we encounter. To consolidate the themes of the session we end with 20 minute a Compassionate Companion meditation. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 Find out more about the work of Kristen Neff & Chris Germer https://self-compassion.org/ (Kristen Neff) https://chrisgermer.com/ (Chris Germer) A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

Our mindful compassion season continues with an exploration of how the evolutionary development of our brain can mean we are actually wired for surviving rather than thriving and how mindful compassion can help us redress that. We consider our 3 emotion regulation systems & how, because of both evolutionary design and modern culture, the threat and drive systems can become overactive resulting in stress-related health issues. I share some in the moment mindfulness practices to restore balance through breath work, self-compassion gestures and gratitude & appreciation. We close the episode with a Safe Place guided meditation which helps us put some of these ideas into practice and invites our soothing system online, helping to bring our regulation systems into balance and promote a sense of calm and well-being. I hope you find today’s episode helpful and that you can join us next episode when we explore self-compassion in more detail and talk about the phenomenon of backdraft – the different ways we may encounter resistance as we begin to practice compassion. About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch Psychotherapist Dr Erik van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

We begin our mindful compassion season with an interview with Erik van den Brink, codeveloper of the internationally recognised Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living course. We talk about how mindfulness helps us address the universal mechanisms contributing to suffering and how self-compassion supports us to relate kindly to our inner critic, opening possibilities to transform our relationship with ourselves and those around us. Exploring the interconnection of self-compassion and compassion for the others, we challenge some of the myths and resistance we can commonly encounter. The symbolism of the lotus reminds us how the muddy parts of our lives can offer up opportunities for transformation and growth if we approach them with compassion and kindness. And of course, we join together in some meditation practices, beautifully guided by Erik.  About Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living  Compassion can be described as an awareness of pain and suffering -ours and others- coupled with a motivation to take action to alleviate it. Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) is a science backed course designed to enhance our physical, emotional and relational well-being though deepening meditation practice, growing self-compassion, and learning ways to balance kindness and compassion for others with care for ourselves. The course was developed in 2007 by Dutch, Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, Dr Erik, van den Brink and Meditation Teacher and Psychiatric Nurse Frits Koster, as a follow-on to foundational mindfulness programs. If you would like to read more about MBCL you can find out more at my website or the links below. About your Host Kate is a qualified BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher offering over 25 years of coaching expertise. She has trained with Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, the developers of MBCL. Having experienced the transformative power of mindful compassion in her own life, she is passionate about sharing that with others in a way that is accessible, professional and infused with her own unique brand of gentle kindness. About Erik Van den Brink Erik studied medicine in Amsterdam and trained as a psychotherapist in the UK. Having experienced the benefits of meditation himself, he was drawn to methods that unlock people's self-healing potential. Alongside Frits Koster, he developed the MBCL course to meet these needs. He has co-authored several publications on MBCL and teaches around the world.  You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/realisemindfulness https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw Find out more about MBCL: www.mbcl.org (Erik van den Brink)https://fritskoster.com/ (Frits Koster)www.mbcl-international international.net (MBCL International) You can also buy the MBCL course Workbook from the publisher Routledge and all good booksellers: https://www.routledge.com/A-Practical-Guide-to-Mindfulness-Based-Compassionate-Living-Living-with/Brink-Koster-Norton/p/book/9781138228931 A quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended a foundational mindfulness course such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and is interested in deepening their practice in mindful compassion. The MBCL course is rich and deep & this podcast is in no way a replacement for attending an 8-week course. Rather, it is intended as either an introduction, a companion or a refresher for the course. If you are interested in finding out more, or working with me one-to-one, you can find some helpful links above. And remember any information you hear on this podcast and my media sites is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

We focus on Mindfulness for life as we reach the milestone finale of Season One of the podcast. It’s a perfect opportunity to reflect on the journey so far, as we have explored the themes of an 8-week mindfulness course together, and how we can intentionally create conditions to maintain our meditation practice and enable mindfulness to flourish in our lives. I invite you to think about what has really resonated with you and what you may like to consider putting in place or exploring further to support yourself in keeping mindfulness alive in your own life. And of course, I share some suggestions from previous course participants. Research suggests that one thing that really supports us in maintaining meditation is practising in a group. If you would like to continue working with me you can explore the short courses, retreats and 8-week curricula I offer on my website: www.realisemindfulness.com. You are also warmly welcome at my free 30-minute Midweek Meditation session which currently meets every second Wednesday at 8:30 CET. Registration details can be found on the home page of my website. Heartfelt thanks for joining me on the podcast and I wish you peace, ease and kindness. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (03:28) Check your inner weather (05:23) continuing episode (07:48) intentional pause ( 08:40) continuing episode (17:47) 30 minute body scan meditation You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

We focus on caring for ourselves, with a deep dive into mindful movement, during episode 9 of the podcast. Together we explore why movement practices are an integral part of the 8-week course and how we can also bring mindful awareness to the ways we move our bodies in everyday life, both through our leisure pursuits and the sports we enjoy and in our day-to-day activities. Being with the body in movement can offer us a fresh perspective on what shows up in our field of experience and how we typically relate to ourselves. It can offer an opportunity to explore habitual patterns, for example, how do we cope with boredom or frustration if a guided movement practice seems to be moving too slowly? Do we notice a sense of striving to achieve a particular pose or posture? How do we meet our edges with wisdom and compassion? Our formal practice in this episode is a Stretch and Breathe practice of 30 minutes which integrates some simple stretches and yoga poses with a short period of sitting with the breath. I also offer guidance for a more informal walking practice – an invitation to be nourished by all of your senses whilst taking a walk. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (08:54) Mindful walking (13:13) continuing episode (16:30) 30 minute stretch and breathe practice You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

Kindness and compassion are underpinning attitudes of mindfulness. In fact, mindful awareness and compassion have been described as 2 wings of a bird – just as a bird needs 2 wings to fly, our mindfulness practice needs the clear vision and wisdom of awareness and the open heartedness of compassion to take flight.  So it’s no surprise that kindness and compassion are gently threaded through the fabric of the 8-week curriculums.  In our practice this episode we are invited to shine the light of kindness and compassion both outside and inside as we share a 20-minute Befriending practice. There is also the encouragement to explore kindness and compassion through your informal practice and notice the impact. As Psychologist and meditation teacher Rick Hanson puts it, “Kindness to You Is Kindness to Me; Kindness to Me Is Kindness to You …It's as if we are connected in a vast web.” Join us in episode 8 as we explore this together. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (08:47) poem Small Kindnesses (10:58) continuing episode (14:04) befriending practice You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

When we allow difficult feelings to held in awareness, it means that, rather than reacting on auto pilot with habitual patterns, we register their presence and have the space and possibility to make a choice about how to respond to them.  We will experiment with embodying this attitude of welcoming all experience Episode 7 as we explore Being with what’s here.  And, of course, that will be easier with some experiences and harder with others, so, the encouragement is to work within what feels appropriate and accessible for ourselves and easing back if we sense we are meeting our limits. Our body can act as a barometer, guiding us as to how we are and what’s going on for us, not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically. In this way we can work with kindness towards ourselves and our experience, whatever guests come to visit. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (02:19) Mindful pause (03:27) continuing episode (08:25) Working with difficulty practice You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

Mindfulness not only helps us to pause and recognise moments of reactivity, as we explored together in the previous episode, It opens up ways of being to help us respond skillfully. One of the ways it helps us do this is by becoming an objective observer of our experience. Rather than being lost in thought, washed away by a wave of strong emotion, or simply compelled by our human urges to grasp after what we want and push away what we don't want, mindful awareness helps us to be more conscious of our experience and urges to act.  In this way opening up the possibility to respond more skillfully in any given moment. In today’s episode we share a 30 minute Sitting Practice - this is a rich meditation that can form the core of our ongoing mindfulness practice.  You may notice that, even listening to the same guidance day after day, no two practices will be the same.  Just like the clouds in the sky, our experience is always shifting and reforming. And just like the skyscape, no matter what the weather pattern – whether the clouds are light and fluffy or dense and grey - the blue sky is always there, waiting behind when the clouds momentarily clear.  This could be described as the very essence of mindfulness. In the words of mindfulness teacher Pema Chödrön “You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”  You are warmly invited to explore this for yourself by joining us in episode 6 of mindful well-being. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (09:15) 30 minute sitting practice You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice.You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

In Episode 5 we begin to explore some of our very human habits around reactivity and look at how Mindfulness can help us shift from habitual reactions to a wiser and kinder way of responding. We build on the foundational mindfulness meditation practices explored in episodes 1-4 and, from this place of grounded mindful awareness, we share a shorter practice called the 3-Step Breathing Space. In this way, we continue building the muscle of Mindfulness in a very practical and accessible way. Because of its shape, the 3-Step Breathing Space is sometimes likened to an hourglass. During the practice we begin with a wide focus of attention, noticing what’s here now, before narrowing in and focusing our attention on a chosen anchor, such as the breath, before finally widening out again. The Breathing Space is an extremely versatile practice and one many participants report as a very helpful takeaway from their 8-week course, offering a mindful pause and an opportunity to step out of habitual reacting and create space to be at choice, potentially choosing to respond in a wiser, kinder and more nourishing way. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (03:50) 3-Step breathing space (11:38) responsive breathing space You can follow Realise on: ⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice.You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

How would you like a way to begin to befriend the antics of your busy mind? With consistent practice, mindfulness can offer us a way to relate to our thoughts without getting carried away by them. This is our focus in today’s episode. For our first few episodes we explored our body and breath as a gateway to Being mode – a way of being with our direct moment-to-moment experience.  No doubt, as we have practised together, you have begun to be aware of our more habitual human mode of mind – Doing – our human tendency of planning, problem-solving and rumination, our urge to action.   Our busy mind, sometimes referred to as the monkey mind, has a tendency to scamper off, looking for bananas and fending off imaginary foes.  As we begin to sit in stillness, in meditation, we often become painfully aware of this. It can be helpful to remind ourselves, at this point that, in mindfulness, we are not attempting to still the mind or to turn off thinking. Rather, we are intending to simply notice where our attention is and, when we notice the mind has wandered, bring it back, kindly and firmly to our intended focus of attention.   So, in today's episode, our practice will be a 20-minute sitting practice.  We will begin in the familiar territory of arriving with the body and the breath before resting attention in the realms of sound and thought. As we do this we may notice the natural tendency of all phenomena, be it sensations, sounds or thoughts, to arise, stay around for a while and in their own time pass by, being with the changing landscape of our minds in this way. As Jon Kabat-Zinn, developer of the MBSR programme acknowledged, mindfulness may be simple but it’s not always easy.  So, with that in mind, there’s an invitation to be with ourselves with great kindness and patience as we observe the antics of the monkey mind and bring our attention back again and again, as many times as we need to. Mindfulness is the invitation to begin again, and again, and again so join Kate in episode 4 as we put this into practice.  Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (07:20) 20 minute sitting practice You can follow Realise on: ⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠ ⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠ ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠ ⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice.You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

How does it feel to fully come home to our body? And how do we even achieve this? Mindfulness offers some straightforward guidance on this.  Being present with our breath and our body offer an anchor to the present moment. So, to start the episode, Kate guides us in a short breath awareness practice.  We go on to discuss how and why the breath and body can be so helpful when it comes to mindfulness and Kate offers some guidance on setting ourselves up for success with – both in the formal meditation practices and more informal daily mindful awareness. The episode ends with a 15-minute Body Scan. In this way, we explore, through direct experience, how the breadth and the body are such accessible anchors to the present moment.  Of course, they both always travel with us. The breath and the body are always here - from the moment we're born, right through our lives. And, crucially, our body can't time travel. We can't dip a toe in tomorrow or a finger and yesterday. Unlike our busy minds, which can ruminate on the past and worry about the future, our body and our breath are always in this present moment. So, coming back to them with conscious awareness, even for just a few moments, can help bring us back to the here and now. In this way, we begin to thread mindful awareness through the fabric of our lives.  Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (00:54) Breath Awareness (09:42) End Breath Awareness (14:30) Start of the 15 minute Body Scan You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/ To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to my podcast via your podcast app of choice.You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ Just a quick disclaimer:  This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.   However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.   If you would like to practice mindfulness with me, you can find out more about me and the courses I offer at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional. 

Directly experience coming home to your senses as Kate guides the raisin practice. So often we can be going through life on autopilot, missing out on the very moments of our lives. Mindfulness invites us to wake up to this and offers us a way to consciously come back to the here & now. In today’s episode, we will be exploring that for ourselves through the raisin practice. During the practice you will be guided to explore each of your senses in turn, noticing the vividness of present-moment experience that is available to us when we pay mindful attention, even to something as humble as a raisin. As the name suggests, to join in with the practice, you're going to need a raisin, or a similar piece of dried fruit, or perhaps a nut, so maybe setting yourself up with this before you begin listening. As the practice ends, Kate will guide us in some reflective questions to consider the personal insights we have gained from paying attention in this way and what opportunities these insights open up for us in the rest of our life. Time Stamps: (00:00) introduction (03:00) Start of the raisin practice If you would like to practice mindfulness with Kate, you can find out more about her and the courses she offer at her website and social accounts below. You can follow Realise on:  ⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/⁠ ⁠https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069⁠ ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw⁠ ⁠https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/⁠  To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to the podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: ⁠https://www.realisemindfulness.com/⁠ Just a quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice. However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher. If you would like to practice mindfulness with Kate, you can find out more about her work at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.

In this episode, we lay the groundwork for the intent and flow of the podcast.Kate shares a bit about her own journey to mindfulness and why she is so passionate about sharing it with others. It can be helpful to be clear on the science and evidence behind why mindfulness can be so effective, so we also spend some time exploring this territory. We outline the flow of the episodes which follow a rich heritage of evidenced mindfulness-based courses. Finally, we end with a short grounding meditation.  If you go no further, regularly bringing your attention to this simple anchoring practice may help to steady and calm you in the midst of your day. This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice. However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher. Time stamps: (00:00) Introduction of the episode (01:35) Short mindfulness grounding practice (07:24) End of the mindfulness practice and continuation of the conversation (23:30) Short anchoring practice If you would like to practice mindfulness with Kate, you can find out more about her and the courses she offer at her website and social accounts below. You can follow Realise on: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RealiseMindfulWellbeing https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ensor-a4b4a62a/ https://www.instagram.com/realisemindfulness/ https://soundcloud.com/user-289191069 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUm0kgeEX-uU6_PPTc2Zaw https://www.pinterest.com/realisemindfulness/  To make sure you never miss an episode you can subscribe to the podcast via your podcast app of choice. You can find details of free resources, upcoming events and courses and contact Kate to make a one-to-one appointment on the Realise website: https://www.realisemindfulness.com/ Just a quick disclaimer: This podcast is intended as an ongoing support resource to anyone who has attended an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course or similar. It may also serve as an introduction or a resource to support the continuation of a budding meditation practice.However, we believe that there is no replacement for attending a live 8-week group which offers the alchemy of group learning alongside the real-time support of a qualified teacher.If you would like to practice mindfulness with Kate, you can find out more about her work at the Realise website below. And remember any information you hear on this podcast, see on the Realise Mindfulness website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or SoundCloud is for information purposes only and should never be a substitute for actual mental and/or medical advice from a doctor, psychiatrist or any other health professional.