LIVE Online AMBP 8-Week Courses for the Police (Officers/Staff) & Educators (Teachers/Lecturers)

The ‘ADVANCED MINDFULNESS-BASED PRACTICES (AMBP) EIGHT-WEEK COURSE’ is delivered LIVE online via ZOOM. This mindfulness course is based on the Buddhist philosophical framework of mindfulness (‘Deep Path’), as well as the Western scientific framework of mindfulness (‘Wide Path’). Aimed at deepening your mindfulness practice over a two-month period, in this 8-week course, the students will gain an in-depth knowledge and experience of the Buddhist philosophical framework of mindfulness through exploring the ‘Four Establishments of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Body, Mindfulness of Feelings, Mindfulness of the Mind and Mindfulness of Phenomena’. The students will also gain an in-depth knowledge and experience of the Western scientific framework of mindfulness, through the MBCT practices such as the ‘Body Scan’, ‘Three Step Breathing Practice’ and ‘Working with Difficulty’ practices. The curriculum of the LIVE Online ‘AMBP 8-Week Course’ consists of 9 workshops that are delivered on a weekly basis over an 8-week period. The first 8 workshops are 1.5 hours in length, and the final 9th workshop is a 2-hour session run as a silent retreat.

Deep Path: This LIVE Online ‘AMBP 8-week Course’ will explore the Buddhist philosophical framework of mindfulness, also known as the ‘deep path’, through the ‘Four Establishments of Mindfulness’ namely, ‘Mindfulness of the Body’, ‘Mindfulness of Feelings’, ‘Mindfulness of the Mind’ and ‘Mindfulness of Phenomena’. The ‘Four Establishments of Mindfulness’ will be explored together with the mindfulness-based practices of the water element under the themes of the ‘Waterfall’, ‘River’ and the ‘Ocean’. Aimed at students gaining an insight into the true nature of human suffering (e.g. depression/anxiety/stress etc.), the ‘AMBP 8-Week Course’ will further investigate the Buddhist philosophical terms the ‘Four Noble Truths’ and the ‘True Nature of Phenomena’. The students will also learn how to recognise and cultivate positive mental qualities such as equanimity, empathy, resilience and compassion as a method to alleviating mental suffering. As such, the students will learn to deeply experience and integrate the mindfulness-based practices from the ‘deep path’ into their daily lives.

Wide Path: The LIVE Online ‘AMBP 8-Week Course’ will further explore the Western scientific applications of mindfulness, also known as the ‘wide path’, through the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) framework. The students will learn key mindfulness-based practices from the ‘wide path’, such as the ‘Body Scan’, ‘Mindfulness of the Breath’, ‘Three Step Breathing Space’, ‘Working with Difficulty’ and ‘Mindful Walking’ practices rooted within the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) curriculum. As such, the students will learn to deeply experience and integrate the mindfulness-based practices from the ‘wide path’ into their daily lives.

Dialogue/Q&A: The group enquiry aspect of the LIVE Online AMBP 8-Week course is facilitated through the method of Bohmian Dialogue. The dialogue/Q&A sessions will support the students in reflecting on their personal experiences of the mindfulness practices and clarify any questions they may have. These sessions will also further help expand students’ knowledge of integrating the mindfulness practices from the ‘deep path’ as well as the ‘wide path’ into their daily professional/personal lives.

The home practice element of this course will be supported by recorded guided mindfulness practices and a journaling process throughout the 8-week programme. Each student will also receive a 1-hour ‘Group Supervision Session’ with the course leaders (date/time of this session to be arranged during the course). To support you on a personal and an individual journey, during each workshop, you will receive recommendations on how to integrate and reflect on the mindfulness-based practices through the journaling process. And this way, you will learn to develop a regular practice in work/home environments.

Please note that the first workshop of this 8-week course is the introductory ‘Calming the Mind’ workshop (therefore there are 9 workshop dates in total). All students who complete the ‘AMBP 8-Week Course’ will receive a digital attendance certificate issued by CALM.

Places are limited to a maximum of 25 participants per workshop. Please click on the ‘Enrol’ button at the top of this page to reserve your place at the next LIVE online 8-week course (delivered via ZOOM). Attending this course will qualify you to apply for the Advanced Mindfulness-Based Practices (AMBP) Teacher Training Programme 2021 (please visit the ‘Teacher Training’ page within this website).

• ‘There is a lot more uncertainty about the future and this is worrying. During the session, I was absorbed by the calmness and peace. Afterwards, I felt a marked decrease in my anxiety’.

• ‘I struggle to clear my mind and think I’m doing it wrong if I don’t. The session yesterday taught me not to focus on clearing my mind but to acknowledge the thoughts and feelings’.

• ‘I discovered myself and the awareness around me which taught me countless skills that I will use in my day to day life’.

• ‘Before the session and the practice, there was tension at home due to a situation, which I felt due to the daily sessions and practise I was able to deal with better than before’

• ‘I was very anxious before the session but, I am now learning new tools to be aware negative feelings exist, accept these feelings and find compassion for others and myself. This was a very emotional session for me but I know the benefits of the sessions are in my reach’.

• ‘After practicing the techniques, I felt less stress and definitely felt calmer for the rest of the day’.

• ‘Always feel that there is an improvement in my mood and wellbeing’.

• ‘I found the session incredibly relaxing today, so much so that I fell asleep. Kumanga’s delivery is very calming & informative’.

• ‘I found all the practices in the session very calming and relaxing in what has been a quite difficult week’.

• ‘During the lockdown, I have learnt to embrace meditation and the difference that it can make to your life. I welcome the chance to experience mindfulness practice & calming the mind. It also helps with the work/life balance between work/ home’.

• ‘I felt very calm and relaxed doing the meditation but came out of it feeling a lot more reflective. I am having trouble describing the effect it had on me but it was much more profound. […] I can’t wait for next week. I feel these sessions are really helping me put things into perspective for my own mental health’.

• ‘I found this one to be quite an intense feeling. Definitely not intense in a bad way, I just felt as though I was able to go deeper into the practise than before. I am not sure on the right wording to use. I think this may have been due to it being continuous, so it was easy to go from one state to another within the practises. I came out of the session feeling incredibly relaxed and even invigorated. I felt as though I had more energy and focus going into my afternoon meeting. […] I am noticing thoughts and feelings I feel I would have ignored or not processed before. It really is helping with my overall mind-set by practising everyday. Thank you’.

• ‘I must admit I was a sceptic of mindfulness prior to undertaking this programme. This was due to the way it has been portrayed. I will continue to practice often and add it to my toolbox. Being a self-reflective person, this has been helpful to check-in with myself and to tune in a bit more’.

• ‘Really starting to see meditation more differently than before course, doing things in ways I wouldn’t have expected’.

• ‘The focus on sound was very valuable as I became aware of my reactions to certain sounds. I found myself getting deeper into the meditation than last week. The singing bowl/gong was an amazing sound – it reverberated in my body. Also enjoyed the walking meditation practice’.

• ‘This was a very refreshing session awakening my senses. I will try to be more mindful of food and drink more as a result’.

• ‘Before the session I was a bit distracted as my mum wasn’t feeling too well so I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to focus. I’m pleased to say though that I really enjoyed the session today. […] I felt like I made a breakthrough today’.

• ‘I enjoyed the waterfall practice with the found of the singing bowl. At first it reminded me of church bells. When I heard the sound of the singing bowl my mind became completely clear, as if only the sound vibrations were present in my mind – no thoughts. It was also easier to bring focus back to Kumanga’s voice in the meditation. The sound of the singing bowl is also my favourite part of the silent practice’.

• ‘Prior to this session I have been heavily distracted by external noise. During the following short meditation – this was the first time I have not been irritated by external noise, in fact, the bird in your background was melodic and combined with the rain before this I had a memory of my family driving to the seaside out of season in the rain which made me very happy. I also heard my husband chopping vegetables and this made me smile and I felt so much love’.

• ‘Just wow it allowed me to see that the work I have been doing on my own difficult emotions has been a good thing and that what I have been through has actually given me a very different perspective and experience to others. I was struggling so much today that I had to make myself come on the call, I very nearly didn’t but I am so glad I did, it has made me so grateful for my experience so much so I’m crying with gratitude and love for myself for being part of this experience today xox’