Waking up to the fullness of human experience
Our purpose as the Institute for Mindfulness South Africa (IMISA) is to hold the heart of mindfulness in service of practitioners, teachers and communities.
Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness, cultivated by purposefully paying attention in the present moment with an attitude of non-judgment, kindness, and curiosity.
Contemporary mindfulness refers to the integration of wisdom teachings and scientific traditions to allow as many people as possible to access the practice in a useful, simple and grounded way.
Mindfulness is a way of waking up in the world, and waking up to the fullness of human experience. It is not limited to formal meditation practices, although formal mindfulness practices are an important foundation – It can be viewed as a way of being, as a way of seeing and relating to each and every moment. As such the whole of life becomes a meditation practise.
Getting Started
Mindfulness is available to everyone, in any and every moment, given that it is an inherent human capacity.
All it takes is willingness and a little curiosity to pay attention to what is arising right where you are, and infusing that with a quality of kindness and curiosity rather than judgement. Mindfulness can be viewed as a skill that can be developed through regular practise. There are a number of ways to engage with mindfulness teachings, different practices and applications in daily life through mindfulness-based courses, articles and videos. We’ve put together a selection of content to get you started.
Mindfulness-Based Programmes
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a participant-centred approach to stress management and is to date, the most successful and well-researched stress reduction programme worldwide.
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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
MBCT is designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and chronic unhappiness. Research suggests this program is also effective in preventing depression relapse.
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Other Mindfulness-Based Approaches
A mix of trainings, courses and retreats which have mindfulness as a foundation and are informed by the ethics and ethos of this approach, used in varied and diverse settings.
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Mindfulness-Based Corporate Programmes
Programmes that cultivate healthier, conscious, and compassionate working environments. Helping employees and teams feel more connected; nurturing them to grow and thrive at work.
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Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Chronic Pain
These programmes introduce mindfulness and meditation to individuals with chronic pain, guided by health professionals experienced in pain management.
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Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) is an eight-week series of two-hour sessions, developed specifically for people recovering from alcohol, drug & process addictions.
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Mindfulness-Based Eating
Our relationship to food is a central one that reflects our attitudes toward our environment and ourselves. Mindfulness-based interventions are particularly well suited to addressing disordered eating behaviours.
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Mindful Self-Compassion
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teaches simple effective skills and develops emotional strength to meet life’s challenges with kindness instead of blaming, shaming or criticizing ourselves.
Make mindfulness more accessible in South Africa