Mindful Parent A course for (not only) parents and child caregivers

Course length
20 h
Capacity
8-12
Schedule
Show dates

What is it about?

The “Mindful Parent” is a 24-hour programme that aims to develop mindfulness as a life skill that allows us to foster the attitudes of curiosity, creativity and compassion in how we relate to ourselves and others. The course is specifically focused on our experience in relation to living with and looking after children. 

Mindfulness, which is defined as the capacity to maintain awareness of our present moment experience without judgement, has been the subject of intensive research for more than 40 years. The scientific evidence confirms its far-reaching benefits for our mental and physical health. 

The programme is also offered in one-on-one format.

Mindful Parent

What will we learn?

Training of mindfulness will give you a compassionate insight into your inner experience and, as a result, the capacity to connect more deeply with other people. This will nurture your inner resourcefulness and creativity, providing you with the awareness you need to choose the most appropriate, kind and wise response that respects your needs and the needs of others.

 

 We will learn to:

 

  • Focus our attention on various aspects of our present moment experience (how we breathe, what we perceive through our senses, what is happening in our body, how we are feeling...) 

  • See our mind “in action” (kindly and compassionately observe the interaction of our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations)
  • Observe our thoughts as “mental events” – some of which are useful (constructive) and some not so useful or even destructive (assumptions, judgements, anticipations of the future, worries, self-criticism, etc.)
  • Recognize our habitual, automatic patterns of thinking and reacting that control us, particularly when we are experiencing stress or intense emotions, and that are unhelpful in how we treat ourselves and others 
  • Step out, as need be, of the habitual, reactive patterns and respond with creativity and freedom (not let the “autopilot” run our lives for us) 
  • Observe unpleasant emotions and thoughts and let them “be” in the space of our awareness where they lose their charge and power
  • “programme” our mind so as to relate to ourselves and others with compassion and kind curiosity

How will you benefit?

Training in mindfulness will help you: 

  • stay attuned to yourself and your children and create an open, creative space for resolving demanding situations with compassion and kindness 
  • look after your own needs and nurture yourself without self-blame and self-criticism
  • enjoy life and feel a deep sense of gratitude for what we often take for granted 
  • make effective use of your life energy (i.e. not to waste it trying to change something that cannot be changed) 
  • be the “author” of your own life and a “natural authority” for your children

Further information

The objective of the “Mindful Parent” course is to offer a life skill allowing us to stay more grounded and more attuned to our own needs and the needs of our loved ones. This is particularly important with regard to the stresses related to our work and family obligations and the demands life places on us in these turbulent times.
The “Mindful parent” is an educational course designed for parents and other child caregivers and all those who wish to enjoy authentic and compassionate relationships. The course is not designed for people with acute addiction to drugs or alcohol, those who experience an acute stage of a mental illness and people with intense self-harming or suicidal tendencies. The course may have a therapeutic effect but does not constitute any form of psychotherapy.
The course length is 20 hours divided into 8 sessions in weekly intervals (one session lasts approximately 2.5 hours). The one-on-one format consists of 8 sessions lasting approximately 80 minutes, once a week.
The course work approach is that of “inside out” learning. Each session consists of experiential activities relating to the main principles of mindfulness, attention training exercises and reflections of own experience. The integral (and most important) part of the course consists in home practice “in-between” the sessions – i.e. 20 to 30 minutes of mindfulness training on six out of seven days. The participants will get an mp3 recording of guided practice for each week. Written journaling of experience is also part of the learning process. Participation in sharing of and reflecting on one’s own experience is entirely voluntary. Confidentiality is part of our work ethics.
The ideal group size is 8-12 people.
The price per participant in the group course is CZK 4,900. The price for the one-on-one courses is CZK 8,000 (CZK 1,000 per session). Should you find the price as an obstacle to your participation in the course, please write me an email describing your motivation and we can agree on an amout that would be affordable for you.