The Sussex Mindfulness Centre Advocates are volunteers who have completed an eight-week mindfulness course and feel inspired to promote the benefits of mindfulness drawing on their own experience.
Meet our Sussex Mindfulness Centre (SMC) Advocates below. And to find out more about what we do go to the bottom of the page.
Georgie
“I joined the SMC Advocates team in 2020 after I trained in the MBI Mindfulness Teacher Training. I have found the training and practice to be transformative and knew immediately that I would use these skills in my wellbeing and bereavement work. The more people that understand what mindfulness is and how it can be accessed both personally and in the community the better!”
Hannah
“I have attended three SMC 8-week mindfulness courses, which have been life-changing for me. My main meditation practice is a loving-kindness and tong len practice, which I do every day. And I have also used playing the piano and mindful self-compassion practices to work through past traumatic events. I was diagnosed with autism last year, and since my diagnosis, I have been utilising my research and training background to help make our 8-week mindfulness courses more neuro-inclusive as an Advocate.”
You can find out more about Hannah’s journey with mindfulness here.
Helga
“I have been a Mindfulness Advocate for SMC for over 10 years and have enjoyed being involved in a number of different projects promoting mindfulness, such as talking at training events and being involved in video footage. It’s very rewarding, personally, and it gives me a sense of being helpful to others. In my free time I like to perform as a jazz musician and run marathons to raise funds for SMC and other good causes.”
Janice
“Why I do Mindfulness Advocacy: I came across the benefits of secular mindfulness practice a number of years ago when recovering from a deep depressive episode; I participated in an eight-week MBCT course which I found to be profoundly beneficial. Since that time I have participated in a number of mindfulness courses and workshops and have a regular practice which helps me to sustain my wellbeing. I now want to help to shine a light on the benefits of mindfulness by sharing my story with others as a Mindfulness Advocate.”
Julia
“I’ve been an SMC Mindfulness Advocate since its inception, particularly enjoying adjusting its often misconstrued image in different forums and contributing to the mindfulness teacher training. Elsewhere, mindfulness has also been threaded into teaching communication skills to asylum seekers and professionals from other countries working in the UK together with being an NHS Expert by Experience supporting others caring for those with mental health challenges. Similarly, it cannot help but permeate song/poetry/music writing and loving the tiny wonders of life. ”
Mark
“My mindfulness journey has been inspired at the Sussex Mindfulness Centre by embracing its inclusive and progressive community spirit. At heart, I’m an advocacy campaigner, mobiliser and mindfulness activist, helping to promote positive social change within our communities. I advocate that better mental health awareness with a good quality, evidence-based mindfulness practise be made available, particularly to those who find it difficult to access. I’m training with SMC to teach adapted mindfulness-based interventions.”
You can find out more about Mark’s journey with mindfulness here.
Michelle
“I’ve always had a natural affinity for all things wellness and mindfulness, but what truly qualifies me as an advocate and practitioner is my lived experience. Mindfulness has been my anchor through stress, anxiety, burnout, and grief—helping me build resilience and navigate life with more clarity and compassion. I’m currently facilitating a mindfulness-based resilience programme in the education sector for young professionals facing the pressures of a fast-paced, ever-changing world. I’m also a Reiki Master and nearing completion of my mindfulness teacher training with SMC.”
Simon
“After getting a lot from doing an 8 week mindfulness course with SMC and developing my own practice, I wanted to help promote the benefits of that for others. My Advocacy volunteering has included helping at the annual conferences, and retreats, and sharing my lived experience perspective to help keep it down to earth for others. My main work is with young people and refugees, and I like to bring my MBI teacher training into that where possible. In my spare time I enjoy live music and all things retro culture.”
Tamsin
“I am a communications specialist and mindfulness teacher. Mindfulness was a last resort as I struggled to deal with the depression and anxiety that had followed me since I was a teenager. After doing the eight- week MBCT course with the Sussex Mindfulness Centre in 2010, I then trained to teach MBCT / MBSR with Sussex Mindfulness Centre in 2015. My teaching focuses on working with people with long Covid and other chronic health conditions in community contexts.”
Tamsin edits our My journey with mindfulness blog series. You can find out more about Tamsin’s own journey with mindfulness here.
What are Mindfulness Advocates?
Most of our SMC Advocates are also carers, and or Experts by Experience (known as EbEs) – someone who uses the wisdom of their lived experience of using mental health services, to help the organisation make improvements.
At the Sussex Mindfulness Centre lived experience is viewed as an asset knowing that those who have personal experience, bring their own unique wisdom and are often well placed to help others. These are not prerequisites for volunteering with us though. A passion for sharing the difference that mindfulness makes in your life is what’s most important.
Advocates constructively act as a ‘critical friend’, bringing objectivity and highlighting blind spots of the NHS culture. There’s an intention in the Advocates team of helping to ‘keep it real’, ‘keeping a finger on the pulse’ of what’s important in applying grounded theory to practice.
We recognise that Advocates bring a unique grassroots perspective, which helps greater proportionate representation. Over the past twelve years, we are proud to have collaborated with our Advocates in a variety of creative ways.
What do the Advocates do?
We have been involved in a number of initiatives including: sharing our experience of mindfulness on the teacher training courses, taking part in promotional films and podcasts, reviewing policy documents or training materials for mindfulness programmes, writing blogs and social media content, supporting research, offering feedback and suggestions on developing services, welcoming visitors at our conference and co-facilitating workshops, for example.
We’re keen to explore fundraising projects with the support of our NHS Heads On charity to help us bring mindfulness to marginalised and under-represented groups. Advocates can bring their own ideas too!
How do I find out more?
There aren’t any educational requirements to become an Advocate. A kind person with a desire to help others are usually the best qualifications. Our volunteers usually have a fairly regular meditation practice to support their mindfulness, which they draw on as a living example of the benefit of mindfulness, but they are definitely not expected to be perfect! After all, non-striving and self-compassion are cornerstones of a mindful life.
Each of our Advocates brings something different to the team with different motivations and skills. For some, it’s a way to ‘pay it forward’ or ‘give something back’ by making a positive difference to others. For others, it’s perhaps another way of supporting their own mindfulness practice.
There are no regular number of hours – usually an average of a couple per month, and you only need to get involved with the projects which you’re interested in. Guidance and support are provided, so although we usually work virtually, you are never alone.
If you’d like to explore the opportunity of volunteering as an SMC Mindfulness Advocate, please feel free to get in touch with our Advocate Co-ordinator Indi Angel by e-mail: indi.angel@nhs.net.