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  • Wellbeing course for women migrants

    Wellbeing course for women migrants

    6 May 2025 at 10:00 to 12:00

    Learn skills to manage stress and improve life. Join this free ten-week programme for women migrants. The trauma-informed and culturally sensitive course will be held outdoors in a beautiful garden. The course sessions are on Tuesdays from 6 May 2025 until 15 July 2025. This course may be full, but you can fill in the form to join the waitlist, in case someone drops out.

    You can join the waitlist by filling in this short application form.

    Threline drawing of three women

    Overview

    The course includes activities designed to promote wellbeing, and reduce anxiety and stress. These activies include:

    • Learning simple skills to help calm the mind
    • Gentle movement and stretching exercises (that can be adapted for everyone)
    • Using art and and creativity (no experience needed)
    • An opportunity to practice English. The course is taught in plain simple English using visual prompts (fluency is not necessary)

    The benefits of doing the course include:

    • Understanding how the mind works
    • Being able to cope better in difficult situations
    • Shared sense of solidarity and community

    Location

    The location is a gorgeous and secluded garden in Kemptown. You’ll be sent details of how to get there once you enrol. We will be able to supply bus passes for people who need to travel.

    Background to the course

    This course enables women to access the benefits of mindfulness in a way that is is a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive. The Mindfulness Across Borders curriculum was created by Ariana Faris and Sheila Webb with funding from the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. The design is based on a project piloting courses in trauma-adapted and culturally-sensitive Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for refugee and asylum-seeking communities in London, Cardiff and Brighton. The curriculum was co-produced with refugees in these cities. It is therefore sensitive to the experience and traumas that individuals may have faced.

    The Sussex Mindfulness Centre is offering this course free, as part of its efforts to reach underrepresented communities. We are partnering with the Network of International Women for Brighton and Hove.

    Teachers

    Lana Jackson

    Lana Jackson

    Lana is a senior clinical psychologist, yoga therapist, and mindfulness teacher with Sussex Mindfulness Centre. She has a special interest in nature-connection and trauma-informed therapy and practice with children, young people and adults.

    Julia Powell

    Julia Powell

    Julia trained to be a mindfulness teacher in 2017, after a career in international development, social justice and human rights, including refugee rights. Julia runs trauma-informed mindfulness courses and coaching for the public and for refugees and asylum seekers.

    Course format

    The session provides a range of activities and each session is different. Generally, they start with some gentle movement or stretching exercises. The first four sessions are designed so participants can get an idea of what happens, and decide if the course is for them. From session five, the course is closed to newcomers to create a more intimate and safe space.

    There is a tea break in the middle of the sessions.

    How to apply

    The course is free. Please fill in this short form, or email Lara at spft.smc@nhs.net.

    Online

  • Mindful Self-Compassion course: eight weeks on Saturday mornings

    Mindful Self-Compassion course: eight weeks on Saturday mornings

    7 June 2025 at 09:30 to 12:00

    Our eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion course teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to challenges and difficult emotions with care and understanding.

    Overview​

    Research has shown that self-compassion greatly enhances emotional wellbeing. It boosts happiness, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help maintain healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. Being both mindful and compassionate leads to greater ease and wellbeing in our daily lives. Find out more about our Mindful Self-Compassion course here.

    Who is this course for?

    This course is designed for the general public, you do not need to have attended a mindfulness course before. Please note, this courses may not be suitable for everyone. If you are experiencing mental health issues, you should talk to your GP about being referred to the appropriate clinical service.

    When?

    Saturday mornings 09.30 to 12.00. The course starts on 7 June and runs until 2 August 2025 (no session on 5 July).

    Where?

    Online. You will get Zoom log-in details when your place is confirmed.

    The format of the course?

    • Eight further weekly two and a half hour classes including mindful self-compassion practices, discussion and exercises.
    • The course follows the programme outlined in the Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff. It is recommended that you buy this book to accompany the course, but it’s not essential.
    • Daily meditation home practice of between 20 to 40 minutes.

    Facilitator

    Paul Johanson

    Paul Johanson

    Paul Johanson is a social worker, mindful self-compassion teacher and cognitive analytic therapist in private practice. He has worked in many areas of health and social care, including criminal justice, substance misuse, serious mental illness, psychological therapies, cancer and palliative care.

    Paul has worked as a strategic leader for the NHS in implementing national programmes in mental health, psychological therapies and patient experience. Paul is a long-term Buddhist practitioner, beginning his journey over 35 years ago in the Rinzai Zen Buddhist tradition, and has been a student in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism since 1991. He has been the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Sussex since 2013.

    How to book

    Please note, we ask all those who book a place on this course to fill in an application form here that will be sent to the facilitators. If you haven’t already, please head here to the fill in the form.

    Booking for this course is now closed.

    SMC

    Online

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  • Tamsin Bishton: My journey with mindfulness

    Tamsin Bishton: My journey with mindfulness

    How mindfulness helped me with anxiety and depression

    “My inner critic was loud – and it got a bit quieter when I meditated, ” explains Tamsin Bishton, a communications specialist and mindfulness teacher. “For me that has been a gift that has stayed with me for the last 15 years.

    In the first of a series of blog posts featuring different people Tamsin describes her journey with mindfulness. For Tamsin, mindfulness was a last resort as she struggled to deal with the depression and anxiety that has followed her since she was a teenager. She describes how mindfulness has helped her make friends with herself and support others.

    How I came to mindfulness

    I was in my late thirties when I was referred to an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course after an extended course of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) with Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust. I had no idea what mindfulness was. I think I was a bit suspicious at first.

    But the CBT course had really helped me get on top of my anxiety and depression, sparked by workplace stress. And I dreaded relapsing. Depression has been with me since I was an older teenager and I was starting to feel overwhelmed when I relapsed. I was keen to try anything that might help me avoid that. And as I learned, mindfulness was at least as effective as antidepressants, so I was up for giving it a go.

    I am so glad that I did. Right from the first practice we did in the first session of that eight-week course, something just clicked. Not that it was easy or without its challenges. But I felt connected with myself in a more gentle and understanding way. My inner critic was loud – and it got a bit quieter when I meditated. For me that has been a gift that has stayed with me for the last 15 years.

    Teaching mindfulness has helped me deepen my practice while supporting others

    After several years of practising mindfulness and attending day retreats at the Sussex Mindfulness Centre I made the decision to learn to teach mindfulness to others. I spent a year learning to teach Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Stress Reduction with the compassionate team at Sussex Mindfulness Centre. Because it’s a part-time course I was able to do this learning alongside my other work. It involved a mixture of in-person training with the other trainees, practising a lot, observing an eight-week course and then co-teaching a course with a very experienced and patient teacher. I made a couple of friends for life through that course. And it helped me to understand that mindfulness isn’t something you can read about and then mimic. It requires embodied learning – that means committing to the journey of practising mindfulness regularly, learning about yourself, reflecting and listening to what experience has to teach you.

    I now teach adapted eight-week courses for people with long-covid. I also host a regular weekly online drop-in on Monday evenings with a group of people who started practising together at the start of the pandemic. I do this teaching alongside my other work in communications. Mindfulness has helped me to rediscover a love for my work that I thought I had lost for good. And I have learned so much from people as they embark on their mindfulness journey and then deepen their practice. It is an honour to walk alongside them on that journey.

    Mindfulness can help us to make friends with ourselves and ride the waves

    Mindfulness has also taught me that being human means experiencing challenges and, sometimes, suffering. And it seems to me that a certain amount of anxiety is a perfectly reasonable response to what’s going on in the world in 2025. So, yes, the low moods do sometimes come. And I do get anxious sometimes. But mindfulness has helped me to see that these states of mind do not define me. Instead of getting overwhelmed, I can be gentle with myself when they come. I can make friends with the scared and sad parts of myself and take care of them. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

    I’d encourage anyone suffering with depression and anxiety to explore mindfulness for themselves. If I can “learn to surf” then anyone can.

  • Mindful creative all-day retreat

    Mindful creative all-day retreat

    The cracks are how the light gets in: a day retreat drawing on your creativity

    29 November 2025 at 10:00 to 17:00

    Line drawing of three women at a retreat

    A one-day mindfulness retreat, including meditation practices, creative expression and journaling. Experience of creative expression is not necessary.

    Background to the day

    We are sometimes advised in retreat situations to not do anything, including not to draw, paint or write.  Simplifying, and completely letting go of any kind of doing has so much value. However, it can also be very rich to be with and express what comes up creatively, allowing that to further enrich our practice.  Creating can help us connect with less conscious, less rational parts of ourselves. It can also help us to trust and receive the unfolding of our experience through whatever medium we are using.  This can help us come alive and connect with ourselves and the world, to express what emerges from our practice and to deepen it.

    Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, a well-known and highly-respected meditation teacher says:

    “Art can be the most supportive part of what one does in life with meditation practice. Art enriches the practice, and in the end, meditation practice and art become united. This is the goal of all practitioners: what we practice in meditation becomes our life…..there is no reason to see a conflict between art and meditation practice. Of course, you might want to spend more time doing one or the other but, please, never see them in conflict. See them as supportive of one another. Both have connections, passions, fulfilment and joy which, together, make us whole. This wholeness of being is the true accomplishment of a full life.”

    Content of the day

    This day will be held as a mostly silent retreat day with mindfulness practices interspersed with creativity, using clay, drawing/painting and journaling and poetry.  Some meditation experience (such as having done an eight-week course) is required but no experience of artistic or creative work is needed. Materials will be supplied.  The day will be held at the Sussex Education Centre in Hove.

    Why a one-day retreat?

    A one-day mindfulness retreat is an important part of the eight-week mindfulness course. It also offers an opportunity to extend your practice within a supportive environment. For people who meditate regularly the retreat offers a great way to deepen and refresh your practice. Read more about the benefits of a day long retreat.

    This day retreat counts towards the requirement to attend silent retreats as part your BAMBA registration as a mindfulness teacher.

    Who is it for?

    This day is right for you if you have attended an eight-week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness for Life or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, or have an established mindfulness practice. No artistic experience is required. Please note, this is not a clinical intervention and it is not advisable to do this day in the heat of a crisis, when it would be important to access your GP or your designated mental health clinician.

    Retreat leaders

    Robert Marx

    Portrait of Robert Marx

    Robert Marx is Co-Lead for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. He is a consultant clinical psychologist and Cognitive-Analytic psychotherapist, mindfulness (MBCT) and compassion-based (MSC) teacher.  He has been co-running day retreats in Sussex Partnership twice a year for around 15 years and more recently, 5 day residential mindfulness retreats. Painting and writing have also been important to him and he has incorporated both into his own personal retreats.

    Sarah Marx

    Sarah Marx

    Sarah Marx has been working therapeutically with adults, children and families for the past 20 years. Originally trained as an adult therapist and then as a Child and Adolescent psychotherapist, Sarah has worked in the NHS, university counselling services, schools, colleges and private practice. She has trained in multiple therapy modalities, including psychodynamic, Cognitive-Analytic and mindfulness (MBCT), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), EMDR and Theraplay.  Wanting to incorporate the transformative nature of creativity into her clinical work, Sarah qualified at the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (IATE) where she went on to teach.  She has worked as a trainer for Trauma Informed Schools UK and is part of the leadership team at Beacon House.   She is also a ceramicist and has exhibited locally.

    Certificate of attendance

    Certificates of attendance can be supplied on completion of the day, if requested. Please note, you’ll need to attend for the whole day. It’s not possible to only come for a portion of the day. The retreats run from 10am to 5pm, and we ask people to join from 9.45am to ensure a prompt start.

    Ticket price

    The cost for the day is £30 to help us cover materials. If this is prohibitive let us know and we can make a few spaces free, or by a small donation. You can book here below.

    Waiting list

    The session is now full. If you would like to be added to the waiting list we can let you know if a space becomes available. Please drop us a line at spft.smc@nhs.net

    Sussex Education Centre

    Hove, West Sussex United Kingdom

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  • Free lunchtime mindfulness taster session

    Free lunchtime mindfulness taster session

    11 February 2025 at 13:00 to 14:00

    Work and life can feel so busy that you don’t have a spare moment to think, plan or just experience the moment. Join a one-hour lunchtime session to experience how mindfulness can bring space and new perspectives.

    Overview

    Mindfulness offers a chance to pause. It can help you manage stress and difficulties, reflect on what’s most important to you and learn how to take better care of yourself.

    This one-hour lunch-time session will give you a pause in the day to experience the benefits of practicing mindfulness. You will be guided through the basic principles of mindfulness and will sample a range of different practices. Over time these practices can help you build the capacity to experience life differently. Mindfulness can work for you as an individual and for your team or service.
    Bring your lunch for the mindfulness eating exercise.

    SMC

    Online

  • Moment to pause – Free lunchtime mindfulness session

    Moment to pause – Free lunchtime mindfulness session

    10 June 2025 at 13:00 to 14:00

    Work and life can feel so busy that you don’t have a spare moment to think, plan or just experience the moment. Join a one-hour lunchtime session to experience how mindfulness can bring space and new perspectives.

    Overview

    Mindfulness offers a chance to pause. It can help you manage stress and difficulties, reflect on what’s most important to you and learn how to take better care of yourself.

    This one-hour lunch-time session will give you a pause in the day to experience the benefits of practicing mindfulness. You will be guided through the basic principles of mindfulness and will sample a range of different practices. Over time these practices can help you build the capacity to experience life differently. Mindfulness can work for you as an individual and for your team or service.

    Who is it for?

    These sessions are for you if you are:

    • Would like to take a moment to pause in the middle of the day.
    • Are returning to mindfulness and want a refresh / reminder about what is involved.
    • Completely new to mindfulness and meditation and want to try it out.

    Where?

    Online on Zoom

    For all mindfulness work, the connection between people in the group is central to the discovery and learning process. Please ensure the camera on your device is turned on during the session and try your best to join from a quiet, private space, if possible. We’re aware that the session is during lunchtime. Feel free to bring something to eat during the discussion if you’d like.

    SMC

    Online