Here we are, one decade ending and another starting. We sometimes pause at these transition points to take stock and reformulate our intentions and plans.

At the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre our vision is of a world without the devastating effects of depression. A world where people can live with awareness, wisdom and compassion, and where we all have the possibility of realising our potential and flourishing.

The December 2019 edition of our Newsletter is now available, with highlights including the introduction of live online mindfulness courses as well as a new OMC curriculum.

We urgently need a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19 and our best scientists will develop them. But we also need a response at the level of the human head and heart. Equanimity in the midst of challenging times is not a surrender of innovation or action —rather, it is a wholehearted responsiveness that values human health and human well-being. It is the steadier ground on which we can stand and meet the challenges in our lives.

Liz Lord, from The MYRIAD research team and Associate Teacher for the OMC reflects on the challenges we face amid the COVID-19 pandemic and how mindfulness can help us navigate this time of uncertainty. This blog focusses on our ability to be grounded in these changing and challenging times.

"When life is so hard, how can we be anything but kind?"

In Podcast #1 from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre the subject of discussion concentrates on finding steadiness in uncertain times, focusing on three central themes. The podcast gives the listener an introduction as to how various mindfulness practices can be utilised to help individuals steer themselves towards steadiness in any unprecedented and uncertain time. It has been produced, participated in and released for free during this particularly difficult time for us all.

Unpleasant though it can be, a spiralling mind is a fascinating thing to watch. Kitty Wheater explains why our minds can spiral, and how to interrupt these thought processes.

The OMC would like to support individuals who have been impacted by the current Covid-19 pandemic to access introductory mindfulness courses.  To do this we are offering bursary places on some of our courses. Where financially viable, we will offer free places on courses that are not fully occupied. We of course need to remain financially sustainable as a charity and this offer will not be possible for all courses and will not be possible on our teacher training programme. 

Connection with ourselves and others in a time of “self-isolation” and “social distancing.”

Together While Apart: Feeling Gratitude for My Past OMC Summer School Experiences and Looking Forward to Learning, Practicing, and Connecting during the 2020 Summer School in this Challenging Time of COVID-19

We can develop mindfulness; it can be cultivated through mindfulness practice. A question I am often asked is, “What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?” Meditation is a way of cultivating mindfulness. Instead of the word meditation, which can have all sorts of religious overtones, I tend to use the term mindfulness practice.