"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.

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.

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.

Here is the thing about data, we collect them because we don’t know about outcomes in advance. And so I was somewhat surprsied when, having published our recent study of a digital version of MBCT that showed good outcomes in reducing residual depressive symptoms1, a number of folks expressed dismay about the findings.

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.

Earlier in 2019, the OMC announced a new Teacher Partnership Programme initiative. Here we present more information on the programme and invite you to register your interest in becoming a partner.

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 OMC is developing a new suite of programmes for new populations and contexts and across the life span to increase the accessibility of MBCT and train the next generation of MBCT teachers. We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to support the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director to deliver multiple strategic projects across the centre.

Can mindfulness support the development of resilience and help the whole population realise their potential and move towards flourishing? Can a programme that combines mindfulness and cognitive science help more of the population find peace in a frantic world, develop resilience, realise their potential and flourish? Can it serve to reduce stress and improve mental health for many and enhance resilience and human potential for all? Professor Willem Kuyken, DClinPsy. Sir John Ritblat Family Foundation Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science and Director, University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre outlines the OMC vision for mindfulness for life.

In line with our charitable aims we support training, activities or initiatives which widen access to, and participation in, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and practices. Our Accessibility Fund grants are given on the expectation of clear impact, outcomes and/or key learnings. Applications to the Accessibility fund are reviewed by Oxford Mindfulness Foundation Board members, OMC staff and external advisers.

Here, we highlight a recent project supported by the accessibility fund.