Mindfulness

Somatic Rehabilitation offers applied mindfulness tuition and classes in mindfulness (Pathway to the Present Moment) in Otago and Southland.

Please contact Sheree for further information.

What Sheree and Somatic Rehabilitation offer

An experienced practitioner and teacher of mindfulness, Sheree works in private practise offering Hakomi Mindfulness-Centred Somatic Psychotherapy, mindfulness-based life-coaching and mindfulness classes.

Pathway to the Present Moment classes are structured according to the five principles found in Hakomi: Mindfulness, Organicity, Unity, Non-violence and Mind-body Holism.

These principles allow optimum mindfulness learning because they create a safe and compassionate learning space.

Why the emphasis on mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a core aspect of Sheree's personal and professional life. 

Without mindfulness, Sheree believes, its not possible to become consciously aware of ourselves and the ways in which we are functioning - many of which have become so automatic, we are no longer aware of them.

How does this work?

Ordinary, daily awareness is habitual and automatic.

Being able to differentiate between ordinary awareness and mindful awareness allows us to interrupt our habitual functioning, offering us the chance to redirect our attention in the moment. 

Oftentimes, there are things happening for us that we are not present to: feelings, sensations, impulses, thoughts and memories.  These aspects of our experience can be shaping our life and the decisions we make, without us realising that.

In her classes, Sheree uses mindful awareness to collaborate with you in learning to observe what is happening now. 

Depending on a number of factors, Sheree will collaborate with you in working to understand the information that is present for you to notice, and what that may mean for you.

What exactly is mindfulness?

In terms of what Mindfulness actually is, we need to look at the research.

Eight weeks of regular mindfulness practise has been proven to create changes in the brain and body. This neuro-biological benefit cannot be underestimated as it effects many important aspects pf physical functioning, via the nervous system.

As well, improvements have been noted in cognition, social behaviour, workplace performance, relationships and family dynamics, academic results and sporting outcomes.

While there are documented benefits to Mindful practise, mindfulness itself can more simply be described as a particular state of conscious awareness.  Mindfulness can be learned and cultivated. 

Jon Kabat-Zinn believes mindfulness to be an organic and inherent part of who we are when we are born.  Children are naturally mindful ie simply in the moment, being who they are and doing what they are doing.  They are aware of their internal experience, even if they don't have the language to describe what that might be - just as they are also aware of what is happening around them.

Mindful awareness requires that we slow down and notice what is happening for us, internally and outside of ourselves.  As adults we often lose our connection to this capacity. 

With mindful awareness, we slow down and notice more.  We gain the capacity to study our present moment experience, and to learn from that.