• 2 ½ hour class once a week for 8 weeks plus one full day session (held on the weekend)
• Mindfulness meditation training, access to the online library of guided meditation recordings, and course workbook
• Learning about the effects of stress on our bodies and minds
• Exploring patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving and their relationship to stress
• Developing strategies for applying mindfulness in daily life
• Learning through brief lectures, group discussion and experiential activities

This is suitable for absolute beginners as well as those who’ve previously done some mindfulness training.

"This is the most important thing I have ever done for myself"—this quite literally is the feedback we hear from participants again and again.

If you want to learn how to work skilfully with your own mind, body and emotions and really enjoy being you and feel truly at home in your own skin, then mindfulness training is for you. It is a proven method for improving health, mental health, self-awareness and skilfulness.

MBSR teaches the art and science of presence.

It’s an art because everyone’s internal world is completely unique, nuanced and it’s also a creative changing space. No one else can tell you exactly how to meditate or do it for you.

It’s a science because research in neuroscience, medicine and psychology have helped us to understand how this ancient practice actually works, how it not only changes the structure of the brain, but also improves health and mental health, and even slows down the process of ageing. (see our resources for some references)

Mindfulness and MBSR is open to anyone. You don’t have to believe anything in particular to benefit from it. It’s compatible with a wide range of spiritual and religious beliefs. Anything that is important or meaningful for you in your life can be enhanced by mindfulness practice.

Almost everyone in our MBSR courses complains of a busy mind!

The mind’s job is to think. In mindfulness meditation we are not trying to stop thinking, we are learning to relate differently to it.

Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to explore strategies, techniques and practical approaches for relating to your mind.

You will learn to meet your thoughts, mental and emotional habits, fears and stuck places with kindness and curiosity.

Many people come to MBSR because they specifically want a mindfulness training that is secular and has no particular spiritual orientation or beliefs attached to the process.

As well, most “free” meditation centres rely on people’s generosity to support and sustain their work and the teachings. In order for these centres to survive, they need to be considered as supported by the people who use them.

MBSR is the world’s gold standard evidence based mindfulness training, It has been a major source of the evidence base over the last 40 years as it began in a university hospital setting, the university of Massachusetts medical school and was designed by a scientist, Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Check it out! We encourage you to be curious about the differences. It is likely that with a shorter course (ie 4 weeks of 1 hour each week) that you will get ‘mindfulness lite’, a superficial and no doubt helpful course, but not something that sticks, or substantially changes anything in your life.

For over 40 years, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been the gold standard of teaching mindfulness in a secular setting for the relief of physical and psychological suffering. It is taught by people who have committed themselves to training, doing retreats and having a personal practice themselves, over many years.

Training takes place over a long period, is in depth and high standard. MBSR started at the University of Massachusetts Medical School over 26,000 people have participated in the research. This is a major source of the evidence base and current interest in mindfulness.

However, many people are now offering “mindfulness” courses “based on MBSR” or “based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn” with very little personal experience and immersion in mindfulness practice themselves, and little or no training in MBSR.

These courses are often shorter, perhaps 6 sessions of 1.5 hours (ie 9 hours long) or 6 sessions x 2 hours (12 hours long) for around $400. This works out as more expensive than the MBSR program which is 27 hours long, including a silent retreat day, plus email and phone contact with the teacher if you need it during the 8 weeks.

In all our programs, everything is optional.

There are many ways to modify movement and stillness practices to suit you, your mind and body. Lots of options will be given during the session and you’re also free to make up your own. Please do what feels right for you.

If you have concerns about any aspect of our programs, please feel free to chat with your teacher.

We recommend that most people start with our foundational program, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), as it provides you with a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of mindfulness meditation. If you need a shorter time commitment, you may prefer Self-compassion. And if you aren't ready to commit to a home practice or are looking specifically for body-awareness, Mindful Yoga might be perfect for you.

While we primarily offer face-to-face instruction, some of our programs are offered online and are open to anyone anywhere in the world. We encourage you to join our mailing list so you can be the first to know when we offer online programs. You are also welcome to contact us with an expression of interest as we are more likely to offer an online option if there is a high demand for this.

Alternatively, you can have a look at MBSR programs offered by quality organisations. We can recommend Openground (nationwide), The Clarity Centre (Melbourne) or Mindful Intent (Hobart).

At this time, we do not offer programs for people under 18.

We switch up the days and times frequently to accommodate different preferences. Keep an eye on our newsletter for new program announcements! You're also welcome to contact us to request your preferred day/time.

Please contact us with a phone number and the best time to call you, and we can help you register.

We offer a reduced fee for those experiencing severe financial hardship. This is specifically intended for health care card holders, full time students without much support, and pensioners. If you fall into one of these categories and could not otherwise afford to attend the course, please contact us to request the reduced fee.

If you can afford to pay the standard fee, please do so as this enables us to keep our programs affordable for everyone. We endeavour to make our programs accessible, and we also need to ensure they are sustainable and that we can cover costs.

If you are not eligible for the financial hardship discount but are still unable to pay the standard fee, you are welcome to contact us to discuss a payment plan that suits your needs.

Some of our participants pay for our programs using funding provided by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Whether or not you can do so depends on the way the NDIS funds are managed in your specific plan.

Participants who are plan-managed or self-managed may choose to use their NDIS funding to pay for our programs. We do not ask participants how they are paying for the programs so this is purely a personal decision. You may like to discuss this with your LAC or NDIS planner.

If you need us to send your invoice to someone other than you, please indicate this at the time of registration (there is a box you can tick on the online registration form).

At this time, Simply Mindful is not an NDIS-registered provider. This means that agency-managed NDIS funds cannot be used to access our programs, according to the explanation on the NDIS website: https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/creating-your-plan/ways-manage-your-funding

If you need help figuring out whether our programs will help you meet your NDIS goals, please contact us. Please note that you are welcome to share the wording of your NDIS goals with us so we can provide you with supporting documentation, but we will never ask for your participant number, amount of funding or other personal details.

No, you can register and pay without creating an account on the website. However, an account allows you to view your recent orders, manage your billing address, and edit your details.