We work with Mindfulness trainers to offer taster sessions and structured courses for groups of staff within an organisation. Meet Jane, one of our associates.
Name: Jane Hodgkinson.
Job Title: Mindfulness Teacher.
Age: 52.
Where are you from? I was born in London and have lived in the north of England for 37 years. The last 10 have been in Cumbria.
Where do you work? I work locally in businesses, schools, colleges and in community settings.
How long have you done this job? I started teaching Mindfulness 5 years ago.
What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the capacity to be fully present; aware of what is happening right now, rather than being caught up with worries about what might happen in future or chewing over events from the past.
Who is it suitable for? How does it help? Mindfulness is an innate skill that we all have but often lose sight of. A growing body of research reveals that developing a Mindfulness practice can help us rediscover peace and contentment in our lives, enabling us to flourish. Mindfulness can help us develop an inner resource for dealing with difficulties as well as noticing the joys of life that we sometimes overlook.
Mindfulness skills can be useful throughout life – there are specially adapted courses for sharing the practice with children and it really is never too late to introduce Mindfulness into your life. The only time when a Mindfulness course may not be appropriate is during an acute phase of mental illness, when it is advisable to discuss this with your GP and Mindfulness Teacher before starting.
What services do you offer? I offer Mindfulness Courses specifically adapted to the workplace. These include stand-alone introductory sessions to give you a chance to experience Mindfulness and learn how it may be relevant to you and your workplace. There is also an optional 6 week ‘Mindfulness in the Workplace Course’ that follows on from the introductory session and gives participants the chance to explore further and develop their own practice with an emphasis on its relevance to their working life.
Talk us through a typical day: My days vary considerably due to the diverse nature of where and with whom I may be working. I relish this variety and the inherent flexibility it brings.
All days begin with me tending to my two rescue rabbits – Rose and Hugo. They are a delightful pair, who have been part of the family since autumn 2018. Animals tend to be naturally very mindful and it is lovely to observe this in Hugo and Rose. Their attention is constantly tuned to what is happening at that particular moment.
All the teaching I do is tailored specifically to the learners I am currently working with. If it is a teaching day, I will have everything prepared in advance and then I can be fully present and respond to whatever arises during the session. If it isn’t a teaching day I may be preparing for upcoming sessions and courses. On a couple of days each week I will be involved in another business I run (providing holiday accommodation). Every day I make time to practise Mindfulness. This helps me in many ways, including switching focus to meet the demands of these two job roles.
What do you like best about the job? I like working with people and the fact that I am sharing skills and knowledge that they can often use in ways that are helpful to them is especially rewarding.
What do you like least? The most difficult part of the work is scheduling sessions and courses around any practical requirements, restrictions and limitations arising in the setting I am working in. Often at first glance it seems there is no time slot for delivering Mindfulness even though its potential benefits are recognised by both the employees and employers. Thankfully, I can usually offer flexibility and adapt things therefore enabling courses to be delivered to the benefit of participants and the wider organisation.
Why did you do this job originally? Is this still the same now? Is it what you expected it to be? Very soon after discovering and beginning to practise Mindfulness I knew it was something I wanted to share with others (I was working as a teacher at the time). Like all jobs it continues to change and evolve constantly. It has exceeded my expectations in that I enjoy teaching Mindfulness even more than I thought I would.
What jobs have you done previously? After leaving school I trained as a General Nurse and worked in nursing for 20 years. Following that I was involved in running a business renovating property as this fitted in well with family life at the time. I then moved on to providing holiday accommodation (which I still do) but wanted to make use of my healthcare skills again so began teaching Health and Social Care and completed teacher training.
What qualifications or experience do you need? The most important initial qualification for a Mindfulness Teacher is that they have a personal Mindfulness practice. In addition, they should have some formal teacher training and ideally a professional qualification in clinical practice, education or social context.
Courses can be designed to suit your workforce needs. Please contact us on 01228 513687 to discuss your requirements in more detail.