What is Mindfulness?

At its core, mindfulness is about awareness. It is about waking up to our lives. It is a meditation-based practice sometimes described as ‘present moment awareness with openness and curiosity’ , or ‘awareness with compassion.’

Mindfulness is a way of resourcing ourselves and seeing more clearly what is happening in our lives, which in turn can give us more choice about how we live.  So much of the time we are on ‘autopilot’ and reacting automatically in habitual ways, some of which do not serve us and can leave us feeling trapped and powerless.

Mindfulness practice together with the cognitive element (see below) provides us with skills to look after ourselves and also to unpack habitual reactivity and increase our sense of agency, freedom to choose.  Increasingly we can act in ways that are consonant with our deeply held values, becoming more and more authentically who we are.  

 

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, combines the mindfulness practices with cognitive exercises and  this has been shown through considerable research to be as effective as drugs in the treatment of repeated depression. It has also been shown to help with anxiety, chronic pain, stress and offers ways re-discover simple joys of life.

For me a key element is the way in which it brings back choice, when we feel trapped. It is not a panacea but gives us training and skills to wake up to our lives and find creative ways to navigate our particular situations.

It involves three key elements:

• Firstly, the practice of grounding ourselves and learning attentional control.
• Secondly gaining insight into our habitual reactions and beginning to access wiser, creative responses, especially to unhelpful habits.
• Finally, cultivating an attitude of non-judgmental curiosity/self-compassion

………………………………………………………………………………

WHAT I AM OFFERING

AUTUMN IN-PERSON 6-WEEK COURSE

STARTING SUNDAY 8TH NOVEMBER

COURSE DETAILS

Duration:       6-week course – Sunday 8^TH November to 13^th December

Timing:          Sunday evenings, 5.30 to 7pm (first session will end 7.15pm)

Venue:           In person, Purpose built Meditation room, Oxford

Course Fee:   £150 *

(If cost is preventing you from attending, I can offer a bursary of 25%/50%)

Please get in touch for further information and application form

COURSES I OFFER

I offer the following on-line or in-person – please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more. I have a bursary fund and can offer reductions.

GROUP COURSES

3-Week Introducing Mindfulness Courses – 60 min weekly sessions. Cost TBC

6 0r 8-week ‘Finding Peace’ courses, based on the book ‘Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. 90 min weekly sessions. Cost 6-week course: £150, 8-week course £180

8-week in depth Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 2 hour weekly sessions + additional day of practice. Cost £250 in person.

8-week Mindfulness for Life (MBCT-L or Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life) + additional day of practice. Cost £250 in person

1:1 MENTORING

I have an on-going passion to support people in their post-course mindfulness journey. Most people find it challenging to establish a regular practice on their own and can become disheartened by what looks like failure, but can be part of growth. 1:1 mentoring provides support tailored to the individual’s life situation and a space to reflect with an experienced practitioner.

1:1 mentoring is for anyone who has completed a 6-week or 8-week course and would like support in developing their practice. The cost is £50/hour (bursary fund available) Please get in touch.

1:1 COURSES

1:1 Bespoke courses for anyone who prefers not to learn in a group. This also means that you can go through the course material at the rate you want. Please get in touch for more information or to have an initial chat. The cost is £50/hour (bursary fund available).

1/2 DAY RETREATS

I offer both on-line and in-person. Let me know if you are interested. They run for 3 hours on a Saturday or Sunday. The invitation is to keep a gentle silence and give yourself space to be with your experience without needing to achieve anything. We begin with an introduction followed by guided meditations, involving both stillness and movement. There will also be space for a mindful drink/snack and opportunity to go outside. At the end of the session there will be a chance to speak if you wish.

This is for anyone who has already done a course or is familiar with mindfulness meditation.

Oxford Mindfulness Foundation

I also teach courses with the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. Please see below

AUTUMN COURSES

ON-LINE 8-WEEK MINDFULNESS COURSES 

Beginning September 10th 2026

I’m delighted to be teaching an 8-week courses & a 3-week introduction, with the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.

MINDFULNESS FOR LIFE

The first will be a Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life or MBCT-L course.  This is an an in-depth spacious course: sessions are 2 1/4 hours long, the daily suggested meditations vary between 20-30 minutes and there is also a day of practice.  
The course will run on Thursdays from 12-2.15pm UK time plus a day of practice on Saturday 17th October. 

The cost is £300 or £275 for those on low incomes.

Please see the website for further information and to sign up:

https://oxfordmindfulness.org/course/mindfulness-for-life-20

3 WEEK INTRODUCTION COURSE

INTRODUCING MINDFULNESS

This will be a brief introduction and taste of mindfulness practice and theory.  It will consist three 1 hour sessions.
The course will run on Thursdays 3rd, 10th and 17th September from 8.30am to 9.30am UK time.  The cost is £50 or £40 supported rate.

The website link is:  https://oxfordmindfulness.org/course/introducing-mindfulness-6

……………………………………………………..

VIDEO INTRODUCTION TO MBCT (MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY)

Here is a link to a 23 minute video introduction to the 8-week MBCT course that I teach. My husband Tim kindly volunteered to be participant on this 🙂

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u8361v9ar4l86rf3ayn7v/Intro-to-MBCT-course-23mins-Susie-Stead.mp4?rlkey=7wps52s11l2kqtiqsqlztes9m&st=qumfbtvu&dl=0

FREE AUDIO MEDITATIONS

Here is a 10 minute ‘anchors’ practice’

Here is a 9 minute ‘anchors’ meditation with less instruction

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a meditation-based life practice.   Sometimes described as ‘awareness with compassion’, mindfulness is a way of resourcing ourselves and seeing more clearly what is happening in our lives, which in turn can give us more choice about how we live.  So much of the time we are on ‘autopilot’ and reacting automatically in habitual ways, some of which do not serve us and can leave us feeling trapped and powerless.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, combines the mindfulness practices with cognitive exercises and together this has proved a powerful combination. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy  is well-researched and evidence based, and has been shown (amongst other things) to alleviate depression, stress, anxiety and chronic pain.  

The key thing for me is that mindfulness practice together with the cognitive element provide us with skills to look after ourselves and also to unpack habitual reactivity and increase our sense of agency, freedom to choose.  Increasingly we can act in ways that are consonant with our deeply held values, becoming more and more authentically who we are.  

 

PREVIOUS COURSES – Last 12 months

On-line I have taught for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation:

2 Mindfulness for Life courses,

1 Finding Peace course

1 Introduction to Mindfulness Course

In-person, I have taught:

8-week MBCT course in my meditation room at the end of our garden,

8-week Finding Peace Course, in person, to Oxford University Students,

6-week Finding Peace Course to staff at Oxford Innovation

Co-taught an 8-week adapted MBCT course for parents as part of a study looking at adapted MBCT for Adolescents with depression/anxiety and their parents/carers. This took place at the Warneford dept of pychiatry.

Feedback from previous participants:

‘It has helped me to feel more grounded, calmer, peaceful, joyful even!’

‘I really appreciated Susie’s presentation of the course material and her holding of the space, making for both a clear and focused, and an open, light-hearted and relaxed experience throughout.’

FALLING AWAKE

In 2011, I read Jon Kabat Zinn’s comment that mindfulness was “falling awake”. I decided I wanted to fall awake to the rest of my life however it panned out. After that I discovered that mindfulness is also about compassion and non-judgement and these two elements have transformed my life.

MY PRACTICE

I began my mindfulness practice in November 2011 when I attended an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR) with Kate Carne. (http://mindfulnessworks.co.uk). I continued the practice and then began to attend a local Tuesday drop-in set up and run by Tim Stead. I joined the team to support this and eventually began to lead mindfulness practices and half-day retreats.  Since April 2019  I have taken over as the lead for the drop-in and retreats.

MY TRAINING

MBCT TEACHER TRAINING – In 2017 I completed a one year Foundation Training for teaching Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre (now the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation) certificate

The Oxford Mindfulness Centre/Foundation is internationally recognised for Mindfulness teaching and training and has been connected to the University of Oxford Psychiatry Department since 2007. https://www.oxfordmindfulness.org/

COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT – In December 2019, I passed a rigorous assessment  for teaching MBCT at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.

MBCT-L/MINDFULNESS FOR LIFE TEACHER TRAINING – Completed Jan 2019

FINDING PEACE COURSE TEACHER TRAINING – Completed August 2019

SUPERVISION TRAINING – In March 2022 I completed a 3 day supervision course with the Mindfulness Network.

I have now taught a number of courses and I follow the mindfulness good practice guidelines, which include a regular personal meditation practice, supervision and annual silent retreats. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

I have attended a number of masterclasses at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation :

Training to teach Mindfulness and Creativity

Masterclasses in Diversity, Enquiry, Neurodiversity, Group Work

Also in: Mentoring 1:1 and teaching a course 1:1

I have completed on-line training in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness with David Treleaven (2021)

Other Relevant Training

CBT Training – Autumn 2018 – I completed an ‘Introduction to CBT’ course run by the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre which consists of 8 full days of training.

MHFA Training – June 2022 – I completed a second 2 day Mental Health First Aid Course for Adults on-line via the OMF

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

I am a member of BAMBA – British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches and I can be found there under the name Susan Stead. http://www.bamba.org.uk

I am also a teacher and part of the teacher partnership with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre https://oxfordmindfulness.org/people/page/4

8 WEEK COURSES THAT I TEACH

I teach the 8-week course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCTL)

Finding Peace in a Frantic World (based on the book by Mark Williams and Danny Penman) 

I teach Oxford Student Mindfulness Courses (Based on the Finding Peace book mentioned above)  as part of a small group of teachers.  I have been teaching students since 2020.

I have taught the Finding Peace course on-line to specific groups:  Junior Doctors, Parents and a Forest School Association group.  Please contact me if you are part of a group who would like to train in mindfulness. 

Finally, I’m interested in combining Forum theatre with mindfulness so do get in touch if you like the sound of this 🙂

If you’d like me to come and run a course in your area, please get in touch.

QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS

It has helped me to feel more grounded, calmer, peaceful, joyful even! Participant MBCT Summer 2025

It has helped me to become less of a hard taskmaster (work in progress..! Participant MBCT Summer 2025

The space Susie created felt compassionate and safe, and I appreciated how she held the group with attentiveness and care, making sure everyone felt heard. Participant MBCT Summer 2025

MINDFULNESS MORNINGS

I also occasionally run half-day mindfulness mornings in Oxford and on-line, which offer a rare opportunity for some quiet reflection and a chance to either re-start or deepen your mindfulness practice

They are suitable for anyone who has completed a mindfulness course or is familiar with meditation.  I am happy to run one in your area if you’d like to get in touch.

STRUCTURE:  The morning consists of a mix of guided meditations including an opportunity for mindful eating & drinking of coffee/tea, cake/fruit and a chance to go outside if wished.   A gentle silence is kept by participants  and there is an invitation to share reflections at the end of the morning.