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‘The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.’

Thich Nhat Hanh

What is Mindful therapy?

Mindfulness is normally associated with Buddhist teachings and is rapidly becoming the flavour of modern therapies.

Most people live their life through a rear view mirror, unnecessarily focusing upon past triumphs and failures or pinning their happiness so far in the future that the present becomes overlooked and undervalued.

Mindful therapy is the process of learning to enjoy the present and take full benefit of everything around us.

When you become mindful, stress levels reduce, thoughts become clearer and more positive and background health issues improve.

What are the traditional steps to Mindfulness?

1. Do one thing at a time. Single-task, don't multi-task. When you're pouring water, just pour water. When you're eating, just eat. When you're bathing, just bathe. Don't try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing or driving. Zen proverb: "When walking, walk. When eating, eat."

2. Do it slowly and deliberately.You can do one task at a time, but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you focus on the task.

3. Do less. If you do less, you can do those things more slowly, more completely and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do. But you're busy and you can't possibly do less, right? You can. I've done it, and so have many busy people. It's a matter of figuring out what's important, and letting go of what's not.

4. Put space between things. Related to the "Do less" rule, but it's a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to complete each task. Don't schedule things close together - instead, leave room between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.

5. Spend at least 5 minutes each day doing nothing. Just sit in silence. Become aware of your thoughts. Focus on your breathing. Notice the world around you. Become comfortable with the silence and stillness. It'll do you a world of good - and just takes 5 minutes!

6. Stop worrying about the future - focus on the present. Become more aware of your thinking - are you constantly worrying about the future? Learn to recognize when you're doing this, and then practice bringing yourself back to the present. Just focus on what you're doing, right now. Enjoy the present moment.

7. When you're talking to someone, be present. How many of us have spent time with someone but have been thinking about what we need to do in the future? Or thinking about what we want to say next, instead of really listening to that person? Instead, focus on being present, on really listening, on really enjoying your time with that person.

8. Eat slowly and savour your food. Food can be crammed down our throats in a rush, but where's the joy in that? Savour each bite, slowly, and really get the most out of your food. Interestingly, you'll eat less this way, and digest your food better as well.

9. Live slowly and savour your life. Just as you would savour your food by eating it more slowly, do everything this way - slow down and savour each and every moment. Tune into the sights and sounds and awaken your senses to the world around you.

10. Make everyday tasks a meditation. Cooking and cleaning are often seen as drudgery, but actually they are both great ways to practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of meditation.

What is HypnoZen and what is the benefit over traditional methods?

Meditation training takes a long time - sometimes years before a peaceful state is reached.

Hypnotherapy allows the retraining of the mind-body links to help quicken that process. Old habits of behaviour and thought can be changed rapidly to create a motivating and compelling way of living.

4 sessions are the equivalent of 6 months traditional training.

Hypnozen takes the client through a 4 stage process of change.

• Learning to stay in a mental place of stillness
• Creating a natural breathing pattern
• Creating a motivating vision of future possibilities
• Learning to detach from necessary outcomes

We suggest that the HypnoZen course of 4 sessions at weekly intervals, supported by cds, will give the participant a clear view of life and the skills to live well in a changeable world.